Method for limiting the variation in the temperature of an electrical component
AssigneeCommissariat A L'energie Atomique Et Aux Energies Alternatives
InventorsEmmanuel Defay, Neil Mathur, Sohini Kar-Narayan, Jordane Soussi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for limiting temperature variation of an electrical component includes detecting a switch from passive to active states and, in response, varying a potential difference between capacitor electrodes from a first value to a second value, the electrodes being mechanically and electrically insulated from each other by a layer of electrocaloric dielectric, and in response to detecting a switch from active to passive states, varying the potential difference between the electrodes from the second to the first value.
Claims13
A method for limiting temperature variation of an electrical component comprising a heat evacuation face, said method comprising acquiring one or more values of one or more physical quantities, said one or more values being representative of one of a temperature of said electrical component and a physical quantity representative of a rate at which heat is produced by said electrical component, detecting, based at least in part on said one or more values of said physical quantities thus acquired, when said electrical component switches between an active state, in which said electrical component must be cooled, and a passive state, in which said electrical component may be heated, in response to detection of said electrical component as having switched from said passive state to said active state, causing a voltage source to vary a potential difference between first and second electrodes of a capacitor from a first value to a second value, and if said second value is reached before a next time said electrical component is detected as having switched from said active state to said passive state, causing said voltage source to maintain said second value provided said electrical component remains in said active state, said electrodes being mechanically and electrically insulated from each other by a layer of electrocaloric dielectric material, said first electrode making conductive thermal contact with said heat evacuation face of said electrical component, and said first and second values being such that variation in potential difference causes heat to be absorbed by said layer of electrocaloric dielectric material, and in response to detection of said electrical component as having switched from said active state to said passive state, causing said voltage source to vary said potential difference between said first and second electrodes of said capacitor from said second value to said first value and, if said first value is reached before a next time said electrical component is detected as having switched from said passive state to said active state, to maintain said first value provided said electrical component remains in said passive state.
An apparatus comprising an electronic system, said electronic system comprising an electrical component comprising a heat evacuation face, said electrical component being configured to switch, in response to a control signal, between an active state, in which said electrical component must be cooled, and a passive state in which said electrical component may be heated, a first capacitor comprising first and second electrodes and a layer made of a dielectric material mechanically and electrically insulating said first and second electrodes from each other, said first electrode making conductive thermal contact with said heat evacuation face of said electrical component, a first voltage source configured to apply a controllable potential difference between said first and second electrodes of said first capacitor, and a control unit for controlling said first voltage source in order to limit temperature variation of said electrical component, wherein said dielectric material comprises an electrocaloric material, and wherein said control unit is programmed to acquire one or more values of one or more physical quantities representative of one of said temperature of said electrical component and a physical quantity representative of an amount of heat produced per second by said electrical component, to detect, based on said one or more values of said physical quantities acquired, a switch of said electrical component switches between an active and a passive state, in response to detecting a switch from said passive state to said active state, to cause said first voltage source to vary said potential difference between said first and second electrodes of said capacitor from a first value to a second value and, if said second value is reached before a next time said electrical component is detected as having switched from said active state to said passive state, to maintain said second value provided said electrical component is in said active state, and in response to detection of a switch from said active state to said passive state, to control said voltage source to vary said controllable potential difference between said first and second electrodes of said capacitor from said second value to said first value, and if said first value is reached before a next time said electrical component is detected as having switched from said passive state to said active state, to maintain said first value provided said electrical component is in said passive state.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.