JP2019134517A - Thermoelectric conversion device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a thermoelectric conversion device of which the heat conductivity is improved.SOLUTION: A thermoelectric conversion device includes a thermoelectric module 5 comprising: a pair of support substrates 11 and 12 disposed while facing each other; wiring conductors 21 and 22 provided on one-side opposed principal surfaces of the pair of support substrates 11 and 12; multiple thermoelectric elements 3 which are arrayed between the one-side opposed principal surfaces of the pair of support substrates 11 and 12 so as to be electrically connected by the wiring conductors 21 and 22;and a first fin 41 mounted on the other-side principal surface of one support substrate 11. The thermoelectric conversion device also includes a container 6 in which the thermoelectric module 5 is accommodated and fixed, and which has a space where air flows from an upstream side to a downstream side along the first fin 41. The first fin 41 in the thermoelectric module 5 is expanded toward the downstream side from the support substrates 11 and 12 to which the first fin 41 is mounted.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present disclosure relates to a thermoelectric conversion device used for temperature control, for example, temperature control of a vehicle seat cooler or a fuel cell, a lithium ion battery, or the like.

  As a thermoelectric conversion device, between a pair of support substrates disposed opposite to each other, wiring conductors provided respectively on one opposing main surface of the pair of support substrates, and one opposing main surface of the pair of support substrates A thermoelectric module having a plurality of thermoelectric elements arranged so as to be electrically connected to each other by the wiring conductor, and a fin attached to the other main surface of one of the support substrates, and accommodating the thermoelectric module inside And a container having a space in which air flows from the upstream side toward the downstream side along the pair of support substrates is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP-A-2005-121250

  In the conventional thermoelectric conversion device, the end surface of the support substrate and the end surface of the fin are provided at the same position in the direction of the flow path through which air flows.

  In recent years, for example, in order to further improve the cooling performance of the thermoelectric conversion device, improvement in heat dissipation from the fins is more demanded. In other words, improvement in heat transfer is required.

  The present disclosure has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a thermoelectric conversion device with further improved heat transfer.

  The thermoelectric conversion device according to the present disclosure includes a pair of support substrates disposed to face each other, wiring conductors provided on one opposing main surfaces of the pair of support substrates, and one of the pair of support substrates facing each other. A thermoelectric module comprising a plurality of thermoelectric elements arranged so as to be electrically connected between the main surfaces by the wiring conductor, and a first fin attached to the other main surface of one of the support substrates. Yes. The thermoelectric converter includes a container having the space in which air flows from the upstream side toward the downstream side along the first fin, with the thermoelectric module housed and fixed therein. And the said 1st fin in the said thermoelectric module has protruded toward the downstream rather than the said support substrate to which the said 1st fin was attached.

  According to the thermoelectric conversion device of the present disclosure, when the air flowing from the upstream side toward the downstream side passes through the first fin, the area in contact with the first fin increases, and the first fin The amount of heat conduction with the air increases. Moreover, the space | interval of the air which flowed to the downstream of the 1st fin, and the thermoelectric element arrange | positioned in the position nearest to the downstream between a pair of support substrates can be enlarged. Therefore, high heat conductivity can be obtained.

It is a schematic sectional drawing of an example of a thermoelectric conversion apparatus. It is a partial transmission top view of the thermoelectric conversion apparatus shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing cut | disconnected by the iii-iii line | wire shown in FIG. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the other example of a thermoelectric conversion apparatus. It is a partial transmission top view of the thermoelectric conversion apparatus shown in FIG. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the other example of a thermoelectric conversion apparatus. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the other example of a thermoelectric conversion apparatus. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the other example of a thermoelectric conversion apparatus.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a thermoelectric conversion device will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  The thermoelectric conversion device shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 includes a pair of support substrates 11 and 12 that are arranged to face each other, and wiring conductors 21 that are respectively provided on one opposing main surfaces of the pair of support substrates 11 and 12. 22, a plurality of thermoelectric elements 3 arranged so as to be electrically connected by wiring conductors 21, 22 between opposing main surfaces of a pair of support substrates 11, 12, and the other main surface of one support substrate 11 The thermoelectric module 5 provided with the 1st fin 41 attached to is included.

  The pair of support substrates 11 and 12 arranged opposite to each other that constitute the thermoelectric module 5 has, for example, a quadrangular region facing each other, and supports a plurality of thermoelectric elements 3 sandwiched in this region. The dimensions of the rectangular regions facing each other can be set to 40 mm to 80 mm in length, 20 mm to 40 mm in width, and 0.25 mm to 0.35 mm in thickness, for example.

  The support substrate 11 is arranged so that the lower surface is one main surface facing the support substrate 12, and the support substrate 12 is arranged so that the upper surface is one main surface facing the support substrate 11. For example, the support substrate 11 is a low temperature side support substrate that is relatively low in temperature, and the support substrate 12 is a high temperature side support substrate that is relatively high in temperature.

  Since the support substrate 11 is provided with the wiring conductor 21 on the lower surface, which is one main surface facing the support substrate 12, and the support substrate 12 is provided with the wiring conductor 22 on the upper surface, which is one main surface facing the support substrate 11, At least the lower surface of the support substrate 11 and at least the upper surface of the support substrate 12 are made of an insulating material. For example, the pair of support substrates 11 and 12 is a copper plate having a thickness of 50 μm to 500 μm for heat transfer (for heat dissipation) on the other main surface outside the substrate body made of an epoxy resin having a thickness of 50 μm to 200 μm to which an alumina filler is added. It is the structure which bonded together. The pair of support substrates 11 and 12 may have a configuration in which a metal plate such as copper is bonded to the other main surface of the substrate body made of a ceramic material such as alumina or aluminum nitride. Alternatively, an insulating layer made of an epoxy resin, a polyimide resin, alumina, aluminum nitride, or the like may be provided on one main surface inside the substrate body made of a conductive material such as silver-palladium.

  Wiring conductors 21 and 22 are provided on the inner main surfaces of the pair of support substrates 11 and 12 facing each other. For the wiring conductors 21 and 22, for example, a copper plate is attached to one of the opposing main surfaces inside the pair of support substrates 11 and 12, and masking is performed on portions that become the wiring conductors 21 and 22. It can be obtained by removing regions other than the region by etching. Moreover, what was shape | molded by the shape of the wiring conductors 21 and 22 by the punching process may be used. The material for forming the wiring conductors 21 and 22 is not limited to copper, and may be a material such as silver or silver-palladium.

A plurality of thermoelectric elements 3 are arranged between one opposing main surfaces of the pair of support substrates 11 and 12 so as to be electrically connected by the wiring conductors 21 and 22. Multiple thermoelectric elements 3
Are a p-type thermoelectric element 31 and an n-type thermoelectric element 32. The thermoelectric element 3 is a member for adjusting the temperature by the Peltier effect, for example. The thermoelectric elements 3 are arranged in a plurality of rows and columns at intervals of 0.5 to 2 times the diameter of the thermoelectric elements 3, for example, and are joined to the wiring conductors 21 and 22 with solder. Specifically, the p-type thermoelectric elements 31 and the n-type thermoelectric elements 32 are alternately arranged adjacent to each other, and are electrically connected in series via, for example, the wiring conductors 21 and 22 and solder, and all the thermoelectric elements 3 are Connected in series.

The plurality of thermoelectric elements 3 are thermoelectric materials made of A ₂ B ₃ type crystals (A is Bi and / or Sb, B is Te and / or Se), preferably Bi (bismuth) and Te (tellurium) thermoelectric materials The main body is composed of. Specifically, the p-type thermoelectric element 31 is made of, for example, a thermoelectric material made of a solid solution of Bi ₂ Te ₃ (bismuth telluride) and Sb ₂ Te ₃ (antimony telluride). The n-type thermoelectric element 32 is made of, for example, a thermoelectric material made of a solid solution of Bi ₂ Te ₃ (bismuth telluride) and Bi ₂ Se ₃ (bismuth selenide).

  The shape of the thermoelectric element 3 can be, for example, a cylindrical shape, a quadrangular prism shape, a polygonal prism shape, or the like. In particular, by making the shape of the thermoelectric element 3 cylindrical, the influence of thermal stress generated in the thermoelectric element 3 under a heat cycle during use can be reduced. In the case where the plurality of thermoelectric elements 3 are cylindrical, the dimensions are set, for example, to a diameter of 0.5 mm to 3 mm and a height of 0.3 mm to 5 mm.

  Here, the thermoelectric material to be the p-type thermoelectric element 31 is a p-type thermoelectric material composed of Bi, Sb and Te once melted and solidified in one direction by the Bridgman method, for example, a diameter of 0.5 mm to 3 mm. This is a rod-shaped body having a circular cross section. The n-type thermoelectric element 32 is obtained by solidifying an n-type thermoelectric material composed of Bi, Te and Se once melted and solidified in one direction by the Bridgman method, for example, a diameter of 0.5 mm to 3 mm. This is a rod-shaped body having a circular cross section.

  If necessary, after coating a resist that prevents the plating from adhering to the side surfaces of these thermoelectric materials, the wire is sawed to a length (thickness) of, for example, 0.3 to 5.0 mm. Then, if necessary, a p-type thermoelectric element 31 and an n-type thermoelectric element 32 can be obtained by forming a Ni layer only on the cut surface by, for example, electroplating and forming a Sn layer thereon.

  Note that the lead member is bonded to the wiring conductor 21 or the wiring conductor 22 by using a bonding material such as solder or laser welding. The lead member is a member for applying electric power to the thermoelectric element or taking out electric power generated by the thermoelectric element.

  A sealing material 7 made of a resin such as a silicone resin or an epoxy resin may be provided around the plurality of thermoelectric elements 3 arranged between the support substrate 11 and the support substrate 12. The outer peripheral side is greatly deformed due to the temperature difference between the support substrate 11 and the support substrate 12, but fills the gaps between the plurality of thermoelectric elements 3 arranged on the outer peripheral side between the one main surfaces of the pair of support substrates 11 and 12. By providing the sealing material as described above, this serves as a reinforcing material and can suppress peeling between the thermoelectric element 3 and the wiring conductors 21 and 22.

  The thermoelectric module 5 includes first fins 41 attached to the other main surface of one support substrate 11.

As a material of the first fin 41, for example, copper, aluminum, iron or the like having high thermal conductivity is used. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the first fin 41 efficiently uses the heat generated from the thermoelectric module 5 while preventing the flow of wind when the wind flows from left to right, for example. It is provided so that it can be taken out well. For example, the first fin 41 includes a plurality of parallel standing parts 411 extending in a direction perpendicular to the other main surface of the support substrates 11 and 12 and a direction along the other main surface, and adjacent standing parts. An end portion adjacent to the other main surface of the support substrates 11 and 12 of 411 and a bottom surface portion 412 connecting the end portions are provided. The air that is thermally transferred to and from the first fin 41 flows along the direction in which the gap between the upright portion 411 and the adjacent upright portion 411 extends. In other words, the standing portion 411 and the bottom surface portion 412 are arranged along the air flow.

  As a bonding material for bonding the first fin 41 to the other main surface of the support substrate 11, for example, Sn—Bi solder, Sn—Sb solder, Sn—Ag—Cu solder, or the like is used.

  The thermoelectric conversion device accommodates and fixes the thermoelectric module 5 therein, and includes a container 6 having a space in which air flows along the first fin 41 from the upstream side toward the downstream side. In other words, the thermoelectric conversion device includes a container 6 through which air flows, and the thermoelectric module 5 is accommodated in the container 6. At this time, the thermoelectric module 5 is accommodated so that the standing portion 411 and the bottom surface portion 412 are arranged along the flow of air.

  The thermoelectric module 5 accommodated in the container 6 is held by being directly or indirectly fixed to the inner wall of the container 6, for example, but there is no limitation on the holding method. Moreover, the container 6 should just have a channel | path which flows air inside, and there is no limitation in a shape.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first fins 41 in the thermoelectric module 5 protrude toward the downstream side of the support substrates 11 and 12 to which the first fins 41 are attached. In addition, the broken line in a figure represents the position of the support substrate 11 by fluoroscopy.

  According to this configuration, when the air flowing from the upstream side toward the downstream side passes through the first fin 41, the area in contact with the first fin 41 increases, and the first fin 41 and the air The amount of heat conduction between the two increases. Moreover, the space | interval of the air which flowed to the downstream of the 1st fin 41, and the thermoelectric element 3 arrange | positioned in the position nearest to the downstream between a pair of support substrates 11 and 12 can be enlarged. Therefore, in the case of high heat conductivity and heat dissipation, high cooling performance can be obtained.

  Here, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the second main surface of the other support substrate 12 is provided with the second fin 42, and the second fin 42 is a support substrate to which the second fin 42 is attached. You may project toward 12 downstream rather than 12.

  At this time, the protruding lengths of the first fins 41 and the second fins 42 may be the same, and thereby higher heat transfer performance and higher cooling performance can be obtained in the case of heat dissipation.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 6, the separator 8 may be inserted in a region where the first fins 41 and the second fins 42 protrude from the pair of support substrates 11 and 12 and face each other.

  Examples of the material of the separator 8 include a resin such as polypropylene. The thickness of the separator 8 should just be at least 1 mm within the range of the space | interval of a pair of support substrates 11 and 12, for example.

  The separator 8 is provided to hold the thermoelectric module 5 and to separate the low temperature side and the high temperature side. According to the above configuration, the separator 8 is provided between the protruding first fin 41 and the second fin 42. As a result, the separator 8 can be easily positioned and the separability between the high temperature side and the low temperature side is improved.

  At this time, the protruding lengths of the first fins 41 and the second fins 42 may be different, so that the separator 8 can be easily inserted between the first fins 41 and the second fins 42. Become.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the first fin 41 and the second fin 42 are formed by bending a metal plate-like body, and include a plurality of bottom surface portions 412 and 422, a plurality of standing portions 411 and 421, and The shape which has several top surface parts 413 and 423 may be sufficient. In the region where the first fins 41 and the second fins 42 protrude from the pair of support substrates 11 and 12 and face each other, only the first fins 41 extend along the extending direction of the support substrates 11 and 12. A thin plate 9 in contact therewith may be provided.

  Examples of the material of the thin plate 9 include copper, ceramics, aluminum, and stainless steel (SUS). The thin plate 9 may be made of the same material as that of the support substrate 11 or may be provided continuously on the support substrate 11. The thickness of the thin plate 9 is set to, for example, 50 to 100 μm.

  The second fin 42 side without the thin plate 9 makes it easy to put the separator 8 by bending due to the gap between the adjacent standing portions 421, and the first fin 41 side with the thin plate 9 makes the separator 8 slip by friction with the thin plate 9. It becomes easy to hold. Therefore, the separator 8 can be easily inserted and the holding power of the thermoelectric module 5 by the separator 8 is enhanced.

  The thin plate 9 may have a groove on the surface opposite to the surface in contact with the first fin 41.

  This groove has a width of, for example, 200 to 600 μm, a depth of, for example, 30 to 60 μm, and an interval between adjacent grooves of, for example, 500 to 8000 μm.

  According to this configuration, the adhesion between the thin plate 9 and the separator 8 is improved, and the separability between the high temperature side and the low temperature side is improved. The plurality of grooves may be arranged in parallel in a certain direction, or may be arranged so as to cross each other.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11, 12: Support substrate 21, 22: Wiring conductor 3: Thermoelectric element 31: P-type thermoelectric element 32: N-type thermoelectric element 41: 1st fin 42: 2nd fin 411, 421: Upright part 412, 422 : Bottom part 413, 423: Top part 5: Thermoelectric module 6: Container 7: Sealing material 8: Separator 9: Thin plate

Claims (5)

A pair of support substrates disposed opposite to each other, a wiring conductor provided on each of the opposing main surfaces of the pair of support substrates, and the wiring conductor between the opposing main surfaces of the pair of support substrates. A thermoelectric module comprising a plurality of thermoelectric elements arranged so as to be electrically connected, and a first fin attached to the other main surface of one of the support substrates;
The thermoelectric module is housed and fixed therein, and includes a container having a space through which air flows from the upstream side toward the downstream side along the first fin,
The thermoelectric conversion device according to claim 1, wherein the first fin in the thermoelectric module projects toward a downstream side of the support substrate to which the first fin is attached. A second fin on the other principal surface of the other support substrate;
2. The thermoelectric conversion device according to claim 1, wherein the second fin projects toward a downstream side of the support substrate to which the second fin is attached.   The thermoelectric conversion device according to claim 2, wherein a separator is inserted in a region where the first fin and the second fin protrude from the pair of support substrates and face each other. The first fin and the second fin are formed by bending a metal plate, and have a plurality of bottom surface portions, a plurality of standing portions, and a plurality of top surface portions,
In a region where the first fin and the second fin protrude from the pair of support substrates and face each other, a thin plate that is in contact with only the first fin is provided along the extending direction of the support substrate. The thermoelectric conversion device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the thermoelectric conversion device is provided.   The thermoelectric conversion device according to claim 4, wherein a groove is provided on a surface of the thin plate on a side opposite to a surface in contact with the first fin.

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