Temperature control systems with thermoelectric devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9555686-B2
Application number	US-201314076495-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 11, 2013
Priority date	Oct 23, 2008
Publication date	Jan 31, 2017
Grant date	Jan 31, 2017

Abstract

Temperature control systems and methods can be designed for controlling the interior climate of a vehicle or other the climate of another desired region. The temperature control system for a vehicle can have a thermoelectric system providing heating and/or cooling, including supplemental heating and/or cooling. The thermoelectric system can transfer thermal energy between a working fluid, such as liquid coolant, and comfort air upon application of electric current of a selected polarity. The thermoelectric system can supplement or replace the heat provided from an internal combustion engine or other primary heat source. The thermoelectric system can also supplement or replace cold energy provided from a compressor-based refrigeration system or other primary cold energy source.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A temperature control system for heating, cooling, and/or demisting an occupant compartment of a vehicle during startup of an internal combustion engine of the vehicle, the system comprising:
an engine coolant circuit comprising an engine block coolant conduit configured to convey coolant in the engine block coolant conduit, wherein the engine block coolant conduit is in thermal communication with the internal combustion engine of the vehicle;
a heater core disposed in a comfort air channel of the vehicle and in fluid communication with the engine block coolant conduit;
an evaporator core of a belt driven refrigeration system disposed in the comfort air channel;
a thermoelectric device having a waste surface and a main surface, wherein the waste surface is in thermal communication with a heat source or a heat sink;
a supplemental heat exchanger disposed in the comfort air channel and in thermal communication with the main surface of the thermoelectric device, wherein the supplemental heat exchanger is downstream from the heater core with respect to a direction of a comfort airflow in the comfort air channel when the temperature control system is in operation; and
a controller configured to operate the temperature control system in a plurality of modes of operation, and wherein the plurality of modes of operation comprises:
a startup heating mode wherein the thermoelectric device is configured to heat the comfort airflow by transferring thermal energy from the waste surface to the main surface while receiving electric current supplied in a first polarity and while the internal combustion engine is running;
a heating mode wherein the internal combustion engine is configured to heat the comfort airflow while electric current is not supplied to the thermoelectric device and while the internal combustion engine is running; and
a startup demisting mode wherein the evaporator core is configured to cool the comfort airflow and the thermoelectric device is configured to heat the comfort airflow by transferring thermal energy from the waste surface to the main surface while receiving electric current supplied in the first polarity; and

wherein, in the startup heating mode, the thermoelectric device provides heat to the comfort airflow while the internal combustion engine is not able to heat the comfort airflow to a specified comfortable temperature without the heat provided by the thermoelectric device; and
wherein a coefficient of performance of the thermoelectric device increases during the startup heating mode as a temperature of the coolant increases.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the temperature control system, in the startup heating mode, is configured to heat the occupant compartment of the vehicle to a certain cabin temperature faster than heating the occupant compartment to the certain cabin temperature in the heating mode when the internal combustion engine is started with an operating temperature at an ambient temperature.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the startup heating mode includes the internal combustion engine configured to heat the comfort airflow while the thermoelectric device receives electric current supplied in the first polarity.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of modes of operation further comprises a cooling mode wherein the thermoelectric device is configured to cool the comfort airflow by transferring thermal energy from the main surface to the waste surface while receiving electric current supplied in a second polarity.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the startup demisting mode includes the internal combustion engine configured to heat the comfort airflow while the thermoelectric device receives electric current supplied in the first polarity.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of modes of operation further comprises a demisting mode wherein the evaporator core is configured to cool the comfort airflow while electric current is not supplied to the thermoelectric device.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the supplemental heat exchanger is downstream of the evaporator core in the comfort air channel.

8. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a thermal storage device disposed in the comfort air channel, the thermal storage device configured to store thermal energy and at least one of transfer thermal energy to the comfort airflow or absorb thermal energy from the comfort airflow.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the thermal storage device is connected to the evaporator core, and wherein the thermal storage device is configured to store cooling capacity during at least one of a cooling mode or a demisting mode.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the thermoelectric device is disposed in the comfort air channel.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the waste surface of the thermoelectric device is in thermal communication with the engine block coolant conduit.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the heat source is at least one of a battery, an electronic device, a burner, or an exhaust of the vehicle.

13. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a waste heat exchanger connected to the waste surface of the thermoelectric device, wherein the waste heat exchanger is connected to a fluid circuit containing a liquid phase working fluid, and wherein the liquid phase working fluid is in fluid communication with the heat source or the heat sink.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the fluid circuit includes a first conduit configured to convey coolant in the first conduit and a first bypass conduit configured to convey coolant in the first bypass conduit, the first conduit in fluid communication with the heater core, the first bypass conduit configured to bypass flow of the coolant around the first conduit, and wherein the startup heating mode includes restricting flow of the coolant through the first conduit and directing flow of the coolant through the first bypass conduit.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein, in the startup heating mode, the controller is configured to operate at least one fluid control device to restrict flow of the coolant through the first conduit and direct flow of the coolant through the first bypass conduit.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the at least one fluid control device comprises a first fluid control device and a second fluid control device, and wherein, in the startup heating mode, the controller is configured to operate the first fluid control device to restrict flow of the coolant through the first conduit and to operate the second fluid control device to direct flow of the coolant through the first bypass conduit.

17. The system of claim 14 , wherein the heating mode includes directing flow of the coolant through the first conduit and restricting flow of the coolant through the first bypass conduit.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein, in the heating mode, the controller is configured to operate at least one fluid control device to direct flow of the coolant through the first conduit and restrict flow of the coolant through the first bypass conduit.

19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the at least one fluid control device comprises a first fluid control device and a second fluid control device, and wherein, in the heating mode, the controller is configured to operate the first fluid control device to direct flow of the coolant through the first conduit and to operate the second fluid control device to restrict flow of the coolant through the first bypass conduit.

20. The system of claim 14 , wh

Assignees

• Gentherm Inc

Inventors

• Ranalli Marco
• Adldinger Martin
• Barnhart Todd Robert
• Lagrandeur John
• Bell Lon E
• Goenka Lakhi Nandlal

Classifications

• B60H1/034

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

• B60H1/00478 Primary

  Air-conditioning devices using the Peltier effect · CPC title

• F24F5/0042

  characterised by the application of thermo-electric units or the Peltier effect · CPC title

• F25B21/04

  reversible · CPC title

• B60H1/00885

  Controlling the flow of heating or cooling liquid, e.g. valves or pumps (B60H1/00899 takes precedence; constructions of valves B60H1/00485) · CPC title