# US 2015/0102702 A1 · Thermal power cell and apparatus based thereon > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2015/0102702 A1 - Document ID: US20150102702A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/399,215 - Filed: 2012-05-08 - Published: 2015-04-16 - Earliest claimed: 2012-05-08 - Inventors: Peter Jeney; Gustav Hans Weber - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20150102702A1 ## CPC - H10N 15/10: Thermoelectric devices using thermal change of the dielectric constant, e.g. working above and below the Curie point - H10N 15/15: {Thermoelectric active materials} - H10N: ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract Apparatus (100) comprising a device (10) with a first electrically conducting electrode (11), a second electrically conducting electrode (12), said electrodes (11, 12) being spaced apart, a pyro-electric material (13) to which said electrodes (11, 12) are attached/applied, at least one heat-exchanging structure (14) being thermally coupled to said pyro-electric material (13), said apparatus (100) further comprising an electric oscillator circuitry (20), said device (10) being electrically connectable to the electric oscillator circuitry (20) so as to provide an oscillation of said pyro-electric material (13). ## Claims ### Claim 1 Apparatus (100) comprising a device (10) with a first electrically conducting electrode (11), a second electrically conducting electrode (12), said electrodes (11, 12) being spaced apart, a pyro-electric material (13) to which said electrodes (11, 12) are attached/applied, at least one heat-exchanging structure (14) being thermally coupled to said pyro-electric material (13), said apparatus (100) further comprising an electric oscillator circuitry (20), said device (10) being electrically connectable to the electric oscillator circuitry (20) so as to provide an oscillation of said pyro-electric material (13). ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) Apparatus (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises a first inductor (L1) which is coupled to said device (10) so as to form a first oscillator (30). ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) Apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein said electric oscillator circuitry (20) comprises a second oscillator (40) which comprises a capacitor (C2) and a second inductor (L2). ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) Apparatus (100) according to claim 3, wherein said first oscillator (30) and said second oscillator (40) are coupled by means of conductive connections so that these two oscillators (30, 40) can be caused to jointly oscillate. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) Apparatus (100) according to claim 3, wherein said first oscillator (30) and said second oscillator (40) are arranged in series. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) Apparatus (100) according to claim 3, wherein said first oscillator (30) has a first resonance frequency (f1) and said second oscillator (40) has a second resonance frequency (f2), and wherein said first resonance frequency (f1) and said second resonance frequency (f2) are different. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) Apparatus (100) according to claim 6, wherein the first resonance frequency (f1) and the second resonance frequency (f2) are both in the range between 5 kHz and 500 kHz. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) Apparatus (100) according to claim 6, wherein the difference of the resonance frequencies (f1, f2) is between 5% and 0.1%. ### Claim 9 (depends on 3) Apparatus (100) according to claim 3, wherein said first oscillator (30) and said second oscillator (40) are caused to oscillate with a beat frequency between 10 and 100 times per second. ### Claim 10 (depends on 3) Apparatus (100) according to claim 3, further comprising a transistor (T1) being arranged between said first oscillator (30) and said second oscillator (40). ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) Apparatus (100) according to claim 10, wherein said transistor (T1) can be switched so that current flows from said first oscillator (30) into said second oscillator (40). ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) Apparatus (100) according to claim 10, further comprising a supercapacitor (SC1) and a rectifier (33), wherein said rectifier (33) is arranged so as to provide a DC output signal and wherein said DC output signal is applied to said supercapacitor (SC1). ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) Apparatus (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises a capacitor (SC1), preferably a supercapacitor, being coupled to said device (10), so that the capacitor (SC1) is enabled to provide energy for said oscillation. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) Apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein electric energy is being made available at said electric nodes (O1, O2), when exposing said device (10) to a heat source or flow. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) Apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein said electric oscillator circuitry (20) and said device (10) are electrically coupled so as to cause the pyro-electric material (13) to oscillate. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) Apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein the pyro-electric material (13) is caused to oscillate at a frequency above 50 kHz. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) Apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein said electric oscillator circuitry (20) drives said device (10) in a non-linear mode, preferably by providing an ascending slope of the amplitude of the oscillation which brings the device (10) in the non-linear mode. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) Apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein a solid state crystal serves as pyro-electric material (13). ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) Apparatus (100) according to claim 18, wherein a silicate mineral, preferably a crystal boron silicate mineral, or Tourmaline serves as pyro-electric material (13). ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) Apparatus (100) according to claim 18, wherein a Triglycine sulfate crystal serves as pyro-electric material (13). ### Claim 21 (depends on 18) Apparatus (100) according to claim 18, wherein a Perowskit-Oxide crystal serves as pyro-electric material (13). ### Claim 22 (depends on 1) Apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein said heat-exchanging structure (14) comprises aluminum or copper. ### Claim 23 Use of a device (10) as thermal power cell, said device (10) comprising a first electrically conducting electrode (11), a second electrically conducting electrode (12), said electrodes (11, 12) being spaced apart, a pyro-electric material (13) to which said electrodes (11, 12) are attached/applied, and at least one heat-exchanging structure (14) being thermally coupled to said pyro-electric material (13). ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The use according to claim 23, wherein the device (10) is connected to an oscillator (20) which is designed to cause said pyro-electric material (13) to oscillate.