US-12628559-B2 - Thermoelectric chargers embedded in thermally insulated containers and methods of charging electronic devices using the same

US12628559B2US 12628559 B2US12628559 B2US 12628559B2US-12628559-B2

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a thermoelectric charger that includes at least one thermoelectric generator embedded within at least one surface of a thermally insulated container as well as methods for using the same. A benefit of the thermoelectric charger can be providing a portable power source for remote activities that does not depend on sunlight or batteries for power.

Inventors

Ashlyn Lee Wiesepape
Nicole Lee Stackhouse

Assignees

Ashlyn Lee Wiesepape
Nicole Lee Stackhouse

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20240509

Claims (13)

1 . A thermoelectric charger comprising: at least one thermoelectric generator embedded within at least one surface of a thermally insulated container; wherein the at least one thermoelectric generator is electrically connected to a power converter; wherein the power converter is electrically connected to a power port; wherein the thermally insulated container includes a container top, a container bottom, and at least one container side, and the at least one surface includes a container inner surface and a container outer surface; wherein the container top is reversibly sealed to the thermally insulated container; and wherein the thermally insulated container is impermeable to liquids and gasses.
2 . The thermoelectric charger of claim 1 , wherein the at least one thermoelectric generator includes an array of at least 2 thermoelectric generators electrically connected in series to the power converter.
3 . The thermoelectric charger of claim 1 , wherein the at least one thermoelectric generator includes at least one n-type semiconductor and at least one p-type semiconductor located between a heat source ceramic material and a heat sink ceramic material, and wherein the heat sink ceramic material is a portion of the container inner surface and the heat source ceramic material is a portion of the container outer surface.
4 . The thermoelectric charger of claim 3 , wherein the heat sink ceramic material is an inner most portion of the container inner surface; or wherein the heat source ceramic material is an outer most portion of the container outer surface; or wherein the heat sink ceramic material is positioned directly beneath at least a layer of the inner most portion of the container inner surface; or wherein the heat source ceramic material is positioned directly beneath an outer most layer of the container outer surface.
5 . The thermoelectric charger of claim 1 , wherein the power converter includes a direct current (DC) DC-DC power converter, wherein the DC-DC power converter has an input range of from about 0.01 V to about 12 V; or wherein the DC-DC power converter has an input range of from about 0.01 V to about 6 V; or wherein the DC-DC power converter has an input range of from about 0.01 V to about 3 V.
6 . The thermoelectric charger of claim 1 , wherein the power port includes one or more of a power socket, a power plug, a power charger, a power adapter, a power cord, a battery charger, or a power outlet, or a universal serial bus port, or combinations thereof.
7 . The thermoelectric charger of claim 1 , wherein the container bottom connects to the at least one container side and the container bottom and the at least one container side are impermeable to an aqueous fluid, and wherein the at least one of the container bottom and the at least one container side include a container inner material, a container outer material, and a thermally insulating layer located between the container inner material and the container outer material, and wherein the thermally insulated container is impermeable to the aqueous fluid and gasses when the container top is reversibly sealed to the thermally insulated container.
8 . The thermoelectric charger of claim 2 , wherein the array of thermoelectric generators, or a portion of the array of thermoelectric generators, is embedded in the container bottom or the at least one container side.
9 . The thermoelectric charger of claim 2 , wherein at least half of the array of thermoelectric generators have a shape of rectangular tiles having a length of about 10.0 to about 100.0 mm, a width of about 10.0 to about 100.0 mm, and a height of about 3.0 mm to about 8.0 mm.
10 . A thermoelectric charger comprising: at least one thermoelectric generator embedded within at least one surface of a thermally insulated container; wherein the at least one thermoelectric generator is electrically connected to a power converter; wherein the power converter is electrically connected to a power port; wherein the thermally insulated container includes a container top, a container bottom, and at least one container side, and the at least one surface includes a container inner surface and a container outer surface; and wherein the container top is reversibly sealed to the thermally insulated container, and wherein the container bottom connects to the at least one container side and the container bottom and the at least one container side are impermeable to liquids, and wherein the at least one of the container bottom and the at least one container side include a container inner material, a container outer material, and a thermally insulating layer located between the container inner material and the container outer material, and wherein the thermally insulated container is impermeable to liquids and gasses when the container top is reversibly sealed to the thermally insulated container.
11 . The thermoelectric charger of claim 1 , wherein the at least one thermoelectric generator includes an array of thermoelectric generators, and wherein the array of thermoelectric generators is capable of generating a voltage of about 3.0 V to about 8.0 V when an ambient environment is at 30° C. and there is a 50° C. difference in temperature between a content of the thermally insulated container and the ambient environment.
12 . The thermoelectric charger of claim 1 , wherein the at least one thermoelectric generator is configured to produce an electrical current when there is a temperature difference between the ambient environment and an interior of the thermally insulated container, and the thermoelectric charger further comprising a liquid stored within the thermally insulated container, wherein the liquid increases the temperature difference.
13 . A thermoelectric charger comprising: at least one thermoelectric generator embedded within at least one surface of a thermally insulated container; wherein the at least one thermoelectric generator is electrically connected to a power converter; wherein the power converter is electrically connected to a power port; wherein the thermally insulated container includes a container top, a container bottom, and at least one container side, and the at least one surface includes a container inner surface and a container outer surface; wherein the container top is reversibly sealed to the thermally insulated container; and wherein the container top completely seals the thermally insulated container.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This Application is a continuation of PCT Application No. PCT/US24/27003, filed on Apr. 30, 2024; which claims priority to U.S. Provisional 63/534,189, filed on Aug. 23, 2023, the entirety of which are incorporated by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates generally to the fields of thermoelectric generators and thermally insulated containers. In particular, the present disclosure provides thermoelectric chargers embedded in thermally insulated containers and methods of charging electronic devices therewith. BACKGROUND Typically, electronic devices such as light sources, mobile devices, cell phones, laptops, computer tablets, battery rechargers, batteries, flashlights, etc., are connected to a power grid for charging via power outlets. However, in outdoor environments such as beaches, campsites, picnic and tourist areas, farmlands, forests, lakeshores, etc., power outlets are not conveniently accessible, making it difficult to charge electronic devices in such locations. Power outlets are not portable, requiring users to remain close to the power outlets for the duration of the charging process. While replaceable batteries provide portability to some extent, each electronic device may have different battery specifications. The lack of flexibility of replaceable batteries requires users to carry multiple batteries for each of the devices. Batteries also have limited capacity and lifespan. Therefore, batteries are not suitable applications where users would spend long periods of time away from the power grid. On the other hand, mechanical or fuel-based generators are noisy, bulky, and impractical for charging electronic devices. Photovoltaic cells (solar panels) have been proposed as a solution for providing portable charging stations. However, photovoltaic cells can be unreliable. In bad weather conditions, such as cloudy days, photovoltaic cells cannot generate electricity to charge electronic devices. In addition, photovoltaic cells cannot be used after the sunset, such as when camping overnight. In addition, solar panels are not conveniently portable as they can take up a large amount of space. Therefore, it is desirable to develop new and improved chargers and methods of charging electronic devices that may alleviate, at least in part, the above limitations associated with the conventional solutions. SUMMARY The present disclosure addresses these and other unmet deficiencies inherent in the relevant thermoelectric arts, by providing thermoelectric chargers coupled with thermally insulated containers as well as methods of charging electronic devices that are portable, versatile, reliable, and consume a small spatial footprint compared to existing solutions. The present disclosure provides a thermoelectric charger. In some embodiments, a thermoelectric charger includes at least one thermoelectric generator embedded within at least one surface of a thermally insulated container; wherein the at least one thermoelectric generator is electrically connected to a power converter; and wherein the power converter is electrically connected to a power port; wherein the thermally insulated container includes a container top, a container bottom, and at least one container side, and the at least one surface includes a container inner surface and a container outer surface; and wherein at least a portion of the container top is or can be reversibly sealed to the thermally insulated container. In some embodiments, the at least one thermoelectric generator includes from 1 thermoelectric generator to about 20 thermoelectric generators. In some embodiments, the at least one thermoelectric generator includes an array of thermoelectric generators from 2 thermoelectric generators to about 10 thermoelectric generators electrically connected in series to the power converter. In some embodiments, the at least one thermoelectric generator includes an array of thermoelectric generators from 3 thermoelectric generators to about 8 thermoelectric generators electrically connected in series to the power converter. In some embodiments, the at least one thermoelectric generator includes at least one n-type semiconductor and at least one p-type semiconductor located between a heat source ceramic material and a heat sink ceramic material, and the heat sink ceramic material is a portion of the container inner surface and the heat source ceramic material is a portion of the container outer surface. In some embodiments, the heat sink ceramic material is an inner most portion of the container inner surface. In some embodiments, the heat source ceramic material is an outer most portion of the container outer surface. In some embodiments, the heat sink ceramic material is positioned directly beneath at least a layer of the inner most portion of the container inner surface. In some embodiments, the heat source ceramic material is positioned directly beneath an outer most layer of the conta