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US 9,869,494 B1Granted
Thermoelectric coolers with asymmetric conductance
AssigneeGeoffrey O. Campbell
InventorGeoffrey O. Campbell
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A TE cooler wherein the conductance between the peak temperature location and the hot side of the TE couple can be increased in a number of ways. The ways to increase the conductance between the peak temperature location and the hot side of the TE couple include one or more of introducing a thermal conductive/electrically insulating material to fill the voids between legs; modifying the leg geometry with a variable cross-section as a function of distance along the leg; and/or using functionally graded TE materials with varying thermal conductivity.
Claims6
A thermoelectric cooler comprising:
- a hot side thermally conducting/electrically insulating cover plate;
- a cold side thermally conducting/electrically insulating cover plate, the cold side thermally conducting/electrically insulating cover plate being displaced away from the hot side thermally conducting/electrically insulating cover plate;
- and
- one or more thermoelectric couples, each one of the one or more thermoelectric couples comprising a p-doped semiconductor element and an n-doped semiconductor element;
- each one of the p-doped semiconductor element and the n-doped semiconductor element being disposed between the hot side thermally conducting/electrically insulating cover plate and the cold side thermally conducting/electrically insulating cover plate;
- said each one of the p-doped semiconductor element and the n-doped semiconductor element being thermally connected to the hot side thermally conducting/electrically insulating cover plate and the cold side thermally conducting/electrically insulating cover plate;
- first electrical connectors being disposed between the hot side thermally conducting/electrically insulating cover plate and the one or more thermoelectric couples and electrically operatively connected to the one or more thermoelectric couples;
- second electrical connectors being disposed between the cold side thermally conducting/electrically insulating cover plate and the one or more thermoelectric couples and electrically operatively connected to the one or more thermoelectric couples;
- said each one of the p-doped semiconductor element and the n-doped semiconductor element being electrically connected to each other via the first and second electrical connectors;
- wherein a cross-sectional area of each of the p-doped semiconductor element and the n-doped semiconductor element varying as a function of distance between the hot side thermally conducting/electrically insulating cover plate and the cold side thermally conducting/electrical insulating cover plate.
7 more elements
A thermoelectric cooler comprising:
- a hot side thermally conducting/electrically insulating cover plate;
- a cold side thermally conducting/electrically insulating cover plate, the cold side thermally conducting/electrically insulating cover plate being displaced away from the hot side thermally conducting/electrically insulating cover plate;
- one or more thermoelectric couples, each one of the one or more thermoelectric couples comprising a p-doped semiconductor element and an n-doped semiconductor element;
- each one of the p-doped semiconductor element and the n-doped semiconductor element being disposed between the hot side thermally conducting/electrically insulating cover plate and the cold side thermally conducting/electrically insulating cover plate;
- said each one of the p-doped semiconductor element and the n-doped semiconductor element being thermally connected to the hot side thermally conducting/electrically insulating cover plate and the cold side thermally conducting/electrically insulating cover plate;
- first electrical connectors being disposed between the hot side thermally conducting/electrically insulating cover plate and the one or more thermoelectric couples and electrically operatively connected to the one or more thermoelectric couples;
- second electrical connectors being disposed between the cold side thermally conducting/electrically insulating cover plate and the one or more thermoelectric couples and electrically operatively connected to the one or more thermoelectric couples;
- said each one of the p-doped semiconductor element and the n-doped semiconductor element being electrically connected to each other via the first and second electrical connectors;
- and
- means for improving thermal conductance to the hot side thermally conducting/electrically insulating cover plate.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.