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US 12,004,425 B2Granted
Thermoelectric generator array
AssigneeZEVX Inc.
InventorsRichard L Lewis, Damon Kuhn, Charles Maury, Sean Loehr, James Maury
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Abstract
A method and system for employing thermoelectric generators for capturing otherwise lost thermal energy associated with operation of an electric vehicle.
Claims7
A system for thermoelectric generation in a vehicle, comprising,
- at least one thermoelectric generating element associated with a vehicle body with one side thermally conductively exposed to a relatively warmer exterior ambient air having an ambient temperature,
- a flow structure to supply the other side of the at least one thermoelectric generating element with a relatively cooler air flow, so as to dynamically maintain a thermal gradient across said element;
- and
- wherein said relatively cooler air flow is supplied by interior waste air from a cooling system of said vehicle.
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A system for thermoelectric generation in a vehicle, comprising,
- at least one thermoelectric generating element array associated with a vehicle body with a hot side associated with a vehicle body panel and thermally conductively exposed to the ambient air having an ambient temperature,
- at least one thermoelectric generating element array associated with said body panel with a cold side associated with said vehicle body panel,
- a flow structure associated separately with each to supply the other side of said thermoelectric generating element array with an air flow of differing temperature, so as to dynamically maintain a thermal gradient across said element,
- and a control means to switch between the at least one thermoelectric generating element array associated with the vehicle body with the hot side associated with a vehicle body panel and the at least one thermoelectric generating element array associated with said body panel with the cold side associated with said vehicle body panel depending on changing ambient temperatures to which said vehicle body panel is exposed.
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Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.