Domestic appliance comprising a thermoelectric heat pump

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9322126-B2
Application number	US-8646506-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 29, 2006
Priority date	Dec 16, 2005
Publication date	Apr 26, 2016
Grant date	Apr 26, 2016

Abstract

A domestic appliance, which may be a tumble dryer, includes a thermoelectric heat pump; at least one series of Peltier elements operationally associated with the heat pump and driven by a supply voltage for producing heat during appliance operation wherein the resistance of the Peltier elements increases with increasing temperature and wherein a threshold temperature for the Peltier elements is defined; and a heat flow path for dissipating heat produced by the Peltier elements wherein at a maximum temperature of the Peltier elements above a normal operating temperature and below the threshold temperature the power of the heat dissipated through the heat flow path is substantially equal to the electrical power drawn by the Peltier elements from the supply voltage.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A domestic appliance comprising:
a thermoelectric heat pump;
at least one series of Peltier elements operationally associated with the heat pump and driven by a supply voltage for producing heat during appliance operation along a first heat flow path directly from a hot side of the Peltier elements through a series of pipes to a primary target adapted to make use of the heat, wherein the resistance of the Peltier elements increases with increasing temperature, and wherein a threshold temperature for the Peltier elements is defined; and
a second heat flow path, separate from the first heat flow path that heats the primary target on the hot side of the Peltier elements to directly dissipate a portion of the heat produced by the Peltier elements to environment, the second heat flow path extending directly from said hot side of the series of Peltier elements to remove heat from the appliance such that the heat of the second heat flow path bypasses and does not enter the first heat flow path, wherein at a maximum temperature of the Peltier elements above a normal operating temperature and below the threshold temperature, the power of the heat dissipated through the second heat flow path is substantially equal to the electrical power drawn by the Peltier elements from the supply voltage.

2. The domestic appliance according to claim 1 wherein the electrical power drawn by the Peltier elements is between about 800 W and about 1500 W.

3. The domestic appliance according to claim 1 wherein the electrical power drawn by the Peltier elements is about 1000W.

4. The domestic appliance according to claim 1 , wherein the electrical power drawn by the Peltier elements at a maximum temperature is between about 450 W and about 700 W.

5. The domestic appliance according to claim 1 , wherein the electrical power drawn by the Peltier elements at a maximum temperature is about 600 W.

6. The domestic appliance according to claim 1 wherein the operating temperature of the Peltier elements is between about 60° C. and about 100° C.

7. The domestic appliance according to claim 1 wherein the operating temperature of the Peltier elements is about 90° C.

8. The domestic appliance according to claim 1 wherein the maximum temperature is between about 120° C. and about 150° C.

9. The domestic appliance according to claim 1 wherein the maximum temperature is about 120° C.

10. The domestic appliance according to claim 1 wherein at an operating temperature the power of the heat removed through the second heat flow path is approximately one quarter of the electrical power drawn by the Peltier elements.

11. The domestic appliance according to claim 1 and further comprising at least one thermal leakage path.

12. The domestic appliance according to claim 11 wherein the second heat flow path and the thermal leakage path are configured for the removal of heat with a power that is at least equal to the power that the Peltier elements draw at operating temperature.

13. The domestic appliance according to claim 1 wherein the domestic appliance is a tumble dryer.

14. The domestic appliance according to claim 13 wherein said Peltier elements have a cold side that is adapted to directly draw heat from the first heat flow path.

15. The domestic appliance according to claim 1 wherein said Peltier elements are not protected by an insulating element.

16. The domestic appliance according to claim 13 wherein said tumble dryer includes a drum and the second heat flow path is designed to carry heat away from the dryer.

17. A domestic appliance comprising:
a thermoelectric heat pump;
at least one series of Peltier elements operationally associated with the heat pump and driven by a supply voltage for producing heat during appliance operation to heat a primary target, wherein the resistance of the Peltier elements increases with increasing temperature, and wherein a threshold temperature for the Peltier elements is defined;
a primary heat flow path defined by a series of pipes to divert a primary portion of heat from the Peltier elements to the primary target; and
a secondary heat flow path to directly dissipate a secondary portion of heat produced by the Peltier elements to environnment and not to a treatment chamber, wherein at a maximum temperature of the Peltier elements above a normal operating temperature and below the threshold temperature, the power of the heat dissipated through the secondary heat flow path is substantially equal to the electrical power drawn by the Peltier elements from the supply voltage.

18. The domestic appliance according to claim 17 wherein the electrical power drawn by the Peltier elements is between about 800 W and about 1500 W.

19. The domestic appliance according to claim 17 wherein the electrical power drawn by the Peltier elements is about 1000W.

20. The domestic appliance according to claim 17 , wherein the electrical power drawn by the Peltier elements at a maximum temperature is between about 450 W and about 700 W.

21. The domestic appliance according to claim 17 , wherein the electrical power drawn by the Peltier elements at a maximum temperature is about 600 W.

22. The domestic appliance according to claim 17 wherein the operating temperature of the Peltier elements is between about 60° C. and about 100° C.

23. The domestic appliance according to claim 17 wherein the operating temperature of the Peltier elements is about 90° C.

24. The domestic appliance according to claim 17 wherein the maximum temperature is between about 120° C. and about 150° C.

25. The domestic appliance according to claim 17 wherein the maximum temperature is about 120° C.

26. The domestic appliance according to claim 17 wherein at an operating temperature the power of the heat removed through the secondary heat flow path is approximately one quarter of the electrical power drawn by the Peltier elements.

27. The domestic appliance according to claim 17 and further comprising at least one thermal leakage path.

28. The domestic appliance according to claim 27 wherein the secondary heat flow path and the thermal leakage path are configured for the removal of heat with a power that is at least equal to the power that the Peltier elements draw at operating temperature.

29. The domestic appliance according to claim 17 wherein the domestic appliance is a tumble dryer.

30. The domestic appliance according to claim 29 wherein said Peltier elements have a cold side and a hot side, said cold side and said hot side both being in direct contact with the primary heat flow path.

31. The domestic appliance according to claim 17 wherein said Peltier elements are not protected by an insulating element.

32. The domestic appliance according to claim 29 wherein said tumble dryer includes a drum and the secondary heat flow path is designed to carry heat away from the drum.

33. A tumble dryer comprising:
a drum for containing items to be dried;
a thermoelectric heat pump including at least one Peltier element drivable by a supply voltage, said at least one Peltier element located outside of said drum, the Peltier element including a hot side that produces heat to be applied to the items to be dried; and
a heat flow path, separate from the hot side of the Peltier elemen

Assignees

• Albayrak Hasan Gökcer
• Grunert Klaus
• Steffens Günter
• Stolze Andreas
• Bsh Hausgeraete Gmbh

Inventors

• Albayrak Hasan Gökcer
• Grunert Klaus
• Steffens Günter
• Stolze Andreas

Classifications

• F04B37/06

  for evacuating by thermal means · CPC title

• F25B21/02

  using Peltier effect; using Nernst-Ettinghausen effect · CPC title

• F04D25/08

  the working fluid being air, e.g. for ventilation · CPC title

• D06F58/206 Primary

  Heat pump arrangements · CPC title

• F04D17/16

  for displacing without appreciable compression · CPC title