Pen shaped handheld apparatus for generating a water from an ambient humid air

A pen shaped handheld apparatus for generating a water from an ambient humid air, said apparatus comprising:

• a pen housing;
• a plurality of airflow channels configured to receive and direct the ambient humid air inside the pen housing;
• a thermoelectric cooling unit positioned within the pen housing and positioned adjacent to a hydrophilic condensation mesh to establish a cooled condensation surface;
• a condensation chamber, comprising the hydrophilic condensation mesh thermally coupled to the thermoelectric cooling unit for capturing and condensing the ambient humid air, wherein the thermoelectric cooling unit cools the ambient humid air below its dew point and condense onto the hydrophilic condensation mesh;
• a one or more humidity and temperature sensors communicatively coupled to a microcontroller unit, wherein the one or more humidity and temperature sensors are positioned within and adjacent to the airflow channels and are configured to detect ambient environmental conditions prior to activation of the thermoelectric cooling unit;
• a microcontroller unit (MCU) configured to control an operation of the thermoelectric cooling unit based on inputs of the one or more humidity and temperature sensors, wherein the MCU is configured to receive environmental data signals from the one or more humidity and temperature sensors for detecting ambient humidity and temperature;
• a micro water reservoir positioned below the hydrophilic condensation mesh and fluidly connected to the hydrophilic condensation mesh for collecting condensed water;
• and
• a rechargeable lithium battery electrically coupled to the MCU and thermoelectric cooling unit to provide portable power, wherein the microcontroller unit is configured to dynamically adjust an electrical power supplied to the thermoelectric cooling unit in response to changes in sensed ambient humidity and temperature such that a difference between a vapor density of incoming air and a saturation vapor density at the hydrophilic condensation mesh remains within a predefined operating range;
• wherein the thermoelectric cooling unit is configured to extract heat from the hydrophilic condensation mesh at a rate corresponding to a latent heat of condensation associated with water vapor transitioning from a gaseous phase to a liquid phase at the cooled condensation surface of the hydrophilic condensation mesh, such that a temperature of the hydrophilic condensation mesh remains substantially constant during continuous condensation;
• and wherein the airflow channels are configured such that a velocity of airflow produces a convective heat transfer coefficient that, in combination with conductive heat removal through the thermoelectric cooling unit, maintains a stable temperature gradient across the hydrophilic condensation mesh during operation;
• and
• wherein the hydrophilic condensation mesh is configured such that condensation occurs under a diffusion-limited regime in which a rate of water vapor transport toward the cooled condensation surface of the hydrophilic condensation mesh is governed by a concentration gradient established between bulk airflow and a boundary layer adjacent to the hydrophilic condensation mesh;
• wherein the microcontroller unit is configured to control operation of the thermoelectric cooling unit based on a calculated difference between an enthalpy of incoming air and an enthalpy of air at the hydrophilic condensation mesh, such that energy removal corresponds to a combined sensible and latent heat reduction required for condensation;
• and wherein the thermoelectric cooling unit and the hydrophilic condensation mesh are configured such that a local heat flux from the hydrophilic condensation mesh to the thermoelectric cooling unit is proportional to a temperature difference between the cooled condensation surface of the hydrophilic condensation mesh and a cold junction of the thermoelectric cooling unit, and wherein the local heat flux corresponds to heat released during condensation of water vapor.