Passive thermal switch devices having thermal switch material that passively switches between a thermal insulating state and a thermal conducting state and vehicles having the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10354785-B2
Application number	US-201715591854-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 10, 2017
Priority date	May 10, 2017
Publication date	Jul 16, 2019
Grant date	Jul 16, 2019

Abstract

A passive thermal switch device, for regulating a temperature of a thermal component configured to generate heat, includes a first plate and a second plate. The first plate is provided on the thermal component. The first plate includes a thermal switch material that switches from an antiferromagnetic state to a ferromagnetic state upon exceeding a state transition temperature. The second plate includes a permanent magnet. The second plate is moveable between a thermal insulator position and a thermal conductor position based on a temperature of the thermal switch material. In the thermal insulator position, the second plate is spaced apart from the first plate. In the thermal conductor position, the second plate is in contact with the first plate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A passive thermal switch device for regulating a temperature of a thermal component configured to generate heat, the passive thermal switch comprising:
a first plate provided on the thermal component, the first plate having a thermal switch material that switches from an antiferromagnetic state to a ferromagnetic state upon exceeding a state transition temperature; and
a second plate having a permanent magnet, the second plate moveable between a thermal insulator position and a thermal conductor position based on a temperature of the thermal switch material, in the thermal insulator position the second plate is spaced apart from the first plate, and in the thermal conductor position the second plate is in contact with the first plate,
wherein when the temperature of the thermal switch material is less than the state transition temperature, the thermal switch material is in the antiferromagnetic state and the second plate is spaced apart from the first plate as the permanent magnet of the second plate is not magnetically attracted to the thermal switch material, and
wherein when the temperature of the thermal switch material is greater than the state transition temperature, the thermal switch material is in the ferromagnetic state and the second plate is in contact with the first plate as the permanent magnet of the second plate is magnetically attracted to the thermal switch material.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the thermal switch material is selected from the group consisting of manganites, Mn 1-x Fe x NiGe alloys, Mn 1-x Cr x CoGe alloys, Ni 50 Mn 34 In 16 alloys, CeFe 2 alloys, Hf 0.8 Ta 0.2 Fe 2 alloys, FeRh alloys, Mn 2 Sb alloys and MnSb alloys.

3. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the thermal component is an engine.

4. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the thermal component is an exhaust purification device.

5. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the thermal component is an electronic power storage device.

6. The vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising a heat sink provided on the second plate.

7. The vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising a biasing member connected to the first plate and the second plate, the biasing member biases the second plate to be spaced apart from the first plate in the thermal insulator position when the temperature of the thermal switch material is less than the state transition temperature.

8. The passive thermal switch device of claim 7 , wherein the biasing member is a spring.

9. The passive thermal switch device of claim 7 , wherein the biasing member is formed of a resilient elastic material.

10. A vehicle comprising
a thermal component configured to generate heat; and
a first plate provided on the thermal component, the first plate includes a thermal switch material that switches from an antiferromagnetic state to a ferromagnetic state upon exceeding a state transition temperature; and
a second plate having a permanent magnet, the second plate moveable between a thermal insulator position and a thermal conductor position based on a temperature of the thermal switch material, in the thermal insulator position the second plate is spaced apart from the first plate, and in the thermal conductor position the second plate is in contact with the first plate,
wherein when the temperature of the thermal switch material is less than the state transition temperature, the thermal switch material is in the antiferromagnetic state and the second plate is spaced apart from the first plate as the permanent magnet of the second plate is not magnetically attracted to the thermal switch material, and
wherein when the temperature of the thermal switch material is greater than the state transition temperature, the thermal switch material is in the ferromagnetic state and the second plate is in contact with the first plate as the permanent magnet of the second plate is magnetically attracted to the thermal switch material.

11. The vehicle of claim 10 , wherein the thermal switch material is selected from the group consisting of manganites, Mn 1-x Fe x NiGe alloys, Mn 1-x Cr x CoGe, Ni 50 Mn 34 In 16 alloys, CeFe 2 alloys, Hf 0.8 Ta 0.2 Fe 2 alloys, FeRh alloys, Mn 2 Sb alloys and MnSb alloys.

12. The vehicle of claim 10 , wherein the thermal component is an engine.

13. The vehicle of claim 10 , wherein the thermal component is an exhaust purification device.

14. The vehicle of claim 10 , wherein the thermal component is an electronic power storage device.

15. The vehicle of claim 10 further comprising a heat sink provided on the second plate.

16. The vehicle of claim 10 further comprising a biasing member connected to the first plate and the second plate, the biasing member biases the second plate to be spaced apart from the first plate in the thermal insulator position when the temperature of the thermal switch material is less than the state transition temperature.

17. The vehicle of claim 16 , wherein the biasing member is a spring.

18. The vehicle of claim 16 , wherein the biasing member is formed of a resilient elastic material.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd
• Toyota Eng & Mfg North America

Inventors

• Yamaguchi Takeo
• Zhu Gaohua

Classifications

• H01F1/14708 Primary

  Fe-Ni based alloys (pure Fe or Ni H01F1/14, H01F1/16 or H01F1/20) · CPC title

• B60L58/26 Primary

  by cooling · CPC title

• H01H37/58

  actuated due to thermally controlled change of magnetic permeability · CPC title

• G01K7/38

  the variations of temperature influencing the magnetic permeability · CPC title

• H01F1/0009

  Antiferromagnetic materials, i.e. materials exhibiting a Néel transition temperature (H01F1/0036 takes precedence) · CPC title