JPH07162039A - Thermoelectric conversion device, heat exchange element, and device using them - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable a cooling plate and a heat dissipating plate to pinch a semiconductor element array between them to make these components be kept in a module shape. CONSTITUTION:Containing holes 3 are bored through a molded board 2 which is high in electrical and thermal insulating properties, N-type semiconductor thermoelectric conversion devices 4 are separately housed in a group of the containing holes 3, P-type semiconductor thermoelectric conversion devices 4 are separately housed in another group of the containing holes 3, and furthermore the upside and underside of the molded board 2 are provided with electrodes 5, respectively. The N-type semiconductor thermoelectric conversion devices 4 and the P-type semiconductor thermoelectric conversion devices 4 are alternately connected with the electrodes 5 for the formation of a thermoelectric conversion module 1.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a thermoelectric conversion device applicable to a cooling device, a heating device or a temperature adjusting device which serves both as a cooling device and a heating device, and a power generation device utilizing the temperature difference between both devices. A device, especially a thermoelectric conversion device that has a simplified assembly process, improved performance, and improved reliability with a new component configuration,
The present invention relates to an electronic cooling type refrigerator using the device, a heat exchange element having the device built therein, and a cooling / heating device with a ventilation function using the heat exchange element.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art First, a conventional structure of a thermoelectric conversion device will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 15 shows a conventional example in which the thermoelectric conversion device is used as a cooling device. The cooling device shown in this figure is basically composed of a thermoelectric conversion module (hereinafter simply referred to as a module) 1, a cooling plate 8, a radiator plate 9 and a DC power supply 31.

As shown in the main part of FIG. 16, the module 1 has a plurality of N-type and P-type semiconductor elements 4 for thermoelectric conversion alternately arranged at regular intervals, while one of the semiconductor elements 4 is provided. The electrodes 5 are provided between the upper surfaces of the opposite-polarity semiconductor elements 4 adjacent to each other on the side and between the lower surfaces of the opposite-polarity semiconductor elements 4 adjacent on the other side, and the electrodes 5 and the respective semiconductor elements 4 are respectively provided. The N-type semiconductor elements 4 and the P-type semiconductor elements 4 are alternately electrically connected in series by connecting with the solder 6 or the like, and the semiconductor element row thus connected is electrically insulated from the substrate 33. It is sandwiched from above and below.

16 shows an example in which the insulating film 35 is formed on the surface of the metal substrate 34 facing the semiconductor element 4 in FIG. 16, but it may also be composed of a single alumina substrate or the like, with the solder 6 or the like interposed therebetween. Is joined to the electrode 5. Further, as shown in FIG. 15, a waterproof material such as a silicon sealer 37 is filled between the side edge peripheral portions of the upper and lower insulating substrates 33 to prevent deterioration of each semiconductor element 4 due to water, water vapor or the like. I am trying to do it.

In the conventional cooling device, the upper surface of the module 1 is in thermal contact with the cooling plate 8 and the lower surface of the module 1 is in thermal contact with the heat radiating plate 9 via the heat conductive grease 36. Both end electrodes 5 of the module 1 are connected to a DC power supply 31 by a conductive wire 32.

When a direct current is applied to the module 1, the Peltier effect causes an endothermic action on the upper surface side of the module 1, and the heat is transferred to the heat sink 9 side through the module 1. The heat absorption amount and the amount of heat corresponding to the electric input are radiated on the lower surface side of the module 1. Therefore, when the heat on the radiator plate 9 side is efficiently dissipated, the heat is continuously pumped from the cooling plate 8 side to the radiator plate 9 side.

Therefore, it is necessary to suppress the thermal resistance of the cooling plate 8 and the heat radiating plate 9. For this reason, both 8 and 9 are bonded to the module 1 through the heat conductive grease 36. Further, as the material of the cooling plate 8 and the heat radiation plate 9, a metal material such as an aluminum extruded material with fins is mainly used. Further, the insulating substrates 33 arranged above and below the module 1 have a function of retaining the shape of the module 1 and an electrical insulation function necessary for causing a current to flow along the pattern of the electrodes 5.

The module 1 is assembled as follows. That is, the insulating substrate 33 is pre-soldered along the pattern of the electrodes 5. Then, one insulating substrate 33
The semiconductor elements 4 are set one by one on the upper side by using a dedicated jig, the other insulating substrate 33 is positioned so that the electrode pattern and the semiconductor element row are aligned, then joined, and further by a heating means such as a heat press. The module 1 is assembled by melting the solder 6 and making an electrical connection.

Next, a conventional structure of an electronic cooling type refrigerator using a thermoelectric conversion device as a cooling device will be described with reference to FIGS. 19 and 20. FIG. 19 shows a cross section of the refrigerator, and FIG. 20 shows a cooling device. The electronically-cooled refrigerator 15 shown in FIG. 19 roughly includes a heat-insulating box body 16 for storing food and a heat-insulating door 17 for sealing the box body 16 so as to be openable and closable.

Storage chambers 18a and 18b, which are divided into one or two, are provided in the inside of the heat insulating box 16, and in the case of having two storage chambers 18a and 18b, each storage chamber 18
Cooling devices 20a and 20b, which are thermoelectric conversion devices, are arranged on the back surfaces of a and 18b so as to sufficiently cool the inside of the refrigerator. As described above, the cooling devices 20a and 20b provided for each of the plurality of storage chambers so that the respective storage chambers 18a and 18b can be cooled to different temperatures are disclosed in, for example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 56-122072. An electronic cooling refrigerator is also included.

Further, the conventional cooling device shown in FIG.
The cooling device has the same structure as the thermoelectric conversion device using the module 1 described above, and the heat dissipation plates 9a and 9b of the cooling device are provided in the storage chambers 18a and 18b in order to efficiently dissipate the heat generated from the cooling device. It is provided for each heat radiating surface outside the refrigerator, and the heat radiating action of each heat radiating plate 9a, 9b is forcibly promoted by the exhaust action of the cooling fan 24 arranged adjacently. Further, the cooling plate 8a of the cooling device,
8b is provided for each heat absorbing surface in the storage chambers 18a and 18b so that the heat in the storage can be efficiently absorbed.

The cooling operation of the electronic cooling type refrigerator 15 having the above structure is performed as follows. That is, the cooling device 20
When a direct current is applied to a and 20b, the cooling plate 8 on the heat absorption surface in the refrigerator is
The heat in the refrigerator is absorbed by a and 8b, so that the refrigerator is cooled. Further, the heat absorbed from the inside of the refrigerator moves to the heat radiation plates 9a and 9b through the cooling devices (thermoelectric conversion devices) 20a and 20b, and is efficiently radiated by the cooling fan 24.

Next, a conventional structure of a heat exchange element using a thermoelectric conversion device and a ventilation type cooling and heating apparatus using the element will be described with reference to FIGS. 21 and 22. FIG. 21 shows the appearance of the heat exchange element, and FIG. 22 exemplifies the concept of attachment of the heat exchange element to the ventilation type cooling and heating device. The solid and broken arrows in FIGS. 21 and 22 indicate the direction of air flow.

The heat exchange element 38 shown in FIG. 21 is a flat substrate 33 and a corrugated plate 26 which function as partition plates.
a and 26b are alternately laminated to form each corrugated plate 26.
The air passages penetrating in one direction are formed in multiple stages between a and 26b and each substrate 33, and the first and second corrugated plates 26a and 26b that are vertically adjacent to each other are assembled so that the air passages are substantially orthogonal to each other. It is a thing.

Partition plate 33 and corrugated plates 26a, 26
As a constituent material of b, a metal material having a high thermal conductivity such as aluminum is used for the purpose of sensible heat exchange, and special synthetic paper is chlorinated for the purpose of total heat exchange including moisture. Those impregnated with a hygroscopic agent such as lithium are used.

As shown in FIG. 22, the ventilation type air conditioner using the heat exchange element 38 having the above structure is installed as an air conditioning ventilation fan so as to penetrate the wall surface of a building such as a house, and has its outdoor open end and indoor side. An indoor air supply blower 39 and an outdoor air discharge blower 40 are provided at the open ends, respectively. In this attached state, the indoor air passes through the air passage formed by the first corrugated plate 26a and the partition plate 33 by the outdoor exhaust blower 40, as indicated by the dashed arrow. On the other hand, the outdoor air passes through the air passage formed by the partition plate 33 and the second corrugated plate 26b that is substantially orthogonal to the first corrugated plate 26a by the indoor air supply blower 39, as indicated by the solid arrow.

When the room is being cooled, low-temperature room air is exhausted to the outside while cooling the first corrugated board 26a, and the second corrugated board is conducted by heat conduction from the cooled first corrugated board 26a. 26b is also cooled, and the high-temperature outdoor air is cooled by the second corrugated plate 26b and supplied into the room. As described above, according to the air-conditioning ventilation fan having the above-described configuration, there is an advantage that ventilation can be performed without escaping cold heat during cooling. The principle of heating is the same as that of cooling.

[0018]

First, in the conventional thermoelectric conversion device, as shown in FIG. 17, the module 1 has only the connection structure of the semiconductor element rows and the insulating substrate 33 is eliminated, so that the thermal resistance is small. Although it is advantageous in that the heat absorbing action can be effectively performed, it is difficult to maintain the shape of the module 1 with such a configuration, and the cooling plate 8
Also, there is a problem that a special jig must be used for connection and assembly with the heat sink 9.

As a prior art capable of solving such a problem, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 58-199578 discloses a device capable of holding the form of the module 1 without using the insulating substrate 33. There is. That is, as shown in FIG. 18, in this prior art example, a gap between a plurality of semiconductor elements 4 arranged at regular intervals is filled with an epoxy resin 41 or the like.

However, in this prior art example, it is necessary to hold each semiconductor element 4 in a predetermined positional relationship until the resin is filled in the space between the semiconductor elements 4, so that a dedicated jig must be used. Therefore, there is a problem in manufacturing that the assembly process becomes complicated. Further, as another prior art example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 60-76179 discloses an insulating substrate 3
Although the means for reducing the thermal resistance by omitting 3 is disclosed, the assembly process is also complicated in this case as in the case of the prior art example.

As described above, in any of the configurations of the prior art examples, the semiconductor element array is directly connected to the cooling plate 8 and the heat radiating plate 9.
Although the heat transfer performance is improved by sandwiching them with each other, both of them have a problem that a special dedicated jig is required and assembly becomes complicated.

Next, in the conventional electronic cooling refrigerator 15 having the above-mentioned structure, as shown in FIG. 20, the cooling devices 20a and 20b using the module 1 composed of only a single semiconductor element array are used. Therefore, there is a problem that the limit of the cooling capacity inside the refrigerator is low and the temperature difference between the inside and outside the refrigerator cannot be large. That is, in the actual product,
For example, if the outside temperature is 30 ° C., the inside temperature can be cooled only to around 5 ° C.

Therefore, in order to be able to cool the storage chambers 18a and 18b to about the internal temperature of the freezing chamber in the conventional electric refrigerator using the refrigeration cycle, the thermoelectric conversion devices are cascade-connected, that is, Peltier element arrays are used. Although it is necessary to have a structure in which a plurality of layers are stacked on top and bottom, this method has the disadvantage that the configuration is significantly complicated and the manufacturing cost is dramatically increased.

Finally, in the case of the heat exchange element 38 having the above-mentioned conventional structure, since the element itself does not have an operation source for cooling or heating, it alone can be established as a cooling device or a heating device. There is a problem that you cannot get it.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned various problems. A first object of the present invention is to allow a semiconductor element array to be directly sandwiched by a cooling plate and a heat radiating plate, and further A thermoelectric conversion device capable of assembling a module by using a molded substrate or an element-embedded body having an element housing hole penetrating in a thickness direction for arranging semiconductor elements at a predetermined interval so that the shape can be maintained. To provide a device.

A second object is to improve the cooling capacity with a simple structure as in the past by devising the arrangement or structure of the thermoelectric conversion device in the refrigerator of the electronic cooling type refrigerator. A third object is to provide a cooling and heating device capable of ventilation by incorporating a cooling source and a heating source in the heat exchange element itself.

[0027]

In order to achieve the first object, in the thermoelectric conversion device of the present invention, a plurality of elements made of a material having electrical insulation and heat insulation properties and penetrating in the thickness direction are provided. A molded substrate having a storage hole is formed, N-type semiconductor elements for thermoelectric conversion are individually stored in one group of element storage holes of the molded substrate, and P-type semiconductor elements are respectively stored in the other group of element storage holes. Each of them is housed individually, and further, a plurality of electrodes are provided on the upper and lower surfaces of the molded substrate, and a module in which the N-type semiconductor element and the P-type semiconductor element are alternately connected in series by these electrodes is provided. .

In the above structure, the molded substrate is formed with electrode mounting grooves around the upper and lower openings of the element housing hole, and the depth of the electrode mounting groove is the thickness of the electrode and the electrode and the semiconductor element. Can be set to be approximately equal to the dimension including the thickness of the adhesive layer. Further, the molded substrate can be made of polyphenylene sulfide, foamed plastic having closed cells, or polyurethane foam molded product, and further made of a flexible material.

Further, in the thermoelectric conversion device of the present invention, instead of the above-mentioned molded substrate, a plurality of materials having electrical insulation and heat insulation properties are laminated, and a plurality of element housing holes penetrating in the thickness direction are formed. It can be configured using the formed element embedded body.

In this case, the module has a plurality of element embedding bodies divided in the thickness direction, and after assembly,
A space may be formed between the element embedding bodies. Further, in the case where such divided element embedding bodies are used, at least one of the element embedding bodies facing each other is embedded. It is possible to adopt a configuration in which a convex body for supporting the facing surface of the other element-embedded body is formed on the facing surface of the body.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned second object, the electronic cooling refrigerator of the present invention is an electronic refrigerator provided with a cooling device composed of a heat radiating part, a heat absorbing part and a thermoelectric conversion module. The first and second cooling chambers are formed independently of each other in the refrigerator body, and are composed of at least one cooling device.
A cooling unit is prepared, and the first cooling unit is arranged so that its heat absorbing unit faces the freezer compartment and its heat radiating unit faces the refrigerating compartment, while the second cooling unit absorbs heat. The part faces the refrigerating compartment side, and the heat radiation part faces the outside of the main body.

In the above-mentioned structure, the cooling device constituting the first and second cooling parts is preferably formed by a plate-shaped body formed by molding an aluminum material having an insulating surface, respectively. At the same time, the cooling unit and the heat radiation unit are brought into contact with the thermoelectric conversion module.

Further, the heat absorbing portion of the cooling device constituting the first cooling portion is formed into a box-shaped body formed by molding an aluminum material whose surface is insulated, and the box-shaped body is used as an inner box in the freezing chamber. The thermoelectric conversion module can be arranged so as to be in direct contact with the heat absorbing portion.

In order to achieve the third object, in the heat exchange element of the present invention, a substrate and a corrugated plate which are formed substantially flat are vertically stacked, and the corrugated plate and the substrate penetrate in one direction. A plurality of air passage units forming an air passage and a thermoelectric conversion module are provided, and the air passage units are arranged in upper and lower stages so that the air passage directions of adjacent air passage units are substantially orthogonal to each other. The thermoelectric conversion module is interposed between the air passage units so that the substrate surfaces facing each other via the corrugated plate of each air passage unit are the same cooling surface or heat radiation surface.

In the above structure, the substrate and the corrugated plate are preferably made of aluminum or aluminum alloy.

Further, in the ventilation type cooling and heating apparatus using the heat exchange element having the above-mentioned structure, the heat exchange element is attached so as to penetrate through the outer wall of the building, and the outdoor end of the heat exchange element and the indoor side open end. An indoor side air supply blower and an outdoor side exhaust air blower arranged facing the end, a direct current power supply for supplying a direct current to the heat exchange element, and a current switching means for the direct current power supply. .

[0037]

According to the thermoelectric conversion device having the above-mentioned structure, the semiconductor element array is housed in the molded substrate or the multi-layered element burying body, and is electrically connected in a predetermined pattern on the upper and lower surfaces thereof. There is. This eliminates the need for a conventional insulating substrate or the like made of alumina or the like, and can effectively realize heat absorption and heat dissipation.

Further, in the conventional structure having only a gap between the adjacent semiconductor elements, there is a possibility that a short circuit or the like may occur between the semiconductor elements due to the mixture of dew particles between the semiconductor elements. In the invention, the insulating material forming the molded substrate is interposed between the adjacent semiconductor elements, so that the insulation between the semiconductor elements can be reliably achieved.

Further, some semiconductor elements used in this type of thermoelectric conversion device are fragile from the viewpoint of material strength because they have a cleavability like a bismuth-tellurium type crystal element, for example. In the present invention, it is possible to reduce the risk of semiconductor device damage due to the cushioning function of the molded substrate or the device-embedded body, and the strength reliability is improved. In addition, since the molded substrate or the element-embedded body itself has a function of maintaining the form of the module, it functions as a jig for assembling the semiconductor element, and the assembly process can be greatly simplified.

Further, in the case of using the multi-layered element embedded body, since the excellent thermal insulation exists due to the voids interposed between the layers, the heat bridge effect due to the element embedded body between the cooling plate and the heat radiating plate can be prevented. The heat absorption and heat dissipation efficiency can be increased.

According to the electronic cooling type refrigerator having the above-mentioned structure, the heat radiating portion of the first cooling unit provided on the surface in contact with the freezing chamber is installed not on the outside of the refrigerator but on the refrigerating chamber side, and the second cooling unit is connected to the refrigerator chamber and the refrigerator. Since it is provided on the outer contact surface, the temperature of the heat radiating portion of the first cooling portion is low, and a lower temperature zone is possible in the freezing chamber.

Further, in the structure in which the surfaces of the heat absorbing portion and the heat radiating portion formed of aluminum material are subjected to insulation treatment and brought into direct contact with the thermoelectric conversion module, the thermal resistance is higher than that of the conventional structure sandwiched by the insulating substrate. It becomes smaller and the cooling efficiency is improved. Furthermore, by forming the heat-absorbing portion into an inner-box-shaped aluminum material that has been subjected to insulation treatment, it is possible to further improve the cooling efficiency, and it is possible to achieve a low and uniform freezing room temperature.

According to the heat exchange element having the above-mentioned structure, since the thermoelectric conversion module is built in, if a direct current is applied to the module, it becomes a cooling device, and by switching the direction of the direct current, it becomes a cooling surface. The heat-dissipating surface reverses and can become a heating device. In addition, since the thickness of the thermoelectric conversion element can be around 1 mm or thinner, the thickness of the partition plate does not significantly impair the effective area of the air passage, and therefore the device can be made compact. Becomes

Further, according to the ventilation type cooling and heating apparatus having the above-mentioned structure, compared with the conventional air conditioner using a refrigeration cycle such as a compressor, the movable part is only the blower, and a compact apparatus with high quietness is realized. Is possible.

[0045]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, an embodiment of a thermoelectric conversion device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 shows the structure of a module in an embodiment of a thermoelectric conversion device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows the module disassembled into its constituent members. The module 1 shown in these figures uses the molded substrate 2 as a base material, and the semiconductor element array has only one semiconductor element array.

That is, a plurality of element accommodating holes 3 penetrating in the thickness (vertical) direction are formed in a row on the molded substrate 2 of the module 1, and a group of elements among these element accommodating holes 3 are formed. N-type semiconductor elements 4 for thermoelectric conversion are individually stored in the storage holes 3, and P-type semiconductor elements 4 are individually stored in the element storage holes 3 of the other groups.

Electrodes 5 are provided between the upper surfaces of the opposite polarity semiconductor elements 4 adjacent to each other on one side of the respective semiconductor elements 4 and between the lower surfaces of the opposite polarity semiconductor elements 4 adjacent to the other side. , The electrode 5 and each semiconductor element 4 are respectively connected by solder 6 or the like, whereby the N-type semiconductor element 4 and the P-type semiconductor element 4 are connected to each other by the upper and lower electrodes 5 to be N-type-P-type-N. Type-P type -... are alternately electrically connected in series.

In such a structure, the electrode mounting groove 16 in which the electrode 5 is disposed is formed around the upper and lower openings of each element storage hole forming portion of the molded substrate 2. The electrode disposing groove 7 is continuous in the longitudinal direction and has a shallow groove shape with a flat bottom, which is advantageous for extrusion molding.

Of course, the electrode disposing groove 7 may be an independent groove individually formed in conformity with the shape of each electrode 5. The electrode disposing groove 7 is not always necessary, but it is necessary to connect a plurality of electrode surfaces in a predetermined pattern and evenly contact a cooling plate 8 and a heat radiating plate 9 which are constituent members of a thermoelectric conversion device described later. Considering that there is a certain point and the automation of the assembly, the effect of the groove 7 is great.

The molded substrate 2 may be made of a material having excellent electrical insulation and heat insulation properties. For example, an injection molded product of polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) has a heat distortion temperature of 26.
The temperature is 0 ° C., which is advantageous in that the solder 6 can be used as a connecting means between the semiconductor element 4 and the electrode 5. As other substrate molding materials, foamed plastics having closed cells, polyurethane foam moldings, or flexible materials such as rubber or elastomer can be preferably used. When the substrate 2 is made of a flexible material such as rubber or elastomer, an extrusion molding method can be used.

When the molded substrate 2 having low heat resistance is used, a low melting point alloy containing bismuth, antimony or the like having a melting point of about 80 ° C. or an epoxy resin is used as a connecting means between the semiconductor element 4 and the electrode 5. A conductive adhesive in which a silver filler is mixed as a base material can be preferably used.

Next, the assembly process of the module 1 will be described. Before each semiconductor element 4 is inserted into the molded substrate 2,
Element-electrode pair A, B having an electrode 5 previously connected to one end thereof
It is assumed that it was created as. Then, in order to form a predetermined semiconductor element row, the element-electrode pair B of the N-type semiconductor element 4 corresponds from the lower side, and the element-electrode pair A of the P-type semiconductor element 4 corresponds from the upper side, respectively. Inserted in.
In addition, preliminary solder 6 is applied to the mating element connecting surface of the electrode 5 and the mating electrode connecting surface of the semiconductor element 4, or an adhesive is applied in advance.

After inserting and assembling the predetermined element-electrode pairs A and B in such a state, the molded substrate 2 is heat-pressed to complete the electrical connection of the element rows. In this case, the electrode mounting groove 7 is formed on the flat upper and lower surfaces of the molded substrate 2.
It is not preferable that the upper surface of the electrode 5 fitted in the protrusion protrudes or is recessed to cause unevenness on the upper surface of the substrate. Therefore, the depth of the electrode mounting groove 7 is determined based on the thickness of the adhesive such as the electrode 5 and the solder 6 so that the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate 2 are flush with the upper surface of the electrode. Specifically, the depth of the electrode mounting groove 7 is set to be substantially equal to the thickness of the electrode 5 and the thickness of the solder layer (adhesive layer) 6 between the electrode 5 and the semiconductor element 4.

In this embodiment, the element-electrode pair A, B
Although the steps through the steps for manufacturing the above have been described, it is also possible to insert each semiconductor element 4 into the element accommodating hole 3 and then dispose the electrodes 5 from above and below the element accommodating hole 3.

FIG. 3 shows a thermoelectric conversion device in which the module 1 having the above structure is incorporated. In the thermoelectric converter, a cooling plate 8 and a heat radiating plate 9 are provided above and below the module 1, and the electrodes 5 at both ends are connected to a DC power source (not shown) via a lead wire (not shown). Thus, the cooling device functions as a cooling device, but since the basic configuration and operation of the cooling device are the same as those of the above-described conventional example, the description thereof will be omitted to avoid duplication.

Comparing the cooling device of this embodiment shown in FIG. 3 with the conventional structure shown in FIG. 15, the gap between the elements of the conventional structure is filled with the insulating material constituting the molded substrate 2 in this embodiment. Has become. Therefore, the insulating substrate 33 for holding the module form, which has been required in the past, is unnecessary, but the insulating treatment on the module contact surfaces of the cooling plate 8 and the heat radiating plate 9 is additionally required.

As the insulation treatment method, it is noted that aluminum is often used for the cooling plate 8 and the heat radiating plate 9 because of its light weight and thermal conductivity, and the outer surface thereof is anodized, that is, anodized. By doing so, good insulation can be obtained, and this method can be preferably adopted as the simplest insulation treatment method.

FIG. 4 shows the structure of a module in another embodiment of the thermoelectric conversion device according to the present invention. The module 1 shown in this figure uses a multi-layered element embedded body 10 as a base material, and the semiconductor element row has only one semiconductor element row. That is, the element embedding body 10 of the module 1 is formed with a plurality of element accommodating holes 3 penetrating in the thickness direction (vertical direction) in a line, and among these element accommodating holes 3,
The N-type semiconductor elements 4 for thermoelectric conversion are individually stored in the element storage holes 3 of one group, and the P-type semiconductor elements 4 are individually stored in the element storage holes 3 of the other group.

Electrodes 5 are provided between the upper surfaces of the opposite polarity semiconductor elements 4 adjacent to each other on one side of the respective semiconductor elements 4 and between the lower surfaces of the opposite polarity semiconductor elements 4 adjacent to the other side. , The electrode 5 and each semiconductor element 4 are respectively connected by solder 6 or the like, whereby the N-type semiconductor element 4 and the P-type semiconductor element 4 are connected to each other by the upper and lower electrodes 5 to be N-type-P-type-N. Type-P type -... are alternately electrically connected in series.

By the way, in the illustrated example, the multi-layered element embedded body 1 is used.
Although 0 is set to 4 layers, the present invention is not limited to this, and as the number of layers is increased by laminating thin sheets, the number of void layers is also increased and the thermal resistance can be increased.

Further, as the constituent material of the element-embedded body 10, an electrically insulating material having a large thermal resistance is suitable, and for example, a sheet material such as plastic, paper or rubber can be preferably used. Further, each layer may be composed of the same material, and when the material is expensive, a multilayer body of different materials may be used. Further, the element housing hole 3 for arranging the semiconductor element 4 can be punched. As described above, since the multi-layered element burying body 10 in the present embodiment is formed in a thin sheet shape, there is an advantage that continuous production is possible including the punching step.

FIG. 5 shows a modification of the module in which the element embedded body 10 is used as a base material. In the structure shown in this figure, the module 1 is an element embedding body 10 divided into two in the thickness direction.
It is configured such that a and 10b are arranged vertically with a predetermined gap 11 provided. The element embedded body 10 is formed by the void 11.
The heat flow from the heat radiation surface to the cooling surface via a and 10b, that is, the formation of a heat bridge can be significantly reduced.

FIG. 6 shows the divided element-embedded bodies 10a, 1
The assembly concept of the module 1 using 0b is shown. FIG. 7 conceptually shows the module assembly process. As shown in these figures, the sheet-like upper and lower element-embedded bodies 10 are provided.
The original fabrics a and 10b are held in a wound state, and the element-embedded bodies 10a and 10b fed out from the original fabrics are pressed by the press portions 12a and 12b provided on the production line, respectively, to accommodate the elements at regular intervals. The holes 3a and 3b are punched out.

Next, the P-type semiconductor element 4 in which the electrodes 5 are connected to the alternate element accommodating holes 3a is inserted into the upper element embedded body 10a, and the N-type semiconductor element is interposed between the semiconductor elements. The element housing hole 3a into which the upper half of the No. 4 is fitted is opened. Similarly, the N-type semiconductor element 4 in which the electrodes 5 are connected to the alternate element housing holes 3b is inserted into the lower element embedded body 16, and the P-type semiconductor element 4 is inserted between the semiconductor elements. Element storage hole 3b into which the lower half is fitted
Is open.

Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the P-type semiconductor element array and the N-type semiconductor element array having the above-mentioned structure are combined, heated and pressed by the heat press section 13, and further cut into predetermined lengths. This completes the module 1 shown in FIG.

What is important here is that the P-type semiconductor element 4 and the N-type semiconductor element 4 are separately assembled. That is, since both semiconductor elements 4 are formed to have the same size and the colors of the outer surfaces are similar to each other, it is difficult to distinguish the appearance. However, by assembling them separately as described above, the N-type and Element storage hole 3 of P-type semiconductor element 4
The effect of preventing erroneous insertion into a and 3b is great.

FIG. 8 shows a modified example in which the assembly structure of the upper and lower element buried bodies 10a and 10b is modified. As shown in this figure, the upper and lower element embedded bodies 10a facing each other,
Element embedded bodies 10b facing the facing surfaces of 10b,
If the convex bodies 14a and 14b for supporting the surface of 10a are provided, the void 11 can be surely secured, and
The buffering effect on each semiconductor element 4 can be increased.

Next, an embodiment of the electronic cooling type refrigerator according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 9 shows the overall configuration of the electronic cooling refrigerator 15 of this embodiment. The electronic cooling type refrigerator 15 shown in this figure is basically composed of a heat insulating box 16 for storing food and a heat insulating door 17 for sealing the box 16. The inside of the heat-insulating box 16 is divided into at least two storage chambers, and in the illustrated example, the upper storage chamber functions as a refrigerating chamber 18 and the lower storage chamber functions as a freezing chamber 19. . In addition, the heat insulating door 17 is provided so as to be openable and closable, and one door or two doors
It consists of a door.

A first cooling device 20a constituting a first cooling section is provided on the partition wall which divides the refrigerating chamber 18 and the freezing chamber 19. The cooling device 20a includes a cooling plate 8 as a heat absorbing portion which is installed facing the module 1a and the freezer compartment 19 side.
a and a fin-shaped heat radiating plate 9a installed facing the refrigerating chamber 18 side. In addition, a second cooling device 20 that also constitutes a second cooling unit on the back wall of the refrigerating chamber 18
b is provided. In this cooling device 20b, the refrigerator compartment 1
Cooling plate 8b facing the 8 side, and radiating plate 9b facing the outside of the refrigerator
Are installed respectively.

In the inside of the refrigerator compartment 18, the radiator plate 9a of the first cooling device 20a facing the bottom of the refrigerator compartment and the cooling plate 8b of the second cooling device 20b facing the back of the refrigerator compartment are covered by the interior duct 21. Has been done. An internal fan 22 is attached to a rear portion of the upper part of the refrigerating room in the internal duct, and the internal fan 22 allows forced ventilation of air in the internal duct at all times. It is possible to promote the heat dissipation of the plate 9a and to keep the temperature inside the chamber uniform.

Further, the radiator plate 9b of the second cooling device 20b facing the outside of the refrigerator is covered by the outside duct 23. A cooling fan 24 is installed above the heat radiating plate 9b in the outside duct, and the outside duct 23 has a shape that ventilates the lower part toward the heat radiating plate 9b to forcibly radiate heat. Is formed in.

Next, a series of operations relating to the above configuration will be described. First, the first and second cooling devices 20a and 20b.
A direct current is applied to each of the modules 1a and 1b constituting the above. At this time, in the second cooling device 20b, the Peltier effect of the module 1b causes an endothermic action in the cooling plate 8b inside the refrigerating chamber to remove the heat in the refrigerating chamber and gradually lower the refrigerating room temperature.

Also in the first cooling device 20a, similarly, the Peltier effect causes the cooling plate 8a facing the inside of the freezing chamber to absorb heat, and the radiator plate 9a inside the refrigerating chamber also generates heat. At this time, the heat radiating plate 9a is cooled by the low temperature air in the refrigerator, so that only a small temperature difference is generated in the module 1a, which is necessary in the freezer compartment −15 ° C.
It becomes possible to cool to a temperature zone of 20 ° C.

As the structure of the cooling devices 20a and 20b, the one shown in FIG. 10 is more effective. The cooling device shown in this figure has the same structure as that shown in FIG. 3, and the insulating substrate 33 is unnecessary as compared with the conventional structure.
In addition, the surface of the cooling plates 8a, 8b and the heat dissipation plate 9a that is in contact with the module 1a is subjected to an insulation treatment such as anodizing. By doing so, the problem of the conventional configuration that causes the thermal resistance due to the insulating substrate 33 is eliminated, and the cooling efficiency is further improved.

Since the structure of the cooling device is simple in this way, as shown in FIG. 11, for example, the heat absorbing portion of the first cooling device 20a is replaced with the cooling plate 8a, and the surface of the aluminum material is insulated. Can be formed by a box-shaped body 8c formed by molding, and the box-shaped body 8c can be configured as an inner wall in the freezer compartment. 12 shows an assembling procedure of the box-shaped body 8c and the heat radiating plate 9a for the module 1a in this case, the assembling order is the same as that shown in FIG.

Further, in the electronic cooling type refrigerator of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 13, for example, a freezing compartment 19 is arranged on the upper side and a refrigerating compartment 18 is arranged on the lower side, contrary to the one shown in FIG. If an ice tray or the like can be installed on the inner bottom portion of the chamber 5, it can be more advantageous for ice making or the like.

Finally, an embodiment of the heat exchange element according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 14
The heat exchange element of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is roughly composed of an outer shell 25 arranged at the upper and lower ends, and corrugated plates 26a, 26b and partitions made of aluminum plates or aluminum alloy plates laminated between the outer shells. It is composed of a module 1 as a part.

This module 1 is configured almost the same as that shown in FIG. 1, and a plurality of N-type semiconductor elements 4 and P-type semiconductor elements 4 are formed by upper and lower substrates 27 made of a flat aluminum plate or an aluminum alloy plate. And the element-side surface of each substrate 27 is formed with an alumite-treated electrical insulating film 28. Further, the semiconductor element 4 is soldered to the substrate 27 together with the electrode 5, and the electrode 5 is connected in series to the DC power source via the lead wire. Further, the sealant 2 is applied to the four end faces of the substrate 27.
9 is applied.

The corrugated plates 26a and 26b are adhered to each other by solder or the like in a state of being interposed between the substrates 27 and between the outer shell 25 and the substrate 27, and have a wind path which penetrates in one direction together with the substrates 27 and the like. The road units 30a and 30b are configured. These air duct units 30a and 30b are vertically stacked in multiple stages via the module 1 such that the air duct directions of adjacent air duct units are substantially orthogonal to each other. And, the important thing is that each air passage unit 30a,
The electrode 5 and the wiring pattern are defined so that the substrate surfaces facing each other via the corrugated plates 26a and 26b of 30b function as the same cooling surface or heat radiation surface.

The heat exchange element having the above structure is attached so as to penetrate the outer wall of the building, and the indoor side air supply is made to face the outdoor side open end and the indoor side open end of the element as in the conventional example shown in FIG. A ventilation type cooling and heating device can be realized by disposing a blower and an outdoor exhaust blower.

In the ventilation type air conditioner, when a current is supplied from the DC power source 31 to the module 1 through the conductor 32, the substrate 27 facing the air passages a, c and e serves as a heat dissipation surface, and the air passages a, c and e. The substrate 27 facing the air passages b and d orthogonal to is the cooling surface. Also, the corrugated plates 26a, 26
b also has a function of a heat exchange fin, and can effectively transfer the heat of the substrate 27 to the air flowing through the air passage.

On the other hand, when the direction of the current is switched by a switching device (not shown), the heat radiation surface and the cooling surface are reversed. That is, when the air passages b and d are air supply passages to the room, cooling is performed in the direction of current flow indicated by the arrow in FIG. 14, and heating is performed when flow is opposite to the direction of the arrow, except for the current switching device. Does not require any special cooling / heating switching mechanism.

In this embodiment, the semiconductor element array of the module 1 is composed of one row, but in an actual machine, the semiconductor element array is two-dimensionally arranged between the substrates 27.

[0084]

As described above, according to the thermoelectric conversion device of claim 1 of the present invention, a molded article made of a material excellent in electric insulation and heat insulation is used as a semiconductor element base material, which is necessary for modularization. The number of dedicated jigs can be significantly reduced, and the effect of reducing assembly man-hours and cost is great. Also, an insulating substrate for holding the form of the module is not required,
It can be directly connected to the cooling plate and heat sink, maximizing the effect of heat absorption and heat dissipation. Furthermore, the structure is such that an electrically insulating / heat insulating material is interposed between the elements, so that the reliability of the module is improved by preventing a short circuit between adjacent elements and by a buffering effect due to mechanical stress.

According to the thermoelectric conversion device of claim 7, since the multi-layered body of the material excellent in electric insulation and heat insulation is used as the base material of the semiconductor element, that is, the element embedded body, the efficiency of heat absorption / heat radiation is improved. You can Further, the module assembling process can be simplified and the cost can be reduced. Further, the buffering effect of the base material improves the reliability of the device against thermal and mechanical stress, and the production quality is improved by dividing the base material and separately assembling the N-type and P-type element arrays. Also, the assembly cost due to continuous production can be significantly reduced.

According to the electronic cooling type refrigerator of the tenth aspect, it is possible to provide a storage chamber in a temperature zone lower than that of the conventional example by a relatively simple method, and the cost can be reduced. Further, according to the eleventh aspect, by using the cooling device having a smaller heat resistance, the electronic cooling type refrigerator having good cooling efficiency can be realized. Further, according to claim 12, by forming the cooling plate in the shape of an inner box, it is possible to enhance the cooling efficiency and keep the frozen room temperature in a low temperature zone uniformly. The refrigerator becomes possible.

According to the heat exchange element of the thirteenth aspect, since the module is built in, a device capable of cooling and heating while ventilating can be provided instead of a passive heat recovery device. In addition, since the thermoelectric conversion device itself is mainly composed of a semiconductor element array and a DC power supply, it is more compact and quieter than a cooling and heating device that uses a compressor, etc., and it is a CFC-free cooling and heating device that contributes to global environmental conservation. Can be provided.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a configuration of a module in an embodiment of a thermoelectric conversion device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic exploded perspective view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a main part showing a configuration in which this embodiment is applied to a cooling device.

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of a module in another embodiment of the thermoelectric conversion device according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a module using a divided element embedded body.

FIG. 6 is an exploded view schematically showing a semiconductor element array showing the previous step.

FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram of a module assembly process.

FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a modified example of a divided element embedded body.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of an electronic cooling refrigerator according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a main part showing a cooling device.

FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a cooling device of another embodiment in an exploded manner.

FIG. 12 is an enlarged view of a main part thereof.

FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the electronic cooling refrigerator according to the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a schematic sectional view showing a heat exchange element according to the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a cooling device using a conventional thermoelectric conversion device.

FIG. 16 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a main part showing another conventional example.

FIG. 17 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a semiconductor element array of a thermoelectric conversion device.

FIG. 18 is a schematic sectional view showing still another conventional example.

FIG. 19 is a sectional view showing a conventional electronic cooling refrigerator.

FIG. 20 is a schematic sectional view showing a conventional cooling device.

FIG. 21 is an external perspective view showing a conventional heat exchange element.

FIG. 22 is an operation conceptual diagram of an air conditioning ventilation fan using a heat exchange element.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Thermoelectric Conversion Module 1a Thermoelectric Conversion Module 1b Thermoelectric Conversion Module 2 Molded Substrate 3 Element Storage Hole 3a Element Storage Hole 3b Element Storage Hole 4 Semiconductor Element 5 Electrode 7 Electrode Arrangement Groove 8 Cooling Plate 8a Cooling Plate 8b Cooling Plate 9 Radiating Plate 9a Heat sink 9b Heat sink 10 Element embedding body 10a Element embedding body 10b Element embedding body 11 Void 14a Convex body 14b Convex body 15 Electronic cooling type refrigerator 16 Thermal insulation box body 18 Refrigerating room 19 Freezing room 20a Cooling device 20b Cooling device 26a Corrugated board 26b Corrugated board 27 Substrate 30a Air passage unit 30b Air passage unit 31 Direct current power supply 33 Substrate

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. A molded substrate, which is made of a material having electrical insulating properties and heat insulating properties, and has a plurality of element storage holes penetrating in the thickness direction, each of which is provided in a group of element storage holes of the molded substrate. N-type semiconductor elements for thermoelectric conversion are individually housed, P-type semiconductor elements are individually housed in the other group element housing holes, and a plurality of electrodes are provided on the upper and lower surfaces of the molded substrate. A thermoelectric conversion device comprising a thermoelectric conversion module in which the N-type semiconductor element and the P-type semiconductor element are alternately connected in series by the electrodes of. 2. A groove for electrode placement is formed around the upper and lower openings of the element housing hole of the molded substrate, and the depth of the electrode placement groove is the thickness of the electrode and the adhesive layer between the electrode and the semiconductor element. The thermoelectric conversion device according to claim 1, wherein the thermoelectric conversion device is set to have a size substantially equal to the thickness of the above. 3. The thermoelectric conversion device according to claim 1, wherein the molded substrate is made of polyphenylene sulfide. 4. The thermoelectric conversion device according to claim 1, wherein the molded substrate is made of foamed plastic having closed cells. 5. The thermoelectric conversion device according to claim 1, wherein the molded substrate is made of a polyurethane foam molded product. 6. The thermoelectric conversion device according to claim 1, wherein the molded substrate is made of a flexible material. 7. An element embedding body, which is formed by laminating a plurality of materials having electrical insulation and heat insulating properties, and has a plurality of element accommodating holes penetrating in the thickness direction, the element embedding body comprising: N-type semiconductor elements for thermoelectric conversion are individually housed in the one group of element housing holes, and P-type semiconductor elements are individually housed in the other group of element housing holes. A thermoelectric conversion device comprising a thermoelectric conversion module in which a plurality of electrodes are provided, and the N-type semiconductor element and the P-type semiconductor element are alternately connected in series by these electrodes. 8. The thermoelectric conversion device according to claim 7, wherein the thermoelectric conversion module has a plurality of element embedding bodies divided in the thickness direction, and voids are formed between the element embedding bodies. 9. The convex-shaped body for supporting the facing surface of the other element-embedded body is formed on the facing surface of at least one element-embedded body among the element-embedded bodies facing each other. Thermoelectric converter. 10. An electronic cooling type refrigerator provided with a cooling device composed of a heat radiating part, a heat absorbing part and a thermoelectric conversion module for absorbing and radiating heat by applying a direct current. A freezing chamber and a refrigerating chamber are independently formed in the inside, and first and second cooling units configured by at least one cooling device are prepared. The heat radiating portion is disposed so as to face the room side and the heat radiating portion thereof faces the refrigerating compartment side, while the heat absorbing portion of the second cooling portion faces the refrigerating chamber side, and the heat radiating portion thereof is outside the main body. An electronic cooling refrigerator characterized in that it is arranged so as to face it. 11. An electronic-cooled refrigerator constituting the first and second cooling parts, wherein the cooling part and the heat radiating part are each formed of a plate-shaped body formed by molding an aluminum material whose surface is insulated. The electronic cooling refrigerator according to claim 10, wherein the cooling unit and the heat radiation unit are in contact with the thermoelectric conversion module. 12. The heat-absorbing part of the electronically-cooled refrigerator constituting the first cooling part is a box-shaped body formed by molding an aluminum material whose surface is insulated, and the box-shaped body is used as an inner box in the freezer compartment. The electronic cooling refrigerator according to claim 10, wherein the thermoelectric conversion module is arranged and is in direct contact with the heat absorbing portion. 13. A plurality of air passage units, each of which is formed by vertically stacking a substrate and a corrugated plate that are formed to be substantially flat and forms an air passage that penetrates in one direction by the corrugated plate and the substrate, and a direct current. A thermoelectric conversion module that absorbs heat and radiates heat by applying an electric current is provided, and the air passage units are arranged in a multi-tiered manner so that the air passage directions of adjacent air passage units are substantially orthogonal to each other, and A heat exchange element, wherein the thermoelectric conversion module is interposed between each air passage unit such that substrate surfaces facing each other via a corrugated plate of the air passage unit are the same cooling surface or heat radiation surface. 14. The heat exchange element according to claim 13, wherein the base plate and the corrugated plate are made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy. 15. A heat exchange element according to claim 13, which is mounted so as to penetrate an outer wall of a building, and an indoor air supply blower which is arranged so as to face the outdoor open end and the indoor open end of the heat exchange element. A ventilation type air conditioner comprising: an outdoor exhaust blower; a direct current power supply for supplying a direct current to the heat exchange element; and a current switching means for the direct current power supply.