Thin Thermoelectric Generator System for Body Energy Harvesting

Wearable thermoelectric generators (TEGs) harvest thermal energy generated by the body to generate useful electricity. The performance of these systems is limited by (1) the small working temperature differential between the body and ambient, (2) the desire to use natural air convection cooling on the cold side of the generator, and (3) the requirement for thin, lightweight systems that are comfortable for long-term use. Our work has focused on the design of the heat transfer system as part of the overall thermoelectric (TE) system. In particular, the small heat transfer coefficient for natural air convection results in a module thermal impedance that is smaller than that of the heat sink. In this heat-sink-limited regime, the thermal resistance of the generator should be optimized to match that of the heat sink to achieve the best performance. In addition, we have designed flat (1 mm thickness) copper heat spreaders to realize performance surpassing splayed pin heat sinks. Two-dimensional (2-D) heat spreading exploits the large surface area available in a wristband and allows patterned copper to efficiently cool the TE. A direct current (DC)/DC converter is integrated on the wristband. The system generates up to 28.5 W/cm(2) before the converter and 8.6 W/cm(2) after the converter, with 30% efficiency. It generates output of 4.15 V with overall thickness under 5 mm.