JP2003298125A - Heat exchanger using thermoelectric module - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the manufacturing cost of a heat exchanger 10 by eliminating the occurrence of dew condensation by maintaining a temperature difference between the plates 6 and 7 of the exchanger 10 by thermally insulating the plates 6 and 7 from each other without using any heat insulating material, etc., and, in addition, to make the electrodes of a thermoelectric module closely adhere to the plates 6 and 7 with a simple structure without using any fixing members, such as bolts, etc. <P>SOLUTION: The thermoelectric module 1 is hermetically sealed in the heat exchanger 10 by connecting the upper and lower plates 7 and 6 to each other through connections 11. The inside of the hermetically sealed chamber 10a of the heat exchanger 10 is set in a low-pressure state lower than the atmospheric pressure, preferably, a vacuum state. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a heat exchanger using a thermoelectric module.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A heat exchanger using a thermoelectric module is used in a cooling device such as a refrigerator, a temperature adjusting device such as a laser diode for optical communication, a thermoelectric generator, and the like.

FIG. 10 shows the structure of a heat exchanger 100 using a conventional thermoelectric module 1.

The thermoelectric module 1 is constructed by connecting the ends of adjacent P-type thermoelectric elements 2 and N-type thermoelectric elements 3 in series via metal electrodes 4 and 5. That is, the lower metal electrode 4, the N-type thermoelectric element 3, the upper metal electrode 5, the P-type thermoelectric element 2, the lower metal electrode 4, ... Are connected in series.

When the thermoelectric module 1 is used as a heat exchanger, the upper electrode 5 of the thermoelectric module 1 is brought into contact with the heat transfer plate 7 having a larger area than the upper area of the thermoelectric module 1 to heat the two. Of the thermoelectric module 1, the heat transfer plate 6 having a larger area than the lower area of the thermoelectric module 1 comes into contact with the lower electrode 4 of the thermoelectric module 1 to thermally connect them.

The metal electrodes 4 and 5 are made of a metal such as copper having a low electric resistance and a good thermal conductivity. Plate 6,
7 is also made of a material having good heat conduction.

The thermoelectric module 1 is driven by a power source 8. The thermoelectric module 1 is electrically connected to a power source 8 via a lead wire 9 as an electric signal line.

When a current is applied in the direction D shown by the arrow in FIG. 10, the upper metal electrode 5 absorbs heat and the lower metal electrode 4 radiates heat due to the Peltier effect. Therefore, heat is absorbed by the upper plate 7, and the plate 7
The object on the side is cooled. Further, the lower plate 6 radiates heat, and the heat is radiated to the outside air. The plates 6 and 7 have a larger area than the metal electrodes 4 and 5 and can expand the cooling surface and the heat radiation surface. Therefore, a large object can be satisfactorily cooled and heat can be efficiently dissipated.

When a current is applied in the direction opposite to the direction D shown in FIG. 10, heat is dissipated by the upper metal electrode 5 and heat is absorbed by the lower metal electrode 4. Therefore, heat is dissipated by the upper plate 7, and the object on the plate 7 side is heated. The lower plate 6 also absorbs heat. The plates 6 and 7 have a larger area than the metal electrodes 4 and 5 and can expand the heating surface and the heat absorbing surface. Therefore, a large object can be satisfactorily heated, and heat absorption can be efficiently performed.

As described above, by configuring the heat exchanger 100 so that the thermoelectric module 1 is sandwiched by the plates 6 and 7 having a larger area than the thermoelectric module 1, heat exchange can be performed in a large area. Note that fins for heat dissipation and heat absorption may be further formed on the plates 6 and 7.

[0011]

In such a heat exchanger, the gap between the plates 6 and 7 communicates with the air of the outside air. Therefore, air convection occurs between the plates 6 and 7, and the temperature difference between the plates 6 and 7 becomes small, and the efficiency of heat exchange is impaired.

Therefore, the following measures have been conventionally considered.

1) As shown by arrows A and B, the gap in the thermoelectric module 1 and the gap between the plates 6 and 7 are filled with a heat insulating material.

2) As shown by broken lines, a large number of thermoelectric modules 1, 1 '... are provided between the plates 6, 7.

However, when the measure 1) is taken, the heat insulating material may get wet due to dew condensation, and the durability of the heat exchanger may deteriorate. Further, since the heat insulating material is filled, the raw material cost and the manufacturing process increase, and the cost of the heat exchanger increases.

As a document showing a conventional general technical level of a heat exchanger using a thermoelectric module, for example, there is one described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-285053.

In this publication, cooling fins (corresponding to the plate 7 in FIG. 10) are provided on the electrodes on the heat absorption side of the thermoelectric module 1.
And the heat radiation fins (corresponding to the plate 6 in FIG. 10) on the heat radiation side electrode of the thermoelectric module 1.
It is described that the above is thermally connected, a bottle containing water or the like is arranged on the cooling fin side, and the bottle is cooled. This publication describes that a heat insulating material is interposed between the cooling fins and the heat radiation fins. Therefore, also in the case described in this publication, it is inevitable that dew condensation occurs or the manufacturing cost rises.

When the measure 2) is taken, there is a problem that the cost of the heat exchanger increases dramatically as the number of thermoelectric modules 1 increases.

Under these circumstances, there is a demand for a heat exchanger that can maintain the temperature difference between the plates 6 and 7 by performing good heat insulation between the plates and that does not cause dew condensation or increase the cost. ing.

Further, in the conventional heat exchanger 100, high heat conductive grease is filled between the plate 6 and the electrode 4 and between the plate 7 and the electrode 5, and then the plate 6 and the plate 7 are connected. Tighten and fix with a fixing member such as a bolt, and the electrodes 4, 5 and the plates 6, 7 of the thermoelectric module 1
The degree of close contact with As a result, the contact resistance between the electrodes and the plate is reduced, the efficiency of heat conduction is enhanced, and the efficiency of heat exchange is enhanced.

However, if fixing members such as bolts are used to increase the degree of adhesion between the electrodes 4 and 5 and the plates 6 and 7, the cost of raw materials and the manufacturing process increase, and the cost of the heat exchanger increases. In addition, since heat conduction occurs in the fixing member such as a bolt, the efficiency of heat exchange is reduced.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the temperature difference between the plates 6 and 7 can be maintained by performing heat insulation between the plates 6 and 7 without using a heat insulating material or the like, thereby eliminating the occurrence of dew condensation, The problem to be solved is to reduce the manufacturing cost.

Another object of the present invention is to bring the electrodes of the thermoelectric module into close contact with the plate with a simple structure without using a fixing member such as a bolt.

[0024]

MEANS FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEM, ACTION, AND EFFECTS The first invention is a heat exchanger (10) using a thermoelectric module (1).
At the heat absorption side electrode (5) of the thermoelectric module (1)
A heat absorption side plate (7) that contacts the heat absorption side plate and a heat dissipation side plate (6) that contacts the heat dissipation side electrode (4) of the thermoelectric module (1), and the heat absorption side plate (7) and the heat dissipation side The thermoelectric module (1) is sealed by connecting to the plate (6), and the sealed chamber (10a)
It is characterized in that the inside is set to a low pressure state lower than atmospheric pressure.

In a second aspect based on the first aspect, the areas of the heat absorbing side plate (7) and the heat radiating side plate (6) are larger than the area in contact with the thermoelectric module (1). And

In the second aspect of the invention, as shown in FIG. 1, the thermoelectric module 1 is sealed by connecting the upper plate 7 and the lower plate 6 with the connecting portion 11, and the sealed chamber 10a is kept under atmospheric pressure. Is in a low pressure state, preferably in a vacuum state.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the plates 6 and 7 are hermetically sealed to have a pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure, air convection between the plates 6 and 7 is almost eliminated, and good heat insulation can be performed. The temperature difference between the plates 6 and 7 can be maintained. Further, since the heat insulation is performed well even in the portion indicated by the arrow A, that is, in the gap in the thermoelectric module 1, the thermoelectric performance is improved. Therefore, the efficiency of heat exchange of the heat exchanger 10 is dramatically improved.

Further, it is not necessary to fill the portions indicated by the arrows A and B, that is, the gaps in the thermoelectric module 1 and the gaps between the plates 6 and 7 with a heat insulating material, and the heat insulating material is not wetted by dew condensation. Further, the manufacturing cost can be reduced and the heat exchange efficiency can be improved.

Since the pressure in the sealed chamber 10a is lower than the atmospheric pressure of the outside, the plates 6 and 7 forming the wall of the sealed chamber 10a are acted on by an inward force due to the pressure difference between the inside and the outside. The thermoelectric module 1 is pressed by the plates 6 and 7. Therefore, without using a fixing member such as a bolt, the electrode 4 of the thermoelectric module 1 has a simple structure,
It is possible to increase the degree of adhesion between the plate 5 and the plates 6 and 7. As a result, the contact resistance between the electrodes and the plate is reduced, the efficiency of heat conduction is enhanced, and the efficiency of heat exchange is further enhanced.

In the concept of the first invention, as shown in FIG. 9, the areas of the plates 6 and 7 are set to be substantially the same as the area in contact with the thermoelectric module 1, and the inside of the sealed chamber 10a is kept from atmospheric pressure. It also includes the implementation of low pressure.

According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, since the heat insulation is satisfactorily performed in the portion shown by the arrow A, that is, in the gap in the thermoelectric module 1, the thermoelectric performance is improved. Therefore, the efficiency of heat exchange of the heat exchanger 10 'is dramatically improved.

Further, it is not necessary to fill the gap in the thermoelectric module 1 shown by the arrow A with the heat insulating material, and the heat insulating material is not wetted by dew condensation. Further, the manufacturing cost can be reduced and the heat exchange efficiency can be improved.

[0033]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a heat exchanger 10 using the thermoelectric module 1 of the embodiment. In addition, in FIG.
Those components having the same reference numerals as those in FIG.

FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger 10 seen from the side, and FIG. 1B is a top view of the heat exchanger 10 seen from the top. The cross section C-C in FIG. 1B is shown in FIG.
Equivalent to.

As shown in FIG. 1 (a), when the thermoelectric module 1 is used as a heat exchanger, the electrode 5 on the upper side of the thermoelectric module 1 has a larger area than the upper area of the thermoelectric module 1. The heat plate 7 contacts and both are thermally connected, and the lower electrode 4 of the thermoelectric module 1 is contacted by the heat transfer plate 6 having an area larger than the lower area of the thermoelectric module 1. Are thermally connected.

The metal electrodes 4 and 5 are made of a metal such as copper having a low electric resistance and a good heat conduction. The plates 6 and 7 are also made of a material having good heat conduction, for example, copper.

The thermoelectric module 1 is driven by the power supply 8. The thermoelectric module 1 is electrically connected to a power source 8 via a lead wire 9 as an electric signal line.

As shown in FIG. 1A, when a current is applied to the thermoelectric module 1 in the direction indicated by the arrow D, the upper metal electrode 5 absorbs heat due to the Peltier effect, and the lower metal electrode 4 Dissipates heat. Therefore, the upper plate 7 absorbs heat, and the object on the plate 7 side is cooled. Further, the lower plate 6 radiates heat, and the heat is radiated to the outside air. The plates 6 and 7 have a larger area than the metal electrodes 4 and 5 and can expand the cooling surface and the heat radiation surface. Therefore, a large object can be satisfactorily cooled and heat can be efficiently dissipated.

When a current is applied to the thermoelectric module 1 in the direction opposite to the D direction, the upper metal electrode 5 radiates heat and the lower metal electrode 4 absorbs heat. Therefore, heat is dissipated by the upper plate 7, and the object on the plate 7 side is heated. The lower plate 6 also absorbs heat. The plates 6 and 7 have a larger area than the metal electrodes 4 and 5 and can expand the heating surface and the heat absorbing surface. Therefore, a large object can be satisfactorily heated, and heat absorption can be efficiently performed.

As described above, the heat exchanger 10 is constructed by sandwiching the thermoelectric module 1 with the plates 6 and 7 having a larger area than the thermoelectric module 1.
Heat exchange is efficiently performed. Note that fins for heat dissipation and heat absorption may be further formed on the plates 6 and 7.

In this embodiment, in order to increase the efficiency of heat exchange, the chamber 10a is formed by connecting the upper plate 7 and the lower plate 6 at the connecting portion 11, and the thermoelectric module 1 is sealed in the chamber 10a. The inside of the sealed chamber 10a is kept at a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure, preferably in a vacuum state. The heat exchanger 10 is configured by disposing the two thermoelectric modules 1 and 1 intermittently on the left and right in the sealed chamber 10a.

Here, the vacuum state may be a pressure range which is generally called "vacuum" and considerably lower than the atmospheric pressure, and a pressure range of 100 to 10,000 Pa is desirable.
However, in this embodiment, the pressure in the sealed chamber 10a may be lower than the atmospheric pressure.

According to this embodiment, since the plates 6 and 7 are hermetically sealed to have a pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure, air convection between the plates 6 and 7 is almost eliminated, and good heat insulation can be performed. The temperature difference between the plates 6 and 7 can be maintained. Further, since the heat insulation is satisfactorily performed in the portion indicated by the arrow A, that is, in the gap in the thermoelectric module 1, the thermoelectric performance is improved. Therefore, the efficiency of heat exchange of the heat exchanger 10 is dramatically improved.

Further, it is not necessary to fill the portions indicated by arrows A and B, that is, the gaps in the thermoelectric module 1 and the gaps between the plates 6 and 7 with the heat insulating material, and the heat insulating material is not wetted by dew condensation. Further, the manufacturing cost can be reduced and the heat exchange efficiency can be improved.

Further, since the pressure in the sealed chamber 10a is lower than the atmospheric pressure of the outside, the plates 6 and 7 forming the wall of the sealed chamber 10a are acted on by an inward force due to the pressure difference between the inside and the outside. The thermoelectric module 1 is pressed by the plates 6 and 7. Therefore, without using a fixing member such as a bolt, the electrode 4 of the thermoelectric module 1 has a simple structure,
It is possible to increase the degree of adhesion between the plate 5 and the plates 6 and 7. As a result, the contact resistance between the electrodes and the plate is reduced, the efficiency of heat conduction is enhanced, and the efficiency of heat exchange is further enhanced.

In FIG. 2, the lead wire 8 is connected to the outside of the heat exchanger 10,
That is, an example of the configuration of the lead wire takeout portion 12 taken out of the plate 6 is shown.

As shown in FIG. 2, the plate 6 has holes 6
a is formed, and a flange 13 is fixed to the outer wall of the plate 6 by a bolt 14 so as to close the hole 6a. The flange 13 is formed with a hole 13a for inserting the lead wire 9. A metal cylinder 17 is fixed to the hole 13a via an electric insulating material 15 such as ceramic. The lead wire 9 is inserted into the cylinder 17 and taken out of the plate 6.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the structure of the connecting portion 11 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1B, the plate 6,
When 7 is a quadrangle or a polygon other than a quadrangle when viewed from the upper surface, the connecting portion 11 shown in FIG. 3 is formed on each side of the plates 6 and 7. If the plates 6 and 7 have a shape such as a circle or an ellipse that does not have sides, the connection portion 11 shown in FIG. 3 is formed along the circumferential direction.

FIG. 3A exemplifies a case where the upper plate 7 is bent downward and the lower plate 6 is bent upward, and the ends of both plates 7 and 6 are connected to each other by a connecting member 18 such as solder. ing. An adhesive material other than solder may be used to connect the plates 7 and 6 to each other, or the plates 7 and 6 may be connected to each other by welding such as spot welding.

FIG. 3B illustrates an example in which the upper plate 7 is bent downward and the lower plate 6 is bent upward, and the ends of both plates 7 and 6 are connected by caulking. Alternatively, rivets may be used for caulking.

In FIG. 3C, a member 20 having a U-shaped cross section is prepared separately from the upper plate 7 and the lower plate 6, and the upper plate 7 and the lower plate 6 are provided with a U-shaped member 20 in cross section.
It illustrates the case where the connection is made via. In this case, O-rings 19 are inserted to seal between the U-shaped member 20 having a U-shaped cross section and the upper plate 7, and between the U-shaped member 20 having a U-shaped cross section and the lower plate 7. A liquid sealing agent may be used instead of the O-ring 19 for sealing.

In FIG. 3D, a flat plate-shaped member 120 is prepared separately from the upper plate 7 and the lower plate 6, and the upper plate 7 and the lower plate 6 are connected via the flat plate-shaped member 120. The case is illustrated. In this case, the flat plate-shaped member 1
20 is connected to the end portion of the upper plate 7 and the end portion of the lower plate 6 by using a connecting material 18 such as solder, an adhesive, or a welding material as in FIG. 3A.

In FIGS. 3C and 3D, the members 20 and 120 interposed between the plates 7 and 6 are smaller than the plates 7 and 6 in order to suppress heat conduction between the plates 7 and 6 to be small. It is desirable to use a material having a low thermal conductivity such as stainless steel.

FIG. 4 shows the upper plate 7 and the thermoelectric module 1.
2 shows an example of the structure of a contact part that contacts the upper surface (electrode 5) of the contact plate, and a contact part that contacts the lower plate 6 and the lower surface (electrode 4) of the thermoelectric module 1.

When the electrodes 4 and 5 of the thermoelectric module 1 and the plates 6 and 7 are brought into contact with each other, what is interposed at the contact portions is required to have electrical insulation and thermal conductivity.

In FIG. 4A, an electric insulating layer 22 such as alumite is formed on the lower surface of the upper plate 7, and the upper surface (electrode 5) of the thermoelectric module 1 is joined by thermal spraying or soldering, and the lower plate 6 is joined. Structure in which a flexible sheet material 21 having both electrical insulation and thermal conductivity, such as a polyimide sheet, a gel sheet, and a thermal conductive sheet, is sandwiched between the upper surface of the substrate and the lower surface (electrode 4) of the thermoelectric module 1 An example is shown.

In FIG. 4 (b), the electrical insulation layer 22 is formed on the upper surface of the lower plate 6, and then the lower surface (electrode 4) of the thermoelectric module 1 is joined by thermal spraying or soldering, and the upper plate 7 and the thermoelectric module are joined together. 1 shows an example of a structure in which the sheet material 21 is sandwiched between the upper surface (electrode 5) of the sheet 1.

FIG. 4 (c) shows that the lower surface (electrode 4) of the thermoelectric module 1 is joined by thermal spraying or soldering after the electrical insulating layer 22 is formed on the upper surface of the lower plate 6, and the lower surface of the upper plate 7 is the same. An example of the structure is shown in which the upper surface (electrode 5) of the thermoelectric module 1 is joined by thermal spraying, soldering or the like after the electrical insulating layer 22 is formed on.

FIG. 4D shows that the sheet material 21 is sandwiched between the lower plate 6 and the lower surface (electrode 4) of the thermoelectric module 1, and the upper plate 7 and the upper surface (electrode 5) of the thermoelectric module 1 are connected. An example of a structure in which the sheet material 21 is sandwiched between them is shown.

As described above, the pressure in the sealed chamber 10a is
Since it is lower than the external atmospheric pressure, the sealed chamber 10a
A force directed inward acts on the plates 6 and 7 forming the wall of the above due to the pressure difference between the inside and the outside. Therefore, the heat exchanger 10
Is insufficient in strength and may be distorted and deformed. Therefore, when the strength of the heat exchanger 10 is insufficient, it is desirable to sandwich the reinforcing material between the plates 6 and 7. However, it is desirable to use a reinforcing material having a small cross-sectional area, high strength, and high heat insulating effect so that heat conduction does not occur between the plates 6 and 7 while securing strength.

FIG. 5A shows a case where the ceramic honeycomb 23 is sandwiched between the plates 6 and 7 for reinforcement.

FIG. 5B shows a case where the ceramic bar 24 is sandwiched between the plates 6 and 7 for reinforcement.

FIG. 6 illustrates a process for manufacturing the heat exchanger 10 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 6 (a), the upper plate 7
After attaching the pipe 25 for vacuuming to
The upper plate 7 is bent and connected to the lower plate 6 as shown in (b). Next, as shown in FIG. 6C, the suction port of the vacuum pump 27 is connected to the pipe 25 via the hose 28. Then, the vacuum pump 27 is driven to evacuate the sealed chamber 10a. When the sealed chamber 10a is in a vacuum state, the pipe 25 is plugged into the plug 2 as shown in FIG. 6 (d).
6 and disconnect from the vacuum pump 27.

FIG. 7 shows the heat exchanger 10 shown in FIG.
The application example applied to 0 is shown. FIG. 7 shows a cross section of the temperature controller 30.

In the embodiment, it is assumed that the temperature controller 30 cools the temperature controlled object 40 to keep it warm.

That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the sealed chamber 10a
Is formed in a tubular shape, and constitutes a case 35 for accommodating a temperature control object 40 such as a PET bottle, a bottle, or a can. The thermoelectric module 1 is arranged at the bottom of the case 35.

The case 35 is composed of an inner cylinder 37, an outer cylinder 36 and a connecting portion 11 for connecting them. The inner cylinder 37 corresponds to the upper plate 7 in FIG. 1 and the outer cylinder 36 is the lower plate 6 in FIG.
Equivalent to. The inner cylinder 37 and the outer cylinder 36 are made of copper. The temperature control target 40 is placed on the bottom surface of the inner cylinder 37. The thermoelectric module 1 is provided on the lower surface of the bottom of the inner cylinder 37.
Of the thermoelectric module 1 is in contact with the upper surface (electrode 5) of the outer cylinder 36 and the upper surface of the bottom of the outer cylinder 36 is in contact therewith.

The case 35 is supported by the base 31 from below. A power supply unit 80 that drives the thermoelectric module 1 is housed in the base 31. The power supply unit 80 may be a power supply unit including a battery or the like for applying a DC voltage, or may be a power supply unit including a circuit connected to an AC external power supply and converting to DC.

When a voltage is applied to the thermoelectric module 1 by the power supply section 80 and a current is supplied, heat is absorbed by the inner cylinder 37, and the temperature control object 40 arranged inside the inner cylinder 37 is cooled. It Further, heat is radiated by the outer cylinder 36, and the heat is radiated to the outside air. The inner cylinder 37 is thermally connected to the thermoelectric module 1, and its heat absorption area is enlarged to such an extent that it can cover the bottom and side portions of the temperature control target 40. For this reason, only one thermoelectric module 1 has a large temperature control object 4
0 can be cooled well. Moreover, since the thermoelectric module 1 is arranged at the bottom of the case 35, the case 3
It is possible to uniformly cool the entire temperature-controlled object 40 inside 5.

The thermoelectric module 1 is also used for the outer cylinder 36.
The heat radiation area is enlarged to the extent that the bottom portion and the side portion of the temperature control target 40 can be covered. Therefore, the heat dissipation effect can be enhanced.

Further, in this embodiment, the inner cylinder 37 and the outer cylinder 36 are connected to form the sealed chamber 10a, and the sealed chamber 10a is maintained in a vacuum state. Therefore, the inner cylinder 37 and the outer cylinder 36
There is a high degree of insulation between and. Thereby, the efficiency of cooling and the efficiency of heat retention are further enhanced. As a result, the temperature inside the inner cylinder 37 is kept constant for a long period of time even after the power supply to the thermoelectric module 1 is cut off, and the temperature control target 40 as a whole can be kept warm (cooled) satisfactorily for a long time.

In order to further improve the cooling effect and the heat retaining effect, a thermoelectric module 1'is provided on the side of the case 35 except that the thermoelectric module 1 is provided at the bottom of the case 35 as shown by the broken line in FIG. It may be provided.

Although FIG. 7 assumes a temperature controller that cools and keeps the temperature controlled object 40 cool, the temperature controlled object 40 is heated by reversing the energization direction to the thermoelectric module 1. It is also possible to keep it warm. Also in FIG.
Although it is assumed that a PET bottle or the like is housed in the case 35, a liquid such as water, tea or juice may be poured directly into the case 35 and the case 35 itself may be used as a container.

FIG. 8 illustrates temperature controllers 50 and 60 which are modified examples of the temperature controller 30 of FIG. 7, and the temperature controller 5 is the same as that of FIG.
0 and 60 are shown in cross section.

In FIG. 8A, the inner plate 37 'corresponds to the inner cylinder 37 of FIG. 7, and the outer plate 36' corresponds to the outer cylinder 36 of FIG. The temperature controller 50 of FIG. 8 (a) is formed by forming a sealed chamber 10a in which a space between the inner plate 37 'and the outer plate 36' is sealed in a dish shape, and is placed on the inner plate 37 '. It is possible to cool or heat the temperature-controlled object 40 thus prepared and then keep it warm.

In FIG. 8B, the inner plate 37 ″ corresponds to the inner cylinder 37 of FIG. 7, and the outer plate 36 ″ corresponds to the outer cylinder 36 of FIG. The temperature controller 60 of FIG. 8 (b) is formed by forming a hermetically sealed chamber 10a in which a space between the inner plate 37 ″ and the outer plate 36 ″ is formed in a housing shape, and is enclosed in the inner plate 37 ″. The temperature controlled object 40 can be cooled or heated and then kept warm.

In the heat exchanger 10 of FIG. 1, the areas of the plates 6 and 7 are made larger than the areas in contact with the thermoelectric module 1, but the areas of the plates 6 and 7 are not always It is not necessary to make the area larger than the contact area, and the plates 6 and 7 are connected to form a sealed chamber 10a for accommodating the thermoelectric module 1. The inside of the sealed chamber 10a is kept at a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure. All you have to do is keep it. That is, as shown as a heat exchanger 10 'in FIG. 9, the areas of the plates 6 and 7 are set to be substantially the same as the area in contact with the thermoelectric module 1 so that the inside of the sealed chamber 10a is maintained at a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure. Various implementations are also possible.

According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the heat insulation is favorably performed in the portion indicated by the arrow A, that is, in the gap in the thermoelectric module 1, so that the thermoelectric performance is improved. Therefore, the heat exchanger 1
The efficiency of 0'heat exchange is dramatically improved. Further, it is not necessary to fill the gap in the thermoelectric module 1 indicated by the arrow A with the heat insulating material, and the heat insulating material is not wetted by dew condensation. Further, the manufacturing cost can be reduced and the heat exchange efficiency can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration example of a heat exchanger according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a lead wire takeout portion of FIG.

3 (a), (b), (c), and (d) are diagrams illustrating a configuration example of a connecting portion between plates.

4 (a), (b), (c), and (d) are diagrams illustrating a structural example of a contact portion where a thermoelectric module and a plate come into contact with each other.

5 (a) and 5 (b) are diagrams illustrating a configuration example of a reinforcing material of a heat exchanger.

6 (a), 6 (b), 6 (c) and 6 (d) are diagrams showing an example of a process for manufacturing a thermoelectric module.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a temperature controller using a thermoelectric module.

8A and 8B are cross-sectional views of the temperature controller, illustrating a modified example of the temperature controller of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing another heat exchanger having a plate area different from that of FIG. 1.

FIG. 10 is a diagram used for explaining the operation of the thermoelectric module.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 thermoelectric module 6,7 plate 10 heat exchanger 10a sealed chamber 11 Connection

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued Front Page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification Code FI Theme Coat (Reference) H01L 35/30 H01L 35/30

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. In a heat exchanger (10) using a thermoelectric module (1), a heat absorbing side plate (7) which comes into contact with a heat absorbing side electrode (5) of the thermoelectric module (1), and a thermoelectric module (1). ), The heat dissipation side plate (6) contacting the heat dissipation side electrode (4), the heat absorption side plate (7) and the heat dissipation side plate (6)
A heat exchanger using a thermoelectric module, characterized in that the thermoelectric module (1) is sealed by connecting with, and the inside of the sealed chamber (10a) is brought to a low pressure state lower than atmospheric pressure. 2. The thermoelectric generator according to claim 1, wherein the areas of the heat absorbing side plate (7) and the heat radiating side plate (6) are larger than the area in contact with the thermoelectric module (1). A heat exchanger using a module.