Thermoelectric module, heat exchanger, exhaust system and internal combustion engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9748465-B2
Application number	US-201313923615-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 21, 2013
Priority date	Jun 22, 2012
Publication date	Aug 29, 2017
Grant date	Aug 29, 2017

Abstract

A thermoelectric module ( 13 ), for converting thermal energy into electric energy, includes a plurality of leg pairs ( 26 ), which have each a p-doped semiconductor leg ( 27 ) and an n-doped semiconductor leg ( 28 ), which are contacted with one another electrically via metal bridges ( 29 ). At least one electrically insulating ceramic plate ( 30 ), which is arranged on a hot side ( 18 ) of the thermoelectric module ( 13 ) or on a cold side ( 19 ) of the thermoelectric module ( 13 ) and is flatly in contact with metal bridges ( 29 ) associated with this side ( 18, 19 ) and is fastened thereto. The pressure stability of the thermoelectric module ( 13 ) can be improved if the respective ceramic plate ( 30 ) is segmented, so that a plurality of ceramic plate segments ( 31 ) are arranged next to each other, which are each flatly in contact with a plurality of metal bridges ( 29 ) and are fastened thereto.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A thermoelectric module for converting thermal energy into electric energy, the thermoelectric module comprising:
a plurality of leg pairs, each leg pair comprising a p-doped semiconductor leg and an n-doped semiconductor leg and metal bridges contacting the p-doped semiconductor leg and the n-doped semiconductor leg such that the p-doped semiconductor leg and the n-doped semiconductor leg are electrically in contact, each of said metal bridges comprising a first metal bridge planar surface and a second metal bridge planar surface, said first metal bridge planar surface being in direct contact with said p-doped semiconductor leg and said n-doped semiconductor leg, one of said metal bridges being located at a spaced location from another one of said metal bridges; and
an electrically insulating ceramic plate arranged on a hot side of the thermoelectric module or on a cold side of the thermoelectric module, the electrically insulating ceramic plate being in surface contact with the metal bridges associated with the side and being fastened thereto and wherein:
the ceramic plate is segmented to provide a plurality of ceramic plate segments arranged next to each other, the ceramic plate segments being in flat surface contact with the plurality of metal bridges and being fastened thereto, each of said ceramic plate segments comprising a planar ceramic plate surface, said planar ceramic plate surface of one of said ceramic plate segments extending continuously, without interruption, from one end of one of said ceramic plate segments to another end of another one of said ceramic plate segments, said planar ceramic plate surface comprising a first planar ceramic plate surface portion, a second planar ceramic plate surface portion and a third ceramic plate surface portion, said first planar ceramic plate surface portion being in direct contact with said second metal bridge planar surface of one of said metal bridges, said second planar ceramic plate surface portion being in direct contact with said second metal bridge planar surface of another one of said metal bridges, said third ceramic plate surface portion being located at a spaced location from said one of said metal bridges and said another one of said metal bridges.

2. A thermoelectric module in accordance with claim 1 , wherein adjacent ceramic plate segments abut against each other and touch each other along a respective butt joint.

3. A thermoelectric module in accordance with claim 1 , wherein a joint is formed between adjacent ceramic plate segments, whereby adjacent ceramic plate segments do not touch each other, wherein said third ceramic plate surface portion is located between said one of said metal bridges and said another one of said metal bridges, said third ceramic plate surface portion being located between said first ceramic plate surface portion and said second ceramic plate surface portion.

4. A thermoelectric module in accordance with claim 3 , wherein a respective joint is sealed gas-tightly with a jointing compound, said one of said metal bridges and said another one of said metal bridges defining a gap, said planar ceramic plate surface bridging said gap.

5. A thermoelectric module in accordance with claim 4 , further comprising a heat-conducting adhesive fastening the ceramic plate segments to the metal bridge, the heat-conducting adhesive is the jointing compound, wherein said third ceramic plate surface portion does not contact said one of said metal bridges and said another one of said metal bridges.

6. A thermoelectric module in accordance with claim 4 , wherein a pourable sealing compound, with which intermediate spaces of adjacent semiconductor legs within the respective thermoelectric module are filled, is the jointing compound.

7. A thermoelectric module in accordance with claim 1 , wherein:
adjacent ceramic plate segments abut against each other and touch each other along a respective butt joint or adjacent ceramic plate segments do not touch each other; and
adjacent ceramic plate segments are arranged such that a respective butt joint or respective joint extends congruently to gaps, which are formed on a side between adjacent metal bridges.

8. A thermoelectric module in accordance with claim 1 , wherein:
the leg pairs are arranged regularly, such that a rectangular grid structure is obtained on a respective rectangular grid structure side for the metal bridges; and
the ceramic plate segments are rectangular.

9. A thermoelectric module in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising:
another segmented ceramic plate wherein the ceramic plate and the another segmented ceramic plate are respectively arranged on the hot side and the cold side, wherein an exhaust system removes exhaust gas from combustion chambers of an engine block with a plurality of combustion chambers, said exhaust system comprising an exhaust pipe connected to the engine block;
a heat exchanger integrated with the exhaust pipe, the heat exchanger comprising the thermoelectric module, the heat exchanger being connected to a heating tube for carrying a heating fluid and a cooling tube for carrying a cooling fluid;
a bracing structure, wherein the tubes and the thermoelectric module are braced in the stacking direction.

10. A thermoelectric module in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising:
a jointing compound, each of said ceramic plate segments comprising a bottom ceramic plate segment surface, said jointing compound extending continuously, without interruption, from an end of said bottom ceramic plate segment surface of one of said ceramic plate segments to an end of said bottom ceramic plate segment surface of another one of said ceramic plate segments.

11. A thermoelectric module in accordance with claim 10 , wherein each of said ceramic plate segments comprises a lateral surface extending from said bottom ceramic plate segment surface to another planar ceramic plate surface, said jointing compound being in direct contact with said lateral surface of said one of said ceramic plate segments and said lateral surface of said another one of said ceramic plate segments.

12. A thermoelectric module in accordance with claim 11 , wherein said lateral surface is perpendicular to said planar ceramic plate surface and said another planar ceramic plate surface.

13. A thermoelectric module in accordance with claim 1 , wherein each of said ceramic plate segments forms a rigid structure for supporting one of said metal bridges.

14. A thermoelectric module for converting thermal energy into electric energy, the thermoelectric module comprising:
a plurality of leg pairs, each leg pair comprising a p-doped semiconductor leg and an n-doped semiconductor leg and metal bridges contacting the p-doped semiconductor leg and the n-doped semiconductor leg such that the p-doped semiconductor leg and the n-doped semiconductor leg are electrically in contact, each of said metal bridges comprising a first metal bridge planar surface and a second metal bridge planar surface, said first metal bridge planar surface comprising a first metal bridge planar surface portion and a second metal bridge planar surface portion, said first metal bridge planar surface portion being in direct contact with said p-doped semiconductor leg, said second metal bridge planar surface portion being in direct contact with said n-doped semiconductor leg; and
an electrically insulating ceramic plate arranged on a hot side of the thermoelectric module or on a cold side of the thermoelectric module, the electrically insulating ceramic plate being in surface contact with the metal bridges associated with the side and being f

Assignees

• Eberspächer Exhaust Tech Gmbh & Co Kg
• Eberspaecher Exhaust Tech Gmbh

Inventors

• Oesterle Jörg
• Spieth Arnulf
• Resch Andreas
• Tchamgoue Herve
• Leicht Sebastian

Classifications

• H01L35/32 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L35/04

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H10N10/17 Primary

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

• H10N10/81 Primary

  Structural details of the junction · CPC title

• Y02E20/14

  Combined heat and power generation [CHP] · CPC title