Back to results
US 9,793,460 B2Granted
Thermoelectric conversion module
AssigneePanasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
InventorsKaori Toyoda, Satoshi Maeshima
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A thermoelectric conversion module is disclosed that corrects the difference in thermal resistance between a P-type thermoelectric conversion member and an N-type thermoelectric conversion member. In this thermoelectric conversion module, since insulators included in the P-type thermoelectric conversion member and the N-type thermoelectric conversion member have a different thermal resistance, it is possible to correct the difference in thermal resistance between the P-type thermoelectric conversion element and the N-type thermoelectric conversion element.
Claims10
A thermoelectric conversion module comprising:
- a plurality of P-type thermoelectric conversion elements each having a P-type thermoelectric conversion member and a first insulator to cover the P-type thermoelectric conversion member;
- a plurality of N-type thermoelectric conversion elements each having an N-type thermoelectric conversion member and a second insulator to cover the N-type thermoelectric conversion member, wherein the first insulators and the second insulators are formed of different materials;
- and
- a plurality of electrodes that electrically connects the P-type thermoelectric conversion members with the N-type thermoelectric conversion members,
- wherein a cross-sectional area of the first insulators and a cross-sectional area of the second insulators are selected to be different,
- a cross-sectional area of each P-type thermoelectric conversion member and a cross-sectional area of each N-type thermoelectric conversion member are the same,
- all of the cross-sectional area of each first insulator, the cross-sectional area of each second insulator, the cross-sectional area of each P-type thermoelectric conversion member and the cross-sectional area of each N-type thermoelectric conversion member are disposed in a same cross section orthogonal to a direction of current flowing in the P-type thermoelectric conversion members or the N-type thermoelectric conversion members, and
- a difference in thermal resistance between the P-type thermoelectric conversion elements and the N-type thermoelectric conversion elements is smaller than a difference in thermal resistance between the P-type thermoelectric conversion members and the N-type thermoelectric conversion members, and
- the cross-sectional area of each first insulator being formed larger than the cross-sectional area of each second insulator in a case where the thermal resistance of the P-type thermoelectric conversion members is larger than the thermal resistance of the N-type thermoelectric conversion members, and
- the cross-sectional area of each first insulator being formed smaller than the cross-sectional area of each second insulator in a case where the thermal resistance of the P-type thermoelectric conversion members is smaller than the thermal resistance of the N-type thermoelectric conversion members.
7 more elements
A thermoelectric conversion module comprising:
- a plurality of P-type thermoelectric conversion elements each having a P-type thermoelectric conversion member and a first insulator to cover the P-type thermoelectric conversion member;
- a plurality of N-type thermoelectric conversion elements each having an N-type thermoelectric conversion member and a second insulator to cover the N-type thermoelectric conversion member, wherein a cross-sectional area of the first insulators and a cross-sectional area of the second insulators are selected to be different;
- and
- a plurality of electrodes that electrically connects the P-type thermoelectric conversion members with the N-type thermoelectric conversion members,
- wherein a material of the first insulators and a material of the second insulators are different and a difference in thermal resistance between the P-type thermoelectric conversion elements and the N-type thermoelectric conversion elements is smaller than a difference in thermal resistance between the P-type thermoelectric conversion members and the N-type thermoelectric conversion members,
- the first insulators being selected from a material with a smaller thermal resistivity than the second insulators as a material in a case where the thermal resistance of the P-type thermoelectric conversion members is larger than the thermal resistance of the N-type thermoelectric conversion members, and
- the first insulators being selected from a material with a larger thermal resistivity than the second insulators as a material in a case where the thermal resistance of the P-type thermoelectric conversion members is smaller than the thermal resistance of the N-type thermoelectric conversion members,
- a cross-sectional area of each P-type thermoelectric conversion member and a cross-sectional area of each N-type thermoelectric conversion member are the same, and
- all of the cross-sectional area of each first insulator, the cross-sectional area of each second insulator, the cross-sectional area of each P-type thermoelectric conversion member and the cross-sectional area of each N-type thermoelectric conversion member are disposed in a same cross section orthogonal to a direction of current flowing in the P-type thermoelectric conversion members or the N-type thermoelectric conversion members.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.