Thermoelectric humidity pump and method for dehumidfying of an electronic apparatus

An electronic apparatus comprising:

• a housing defining a chamber;
• electronic components mounted within the chamber;
• a thermoelectric humidity pump providing at least a part of a wall of the housing, the humidity pump comprising:
• a) a sealed thermoelectric cooler having, in operation a cool side facing into the chamber and a warm side facing outwardly from the chamber and from the housing, with a maintained temperature differential between the cool side and the warm side;
• b) condensing means at the cool side of the cooler and within the chamber;
• c) condensate evaporating means at the warm side of the cooler;
• and
• d) condensate transfer means extending from the cool side to the warm side of the cooler for transfer of condensate from the cool side and from within the chamber to the warm side of the cooler;
• the condensate transfer means comprising:
• a passage forming a water trap between the cool and warm sides of the cooler, the passage having an outlet on the warm side of the cooler and an inlet on the cool side of the cooler, the pump also comprising a condensate holding trough on the warm side of the cooler with the holding trough interconnected with the passage outlet and with the holding trough having a condensate overflow which is at a lower position than the passage inlet, and the condensate evaporating means comprising:
• a plurality of upwardly extending porous evaporator fins which are heat conductively connected to the warm side of the cooler and have lower ends which extend into the trough to positions lower than the overflow to enable condensate, which has been transferred to the warm side of the cooler, to penetrate into pores of the evaporator fins by capillary action, whereby for evaporation of condensate to occur, heat is extracted from the warm side of the cooler.