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US 5,188,286 AGranted
Thermoelectric piezoelectric temperature control
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorWilliam E. Pence, IV
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A heat control and interface stress control principle for a material in which a piezoelectric member is positioned in contact with an interface of the material so that a heat generated expansion of the material generates a piezoelectric signal that controls a thermoelectric cooler in contact with the piezoelectric member.
Claims12
A temperature regulating structure for a heat radiating material comprising:
- a piezoelectric layer on a surface of said heat radiating material,
- a thermoelectric cooler on said piezoelectric layer, and, control means operable in response to a signal from said piezoelectric layer to alter the cooling function of said thermoelectric cooler.
Temperature regulating apparatus for a heat radiating material comprising in combination:
- a piezoelectric layer in contact with a heat radiating surface of said material,
- a thermoelectric cooler member having one side thereof in contact with said piezoelectric layer, and
- control means operable to alter current flow in said thermoelectric cooler in response to a signal from said piezoelectric layer.
A temperature regulating assembly comprising in combination
- a planar active material member having heat producing capability radiating from a surface thereof,
- a first piezoelectric layer in contact with said heat radiating surface,
- a first thermoelectric cooler member having a hot and cold surfaces, said cold surface thereof being in contact with said piezoelectric layer,
- a planar passive material member,
- a second piezoelectric layer in contact with a surface of said planar passive material,
- a second thermoelectric cooler having hot and cold surfaces, said cold surface thereof being in contact with said second piezoelectric layer, and
- control means whereby currents supplied to both said first and said second thermoelectric cooler members responsive to respective signals from said first and second piezoelectric layers are operable to maintain predetermined relative temperature and stress conditions in both said active and said passive planar material members.
4 more elements
Temperature and stress control of a member comprising:
- piezoelectric signal generating expansion sensing means approximately covering and in contact with a surface of said member,
- thermoelectric cooling means approximately covering and in thermoinfluencing contact with said surface of said member, and
- electrical current control means for supplying variable current to said thermoelectric cooling means responsive to said piezoelectric signal means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.