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US 2011/0032969 A1Published application
Method and apparatus for generating electricity using ambient heat
OwnerJohn Lee Warreninventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A thermopile, utilizing the Seebeck effect, is placed into a blackbody cavity or other ambient heat source, where the hot junctions are inside the heat source, and the cold junctions are outside the heat source, and thereby produces a voltage.
Claims30
An electrical generator comprising:
- a source of only ambient heat,
- a thermopile having at least one hot end and at least one cold end,
- said at least one hot end mounted in proximity to said source of only ambient heat, said at least one cold end mounted so as to not be in contact with said source of only ambient heat, to thereby maintain a temperature differential between said at least on hot and cold ends,
- wherein said source of only ambient heat is a heat source which exists without directly applied heating using a fuel, so that said thermopile harvests said source as it exists ambiently in the ambient environment adjacent said at least one hot end of said thermopile.
1 more element
A method for generating electricity comprising the steps of:
- a) providing a source of only ambient heat,
- b) providing a thermopile having at least one hot end and at least one cold end,
- c) mounting said at least one hot end in proximity to said source of only ambient heat, so that said at least one cold end is not in proximity to said source of only ambient heat, to thereby maintain a temperature differential between said at least one hot and cold ends, wherein said source of only ambient heat is chosen to be a heat source which exists without directly applied heating using a fuel,
- d) harvesting by said thermopile of heat from said source as it exists ambiently in the ambient environment adjacent said at least one hot end of said thermopile.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.