JP2013214640A - Temperature control device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a temperature control device that achieves low power consumption using a thermoelectric conversion element.SOLUTION: A temperature control device includes: a temperature measurement element 3 that measures a temperature of a thermoelectric conversion element 1 disposed so as to be capable of exchanging heat with a temperature adjustment object 9; and a driving circuit 2 that switches between ON and OFF of power supply to the thermoelectric conversion element 1 and outputs current or voltage corresponding to a difference between the measured temperature and a target temperature. The temperature control device controls a temperature of the temperature adjustment object 9 by driving the thermoelectric conversion element by means of the output of the driving circuit 2 so as to perform temperature adjustment driving in a cooling or heating mode. The temperature control device includes: extraction means 4 for, when the output from the drive circuit 2 to the thermoelectric conversion element 1 is OFF, extracting power by voltage generated by the temperature difference occurring at the thermoelectric conversion element 1; and polarity matching means 5 for establishing matching of a polarity of the voltage generated by the temperature difference occurring at the thermoelectric conversion element 1.

Description

  The present invention relates to a temperature control device that controls the temperature of a temperature control object.

  An apparatus that performs temperature control of a temperature-controlled object using a thermoelectric conversion element such as a Peltier element is known. Precise temperature adjustment can be realized by employing a thermoelectric conversion element.

  Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose temperature control devices that can recover the heat of a temperature-controlled object as electric power using the properties of thermoelectric conversion elements. Patent Document 3 discloses a thermoelectric generator that generates power using waste heat of a heat source.

By the way, today, in order to reduce CO ₂ emissions, it is required to reduce the power consumption of various electronic devices. In particular, with the Internet using terminals such as personal computers and mobile phones, the worldwide user population is increasing year by year, and the amount of information distributed through video distribution is also increasing. As the number of users and the amount of information increase, the laying of communication networks using optical fibers increases and the transmission distance continues to increase. Therefore, there is a high demand for lower power consumption in optical communication systems. In an optical communication system, an optical element (active component) whose characteristics change depending on the temperature may be used, and a temperature control device is often employed to stabilize the temperature. As described above, since it is necessary to provide a large number of optical communication systems and a large number of temperature control devices are employed there, even if each of the temperature control devices has a small amount of power saving, as a whole. Considering this, enormous energy savings can be realized. Therefore, as for the temperature control device, there is a high demand for a device with low power consumption.

JP 2008-71879 A JP 2003-265626 A JP 2011-239638 A

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said situation, and makes it the subject which should be solved to provide the temperature control apparatus used as a low power consumption using a thermoelectric conversion element.

The structural feature of the invention according to claim 1 for solving the above-described problems is that the temperature of a thermoelectric conversion element disposed so as to be able to exchange heat with an object to be controlled and / or the temperature. A temperature measuring element that measures the temperature of the target object, a drive circuit that switches ON and OFF of power supply to the thermoelectric conversion element and outputs a current or voltage corresponding to a difference between the measured temperature and the target temperature, and the drive A device for controlling the temperature of the temperature control object by driving the thermoelectric conversion element by cooling or heating mode temperature control drive with the output of the circuit,
A take-out means for taking out electric power due to a voltage generated by a temperature difference generated in the thermoelectric conversion element when the output from the drive circuit to the thermoelectric conversion element is OFF;
Polarity matching means for matching the polarity of the voltage generated by a temperature difference generated in the thermoelectric conversion element;
It is to have.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a structural feature according to the first aspect, wherein in the first aspect, the take-out means supplies the output voltage of the drive circuit for temperature-controlling the thermoelectric conversion element, and the thermoelectric conversion. Only when the polarities of the voltage generated by the temperature difference generated in the elements coincide with each other, the electric power by the voltage generated by the temperature difference generated in the thermoelectric conversion element is taken out.

  A structural feature of the invention according to claim 3 is that, in claim 1 or 2, the power is supplied to the drive circuit or the temperature control object.

  A structural feature of the invention according to claim 4 is that in any one of claims 1 to 3, the battery has a battery for charging the electric power.

A structural feature of the invention according to claim 5 is the power supply means according to claim 4, wherein the thermoelectric conversion element can supply power different from the power due to the voltage caused by a temperature difference generated in the thermoelectric conversion element. Have
When it is necessary to supply power exceeding the predetermined power supply value of the power supply means to the thermoelectric conversion element, the excess is supplied from the battery.

  In addition, the structural feature of the invention according to claim 6 is that in claim 4, at the start of temperature control, power is supplied from the battery to the thermoelectric conversion element, so that the temperature control object is controlled within a predetermined temperature range. Thereafter, energization of the temperature control object is started.

  A structural feature of the invention according to claim 7 is that, in any one of claims 1 to 6, the optical communication laser diode or the optical communication transmitting / receiving device is an integrated device.

  In the invention which concerns on Claim 1, when the drive circuit which drives the thermoelectric conversion element in the cooling mode or the heating mode in order to control the temperature of the temperature adjustment object does not drive the thermoelectric conversion element, the thermoelectric conversion It has a take-out means for taking out electric power due to a voltage generated by a temperature difference generated in the element. The extracted electric power can be used for driving the temperature control device, driving the temperature control object, or any other purpose. The device can be configured with one thermoelectric conversion element without adding a thermoelectric conversion element for power generation, so there is no increase in cost due to an increase in modules, and low power consumption is achieved by using the generated power. Can be realized.

  In the invention according to claim 2, the take-out means is provided only when the polarity of the supply voltage of the output of the drive circuit for temperature-controlled driving of the thermoelectric conversion element and the voltage generated by the temperature difference generated in the thermoelectric conversion element match. The electric power by the voltage produced by the temperature difference which arises in a thermoelectric conversion element is taken out. For example, although the drive circuit outputs a supply voltage having a polarity for controlling the thermoelectric conversion element in the heating mode from the measured temperature of the temperature control object, the polarity of the voltage generated by the temperature difference generated in the thermoelectric conversion element is In the cooling mode, since the thermoelectric conversion element is driven in the cooling mode, the temperature control of the temperature control object is adversely affected. Therefore, it is possible to construct a combined power generation system that maintains the accuracy of temperature control without affecting temperature control by extracting power only when the polarity of the supply voltage matches the polarity of the voltage generated in the thermoelectric conversion element. it can.

  In the invention which concerns on Claim 3, the electric power taken out by the taking-out means is supplied to the drive circuit for driving the thermoelectric conversion element and the drive of the temperature adjustment object, thereby reducing the power consumption of the temperature control device and the temperature adjustment object. Power consumption can be reduced.

  In the invention according to claim 4, since it is possible to charge the battery with the extracted power, if the power is not necessary, the battery is charged, and when the power is necessary, the charged power can be used. The charged power can be used effectively.

  In the invention which concerns on Claim 5, since the electric power for carrying out the temperature control drive of the thermoelectric conversion element exceeds the electric power feeding value which can supply the electric power feeding means, it can supply from a battery, Therefore The electric power feeding means is small However, temperature control can be performed. That is, temperature control can be performed without affecting the temperature control drive even when power supply means with low power consumption is used.

  In the invention according to claim 6, at the start of temperature control, power is supplied from the battery to the thermoelectric conversion element, and the temperature control object is temperature-controlled within a predetermined temperature range, and then energization to the temperature control object is started. By controlling the temperature only with the electric power charged in the battery, it is possible to reduce the consumption of electric power other than the battery. Furthermore, when using a thermoelectric conversion element in the heating mode, the amount of heat generated when compared to a heater with the same power consumption is greater in the thermoelectric conversion element, so the time to complete the temperature adjustment can be shortened and the temperature adjustment object The engine can be started with the temperature adjusted, and the start is also fast.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the system for optical communication can be stably driven with low power consumption by forming an integrated device with the system for optical communication.

1 is a circuit diagram illustrating a configuration of a temperature control device according to a first embodiment. It is a circuit diagram which shows the structure of the temperature control apparatus of Embodiment 2. 5 is a table in which the drive mode of the drive circuit and the polarity of the voltage generated in the thermoelectric conversion element are classified according to each temperature condition in the temperature control apparatus of the second embodiment. It is a circuit diagram which shows the structure of the temperature control apparatus of Embodiment 3. It is a circuit diagram which shows the structure of the temperature control apparatus of Embodiment 4.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described using embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
The configuration of the temperature control apparatus of this embodiment is shown in FIG. The temperature control device of this embodiment is a device that controls the temperature of the temperature control object 9 within a predetermined range, and includes a thermoelectric conversion module (Thermo Electric Cooler: hereinafter referred to as “TEC” as appropriate) including a thermoelectric conversion element as a component. 1, a TEC controller (drive circuit) 2, a temperature measuring element 3, a drive / power generation switching means (extraction means) 4, and a polarity matching means 5. Here, the predetermined range is determined according to the characteristics required for the temperature control object 9. Examples of the temperature control object 9 include a laser oscillator.

  The temperature control object 9 whose temperature is controlled by the temperature control device of the present embodiment is arranged so that heat can be exchanged with the TEC 1. As the thermoelectric conversion element provided in TEC1, it is desirable to employ two different types of Peltier elements in which metals and semiconductors are joined. In particular, a cooling element composed of a pair of N-type and P-type semiconductor elements is adopted. It is desirable to do. By applying a direct current to a terminal connected to the N type and a terminal connected to the P type, one surface (N type semiconductor element side or P type semiconductor element side is inverted depending on the polarity of the applied voltage. ) Absorbs heat (cools), and the opposite surface (lower side in the drawing) dissipates heat (Peltier effect). Here, the temperature control object 9 is joined to one surface of the TEC or the other surface (temperature control object 9 side). And a heat sink (not shown) is joined to the surface opposite to the surface to which the temperature control object 9 of TEC is joined.

  The thermoelectric conversion element can switch between heat absorption and heat dissipation by reversing the polarity of the power source. It is also possible to generate power by giving a temperature difference on both sides (Seebeck effect). The TEC 1 is provided with two terminals, a terminal c and a terminal d, for passing a direct current through the TEC 1.

  The temperature measuring element 3 is attached to the TEC 1 and measures the temperature of the temperature adjustment object 9 and the temperature related to the temperature (temperature adjustment object side temperature). In addition, you may measure the temperature of the temperature control target object 9 directly.

  The TEC controller 2 controls electric power output to the TEC 1 so that the temperature adjustment target side temperature measured by the temperature measuring element 3 becomes a preset target temperature. As a power control method, at least control with an OFF state in which power output to the TEC 1 is not performed is performed. Specifically, in addition to simple on / off control, control including OFF state such as PWM control is used. In addition, 100% output is performed in the ON state, and a method of continuously controlling the magnitude such as PID control and a known control method such as PAM control can be used in combination. In particular, the OFF state can be realized by cutting the terminal (a, b) and the terminal (c, d) by the drive / power generation switching means 4 without creating the OFF state by the TEC controller 2. May be. The apparatus according to the present embodiment is an apparatus that collects power during an OFF time.

  The TEC controller 2 has an output a that is intermittently connected to the terminal c of the TEC1 and an output b that is intermittently connected to the terminal d of the TEC1 via a drive / power generation switching unit 4 described later. The TEC controller 2 has a function of inverting the polarity of the voltage of the power supplied to the TEC 1 in order to drive the TEC 1 in the cooling or heating mode according to the magnitude relationship between the target temperature and the temperature adjustment target side temperature. The TEC controller 2 is equipped with a TEC voltage monitor 21 that outputs either a signal (H) or no output (L) from the TEC controller 2 to power-control the TEC 1. A signal from the TEC voltage monitor 21 is connected to the base of the transistor 71. The transistor 71 is turned on when the signal is High (H), and the potential (output) of A is Low (L). If the signal is L, the transistor 71 is turned OFF and the output of A is H. Here, the TEC voltage monitor 21 outputs L when the difference between the temperature adjustment object side temperature (calculated from the temperature measuring element 3) and the target temperature is within a predetermined range (target temperature range). It is determined that the above temperature control is not necessary, and if it exceeds the target temperature range, it is determined that it is necessary to output H and perform continuous temperature control. On the contrary, the polarity of the electric power output from the terminals a and b of the TEC controller 2 to the TEC 1 is lower than the target temperature range so that the temperature is controlled when the temperature adjustment target side temperature exceeds the target temperature range. In some cases, the heating is controlled. When the output of the TEC voltage monitor 21 is L (that is, when it is determined that it is not necessary to perform temperature control), the terminal a and the terminal b may be in any state and are not particularly limited.

  The drive / power generation switching means 4 is configured such that the terminals (c, d) of the TEC 1 are connected to the terminals (a, b) of the TEC controller 2, or the terminals (c, d) of the TEC 1 are connected to the terminals (a, b) of the TEC controller 2. ) Is a means that can be switched between being disconnected and connected to the polarity matching means 5 described later. The drive / power generation switching means 4 is switched depending on whether the voltage input from A is High (H) or Low (L). As the drive / power generation switching unit 4, for example, a selector IC, a relay, or the like can be used. When the temperature adjustment target side temperature does not reach the target temperature range, the TEC controller 2 has an output for driving the TEC 1 in the cooling mode or the heating mode. Since the output of the TEC controller 2 is output, the TEC voltage monitor 21 also outputs an H signal to the transistor 71, so that the transistor 71 is turned on and L is input to the drive / power generation switching means 4. Thus, when L is input, the drive / power generation switching means 4 connects the TEC 1 and the TEC controller 2 to adjust the temperature.

  When the temperature adjustment target side temperature reaches the target temperature range, the TEC controller 2 stops the output so that the TEC 1 is not driven in either the cooling mode or the heating mode. Since there is no output from the TEC controller 2, the TEC voltage monitor 21 outputs L, there is no input at the base of the transistor 71, and the transistor 71 is turned off. Then, the potential of A for controlling the drive / power generation switching unit 4 becomes H, and the drive / power generation switching unit 4 connects the TEC 1 and the polarity matching unit 5.

  The polarity matching unit 5 is connected to the two terminals of the TEC 1, the terminal c and the terminal d via the drive / power generation switching unit 4 in an intermittent manner, and the output is connected to the input side of the TEC controller 2. The polarity matching means 5 is composed of a diode bridge and performs matching so as to output a constant polarity regardless of the polarity of the voltage generated by the temperature difference applied to the TEC. The electric power due to the voltage generated by the temperature difference generated in the TEC 1 is input to the TEC controller 2 as electric power for driving the TEC controller 2 via the polarity matching means 5. The voltage output from the polarity matching unit 5 is appropriately boosted by the booster 72 and input to the TEC controller 2. Usually, the voltage output from the TEC 1 is often small, so that it is boosted by the booster 72 and then input to the TEC controller 2. The TEC controller 2 is configured to receive power other than power generated by the voltage generated in the TEC 1 and power from an external power supply (power supply unit) Vcc.

  According to the temperature control apparatus of the present embodiment, when the TEC 1 is not temperature-controlled (when there is no output from the TEC controller 2), the electric power generated by the temperature difference applied to the TEC 1 is connected to the drive / power generation switching unit 4. It can be switched and input (taken out and used) to the TEC controller 2. The generated voltage is output with a constant polarity via the polarity matching means 5 and boosted by the booster 72. In the temperature control device, the temperature-controlled drive and the generated power are taken out by one TEC 1, there is no increase in the cost of adding another TEC, and the generated power is input to the TEC controller 2. Power can be subsidized. That is, it is a device with low power consumption.

(Embodiment 2)
As shown in FIG. 2, the temperature control device of the second embodiment has the same configuration and operational effects as the temperature control device of the first embodiment. Below, it demonstrates focusing on a different structure.

  The temperature control device according to the second embodiment extracts the electric power generated by the TEC 1 only when the polarity of the supply voltage of the output of the TEC control 2 for driving the TEC 1 to adjust the temperature matches the polarity of the voltage generated in the TEC 1. It differs from the first embodiment in that it has a take-out means.

  The take-out means includes the drive / power generation switching means 4, the comparator 73, logic circuits 74 to 76, and a switch 77. The TEC controller 2 includes a TEC drive mode monitor 22 that outputs a voltage Low (L) in the case of an output that drives the TEC 1 in the cooling mode, and outputs a voltage High (H) in the case of an output that drives the TEC 1 in the heating mode. . The comparator 73 is connected to the terminal c and the terminal d of the TEC 1 via the drive / power generation switching means 4, and outputs the result of judging the polarity of the voltage generated in the TEC 1, and the logic circuit 74 and the logic circuit 75. And input. Specifically, (temperature control object side temperature)> (temperature of the heat dissipation side surface different from the surface of the temperature control object 9 side), and when the electric power is taken out from the TEC 1, the temperature adjustment object side temperature decreases. In such a case, (potential of output c)> (potential of output d), and the output of the comparator 73 becomes H. On the other hand, (temperature control object side temperature) <(temperature of the heat dissipation side surface different from the surface of the temperature control object 9 side), and when the electric power is taken out from the TEC1, the temperature adjustment object side temperature rises. In this case, (potential of output c) <(potential of output d), and the output of the comparator 73 becomes L.

  As a result, when the TEC controller 2 is in the cooling mode by the logic circuits 74 to 76 and the temperature of the temperature adjustment object decreases when the electric power is extracted from the TEC 1, the output of the logic circuit 76 becomes H. (B) When the TEC controller 2 is in the heating mode and the electric power is taken out from the TEC 1, the output of the logic circuit 76 becomes H even when the temperature adjustment target side temperature rises.

  The output of the logic circuit 76 is input to the switch 77, and the connection state is established by the input of H. Accordingly, only when the polarity of the voltage corresponding to the mode in which the TEC controller 2 tries to drive the TEC 1 matches the polarity of the electromotive voltage of the TEC 1, the TEC 1 and the switch 77 are connected. The switch 77 disconnects the TEC1 and the switch 77.

  FIG. 3 shows the result of dividing the drive mode of the TEC controller 2 and the polarity of the voltage generated in the TEC 1 in each temperature situation when the TEC 1 is used in combination with the Peltier module and the Seebeck module. There are four possible cases. Hereinafter, the four cases will be described. Note that the target temperature is assumed to be 45 ° C.

(Case 1)
The measurement temperature of the temperature measurement element 3 (one surface of the TEC 1: the surface on the temperature adjustment object 9 side) is 50 ° C., and is opposite to the temperature adjustment object 9 measured by the temperature measurement element 3 of the TEC 1 (hereinafter, “ When the temperature of the surface on the “heat dissipating side” is 75 ° C., the TEC controller 2 sets the voltage at which the terminal c is positive (+) between the terminals cd of the TEC 1 (polarity with which one surface of the TEC 1 is cooled) TEC1 is driven in the cooling mode. During an OFF cycle such as duty control, a voltage with terminal d positive is generated between terminals cd of TEC1 due to the magnitude relationship between the temperature-controlled object side temperature of TEC1 and the temperature of the heat dissipation side. Therefore, when the power is taken out by connecting to a closed circuit having a load resistance, a current having a polarity opposite to that of driving in the cooling mode flows through the terminal c and the terminal d of the TEC 1 (terminal c is negative, terminal d Is positive), the temperature of the temperature controlled object is accelerated to the heating side. Therefore, it is desirable not to collect power from the TEC 1 even when the power output to the TEC 1 is OFF from the viewpoint of improving the temperature adjustment accuracy and reducing the input power.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, the output of the TEC drive mode monitor 22 (the TEC controller 2 switches between H and L according to the polarity of power output from the terminal a and the terminal b) and the temperature difference generated in the TEC 1 cause the terminals c and The polarity of the voltage generated with respect to the terminal d (output in correspondence with H or L by the comparator 73) is compared with a logic circuit (logic circuit formed by the logic circuits 74 to 76). As a result, since the polarities do not match, the switch 77 outputs a signal so as to be in a disconnected state.

(Case 2)
When the measurement temperature of the temperature measuring element 3 is 40 ° C. and the temperature on the heat dissipation side of the TEC 1 is 75 ° C., the TEC controller 2 applies a voltage that makes the terminal d positive (+) between the terminals cd of the TEC 1, Is driven in heating mode. During an OFF cycle such as duty control, a voltage with the terminal d being positive is generated between the terminals cd of the TEC 1 due to the magnitude relationship between the temperature on the temperature control object 9 side of the TEC 1 and the temperature on the heat dissipation side. Therefore, when trying to extract power by connecting to a closed circuit having a load resistance, a current having the same polarity as that of driving in the heating mode flows through the terminal c and the terminal d of the TEC 1 (terminal c is negative and terminal d is positive). ), A heating mode for heating the temperature control object 9 side. Therefore, the polarity of the supply voltage is negative at the terminal c and the terminal d is positive, and the polarity of the voltage at the TEC1 is negative at the terminal c and positive at the terminal d. In this case, the accuracy of temperature control of the temperature control object 9 is improved, and the temperature difference can be effectively taken out as electric power.

(Case 3)
When the temperature of the temperature measuring object 3 of the temperature measuring element 3 is 50 ° C. and the temperature of the heat dissipation side of the TEC 1 is 30 ° C., the TEC controller 2 sets a voltage that makes the terminal c positive (+) between the terminals cd of the TEC 1. When applied, the TEC1 is driven in a cooling mode. During an OFF cycle such as duty control, a voltage with the terminal c being positive is generated between the terminals cd of the TEC 1 due to the magnitude relationship between the temperature on the temperature adjustment target 9 side of the TEC 1 and the temperature on the heat dissipation side. Therefore, when trying to extract power by connecting to a closed circuit having a load resistance, a current having the same polarity as that of driving in the cooling mode flows through terminals c and d of TEC1 (terminal c is positive and terminal d is negative). ), A cooling mode for cooling the temperature adjustment object side temperature. Therefore, the polarity of the supply voltage is positive at the terminal c and negative at the terminal d, and the polarity of the voltage at the TEC1 is positive at the terminal c and negative at the terminal d. In this case, the accuracy of temperature control of the temperature control object 9 is improved, and the temperature difference can be effectively taken out as electric power.

(Case 4)
When the temperature control object side temperature of the temperature measuring element 3 is 40 ° C. and the temperature of the heat dissipation side of the TEC 1 is 30 ° C., the TEC controller 2 sets a voltage that makes the terminal d positive (+) between the terminals cd of the TEC 1. Applied, TEC1 is driven in heating mode. During an OFF cycle such as duty control, a voltage with terminal c positive is generated between terminals cd of TEC1 due to the magnitude relationship between the temperature-controlled object side temperature of TEC1 and the temperature of the heat dissipation side. Therefore, when connecting to a closed circuit having a load resistance and trying to extract power, the current flowing in the same direction as TEC1 is driven in the cooling mode flows (terminal c is positive, terminal d is negative), and the temperature adjustment object side It becomes the cooling mode which cools temperature. Therefore, the polarity of the supply voltage is negative at the terminal c and the terminal d is positive, and the polarity of the voltage at the TEC1 is positive at the terminal c and negative at the terminal d. In this case, the temperature adjustment object side temperature is lowered so as to further cool the temperature adjustment object 9, which affects the temperature control, and the accuracy of the temperature control may be insufficient.

(Function and effect)
The temperature control apparatus according to the second embodiment is used only in cases 2 and 3 among cases 1 to 4, that is, only when the output voltage of the TEC controller 2 matches the polarity of the voltage generated in TEC 1. Electric power due to the generated voltage is taken out by the take-out means, and the battery is charged. It can be seen that Case 2 and Case 3 have different polarities of the voltage related to the extracted power. The extracted power is output with a certain polarity by the polarity matching means 5, boosted by the booster 72, and input to the battery 6. In cases 2 and 3, it is also possible not to actively supply power from the TEC controller 2 (that is, to keep the OFF state). Then, the maximum power can be taken out without consuming power. When electric power is supplied from the TEC controller 2 (when electric power larger than electric power to be extracted is taken out), temperature control can be performed more quickly than when electric power is simply taken out. Switching by the drive / power generation switching means 4 increases the balance between the temperature control accuracy and the increase in the amount of electric power (if the amount of electric power extracted (extraction time: OFF state time) is increased, the amount of energy recovered increases. The temperature can be adjusted more quickly if the amount of power input (ON time) is increased.

  According to the temperature control apparatus of the second embodiment, the power generated by the voltage generated in TEC1 is taken out only when the supply voltage of the output of TEC controller 2 matches the polarity of the voltage generated in TEC1. Therefore, it is possible to construct a power generation combined system that does not adversely affect temperature control and maintains the accuracy of temperature control. Further, the extracted power is temporarily stored in the battery 6, and the stored power and the power of the external power source Vcc are used in combination when the temperature difference between the measured temperature and the target temperature of the temperature control target 9 is large. As a result, the maximum power consumption of the apparatus can be reduced, and the external power supply can be downsized.

(Embodiment 3)
As shown in FIG. 4, the temperature control device of the third embodiment has the same configuration and operational effects as the temperature control device of the second embodiment. Below, it demonstrates focusing on a different structure.

  The temperature control apparatus according to the third embodiment includes a new transistor 78 and a second switch 79. The output of the TEC voltage monitor 21 is input to the base of the transistor 78. The second switch 79 is located between the battery 6 and the external power supply Vcc (TEC controller 2), and switches whether the power of the battery 6 is supplied to the external power supply Vcc according to the output of the transistor 78. The TEC voltage monitor 21 detects whether the TEC controller 2 drives the TEC 1. When the output of the TEC voltage monitor 21 exceeds a predetermined value, the transistor 78 is turned on, and the second switch 79 connects the circuit of the battery 6 and the external power supply Vcc. With the second switch 79 connected, the power of the battery 6 is supplied to the external power source Vcc. The start condition for determining whether or not to supply power to the battery 6 can be set by the values of the external resistor 81 and the external resistor 82 connected to the transistor 78. In addition, the transistor 78 may be configured by an operational amplifier to form a comparator, and a hysteresis may be provided as a condition for starting the supply of the battery 6 power.

(Embodiment 4)
As shown in FIG. 5, the temperature control device according to the fourth embodiment has the same configuration and operational effects as the temperature control device according to the second embodiment. Below, it demonstrates focusing on a different structure.

  The temperature control apparatus according to the fourth embodiment includes a new comparator 83 and a second switch 79. The comparator 83 compares the measured temperature of the temperature measuring element 3 with a temperature threshold set in advance by an external resistor 84 connected to the comparator 73. When the difference between the measured temperature and the target temperature at the start of temperature control or the like is large, when the output voltage of the comparator 83 becomes High (H), the second switch 79 connects the circuit of the battery 6 and the external power supply Vcc. With the second switch 79 connected, the power of the battery 6 is supplied to the external power source Vcc. Note that the start condition for determining whether or not to supply power to the battery 6 can be set by the value of the external resistor 84 connected to the comparator 83. The setting (temperature threshold value) of the external resistor 84 can be configured by a microcomputer or a DAC, and a variable type can be adopted so that the temperature threshold value of the external resistor 84 can be changed according to the state of charge of the battery 6.

  According to the temperature control apparatus of the fourth embodiment, the power of the battery 6 is supplied when the difference between the measured temperature and the target temperature is large and the range of temperature increase or temperature decrease is large, that is, the power consumption is large. Thus, the peak power of the external power supply can be reduced.

(Other embodiments)
The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the power generated by the voltage generated by the temperature difference generated in the TEC 1 may be input to the temperature adjustment object 9 instead of being input to the TEC controller 2.

1: Thermoelectric conversion element (TEC),
2: TEC controller (drive circuit), 21: TEC voltage monitor,
22: TEC drive mode monitor,
3: Temperature measuring element,
4: Driving / power generation switching means (extraction means),
5: Polarity matching means,
6: Battery
71, 78: Transistor, 72: Boosting unit, 73, 83: Comparator,
75 to 76: logic circuit, 77: switch, 79: second switch,
81, 82, 84: external resistance,
9: Temperature control object.

Claims (7)

A temperature measuring element for measuring the temperature of a thermoelectric conversion element disposed so as to be able to transfer heat to and from the temperature control object, and / or a temperature of the temperature control object, and power to the thermoelectric conversion element A drive circuit that switches supply ON and OFF and outputs a current or voltage corresponding to the difference between the measured temperature and the target temperature, and the thermoelectric conversion element is driven by temperature control drive in a cooling or heating mode with the output of the drive circuit A device for controlling the temperature of the temperature control object,
A take-out means for taking out electric power due to a voltage generated by a temperature difference generated in the thermoelectric conversion element when the output from the drive circuit to the thermoelectric conversion element is OFF;
Polarity matching means for matching the polarity of the voltage generated by a temperature difference generated in the thermoelectric conversion element;
A temperature control device comprising:   The take-out means is provided only when the supply voltage of the output of the drive circuit for temperature-controlling the thermoelectric conversion element matches the polarity of the voltage generated by the temperature difference generated in the thermoelectric conversion element. The temperature control device according to claim 1, wherein the electric power is extracted from the voltage generated by a temperature difference generated in the conversion element.   The temperature control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electric power is supplied to the drive circuit or the temperature control object.   The temperature control apparatus of any one of Claims 1-3 which have a battery which charges the said electric power. Power supply means capable of supplying the thermoelectric conversion element with power different from the power due to the voltage generated by the temperature difference generated in the thermoelectric conversion element;
The temperature control device according to claim 4, wherein when it is necessary to supply power exceeding a predetermined power supply value of the power supply means to the thermoelectric conversion element, the excess is supplied from the battery.   The power supply to the said thermoelectric conversion element is started after supplying electric power from the said battery to the said thermoelectric conversion element at the time of temperature regulation start, and temperature-controlling the said temperature regulation object in a predetermined temperature range. Temperature control device.   The temperature control device according to claim 1, wherein the temperature control device is an integrated device with an optical communication laser diode or an optical communication transceiver device.

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