System and Method for Measuring and Controlling Foot Temperature

A system for measuring and controlling foot temperature, the system comprising:

• one or more heat exchangers each including:
• a thermoelectric cooling (TEC) device embedded into an article of footwear and in close proximity to a bottom of a foot, and
• a cooling device coupled to the TEC device configured to dissipate heat from the TEC device;
• and
• a controller coupled to the heat exchanger configured to control the TEC device to remove heat from a bottom of a foot to cool the foot or add heat to the bottom of the foot to heat the foot.

A system for measuring and controlling foot temperature, the system comprising:

• a bladder insole including a plurality sealed fluidic pathways having a cooling or heating fluid therein and disposed in an article of footwear, the bladder insole configured to circulate the heating or cooling fluid through the sealed fluidic pathway in response to gate phases of a user while walking or running;
• a thermoelectric cooling device (TEC) disposed in the bladder insole, the TEC device configured to contact the heating or cooling fluid in the plurality of sealed fluidic pathways;
• a power supply coupled to the TEC device;
• and
• a controller coupled to the TEC device and the power supply, the controller configured to control the current or voltage applied by the power supply to the TEC device such that a side of the TEC device in contact with the heating or cooling fluid removes heat from fluid to cool the foot of a user or the side of the TEC device in contact with the heating or cooling fluid adds heat to the fluid to heat the foot of a user.

A method for measuring and controlling foot temperature, the method comprising:

• providing one or more sealed fluidic pathways having a cooling or heating fluid therein and disposed in or on an article of footwear;
• circulating the fluid in the one or more sealed fluidic pathways;
• and
• controlling the circulating fluid and an amount of heat added or removed from the fluid in the one or more sealed fluidic pathways to cool or heat a foot.

A method for measuring and controlling foot temperature, the method comprising:

• providing one or more heat exchangers each including a thermoelectric cooling (TEC) device embedded into an article of footwear and in close proximity to a bottom of a foot;
• dissipating heat from the TEC device;
• and
• controlling the TEC device to remove heat from a bottom of a foot to cool the foot or add heat to the bottom of the foot to heat the foot.