System and method for distributed thermoelectric heating and cooling

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9310112-B2
Application number	US-12642308-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 23, 2008
Priority date	May 25, 2007
Publication date	Apr 12, 2016
Grant date	Apr 12, 2016

Abstract

A thermoelectric system and method provides distributed localized heating, cooling, or both heating and cooling. The thermoelectric system includes a plurality of thermoelectric assemblies. Each thermoelectric assembly comprises a plurality of thermoelectric elements, and each thermoelectric assembly is in thermal communication with a first working fluid and in thermal communication with a region corresponding to the thermoelectric assembly. Each thermoelectric assembly is selectively operable either to heat the region corresponding to the thermoelectric assembly by transferring heat from the first working fluid to the region corresponding to the thermoelectric assembly or to cool the region corresponding to the thermoelectric assembly by transferring heat from the region corresponding to the thermoelectric assembly to the first working fluid. Each thermoelectric assembly is operable independently from operation of other thermoelectric assemblies of the plurality of thermoelectric assemblies.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A thermoelectric system for distributed localized heating, cooling, or both heating and cooling, the thermoelectric system comprising:
at least one fluid conduit configured to allow a first working fluid to flow therein; and
a plurality of thermoelectric assemblies, each thermoelectric assembly comprising a plurality of thermoelectric elements, each thermoelectric assembly comprising a first side and a second side and configured to transfer thermal energy between the first side and the second side, each thermoelectric assembly selectively in thermal communication with the first working fluid via the first side by a fluid flow controller corresponding to the thermoelectric assembly configured to either direct or stop flow of the first working fluid through the thermoelectric assembly relative to the first side, and each thermoelectric assembly in thermal communication with a region corresponding to the thermoelectric assembly via the second side,
wherein each thermoelectric assembly is selectively operable either to heat the region corresponding to the thermoelectric assembly by the thermoelectric assembly transferring heat from the first working fluid via the first side to the region corresponding to the thermoelectric assembly via the second side or to cool the region corresponding to the thermoelectric assembly by the thermoelectric assembly transferring heat from the region corresponding to the thermoelectric assembly via the second side to the first working fluid via the first side,
wherein each thermoelectric assembly is operable independently from operation of other thermoelectric assemblies of the plurality of thermoelectric assemblies,
wherein the at least one fluid conduit comprises a plurality of fluid conduits, each thermoelectric assembly in fluid communication with a fluid conduit corresponding to the thermoelectric assembly, each fluid conduit in fluid communication with a fluid loop, the fluid loop configured to allow the first working fluid to flow therein, each fluid conduit comprising an inlet side and an outlet side, the inlet side configured to direct at least a portion of the first working fluid from the fluid loop toward the thermoelectric assembly to flow through the thermoelectric assembly, the outlet side configured to direct the at least a portion of the first working fluid away from the thermoelectric assembly into the fluid loop,
wherein the at least a portion of the first working fluid flows out of the fluid loop into an inlet side of a first fluid conduit corresponding to a first thermoelectric assembly of the plurality of thermoelectric assemblies, through the first thermoelectric assembly while an other portion of the first working fluid flows through the fluid loop in parallel with the at least a portion of the first working fluid flowing through the first thermoelectric assembly, and through an outlet side of the first fluid conduit back into the fluid loop when the thermoelectric system is operating,
wherein, after flowing through the outlet side of the first fluid conduit back into the fluid loop, at least a part of the portion of the first working fluid sequentially flows out of the fluid loop into an inlet side of a second fluid conduit corresponding to a second thermoelectric assembly of the plurality of thermoelectric assemblies, through the second thermoelectric assembly while at least a part of the other portion of the first working fluid flows through the fluid loop in parallel with the at least a part of the portion of the first working fluid flowing through the second thermoelectric assembly, and through an outlet side of the second fluid conduit back into the fluid loop when the thermoelectric system is operating, and
wherein the inlet of the second fluid conduit connects to the fluid loop directly downstream of the outlet of the first fluid conduit connecting to the fluid loop such that the first fluid conduit is in series fluid communication with the second fluid conduit while the fluid loop is in parallel fluid communication with the first and second fluid conduits.

2. The thermoelectric system of claim 1 , wherein at least a part of the first working fluid flows through the at least one fluid conduit such that the at least a part of the first working fluid is sequentially in thermal communication with two or more thermoelectric assemblies of the plurality of thermoelectric assemblies via the fluid flow controller corresponding to the thermoelectric assembly directing flow of the at least a part of the first working fluid through the thermoelectric assembly relative to the first side when the thermoelectric system is operating.

3. The thermoelectric system of claim 2 , wherein the at least a part of the first working fluid is heated by at least one of the thermoelectric assemblies and is cooled by at least one other of the thermoelectric assemblies when the thermoelectric system is operating.

4. The thermoelectric system of claim 2 , wherein the first working fluid flows repeatedly through the at least one fluid conduit when the thermoelectric system is operating.

5. The thermoelectric system of claim 1 , wherein at least a part of the first working fluid flows through the at least one fluid conduit such that the at least a part of the first working fluid is not in thermal communication with two or more thermoelectric assemblies of the plurality of thermoelectric assemblies via the fluid flow controller corresponding to the thermoelectric assembly stopping flow of the at least a part of the first working fluid through the thermoelectric assembly relative to the first side when the thermoelectric system is operating.

6. The thermoelectric system of claim 1 , wherein the second side is in thermal communication with a second working fluid.

7. The thermoelectric system of claim 6 , wherein the second working fluid is the same as the first working fluid.

8. The thermoelectric system of claim 6 , wherein the second working fluid is different from the first working fluid.

9. The thermoelectric system of claim 6 , wherein at least one of the first working fluid and the second working fluid is a liquid.

10. The thermoelectric system of claim 6 , wherein the first working fluid is water and the second working fluid is air.

11. The thermoelectric system of claim 6 , wherein the first side is in thermal communication with a first heat exchanger selectively in thermal communication with the first working fluid via the fluid flow controller corresponding to the thermoelectric assembly being configured to either direct or stop flow of the first working fluid through the first heat exchanger relative to the first side, and wherein the second side is in thermal communication with a second heat exchanger in thermal communication with the second working fluid.

12. The thermoelectric system of claim 6 , wherein the second working fluid flows from the region corresponding to the thermoelectric assembly to a volume to be cooled or heated when the thermoelectric system is operating.

13. The thermoelectric system of claim 12 , wherein the second working fluid comprises a gas and the thermoelectric system further comprises one or more fans configured to drive the second working fluid from the region corresponding to the thermoelectric assembly to the volume.

14. The thermoelectric system of claim 11 , wherein each thermoelectric assembly comprises a plurality of N-type thermoelectric elements and a plurality of P-type thermoelectric elements, each thermoelectric assembly further comprising a plurality of electrically conductive and thermally conductive connectors, each connector in electrical communicati

Assignees

• Bell Lon E
• Lagrandeur John
• Gentherm Inc

Inventors

• Bell Lon E
• Lagrandeur John

Classifications

• B60H2001/00949

  comprising additional heating/cooling sources, e.g. second evaporator · CPC title

• B60H2001/00942

  comprising a plurality of heat exchangers, e.g. for multi zone heating or cooling · CPC title

• B60H1/00478 Primary

  Air-conditioning devices using the Peltier effect · CPC title

• B60H1/00271

  HVAC devices specially adapted for particular vehicle parts or components and being connected to the vehicle HVAC unit · CPC title

• B60H1/034

  from the cooling liquid of the propulsion plant and from an electric heating device · CPC title