JP2020113617A - Thermoelectric element - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a thermoelectric element capable of obtaining a high power generation performance by effectively cooling a heat radiation side.SOLUTION: A thermoelectric element 1 comprises a plurality of substrates 2 in which a plurality of thermoelectric conversion units 10 serially formed are arranged in parallel via a gap 6. Each substrate 2 is formed in a waveform progressed to a serial direction. In the adjacent substrates 2, a top of a convex part 22 structuring the waveform is existed at a position different from the serial direction. The thermoelectric conversion unit 10 includes a first layer 31 and a second layer 32 in one convex part 22 structuring the waveform of the substrate 2 or a pair of inclined faces 221 and 222 held by the concave part 23. The first layer 31 and the second layer 32 are electrically connected. At least one of the first layer 31 and the second layer 32 is formed by a thermal conversion material. The first layer 31 and the second layer 32 of the adjacent thermoelectric conversion units 10 are electrically connected. Each of the plurality of substrates 2 includes a connection terminal 43 which is electrically connected to the first layer 31 and the second layer 32, respectively on both sides of a serial column direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

This invention relates to a thermoelectric conversion element.

The thermoelectric conversion element is an element capable of mutually converting thermal energy and electric energy. By installing the thermoelectric conversion element in an environment where a temperature difference occurs at both ends thereof, electric power can be taken out from the thermoelectric conversion element without requiring a movable part. For example, electrical energy can be produced from waste heat. Therefore, a power generation technology using a thermoelectric conversion element is highly expected as an energy harvesting technology that recovers and uses unused energy around us.

If a thermoelectric conversion element is installed in a heat source such as an electric motor or a drain pipe used in industrial product production equipment, it can be used as a power source for an attached cooling fan, and energy can be used efficiently. Becomes If it can be used as a distributed self-sustaining power source, it can be used as a power source for large-scale sensor networks, wearable electronics and the like. In particular, when a thermoelectric conversion material made of an organic material is used, the thermoelectric conversion layer can be formed in a printed pattern, so that it is possible to reduce the weight, reduce the cost, and increase the output due to the large area. In this case, in order to maintain the flatness of the thermoelectric conversion element unit, the temperature difference is generally given in the direction perpendicular to the substrate of the unit.

According to Patent Document 1, when the temperature of the electric motor becomes high, the temperature of the internal permanent magnet changes, the magnetic flux is disturbed, and the electric motor control becomes unstable. As a countermeasure, a configuration is disclosed in which the temperature of the permanent magnet is estimated to control the electric motor.
As an example of a thermoelectric conversion element having a thermoelectric conversion layer as a print pattern, the thermoelectric generation element disclosed in Patent Document 2 can be cited. In the thermoelectric conversion element (thermoelectric power generation element) of Patent Document 2, a plurality of thermoelectric conversion layers (thermoelectric conversion units) each including a printed pattern are formed on a corrugated substrate (base material) in which a bottom portion and a top portion are alternately repeated. , A plurality of thermoelectric conversion layers are connected in series. Each thermoelectric conversion layer is formed on one of a pair of inclined surfaces of one convex portion or concave portion forming the corrugation of the substrate, and is not formed on the other.

On the other hand, voltage is important in the field of energy harvesting, and even with the same amount of power generation (voltage x current), if the voltage is small, it cannot be used practically. In the case of a thermoelectric conversion module, two different kinds of metals or semiconductors are joined to generate a temperature difference between both ends to generate an electromotive force (Seebeck effect). It is common to use p-type semiconductors and n-type semiconductors alternately in combination. The voltage is determined by the Seebeck coefficient×temperature difference×the number of elements, but the Seebeck coefficient is as small as several tens to several 100 μV/K. Therefore, for practical use, in the shape of the module, it is necessary to increase the temperature difference at a limited height and the number of elements at a limited area.

In particular, regarding the number of elements that make up the module (the number of thermoelectric conversion units), considering a generally rectangular module as the shape of an electronic device, arrange the thermoelectric conversion units in rows and fold them back in zigzag at the ends of the module. It is easy to make a structure that connects in series with. The thermoelectric conversion element of Patent Document 2 has this structure.
In the thermoelectric conversion element of Patent Document 2, the bottom is the heat absorbing side and the top is the heat radiating side, and power is generated by the temperature difference between the bottom and the top. In addition, since the substrate is formed in a corrugated shape, a large temperature difference can be obtained because the distance between the heat absorbing side and the heat radiating side increases. On the other hand, in a thermoelectric conversion element having a substrate without irregularities, a sufficient temperature difference cannot be obtained when the substrate is held horizontally.

Japanese Patent No. 6329987 International publication 2013/114854 pamphlet

However, in the thermoelectric element of Patent Document 2, since it is not possible to bring the atmosphere into contact with the periphery of the thermoelectric conversion unit for each thermoelectric conversion unit, there is room for improvement in that the top portion, which is the heat dissipation side, is effectively cooled. There is.
An object of the present invention is to provide a thermoelectric conversion element in which the heat radiation side is effectively cooled and high power generation performance is obtained.

In order to solve the above problems, a first aspect of the present invention provides a thermoelectric conversion element having the following configurations (1) to (3).
(1) A plurality of substrates, each having a plurality of thermoelectric conversion units formed in series, are provided in parallel with a gap therebetween. The substrate is formed in a waveform (repetition of unevenness) that advances in the series direction. The corrugations consist of a pair of slopes with one protrusion or recess.
(2) In adjacent substrates, the peaks of the convex portions forming the corrugations are present at different positions in the series direction.
(3) The thermoelectric conversion unit has a first layer and a second layer on a pair of corrugated slopes, and the first layer and the second layer are electrically connected. At least one of the first layer and the second layer is made of a thermoelectric conversion material. The first layer and the second layer of the adjacent thermoelectric conversion units are electrically connected. Each of the plurality of substrates has a connection terminal electrically connected to the first layer and the second layer at both ends in the series direction.

A second aspect of the present invention provides a thermoelectric conversion element having the above configurations (1) and (3) and the following configuration (4).
(4) One of the pair of corrugated slopes has a larger dimension in the tilt direction than the other.
(5) In adjacent substrates, the peaks of the convex portions forming the corrugations are present at the same position in the series direction, and one slope and the other slope are alternately present in the parallel direction.

According to the thermoelectric conversion element of the present invention, it can be expected that the heat radiation side is effectively cooled and high power generation performance is obtained.

It is a perspective view showing a thermoelectric conversion element of a first embodiment. It is a top view which shows the thermoelectric conversion element of 1st embodiment. It is a side view which shows the thermoelectric conversion element of 1st embodiment. It is a top view which shows the strip|belt-shaped body used when manufacturing the thermoelectric conversion element of 1st embodiment. It is a top view which shows the plate-shaped body used when manufacturing the thermoelectric conversion element of 1st embodiment. FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 5. It is a perspective view which shows the thermoelectric conversion element of 2nd embodiment. It is a top view which shows the thermoelectric conversion element of 2nd embodiment. It is a side view which shows the thermoelectric conversion element of 2nd embodiment. It is a top view which shows the strip|belt-shaped body used when manufacturing the thermoelectric conversion element of 2nd and 3rd embodiment. It is a top view which shows the plate-shaped body used when manufacturing the thermoelectric conversion element of 2nd and 3rd embodiment. It is an AA sectional view of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the thermoelectric conversion element of 3rd embodiment. It is a top view which shows the thermoelectric conversion element of 3rd embodiment. It is a side view which shows the thermoelectric conversion element of 3rd embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described. In the embodiments described below, technically preferable limitations are made for carrying out the invention, but the invention is not limited to the embodiments described below.
[First embodiment]
<Structure>
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the thermoelectric conversion element 1 of this embodiment has five band-shaped corrugated bodies 101 to 105.
Each of the corrugated bodies 101 to 105 is one in which five thermoelectric conversion units 10 are formed on the upper surface of the strip-shaped corrugated substrate 2. The five corrugated bodies 101 to 105 are the same. The waveform of the corrugated substrate 2 is a band-shaped waveform that advances in the longitudinal direction (repetition of convex and concave portions), and the five thermoelectric conversion units 10 are formed in series along the longitudinal direction.
The corrugated substrate 2 has flat portions 21 formed at both ends in the longitudinal direction and five continuous convex portions 22 formed between the flat portions. The five protrusions 22 have the same shape and size. One convex portion 22 is composed of a pair of slopes 221 and 222, and the first slope 221 and the second slope 222 of the adjacent protrusions 22 form the recess 23.

The first sloped surface 221 and the second sloped surface 222 that form the convex portion 22 have a line-symmetrical shape with respect to a reference line perpendicular to the support plate 5. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the angle θ1 of the first slope 221 with respect to the reference line and the angle θ2 of the second slope 222 with respect to the reference line are the same.
Also, regarding the first slope 221 and the second slope 222 that form the recess 23, the angle θ3 of the first slope 221 and the angle θ4 of the second slope 222 with respect to the reference line perpendicular to the support plate 5 are the same. Is the same. Further, θ1=θ2=θ3=θ4. Therefore, the first slope 221 and the second slope 222 have the same dimension in the inclination direction.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the thermoelectric conversion unit 10 has a first layer 31 and a second layer 32 having different electrical conductivity, and a first wiring layer 41 connecting the first layer 31 and the second layer 32. .. The first layer 31 and the second layer 32 are respectively formed on the upper surfaces of the pair of slopes 221 and 222 that form one convex portion 22 of the corrugated substrate 2. There is a portion where the first layer 31 and the second layer 32 do not exist at the top of the convex portion 22 of the corrugated substrate 2, and the portion and the upper surfaces of the end portions of the first layer 31 and the second layer 32 that are continuous with the portion exist. The first wiring layer 41 is present.
The first layer 31 is made of a p-type conductive polymer (thermoelectric conversion material), and the second layer 32 is made of a cured product of silver paste (conductive material). As the second layer 32, a layer made of an n-type conductive polymer (thermoelectric conversion material) may be provided. In this embodiment, a second layer 32 made of a cured product of silver paste is provided as an alternative to the n-type conductive polymer.

The five thermoelectric conversion units 10 are connected in series by the second wiring layer 42 formed over both the first layer 31 and the second layer 32 of the adjacent thermoelectric conversion units 10. Similarly to the first wiring layer 41, the second wiring layer 42 also has a portion where the first layer 31 and the second layer 32 do not exist at the bottom of the recessed portion 23 of the substrate 2, and the portion and the first portion continuous with this portion. The second wiring layer 42 is present on the upper surfaces of the end portions of the layer 31 and the second layer 32.
Connection terminal layers 43 are formed on both ends of the corrugated bodies 101 to 105 in the longitudinal direction (serial direction). The connection terminal layer 43 is directly formed on the flat portion 21 of the corrugated substrate 2, and the third wiring layer 44 continuous with the connection terminal layer 43 is formed on each of the first layer 31 and the second layer 32.
The first wiring layer 41, the second wiring layer 42, the connection terminal layer 43, and the third wiring layer 44 are made of a cured product (conductive material) of silver paste.

FIG. 2 is a view of FIG. 1 seen from above. As shown in FIG. 2, the five corrugated bodies 101 to 105 are arranged in parallel on the upper surface of the rectangular support plate 5 with a gap 6 therebetween. There is. Therefore, the short side of the rectangle forming the support plate 5 is larger than the total value of the widths (dimensions in the parallel direction P) of the corrugated bodies 101 to 105. The size t of the gap 6 is smaller than one width W1 of the corrugated bodies 101 to 105. The long side of the rectangle forming the support plate 5 is larger than the longitudinal dimension of the corrugated bodies 101 to 105. In the following, the dimension of the short side of the rectangle forming the support plate 5 is called the width of the support plate 5, and the dimension of the long side is called the length of the support plate 5.
Note that the presence of the gap 6 can prevent adjacent corrugated bodies 101 to 105 from contacting each other and short-circuiting, and can obtain a cooling effect on a surface where the adjacent corrugated bodies 101 to 105 face each other across the gap 6. ..

Of the five corrugated bodies 101 to 105, the corrugated bodies 101 and 105 at both ends in the width direction of the support plate 5 and the corrugated body 103 at the center in the width direction have one longitudinal end to one longitudinal end of the support plate 5. It is arranged together. The corrugated body 102 between the corrugated body 101 and the corrugated body 103 and the corrugated body 104 between the corrugated body 103 and the corrugated body 105 are arranged such that the other longitudinal ends thereof are aligned with the other longitudinal ends of the support plate 5. It is arranged. Further, the corrugated bodies 101, 105, 103 are arranged with the end portions on which the second layer 32 is formed facing the one end in the length direction of the support plate 5, and the corrugated bodies 102, 104 are formed with the second layer 32. The end portion is arranged so as to face the other end in the length direction of the support plate 5. The lower surfaces of the concave portions 23 and the flat portion 21 of the corrugated bodies 101 to 105 are fixed to the upper surface of the support plate 5 (see FIGS. 1 and 3).

As a result, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, in the five corrugated bodies 101 to 105, the waveforms of the corrugated bodies 101 to 105 adjacent to each other are out of phase and opposite to each other. That is, in adjacent corrugated substrates 2, the peaks of the convex portions 22 forming the corrugations are present at different positions in the longitudinal direction (direction S in series).
Further, although the corrugated bodies 101, 103 and 105 have the same waveform phase, the corrugated bodies 102 exist between the corrugated bodies 101 and 103 at different phases. , 103, there is a gap having a dimension obtained by adding twice the dimension t of the gap 6 to the widthwise dimension of the corrugated body 102, except for the portion where the corrugated body 102 and the slopes overlap each other in a side view. Similarly, regarding the corrugated bodies 103 and 105, between the corrugated bodies 103 and 105, a gap 6 is formed in the widthwise dimension of the corrugated body 104 except for a portion where the corrugated body 104 and the slopes overlap each other in a side view. There is a gap having a size obtained by adding twice the size t.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the connection terminal layers 43 of the adjacent substrates are connected by the wiring 45, and all the thermoelectric conversion units 10 are connected in series as a whole. The connection terminal layers 43 existing at both ends of the series connection function as the external terminals 431, one end of the external wiring 46 is connected to the external terminal 431, and the other end is exposed to the outside of the thermoelectric conversion element 1. In FIG. 3, the wiring 45 and the external wiring 46 are omitted.

<How to use and effects>
When the thermoelectric conversion element 1 of this embodiment is used, the support plate 5 is installed, for example, on a heat source such as an electric motor (for example, a flat surface part of the housing of the electric motor shown in FIG. 3 of Patent Document 1). Thus, the bottoms of the first layer 31 and the second layer 32 (portions on the recess 23 side) are heated to a high temperature, and the tops of the first layer 31 and the second layer 32 are cooled to a low temperature. This cooling is performed, for example, by circulating air from the side surface of the thermoelectric conversion element 1 shown in FIG. 3 between the corrugated bodies 101 to 105 and the support plate 5.

Here, when the phases of the waveforms of all the corrugated bodies 101 to 105 are the same (the vertices of the convex portions 22 match in the serial direction S), when the gap 6 is narrow, the atmosphere during cooling is Both end faces in the width direction of the corrugated bodies 102 to 104 arranged in the central portion in the width direction of the support plate 5, end faces inside the corrugated body 101 (corrugated body 102 side) arranged in one end portion in the width direction of the support plate 5, and The end face on the inner side (on the side of the corrugated body 104) of the corrugated body 105 arranged at the other end hardly hits. That is, the cooling effect by ventilation is not exhibited. Therefore, the cooling of all the corrugated bodies 101 to 105 becomes insufficient, and the temperature difference generated in each thermoelectric conversion unit 10 becomes small.

On the other hand, in the thermoelectric conversion element 1 of this embodiment, the waveform phases of the five corrugated bodies 101 to 105 are opposite to each other (the peaks of the convex portions 22 are different in the serial direction S). Therefore, even if the gap 6 is narrow, the atmosphere during cooling is not exposed to the widthwise both end surfaces of the corrugated bodies 102 to 104 arranged in the widthwise central portion of the support plate 5 and the widthwise both end portions of the support plate 5. The inner end surfaces of the corrugated bodies 101 and 105 thus arranged are also sufficiently hit. Therefore, all the corrugated bodies 101 to 105 are efficiently cooled, and the temperature difference generated in each thermoelectric conversion unit 10 becomes large.
As a result, according to the thermoelectric conversion element 1 of this embodiment, a large temperature difference is generated in each thermoelectric conversion unit 10, and high power generation performance can be obtained.

<Manufacturing method>
The thermoelectric conversion element 1 of this embodiment can be manufactured by the method described below.
In this method, the corrugated bodies 101 to 105 are produced by forming the flat strip 7 shown in FIG. 4 into a corrugated shape. Therefore, first, the plate-shaped body 70 shown in FIG. 5 is manufactured.
As shown in FIG. 5, the planar shape of the plate-like body 70 is a rectangle, and the dimension (width) W2 of the short side of this rectangle corresponds to the total value of the widths W1 of the five corrugated bodies 101 to 105. .. As shown in FIG. 6, the plate-shaped body 70 includes the substrate 200, the first layer 310, the second layer 320, the first wiring layer 410, the second wiring layer 420, the connection terminal layer 430, and the third wiring layer 440. Have. That is, these substrates 200 and each layer are the corrugated substrate 2 of the corrugated bodies 101 to 105 and each corresponding layer (first layer 31, second layer 32, first wiring layer 41, second wiring layer 42, connection terminal layer 43). , W3 of the third wiring layer 44).

In addition, the plate-shaped body 70 has five thermoelectric conversion units 100 that are configured by the first layer 310, the second layer 320, the first wiring layer 410, and the second wiring layer 420 in series.
When manufacturing the plate-like body 70, first, the first layer 310 is formed into a rectangular flat surface by a printing process using a paste containing a p-type conductive polymer at five points on the upper surface of the substrate 200 made of synthetic resin. It is formed in a shape. That is, one thermoelectric conversion unit 100 is formed with one first layer 310. Next, one thermoelectric conversion unit 100 is provided with one second layer 320, a predetermined gap is formed next to the first layer 310 by a printing process using a silver paste, and the same planar shape as the first layer 310 is formed. And thickness. In this way, a thermoelectric conversion pattern composed of all the first layers 310 and the second layers 320 forming the five thermoelectric conversion units 100 is formed on the upper surface of the substrate 200.

Next, a conductive layer pattern including the first wiring layer 410, the second wiring layer 420, the connection terminal layer 430, and the third wiring layer 440 is formed on the thermoelectric conversion pattern by a printing process using a silver paste. .. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the first wiring layer 410 and the second wiring layer 420 are in the gap between the first layer 310 and the second layer 320 on the substrate 200 and in the first layer 310 close to this gap. And continuously formed on the upper end of the second layer 320. Further, the connection terminal layer 430 and the third wiring layer 440 are continuous patterns, the connection terminal layer 430 is directly on the substrate 200, and the third wiring layer 440 is on the first layer 310 at the left end of FIG. At the right end, it is formed on the second layer 320.

Next, the plate-shaped body 70 is cut into five equal parts in the width direction to obtain five strip-shaped bodies 7.
Next, the flat strip 7 is formed into a corrugated shape to form corrugated bodies 101 to 105. For forming the corrugation, a mold having male and female parts corresponding to the corrugation is prepared, and the male part is pressed against the rear surface side of the substrate 200 divided into five parts and the female part is pressed against the front surface side while heating (pressing). Perform heat and pressure molding). As a result, the first layer 31 and the second layer 32 and the portion of the five-divided substrate 200 where the first layer 31 and the second layer 32 are formed are stretched and deformed to form the convex portion 22 and the concave portion 23. To do.
Next, in the arrangement shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the lower surface of the concave portion 23 and the lower surface of the flat portion 21 of each corrugated body 101 to 105 are fixed to the upper surface of the support plate 5 with an adhesive.

[Second embodiment]
<Structure>
As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the thermoelectric conversion element 1A of this embodiment has five strip-shaped corrugated bodies 106 to 110.
Each of the corrugated bodies 106 to 110 is one in which five thermoelectric conversion units 10A are formed on the upper surface of the strip-shaped corrugated substrate 2A. The five corrugated bodies 106 to 110 are the same. The waveform of the corrugated substrate 2A is a strip-shaped waveform that advances in the longitudinal direction (repetition of convex and concave portions), and the five thermoelectric conversion units 10A are formed in series along the longitudinal direction.

The corrugated substrate 2A has flat portions 21 formed at both ends in the longitudinal direction, and five continuous convex portions 22A formed between both flat portions. The five convex portions 22A have the same shape and size. One convex portion 22A includes a pair of slopes 221A and 222A, and the slopes 221A and 222A of the adjacent convex portions 22A form a recess 23A.
The first slope 221A and the second slope 222A that form the protrusion 22A have an asymmetric shape with respect to a reference line perpendicular to the support plate 5. That is, as shown in FIG. 9, the angle θ1 of the first slope 221A with respect to the reference line and the angle θ2 of the second slope 222A with respect to the reference line are different, and θ1 is smaller than θ2. In this example, θ1 is about 14.5° and θ2 is about 55°.

Also, regarding the first slope 221A and the second slope 222A that form the recess 23A, the angle θ3 of the first slope 221A and the angle θ4 of the second slope 222A with respect to the reference line perpendicular to the support plate 5 are the same. Differently, θ3 is smaller than θ4. In this example, θ3 is about 14.5° and θ4 is about 55°. That is, θ1=θ3<θ2=θ4. Therefore, the first slope 221A and the second slope 222A have different sizes in the tilt direction, and the second slope 222A has a larger size in the tilt direction than the first slope 221A.
Note that another example of θ1 to θ4 is a combination of θ1=θ3=5° and θ2=θ4=25°. The top of the convex portion 22A has a roundness so as not to be damaged when the flat strip 7A is bent in the manufacturing process.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the thermoelectric conversion unit 10A has a first layer 31A and a second layer 32A having different electrical conductivity, and a first wiring layer 41A connecting the first layer 31A and the second layer 32A. .. The first layer 31A and the second layer 32A are respectively formed on the upper surfaces of the pair of slopes 221A and 222A that form one protrusion 22A of the corrugated substrate 2A. There is a portion where the first layer 31A and the second layer 32A do not exist at the top of the convex portion 22A of the corrugated substrate 2A, and on that portion and the upper surfaces of the end portions of the first layer 31A and the second layer 32A which are continuous with the portion. The first wiring layer 41A is present.

The first layer 31A is made of a p-type conductive polymer (thermoelectric conversion material), and the second layer 32A is made of a cured product of silver paste (conductive material). A layer made of an n-type conductive polymer (thermoelectric conversion material) may be provided as the second layer 32A. In this embodiment, a second layer 32A made of a cured product of silver paste is provided as an alternative to the n-type conductive polymer. That is, the second layer 32A on the second slope 222A having a large dimension in the inclination direction is formed of a material having higher conductivity than the first layer 31A on the first slope 221A having a smaller dimension in the inclination direction. There is.

The five thermoelectric conversion units 10A are connected in series by the second wiring layer 42A formed over both the first layer 31A and the second layer 32A of the adjacent thermoelectric conversion units 10A. Similarly to the first wiring layer 41A, the second wiring layer 42A also has a portion where the first layer 31A and the second layer 32A do not exist at the bottom of the concave portion 23A of the corrugated substrate 2A, and the portion and the first portion continuous with this portion. The second wiring layer 42A is present on the upper surfaces of the end portions of the first layer 31A and the second layer 32A.
Connection terminal layers 43 are formed on both ends of the corrugated bodies 106 to 110 in the longitudinal direction (direction of serial connection). The connection terminal layer 43 is directly formed on the flat portion 21 of the corrugated substrate 2A, and the third wiring layer 44A continuous with the connection terminal layer 43 is formed on each of the first layer 31A and the second layer 32A.
The first wiring layer 41A, the second wiring layer 42A, the connection terminal layer 43, and the third wiring layer 44A are made of a cured product (conductive material) of silver paste.

FIG. 8 is a view of FIG. 7 viewed from above, and as shown in FIG. 8, the five corrugated bodies 106 to 110 are arranged in parallel on the upper surface of the rectangular support plate 5 with a gap 6 therebetween. There is. Therefore, the short sides of the rectangle forming the support plate 5 are larger than the total value of the widths (dimensions in the parallel direction) of the corrugated bodies 106 to 110. The dimension t of the gap 6 is smaller than the width of one of the corrugated bodies 106 to 110. Further, the long sides of the rectangle forming the support plate 5 are the same as the longitudinal dimension of the corrugated bodies 106 to 110. In the following, the dimension of the short side of the rectangle forming the support plate 5 is called the width of the support plate 5, and the dimension of the long side is called the length of the support plate 5.
The presence of the gap 6 can prevent adjacent corrugated bodies 106 to 110 from contacting each other and short-circuiting, and can obtain a cooling effect on a surface where the adjacent corrugated bodies 106 to 110 face each other across the gap 6. ..

Of the five corrugated bodies 106 to 110, the corrugated bodies 106 and 110 at both ends in the width direction of the support plate 5 and the corrugated body 108 at the center portion in the width direction have one longitudinal end to one longitudinal end of the support plate 5. It is arranged together. The corrugated body 107 between the corrugated body 106 and the corrugated body 108 and the corrugated body 109 between the corrugated body 108 and the corrugated body 110 have their other longitudinal ends aligned with the other longitudinal ends of the support plate 5. It is arranged. Further, the corrugated bodies 106, 110, 108 are arranged so that the end portions on which the second layer 32A is formed face the one end in the length direction of the support plate 5, and the corrugated bodies 107, 109 have the second layer 32A formed. The end portion is arranged so as to face the other end in the length direction of the support plate 5. The recesses 23A of the corrugated bodies 106 to 110 and the lower surfaces of the flat portions 21 are fixed to the upper surface of the support plate 5 (see FIGS. 7 and 9).

As a result, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, in the adjacent corrugated substrates 2A, the vertices of the convex portions 22A forming the corrugations are present at the same position in the longitudinal direction (direction S in series) and in the width direction (parallel. In the direction P), first slopes (one slope) 221A and second slopes (the other slope) 221A are alternately present.
Further, between the corrugated body 106 and the corrugated body 108, the dimension of the gap 6 in the widthwise dimension of the corrugated body 107 is excluded, except for a portion where the corrugated body 107 and the slopes and the tops of the convex portions 22A overlap each other in a side view. There is a gap with a size that is twice the t. Similarly, regarding the corrugated body 108 and the corrugated body 110, the width of the corrugated body 109 is excluded between the corrugated bodies 108 and 110 except a portion where the corrugated body 109 and the slopes and the tops of the convex portions 22A overlap each other in a side view. There is a gap having a dimension obtained by adding twice the dimension t of the gap 6 to the direction dimension.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the connection terminal layers 43 of the adjacent substrates are connected by the wiring 45, and all the thermoelectric conversion units 10A are connected in series as a whole. The connection terminal layers 43 at both ends of the series connection function as the external terminals 431, one end of the external wiring 46 is connected to the external terminal 431, and the other end is exposed to the outside of the thermoelectric conversion element 1A. In FIG. 9, the wiring 45 and the external wiring 46 are omitted.

<How to use and effects>
When the thermoelectric conversion element 1A of this embodiment is used, the support plate 5 is installed, for example, on a heat source such as an electric motor (for example, a flat surface part of the housing of the electric motor shown in FIG. 3 of Patent Document 1). Thereby, the bottoms of the first layer 31A and the second layer 32A (portions on the recess 23A side) are heated to a high temperature, and the tops of the first layer 31A and the second layer 32A are cooled to a low temperature. This cooling is performed, for example, by circulating the atmosphere from the side surface of the thermoelectric conversion element 1 shown in FIG. 9 between the corrugated bodies 106 to 110 and the support plate 5.

Here, the asymmetrical convex portions 22A of all the corrugated bodies 106 to 110 are aligned in the same direction in the adjacent corrugated bodies 106 to 110 (the vertices of the convex portions are aligned in the serial direction S). Not only that, in the parallel direction P, the first slope 221A and the second slope 222A are all present at the same position), and if the gap 6 is narrow, the atmosphere during cooling will reduce the width of the support plate 5 to the atmosphere. In the width direction both end surfaces of the corrugated bodies 106 to 110 arranged in the center portion in the direction, the end surface on the inner side (corrugated body 107 side) of the corrugated body 106 arranged at one end portion in the width direction of the support plate 5, and the other end portion. The end face inside the corrugated body 110 (on the side of the corrugated body 109) is hardly hit. That is, the cooling effect by ventilation is not exhibited. Therefore, the cooling of all the corrugated bodies 106 to 110 becomes insufficient, and the temperature difference generated in each thermoelectric conversion unit 10A becomes small.

On the other hand, in the thermoelectric conversion element 1A of this embodiment, the vertices of the asymmetrical convex portions 22A of all the corrugated bodies 106 to 110 are the same in the serial direction S, but the first slope 221A and Since the second slopes 222A are alternately present in the parallel direction P, even when the gap 6 is narrow, the atmosphere at the time of cooling has the width of the corrugated bodies 107 to 109 arranged in the widthwise central portion of the support plate 5. It also sufficiently hits both end faces in the direction and the inner end faces of the corrugated bodies 106, 110 arranged at both end portions in the width direction of the support plate 5. Therefore, all the corrugated bodies 106 to 110 are efficiently cooled, and the temperature difference generated in each thermoelectric conversion unit 10A becomes large.
As a result, according to the thermoelectric conversion element 1A of this embodiment, a large temperature difference is generated in each thermoelectric conversion unit 10A, and high power generation performance can be obtained.

Furthermore, in the thermoelectric conversion element 1A of the second embodiment, the length along the first slope 221A of the first layer 31A made of a material having a low conductivity is the second layer made of a material having a high conductivity. Since the length of the layer 32A is shorter than the length along the second slope 222A, the calorific value is larger than that of the thermoelectric conversion element 1 of the first embodiment in which the first layer 31 and the second layer 32 are formed on slopes having the same length. Can be a lot. This is because when the dimensions of the convex portions 22 and 22A in the direction S in series are the same, the thermoelectric conversion element 1A of the second embodiment has the first layer 31, 31A of the first layer 31, 31A more than the thermoelectric conversion element 1 of the first embodiment. Since the length along the one slope 221, 221A becomes shorter, the resistance becomes smaller, and the thermoelectric conversion element 1A of the second embodiment has a second layer 32, This is because the length of the 32A along the second slope 222, 222A becomes long, but the amount of increase in resistance accompanying this is small.

In the thermoelectric conversion element 1A of this embodiment, the number of thermoelectric conversion units 10A formed in the width direction of the corrugated substrate 2A (P direction in FIG. 8) is one, but in the width direction of the corrugated substrate 2A. A plurality of thermoelectric conversion units 10A may be formed with a gap.
Moreover, since the thermoelectric conversion element 1A of this embodiment has the five corrugated bodies 106 to 110 in which the five thermoelectric conversion units 10A are connected in series, 25 thermoelectric conversion units are connected in series. It has become. On the other hand, for example, by setting the number of one corrugated body in series to 14 and the number of corrugated bodies arranged in parallel to 10, one hundred and four thermoelectric conversion units are connected in series. Can be obtained.

On the other hand, the thermoelectric conversion element different from the thermoelectric conversion element 1A only in that the asymmetrical convex portions 22A are aligned in the same direction in the adjacent corrugated bodies 106 to 110 has the above-described efficient cooling effect. However, since the length along the slope of the first layer 31A is shorter than the length along the slope of the second layer 32A, the effect of increasing the heat generation amount can be obtained.

<Manufacturing method>
The thermoelectric conversion element 1A of this embodiment can be manufactured by the method described below.
In this method, the corrugated bodies 106 to 110 are produced by forming the flat strip 7A shown in FIG. 10 into a corrugated shape. Therefore, first, the plate-shaped body 70A shown in FIG. 11 is manufactured.
As shown in FIG. 11, the planar shape of the plate-shaped body 70A is a rectangle, and the dimension (width) W2 of the short side of this rectangle corresponds to the total value of the widths W1 of the five corrugated bodies 106 to 110. .. As shown in FIG. 12, the plate-shaped body 70A includes the substrate 200, the first layer 310A, the second layer 320A, the first wiring layer 410A, the second wiring layer 420A, the connection terminal layer 430, and the third wiring layer 440. Have. That is, these substrates 200 and each layer are the corrugated substrate 2A of the corrugated bodies 106 to 110 and each corresponding layer (first layer 31A, second layer 32A, first wiring layer 41A, second wiring layer 42A, connection terminal layer 43). , W3 of the third wiring layer 44A).

The plate-shaped body 70A has five thermoelectric conversion units 100A in series, each of which is composed of a first layer 310A, a second layer 320A, a first wiring layer 410A, and a second wiring layer 420A.
When the plate-shaped body 70A is manufactured, first, the first layer 310A is formed into a rectangular planar shape on the upper surface of the synthetic resin substrate 200 by a printing process using a paste containing a p-type conductive polymer. To form. That is, one thermoelectric conversion unit 100A is formed with one first layer 310A. Next, one thermoelectric conversion unit 100A has one second layer 320A, and a predetermined gap is formed next to the first layer 310A by a printing process using a silver paste to have the same planar shape as the first layer 310A. And thickness. In this way, a thermoelectric conversion pattern composed of all the first layers 310A and the second layers 320A constituting the five thermoelectric conversion units 100A is formed on the upper surface of the substrate 200.

Next, a conductive layer pattern composed of the first wiring layer 410A, the second wiring layer 420A, the connection terminal layer 430, and the third wiring layer 440 is formed on this thermoelectric conversion pattern by a printing process using a silver paste. .. As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the first wiring layer 410A and the second wiring layer 420A are provided in the gap between the first layer 310A and the second layer 320A on the substrate 200 and in the first layer 310A close to this gap. And continuously formed on the upper end of the second layer 320A. Further, the connection terminal layer 430 and the third wiring layer 440 are continuous patterns, the connection terminal layer 430 is directly on the substrate 200, and the third wiring layer 440 is on the first layer 310A at the left end of FIG. At the right end, it is formed on the second layer 320A.

Next, the plate-shaped body 70A is cut into five equal parts in the width direction to obtain five strip-shaped bodies 7.
Next, the flat strip 7A is formed into a corrugated shape to form corrugated bodies 106 to 110. For forming the corrugation, a mold having male and female parts corresponding to the corrugation is prepared, and the male part is pressed against the rear surface side of the substrate 200 divided into five parts and the female part is pressed against the front surface side while heating (pressing). Perform heat and pressure molding). As a result, the first layer 31A and the second layer 32A and the portion of the substrate 200 that is divided into five parts where the first layer 31A and the second layer 32A are formed are stretched and deformed to form the convex portion 22A and the concave portion 23A. To do.
Next, in the arrangement shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the lower surface of the recess 23A and the lower surface of the flat portion 21 of each corrugated body 106 to 110 are fixed to the upper surface of the support plate 5 with an adhesive.

[Third embodiment]
<Structure>
As shown in FIGS. 13 to 15, the thermoelectric conversion element 1B of this embodiment has five strip-shaped corrugated bodies 106 to 110.
Each of the corrugated bodies 106 to 110 is one in which five thermoelectric conversion units 10A are formed on the upper surface of the strip-shaped corrugated substrate 2A. The five corrugated bodies 106 to 110 are the same. The waveform of the corrugated substrate 2A is a strip-shaped waveform that advances in the longitudinal direction (repetition of convex and concave portions), and the five thermoelectric conversion units 10A are formed in series along the longitudinal direction.

The corrugated substrate 2A has flat portions 21 formed at both ends in the longitudinal direction, and five continuous convex portions 22A formed between both flat portions. The five convex portions 22A have the same shape and size. One convex portion 22A includes a pair of inclined surfaces 221A and 222A, and the first inclined surface 221A and the second inclined surface 222A of the adjacent convex portions 22A form a concave portion 23A.
The first slope 221A and the second slope 222A that form the protrusion 22A have an asymmetric shape with respect to a reference line perpendicular to the support plate 5. That is, as shown in FIG. 15, the angle θ1 of the first slope 221A with respect to the reference line and the angle θ2 of the second slope 222A with respect to the reference line are different, and θ1 is smaller than θ2. In this example, θ1 is about 14.5° and θ2 is about 55°.

Also, regarding the first slope 221A and the second slope 222A that form the recess 23A, the angle θ3 of the first slope 221A and the angle θ4 of the second slope 222A with respect to the reference line perpendicular to the support plate 5 are the same. Differently, θ3 is smaller than θ4. In this example, θ3 is about 14.5° and θ4 is about 55°. That is, θ1=θ3<θ2=θ4. Therefore, the first slope 221A and the second slope 222A have different sizes in the tilt direction, and the second slope 222A has a larger size in the tilt direction than the first slope 221A.
Note that another example of θ1 to θ4 is a combination of θ1=θ3=5° and θ2=θ4=25°. The top of the convex portion 22A has a roundness so as not to be damaged when the flat strip 7A is bent in the manufacturing process.

As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the thermoelectric conversion unit 10A has a first layer 31A and a second layer 32A having different electrical conductivity, and a first wiring layer 41 connecting the first layer 31A and the second layer 32A. .. The first layer 31A and the second layer 32A are respectively formed on the upper surfaces of the pair of slopes 221A and 222A that form one protrusion 22A of the corrugated substrate 2A. There is a portion where the first layer 31A and the second layer 32A do not exist at the top of the convex portion 22A of the corrugated substrate 2A, and on that portion and the upper surfaces of the end portions of the first layer 31A and the second layer 32A which are continuous with the portion. The first wiring layer 41 is present.

The first layer 31A is made of a p-type conductive polymer (thermoelectric conversion material), and the second layer 32A is made of a cured product of silver paste (conductive material). A layer made of an n-type conductive polymer (thermoelectric conversion material) may be provided as the second layer 32A. In this embodiment, a second layer 32A made of a cured product of silver paste is provided as an alternative to the n-type conductive polymer. That is, the second layer 32A on the second slope 222A having a large dimension in the inclination direction is formed of a material having higher conductivity than the first layer 31A on the first slope 221A having a smaller dimension in the inclination direction. There is.

The five thermoelectric conversion units 10A are connected in series by the second wiring layer 42 formed over both the first layer 31A and the second layer 32A of the adjacent thermoelectric conversion units 10A. Similarly to the first wiring layer 41, the second wiring layer 42 also has a portion where the first layer 31A and the second layer 32A do not exist at the bottom of the concave portion 23A of the corrugated substrate 2A, and the portion and the first portion which is continuous with this portion. The second wiring layer 42 is present on the upper surfaces of the end portions of the first layer 31A and the second layer 32A.
Connection terminal layers 43 are formed on both ends of the corrugated bodies 106 to 110 in the longitudinal direction (direction of serial connection). The connection terminal layer 43 is directly formed on the flat portion 21 of the corrugated substrate 2A, and the third wiring layer 44A continuous with the connection terminal layer 43 is formed on each of the first layer 31A and the second layer 32A. ..
The first wiring layer 41A, the second wiring layer 42A, the connection terminal layer 43, and the third wiring layer 44A are made of a cured product (conductive material) of silver paste.

FIG. 14 is a view of FIG. 13 seen from above. As shown in FIG. 14, the five corrugated bodies 106 to 110 are arranged in parallel on the upper surface of the rectangular support plate 5 with a gap 6 therebetween. There is. Therefore, the short side of the rectangle forming the support plate 5 is larger than the total value of the widths (dimensions in the parallel direction) of the corrugated bodies 106 to 110. The dimension t of the gap 6 is smaller than the width of one of the corrugated bodies 106 to 110. Further, the long sides of the rectangle forming the support plate 5 are the same as the longitudinal dimension of the corrugated bodies 106 to 110. In the following, the dimension of the short side of the rectangle forming the support plate 5 is called the width of the support plate 5, and the dimension of the long side is called the length of the support plate 5.

Note that the presence of the gap 6 can prevent adjacent corrugated bodies 106 to 110 from coming into contact with each other and short-circuiting, and at the same time, a cooling effect of a surface where the adjacent corrugated bodies 106 to 110 face each other across the gap 6 is obtained. ..
The five corrugated bodies 106 to 110 are arranged such that both longitudinal ends thereof are aligned with both longitudinal ends of the support plate 5. Further, the corrugated bodies 106, 108, 110 are arranged with the end portions on which the second layer 32A is formed facing the one end in the length direction of the support plate 5, and the corrugated bodies 107, 109 have the second layer 32A formed. The end portion is arranged so as to face the other end in the length direction of the support plate 5. Then, the concave portions 23A of the corrugated bodies 106 to 110 and the lower surfaces of the flat portions 21 are fixed to the upper surface of the support plate 5 (see FIGS. 13 and 15).

As a result, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 15, the asymmetrical convex portions 22A of the corrugated bodies 106 to 110 are opposite to each other in the adjacent corrugated bodies 106 to 110. That is, in the adjacent corrugated substrates 2A, the peaks of the convex portions 22A forming the corrugations are present at different positions in the longitudinal direction (direction S in series).
Further, between the corrugated body 106 and the corrugated body 108, except for a portion where the corrugated body 107 and the slopes and the bottoms of the recesses 23A overlap each other in a side view, the dimension t of the gap 6 in the widthwise direction of the corrugated body 107. There is a gap with a size that is twice the above. Similarly, regarding the corrugated body 108 and the corrugated body 110, between the corrugated bodies 108 and 110, the corrugated body 109 and the sloped surfaces thereof in the width direction of the corrugated body 109 are excluded except a portion where the slopes and the bottom of the recess 23A overlap each other in a side view. There is a gap having a size obtained by adding twice the size t of the gap 6.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the connection terminal layers 43 of the adjacent substrates are connected by the wiring 45, and all the thermoelectric conversion units 10A are connected in series as a whole. The connection terminal layers 43 at both ends of the series connection function as the external terminals 431, one end of the external wiring 46 is connected to the external terminal 431, and the other end is exposed to the outside of the thermoelectric conversion element 1B. In FIG. 9, the wiring 45 and the external wiring 46 are omitted.

<How to use and effects>
When the thermoelectric conversion element 1B of this embodiment is used, the support plate 5 is installed, for example, on a heat source such as an electric motor (for example, a flat surface part of the housing of the electric motor shown in FIG. 3 of Patent Document 1). Thereby, the bottoms of the first layer 31A and the second layer 32A (portions on the recess 23A side) are heated to a high temperature, and the tops of the first layer 31A and the second layer 32A are cooled to a low temperature. This cooling is performed, for example, by circulating the atmosphere from the side surface of the thermoelectric conversion element 1 shown in FIG. 9 between the corrugated bodies 106 to 110 and the support plate 5.

Here, the asymmetrical convex portions 22A of all the corrugated bodies 106 to 110 are aligned in the same direction in the adjacent corrugated bodies 106 to 110 (the vertices of the convex portions 22A are aligned in the serial direction S). In addition, when the first slope 221A and the second slope 222A are all present at the same position in the parallel direction P), if the gap 6 is narrow, the atmosphere at the time of cooling will be in the width direction of the support plate 5. The widthwise end surfaces of the corrugated bodies 106 to 110 arranged in the central portion, the end surface inside the corrugated body 106 (corrugated body 107 side) arranged at one end portion in the width direction of the support plate 5, and the other end portion are arranged. The end face inside the corrugated body 110 (on the side of the corrugated body 109) hardly hits. That is, the cooling effect by ventilation is not exhibited. Therefore, the cooling of all the corrugated bodies 106 to 110 becomes insufficient, and the temperature difference generated in each thermoelectric conversion unit 10A becomes small.

On the other hand, in the thermoelectric conversion element 1B of this embodiment, the asymmetrical convex portions 22A respectively included in all the corrugated bodies 106 to 110 are opposite to each other (the vertices of the convex portions 22A are in the serial direction). Therefore, even when the gap 6 is narrow, the atmosphere at the time of cooling is not affected by the width direction end faces of the corrugated bodies 107 to 109 arranged in the width direction central portion of the support plate 5 and the width direction of the support plate 5. It also sufficiently hits the inner end surfaces of the corrugated bodies 106, 110 arranged at both ends. Therefore, all the corrugated bodies 106 to 110 are efficiently cooled, and the temperature difference generated in each thermoelectric conversion unit 10B becomes large.

As a result, according to the thermoelectric conversion element 1B of this embodiment, a large temperature difference is generated in each thermoelectric conversion unit 10A, and high power generation performance can be obtained.
Further, in the thermoelectric conversion element 1B of the third embodiment, the corrugated bodies 106 to 110 are present in the entire length direction of the upper surface of the support plate 5, whereas in the thermoelectric conversion element 1 of the first embodiment, There is a portion on the upper surface of the support plate 5 in the longitudinal direction where the corrugated bodies 101 to 105 do not exist. That is, since the thermoelectric conversion element 1B of the third embodiment has higher utilization efficiency of the upper surface of the support plate 5 than the thermoelectric conversion element 1 of the first embodiment, it is advantageous in terms of downsizing.

Furthermore, in the thermoelectric conversion element 1B of the third embodiment, the length along the first slope 221A of the first layer 31A formed of a material having a low conductivity is the second layer formed of a material having a high conductivity. Since the length of the layer 32A is shorter than the length along the second slope 222A, the calorific value is larger than that of the thermoelectric conversion element 1 of the first embodiment in which the first layer 31 and the second layer 32 are formed on slopes having the same length. Can be a lot. This is because when the dimensions of the protrusions 22 and 22A in the direction S in series are the same, the thermoelectric conversion element 1B of the third embodiment has the first layer 31, 31A of the first layer 31, 31A more than the thermoelectric conversion element 1 of the first embodiment. Since the length along the one slope 221, 221A becomes shorter, the resistance becomes smaller, and the thermoelectric conversion element 1B of the third embodiment has a second layer 32, This is because the length of the 32A along the second slope 222, 222A becomes long, but the amount of increase in resistance accompanying this is small.

In the thermoelectric conversion element 1B of this embodiment, the number of thermoelectric conversion units 10A formed in the width direction of the corrugated substrate 2A (P direction in FIG. 14) is one, but in the width direction of the corrugated substrate 2A. A plurality of thermoelectric conversion units 10A may be formed with a gap.
Moreover, since the thermoelectric conversion element 1B of this embodiment has the five corrugated bodies 106 to 110 in which the five thermoelectric conversion units 10A are connected in series, 25 thermoelectric conversion units are connected in series. It has become. On the other hand, for example, by setting the number of one corrugated body in series to 14 and the number of corrugated bodies arranged in parallel to 10, one hundred and four thermoelectric conversion units are connected in series. Can be obtained.

On the other hand, the thermoelectric conversion element different from the thermoelectric conversion element 1A only in that the asymmetrical convex portions 22A are aligned in the same direction in the adjacent corrugated bodies 106 to 110 has the above-described efficient cooling effect. However, since the length along the first slope 221A of the first layer 31A is shorter than the length along the second slope 222A of the second layer 32A, the effect of increasing the heat generation amount can be obtained.

<Manufacturing method>
The thermoelectric conversion element 1B of this embodiment can be manufactured by the method described below.
After producing the corrugated bodies 106 to 110 by the same method as the thermoelectric conversion element 1A of the second embodiment, the lower surface of the recess 23A and the lower surface of the flat portion 21 of each corrugated body 106 to 110 are arranged as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14. Is fixed to the upper surface of the support plate 5 with an adhesive.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 thermoelectric conversion element 1A thermoelectric conversion element 1B thermoelectric conversion element 10 thermoelectric conversion unit 10A thermoelectric conversion unit 101 corrugated body 102 corrugated body 103 corrugated body 104 corrugated body 105 corrugated body 106 corrugated body 107 corrugated body 108 corrugated body 109 corrugated body 110 corrugated body 110 2,2A Corrugated substrate 21 Flat part 22,22A Convex part 221,221A First slope (one slope)
222,222A Second slope (other slope)
23,23A Recess 31,31A First layer 32,31A Second layer 41,41A First wiring layer 42,42A Second wiring layer 43 Connection terminal layer 431 External terminal 44,44A Third wiring layer 45 Wiring 46 External wiring 5 Support plate 6 Gap S Direction in series P Direction in parallel

Claims (6)

A plurality of substrates in which a plurality of thermoelectric conversion units are formed in series are provided in parallel through a gap,
The substrate is formed in a corrugated shape that proceeds in the series direction, and the corrugated surface is formed of a pair of slopes having one convex portion or one concave portion,
In the adjacent substrates, the peaks of the convex portions that form the waveform are present at different positions in the series direction,
The thermoelectric conversion unit has a first layer and a second layer formed on the pair of slopes, at least one of the first layer and the second layer is made of a thermoelectric conversion material, the first layer and The second layer is electrically connected,
The first layer and the second layer of the adjacent thermoelectric conversion units are electrically connected,
The plurality of the substrates are thermoelectric conversion elements each having a connection terminal electrically connected to the first layer and the second layer at both ends in the series direction. A plurality of substrates in which a plurality of thermoelectric conversion units are formed in series are provided in parallel through a gap,
The substrate is formed in a corrugated shape that proceeds in the series direction, and the corrugated surface is composed of a pair of slopes having one protrusion or recess, and one of the pair of slopes has a larger dimension in the slope direction than the other,
In the adjacent substrates, the vertices of the convex portions forming the corrugations are present at the same position in the series direction, and the one slope and the other slope are alternately present in the parallel direction,
The thermoelectric conversion unit has a first layer and a second layer formed on the pair of slopes, at least one of the first layer and the second layer is made of a thermoelectric conversion material, the first layer and The second layer is electrically connected,
The first layer and the second layer of the adjacent thermoelectric conversion units are electrically connected,
The plurality of the substrates are thermoelectric conversion elements each having a connection terminal electrically connected to the first layer and the second layer at both ends in the series direction. The thermoelectric conversion element according to claim 1, wherein one of the pair of slopes has a larger dimension in the inclination direction than the other. The layer formed on the one slope of the first layer and the second layer is made of a material having higher conductivity than the layer formed on the other slope. The thermoelectric conversion element described. The thermoelectric conversion element according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the gap is equal to or smaller than a dimension of the substrates in the parallel direction. A plurality of the substrates are fixed on one surface,
All of the thermoelectric conversion units are connected in series as a whole by connecting the connection terminals of the adjacent substrates, and the connection terminals present at both ends of the series connection function as external terminals. The thermoelectric conversion element as described in 1 above.

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