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US 6,223,539 B1Granted
Thermoelectric heat exchanger
AssigneeAmerigon Incorporated
InventorLon E. Bell
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Disclosed is a system for thermally conditioning and pumping a fluid having use as a ventilation system for vehicle seats and other applications. The system includes a thermoelectric heat exchanger having a thermoelectric element configured to pump heat from one body to another body. A pair of heat exchanger elements comprising rotor units are coupled to the thermoelectric element for both transferring heat to and from the thermoelectric element and generating a fluid flow across the thermoelectric element. The conditioned fluid may be placed in thermal communication with a variety of objects, one of which is a vehicle seat to provide localized heating and cooling of a person sitting on the seat.
Claims32
A temperature controlled ventilation system for a seat, comprising:
- a supply side, annular heat exchanger forming a hole therein about an axis of rotation and configured to allow air to pass outward from said axis of rotation, said supply side heat exchanger comprising a first series of heat transfer surfaces that are aligned with a plurality of axes orthogonal to the rotational axis, at least a portion of the first series of heat transfer surfaces comprising folds of a thermally conductive material;
- a waste side, annular heat exchanger forming a hole therein about said axis of rotation and configured to allow air to pass outward from said axis of rotation, said waste side heat exchanger comprising a second series of heat transfer surfaces that are aligned with a plurality of axes orthogonal to the rotational axis, at least a portion of the second series of heat transfer surfaces comprising folds of a thermally conductive material;
- a thermoelectric device having opposing surfaces that generate higher temperatures on one surface and lower temperatures on an opposite surface depending on the direction of the electrical current passing through the thermoelectric device, one surface being connected to and in thermal communication with the supply side heat exchanger and the opposite surface being connected to and in thermal communication with the waste side heat exchanger;
- a motor drivingly connected to at least one of the heat exchangers or thermoelectric device to rotate the heat exchangers about the axis of rotation to cause air to enter at least one of the holes along the axis of rotation and pass outward through the heat exchanger;
- an enclosure containing at least the supply heat exchanger and forming an outlet through which air exits after passing through the supply heat exchanger;
- a seat having a surface against which a person rests, the surface having passages therethrough in at least a portion of the surface where the person rests, the surface being in fluid communication with the outlet of the supply heat exchanger, the heat exchanger and motor rotation cooperating so air from the heat exchanger is forced through the surface to provide conditioned air in the area where said person rests against the surface during use of the seat.
3 more elements
An apparatus for thermally conditioning a fluid, comprising:
- a thermoelectric unit adapted to convert electrical energy into thermal energy producing a temperature change in response to an electrical current being applied thereto, the thermoelectric unit comprising a disk having first and second opposing surfaces and being mounted to rotate about a rotational axis through a center of the disk;
- and
- an annular heat transfer device comprising:
- a first series of heat transfer surfaces in conductive thermal communication with the first surface of the thermoelectric unit and aligned with a plurality of axes orthogonal to the rotational axis;
- and
- a second series of heat transfer surfaces in conductive thermal communication with the second surface of the thermoelectric unit and aligned with a plurality of axes orthogonal to the rotational axis;
- wherein at least a portion of the first and second series of heat transfer surfaces comprise folds of a thermally conductive material and are arranged to produce a fluid flow across the surfaces outward from the rotational axis when rotated about the axis.
4 more elements
A method for providing temperature controlled ventilation to a seat having a seat surface, comprising the steps of:
- providing a supply side heat exchanger that rotates about an axis of rotation and permits fluid to pass therethrough, the supply side heat exchanger having a first series of heat transfer surfaces, at least a portion of which comprise folds of a thermally conductive material aligned with a plurality of axes orthogonal to the rotational axis;
- providing a waste side heat exchanger that rotates about said axis of rotation and permits fluid to pass therethrough, the waste side heat exchanger having a first series of heat transfer surfaces, at least a portion of which comprise folds of a thermally conductive material aligned with a plurality of axes orthogonal to the rotational axis;
- and
- providing a thermoelectric unit having opposing surfaces that generate higher temperatures on one surface and lower temperatures on the opposite surface depending on the electrical current passing through to the thermoelectric device, and conductively connecting one surface of the thermoelectric device to the supply side heat exchanger and conductively connecting the opposite surface to the waste side heat exchanger;
- rotating the heat exchangers and thermoelectric unit about the axis of rotation to cause fluid to pass through the heat exchanger;
- enclosing the supply side heat exchanger and forming an outlet through which fluid exits after passing through the supply side heat exchanger;
- and
- placing the seat surface in fluid communication with the outlet of the supply side heat exchanger.
5 more elements
A method for use with a seat having an exterior surface where a person rests, comprising the steps of:
- providing a first annular heat exchanger having a fluid outlet in fluid communication with the exterior surface of the seat and mounting the heat exchanger to rotate about a rotational axis, the first armful heat exchanger having a first series of heat transfer surfaces, at least a portion of which comprise folds of a thermally conductive material aligned with a plurality of axes orthogonal to the rotational axis;
- placing the first annular heat exchanger in conductive thermal communication with a thermoelectric unit that is selected to generate a temperature change when an electrical current is applied to the thermoelectric unit;
- and
- rotation the first heat exchanger about the axis to force fluid through the heat exchanger while conditioning the temperature of the fluid passing over the heat exchanger.
1 more element
A method for thermally conditioning a fluid, comprising the steps of:
- providing a supply side heat exchanger that rotates about an axis of rotation and allowing fluid to pass therethrough, the supply side heat exchanger having a first plurality of heat transfer surfaces, at least a portion of which comprise folds of a thermally conductive material aligned with a plurality of axes orthogonal to the rotational axis;
- providing a waste side heat exchanger that rotates about said axis of rotation and allowing fluid to pass therethrough, the waste side heat exchanger having a second plurality of heat transfer surfaces, at least a portion of which comprise folds of a thermally conductive material aligned with a plurality of axes orthogonal to the rotational axis;
- providing a thermoelectric device having opposing surfaces that generate elevated temperatures on one surface and reduced temperatures on the opposite surface depending on the direction of the electrical current passing through the thermoelectric device, and conductively connecting one surface of the thermoelectric device to the supply side heat exchanger and conductively connecting the opposite surface to the waste side heat exchanger;
- rotating the heat exchangers and thermoelectric device about the axis of rotation to cause fluid to pass through the heat exchangers,
- enclosing the supply side heat exchanger and forming an outlet through which fluid exits after passing through the supply side heat exchanger;
- and
- placing the outlet from the supply side heat exchanger in fluid communication with the interior of an enclosed and insulated portable chamber, while exhausting the fluid from the waste side heat exchanger outside the chamber.
4 more elements
An apparatus for thermally conditioning a fluid, comprising:
- a supply side, annular heat exchanger forming a hole therein about an axis of rotation and configured to allow air to pass outward from said axis of rotation, said supply side heat exchanger comprising a first series of heat transfer surfaces that are aligned with a plurality of axes orthogonal to the rotational axis;
- a waste side, annular heat exchanger forming a hole therein about said axis of rotation and configured to allow air to pass outward from said axis of rotation, said waste side heat exchanger comprising a second series of heat transfer surfaces that are aligned with a plurality of axes orthogonal to the rotational axis;
- a thermoelectric device having opposing surfaces that generate higher temperatures on one surface and lower temperatures on an opposite surface depending on the direction of the electrical current passing through the thermoelectric device, one surface being connected to and in thermal communication with the supply side heat exchanger and the opposite surface being connected to and in thermal communication with the waste side heat exchanger;
- a motor drivingly connected to at least one of the heat exchangers or thermoelectric device to rotate the heat exchangers about the axis of rotation to cause air to enter at least one of the holes along the axis of rotation and pass outward through the heat exchanger, a substantial portion of the motor nesting into at least one of the holes in the heat exchangers;
- an enclosure containing at least the supply heat exchanger and forming an outlet through which air exits after passing through the supply heat exchanger;
- wherein the heat exchanger and motor rotation cooperate to force air from the heat exchanger through the outlet to provide conditioned air in a desired area.
3 more elements
A method for thermally conditioning a fluid, comprising the steps of:
- providing a supply side, annular heat exchanger having a hole therein, the supply side heat exchanger being rotatable about an axis of rotation and having a first plurality of heat transfer surfaces aligned with a plurality of axes orthogonal to the rotational axis;
- providing a waste side, annular heat exchanger having a hole therein, the waste side heat exchanger being rotatable about said axis of rotation and having a second plurality of heat transfer surfaces aligned with a plurality of axes orthogonal to the rotational axis;
- providing a thermoelectric device having opposing surfaces that generate elevated temperatures on one surface and reduced temperatures on an opposite surface depending on the direction of the electrical current passing through the thermoelectric device, and conductively connecting one surface of the thermoelectric device to the supply side heat exchanger and conductively connecting an opposite surface to the waste side heat exchanger;
- connecting a motor to at least one of the heat exchangers or thermoelectric device to rotate the heat exchangers about the axis of rotation to cause fluid to pass through the heat exchangers;
- nesting a substantial portion of the motor into at least one of the holes in the heat exchangers;
- and
- enclosing at least the supply side heat exchanger and forming an outlet in the enclosure thus formed through which fluid exits after through the supply side heat exchanger.
4 more elements
A method of thermally conditioning a fluid, comprising the steps of:
- providing a thermoelectric unit that is adapted to convert electrical energy into thermal energy to produce a temperature change in response to an electrical current being applied thereto, the thermoelectric unit comprising a disk having first and second opposing surfaces;
- mounting the thermoelectric unit to rotate about a rotational axis through a center of the disk;
- providing an annular heat transfer device comprising:
- a first series of heat transfer surfaces in conductive thermal communication with the first surface of the thermoelectric unit and aligned with a plurality of axes orthogonal to the rotational axis, the first series of heat transfer surfaces having a first length measured along an axis orthogonal to the rotational axis;
- and
- a second series of heat transfer surfaces in conductive thermal communication with the second surface of the thermoelectric unit and aligned with a plurality of axes orthogonal to the rotational axis, the second series of heat transfer surfaces having a second length measured along an axis orthogonal to the rotational axis, the second length being different from the first length;
- and
- rotating the thermoelectric unit and heat transfer device about the rotational axis so as to produce a fluid flow across each of the first and second series of heat transfer surfaces.
5 more elements
A method of thermally conditioning a fluid, comprising the steps of:
- providing a thermoelectric unit that is adapted to convert electrical energy into thermal energy to produce a temperature change in response to an electrical current being applied thereto, the thermoelectric unit compiling a disk having first and second opposing surfaces;
- mounting the thermoelectric unit to rotate about a rotational axis through a center of the disk;
- providing an annular heat transfer device that has a height measured along the rotational axis, and an inner diameter and an outer diameter measured along an axis orthogonal to the rotational axis, the distance between the inner and outer diameters being greater than the height, the heat transfer device comprising:
- a first series of heat transfer surfaces in conductive thermal communication with the first surface of the thermoelectric unit and aligned with a plurality of axes orthogonal to the rotational axis;
- and
- a second series of heat transfer surfaces in conductive thermal communication with the second surface of the thermoelectric unit and aligned with a plurality of axes orthogonal to the rotational axis;
- and
- rotating the thermoelectric unit and heat transfer device about the rotational axis so as to produce a fluid flow across each of the first and second series of heat transfer surfaces.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.