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US 12,266,494 B2Granted
Electrically controlled solid-state thermal switch
AssigneeOhio State Innovation Foundation
InventorsJoseph P. Heremans, Brandi Wooten
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Electrically controlled solid-state thermal switches and methods of controlling heat flow. An electrostrictive material is electromagnetically coupled to first and second electrodes that provide an electric field to the electrostrictive material. Different portions of the electrostrictive material are thermally coupled to each of a heat sink and a thermal load so that heat flowing from one into the other passes through the electrostrictive material. A control voltage is applied to the electrodes to selectively generate the electric field, thereby selectively altering the thermal conductivity of the electrostrictive material. The heat sink and thermal load are thereby selectively thermally coupled to each other in dependence on the control voltage.
Claims10
A solid-state electrically controlled thermal switch, comprising:
- a first electrode including a plurality of first conductive layers;
- a second electrode including a plurality of second conductive layers;
- a plurality of electrostrictive layers, wherein each electrostrictive layer:
- includes an electrostrictive material having a plurality of faces including an upper face, a lower face opposite the upper face, a left face, and a right face opposite the left face,
- a first face of the plurality of faces is operatively coupled to a respective first conductive layer of the first electrode, the first face being one of the left face or the right face of the electrostrictive material, and
- a second face of the plurality of faces is operatively coupled to a respective second conductive layer of the second electrode, the second face being the other of the left face or the right face of the electrostrictive material opposite the first face,
- a first thermal coupler operatively coupled to the upper face of the electrostrictive material of each electrostrictive layer of the plurality of electrostrictive layers;
- and
- a second thermal coupler operatively coupled to the lower face of the electrostrictive material of each electrostrictive layer of the plurality of electrostrictive layers, wherein:
- the electrostrictive layers, the first conductive layers, and the second conductive layers define a stack of alternating layers of the electrostrictive material and the first and second conductive layers,
- the first and second electrodes are configured to apply an electric field to at least a portion of the electrostrictive material of each electrostrictive layer in response to a voltage being applied across the first and second electrodes,
- the upper and lower faces of the electrostrictive material of each electrostrictive layer define a thermal path through the electrostrictive layer that includes at least a part of the portion of the electrostrictive layer across which the electric field is applied, and
- applying the electric field to the at least the portion of each electrostrictive layer selectively alters a thermal conductivity of the thermal switch.
10 more elements
A solid-state electrically controlled thermal switch, comprising:
- an electrostrictive material including an upper face and a lower face opposite the upper face;
- a first electrode operatively coupled to the upper face of the electrostrictive material;
- a second electrode operatively coupled to the lower face of the electrostrictive material;
- a first thermal coupler operatively coupled to the upper face of the electrostrictive material, at least a portion of the first thermal coupler being operatively coupled to the upper face of the electrostrictive material through at least a portion of the first electrode, and
- a second thermal coupler operatively coupled to the lower face of the electrostrictive material, at least a portion of the second thermal coupler being operatively coupled to the lower face of the electrostrictive material through at least a portion of the second electrode, wherein:
- the first and second electrodes are configured to apply an electric field to at least a portion of the electrostrictive material in response to a voltage being applied across the first and second electrodes,
- the upper and lower faces define a thermal path through the electrostrictive material that includes at least a part of the portion of the electrostrictive material across which the electric field is applied, and
- applying the electric field to the at least the portion of the electrostrictive material selectively alters a thermal conductivity of the thermal switch.
5 more elements
A solid-state electrically controlled thermal switch, comprising:
- a first electrode including a plurality of first conductive layers;
- a second electrode including a plurality of second conductive layers;
- a plurality of electrostrictive layers, wherein each electrostrictive layer:
- includes an electrostrictive material having a plurality of faces including an upper face and a lower face opposite the upper face,
- a first face of the plurality of faces is operatively coupled to a respective first conductive layer of the first electrode, the first face being one of the upper face or the lower face of the electrostrictive material, and
- a second face of the plurality of faces is operatively coupled to a respective second conductive layer of the second electrode, the second face being the other of the upper face or the lower face of the electrostrictive material opposite the first face;
- a first thermal coupler operatively coupled to the upper face of the electrostrictive material of an uppermost electrostrictive layer of the plurality of electrostrictive layers;
- and
- a second thermal coupler operatively coupled to the lower face of the electrostrictive material of a lowermost electrostrictive layer of the plurality of electrostrictive layers, wherein:
- the electrostrictive layers, the first conductive layers, and the second conductive layers define a stack of alternating layers of the electrostrictive layers and the first and second conductive layers,
- the first and second electrodes are configured to apply an electric field to at least a portion of the electrostrictive material of each electrostrictive layer in response to a voltage being applied across the first and second electrodes,
- the upper face of the plurality of faces of the uppermost electrostrictive layer and the lower face of the plurality of faces of the lowermost electrostrictive layer define a thermal path through the electrostrictive layers that includes at least a part of the portion of each electrostrictive layer across which the electric field is applied, and
- applying the electric field to the at least the portion of each electrostrictive layer selectively alters a thermal conductivity of the thermal switch.
10 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.