Thermoelectric device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12557550-B2
Application number	US-202217848282-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 23, 2022
Priority date	Jan 9, 2020
Publication date	Feb 17, 2026
Grant date	Feb 17, 2026

Abstract

An apparatus is provided for generating an electrical current from a temperature differential in an ablutionary fitting. A heat transfer plate includes a projection directly contacting water carried in a first region of the fitting. A thermoelectric module includes one or more thermoelectric elements thermally coupled between the heat transfer plate and a housing of the ablutionary fitting in a second region of the ablutionary fitting. The thermoelectric elements generate electricity from a temperature differential between water carried in the first and second regions of the ablutionary fitting.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . An apparatus comprising:
one or more heat transfer plate, each one or more heat transfer plate having a projection portion and a remaining portion, wherein the projection portion comprises only one projection configured to directly contact water carried in a first region of an ablutionary fitting, wherein the projection comprises a plurality of surfaces extending into a chamber formed in the first region of the ablutionary fitting, and wherein the remaining portion is external to the first region; and a thermoelectric module comprising one or more thermoelectric elements, the one or more thermoelectric elements being thermally coupled between each one or more heat transfer plate and a housing of the ablutionary fitting in a second region of the ablutionary fitting, the one or more thermoelectric elements also being configured to generate electricity from a temperature differential between water carried in the first and second regions of the ablutionary fitting.

2 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each one or more heat transfer plate comprises a first portion including the projection, and a second portion extending away from the first portion, the second portion being thermally coupled to the one or more thermoelectric elements, the first portion also being thermally coupled to the second portion.

3 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 , wherein each one or more heat transfer plate is substantially planar, and the projection extends out of a plane of each one or more heat transfer plate.

4 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , comprising a seal to form a water-tight seal between the first portion of each one or more heat transfer plate and the housing of the ablutionary fitting, around the projection.

5 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , comprising an electrical socket electrically coupled to the one or more thermoelectric elements and configured to be connected to an output load.

6 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 5 , comprising:
a controller controlling the output from the socket and/or the operation of the output load, based on a voltage generated by the thermoelectric module.

7 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the controller controls electrical output from the socket and/or the output load, based on the voltage generated by the thermoelectric module.

8 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the controller controls the output from the socket and/or the operation of the output load in two modes comprising: a first mode when the output is a first voltage value, and a second mode when the output is a second voltage value.

9 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 8 , wherein output in the first mode is dependent on a magnitude of the voltage.

10 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each one or more heat transfer plate has a first side and a second side and wherein the projection extends from the first side of each one or more heat transfer plate and the first side of each one or more heat transfer plate abuts the thermoelectric module.

11 . An ablutionary fitting comprising:
a housing defining: a first inlet for receiving water at a first temperature, a second inlet for receiving water at a second temperature, different to the first temperature, and an internal chamber receiving a cartridge for mixing the water from the first inlet and second inlet; and an apparatus mounted on an exterior surface of the housing, the apparatus comprising:
one or more heat transfer plate, each one or more heat transfer plate having a projection portion and a remaining portion, wherein the projection portion comprises only one projection configured to directly contact water carried in a first region of the ablutionary fitting from the first inlet, wherein the projection comprises a plurality of surfaces extending into a chamber formed in the first region of the ablutionary fitting, and wherein the remaining portion is external to the first region; and
a thermoelectric module comprising one or more thermoelectric elements, the one or more thermoelectric elements being thermally coupled between each one or more heat transfer plate and the housing of the ablutionary fitting in a second region of the ablutionary fitting carried from the second inlet, the one or more thermoelectric elements also being configured to generate electricity from a temperature differential between water carried in the first and second regions of the ablutionary fitting.

12 . An ablutionary fitting as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the housing comprises an aperture extending through the housing into the internal chamber in the first region of the ablutionary fitting.

13 . An ablutionary fitting as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the apparatus comprises a seal to form a water-tight seal between the first portion of each one or more heat transfer plate and the housing of the ablutionary fitting, around the projection, wherein the housing at least in part defines a seat for locating the seal.

14 . An ablutionary fitting as claimed in claim 11 , comprising an indent in the housing arranged to receive the thermoelectric module, the indent forming the second region.

15 . An ablutionary fitting as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the internal chamber and housing are substantially cylindrical, extending in an axial direction.

16 . An ablutionary fitting as claimed in claim 15 , the thermoelectric module and each one or more heat transfer plate being mounted on a planar surface formed by a wedge-shaped projection.

17 . An ablutionary fitting as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the housing defines a sub-chamber formed within the internal chamber at a first axial position along a length of the cylinder, where water received at the first inlet enters the inner chamber to enter the cartridge, the sub-chamber forming the first region.

18 . An ablutionary fitting as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the housing defines:
an inlet passage for directing water from the second inlet to a second sub-chamber formed within the internal chamber, where water from the second inlet enters the cartridge; and an outlet passage for directing water from the cartridge to an outlet device, wherein the inlet passage and outlet passage extend along the axial direction and are circumferentially spaced from each other, and wherein the second region is circumferentially between the inlet passage and the outlet passage.

19 . An ablutionary fitting comprising:
a housing defining:
a first inlet for receiving water at a first temperature,
a second inlet for receiving water at a second temperature, different to the first temperature, and
an internal chamber receiving a cartridge in which water from the first inlet and second inlet are mixed,
where a first sub-chamber is formed within the internal chamber at a first axial position along a length of the internal chamber where water received at the first inlet enters the internal chamber to enter the cartridge, and a second sub-chamber is formed within the internal chamber at a second axial position along a length of the internal chamber where water received at the second inlet enters the internal chamber to enter the cartridge;
an apparatus mounted on an exterior surface of the housing, the apparatus comprising:
one or more heat transfer plate, each one or more heat transfer plate having a projection portion and a remaining portion, wherein the projection portion comprises only one projection configured to directly contact water carried in one of the first sub-chamber o

Assignees

• Kohler Mira Ltd

Inventors

• Griffiths Daniel
• Lea Benjamin
• Hobbs Mitchell Connor

Classifications

• H10N10/17 Primary

  characterised by the structure or configuration of the cell or thermocouple forming the device · CPC title

• H02J2101/00

  Supply or distribution of decentralised, dispersed or local electric power generation · CPC title

• H10N10/10

  operating with only the Peltier or Seebeck effects · CPC title

• H02N11/002

  Generators · CPC title

• E03C2201/00

  Details, devices or methods not otherwise provided for · CPC title