KR101817098B1 - Apparatus and method for preventing overheat of thermoelectric module - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for preventing overheating of a thermoelectric element and a dehumidifying device using the same, wherein the dehumidifying device according to an embodiment of the present invention is a dehumidifying device for preventing overheat of a thermoelectric element by cooling the water vapor existing in the outside air, plate; A thermoelectric element for cooling the cooling plate using a thermoelectric effect; A heat sink for dissipating heat generated by the thermoelectric elements while cooling the cooling plate; A temperature sensor for measuring a temperature of the heat sink to generate a heat sink temperature; A blowing fan for forming a flow of air through rotation and supplying the flow of the air to the heat sink to cool the heat sink; A control unit for generating a control signal for controlling the power supplied to the thermoelectric element and the blower fan using the rotation speed of the blower fan and the temperature value of the heat sink; And a power supply unit for supplying power to the blowing fan and the thermoelectric device according to the control signal.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for preventing overheating of a thermoelectric element and a dehumidifying device using the same,

The present invention relates to a method for preventing overheating of a thermoelectric element and a dehumidifying device using the same, and more particularly, to a method for preventing overheat of a thermoelectric element, .

With regard to the humidity in the air, when the humidity is high, it causes decay, corrosion and condensation, and odor and bacteria are also generated. Is required.

However, the conventional dehumidifying device is mainly composed of a refrigeration cycle using a refrigerant gas such as CFG, so that not only the environmental problems but also the complexity of the structure such as the compressor, the noise, the vibration and the power consumption are very large and the installation space is large.

Recently, a dehumidifying device using a thermoelectric effect has been utilized. The thermoelectric conversion means energy conversion between heat and electricity, and means a phenomenon in which an electromotive force is generated when a carrier inside the device moves when there is a temperature difference between both ends of the conversion device.

The thermoelectric phenomenon is caused by a Seebeck effect that obtains an electromotive force by using a temperature difference between both ends, a Peltier effect that causes cooling and heating by an electromotive force, a Thomson effect in which an electromotive force is generated by a temperature difference of a conductor, ) Effects. Here, the dehumidifying device using the thermoelectric effect can adjust the humidity by cooling the introduced air, in particular, by using the Peltier effect.

However, in the dehumidifying device using the Peltier effect, since power is continuously supplied to the thermoelectric element for dehumidification, the thermoelectric element may easily overheat and be damaged.

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2011-0066668 (June 17, 2011)

The present invention provides a method of preventing overheating of a thermoelectric element that can prevent overheating of a thermoelectric element, and a dehumidifier using the same.

The present invention also provides an air purifier including a dehumidifying device having a function of preventing overheating of a thermoelectric element.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a dehumidifying apparatus comprising: a cooling plate contacting with an incoming air to condense water vapor present in the outside air with water; A thermoelectric element for cooling the cooling plate using a thermoelectric effect; A heat sink for dissipating heat generated by the thermoelectric elements while cooling the cooling plate; A temperature sensor for measuring a temperature of the heat sink to generate a heat sink temperature; A blowing fan for forming a flow of air through rotation and supplying the flow of the air to the heat sink to cool the heat sink; A control unit for generating a control signal for controlling the power supplied to the thermoelectric element and the blower fan using the rotation speed of the blower fan and the temperature value of the heat sink; And a power supply unit for supplying power to the blowing fan and the thermoelectric device according to the control signal.

The control unit may generate a control signal for shutting off the power of the thermoelectric element and the blower fan when the temperature of the heat sink is higher than the reference temperature and the rotational speed of the blower fan is lower than the reference rotational speed.

The control unit may generate a control signal for shutting off the power supply to the thermoelectric device when the temperature of the heat sink is higher than a reference temperature and the rotational speed of the blowing fan is higher than a reference rotational speed.

Here, the controller may generate a control signal for supplying power to the thermoelectric element again when the temperature of the heat sink decreases below the restarting temperature after the thermoelectric element is turned off.

The control unit may generate a control signal for shutting off the power supply to the thermoelectric element and the blower fan when the control signal for supplying power to the thermoelectric element is repeatedly generated a predetermined number of times.

An air cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a housing including an air inlet and an air outlet; A cooling plate contacting the outside air introduced through the air inlet and condensing water vapor existing in the outside air with water; A thermoelectric element for cooling the cooling plate using a thermoelectric effect; A heat sink for dissipating heat generated by the thermoelectric elements while cooling the cooling plate; A temperature sensor for measuring a temperature of the heat sink to generate a heat sink temperature; A blowing fan for blowing the outside air into the housing through rotation and supplying the outside air to the heat sink to cool the heat sink; A filter unit for removing contaminants from outside air introduced by the blowing fan; A control unit for generating a control signal for controlling the power supplied to the thermoelectric element and the blower fan using the rotation speed of the blower fan and the temperature value of the heat sink; And a power supply unit for supplying power to the blowing fan and the thermoelectric device according to the control signal.

A method of preventing overheating of a thermoelectric element in a dehumidifier according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a thermoelectric element operation step of supplying power to a thermoelectric element; And a blower fan for shutting off the power supply to the thermoelectric element and the blower fan when the heat radiating plate of the thermoelectric element is above the reference temperature and the rotational speed of the blower fan for cooling the heat sink is below the reference rotational speed, Identification step; Closing the thermoelectric element when the temperature of the heat sink is higher than or equal to the reference temperature and the rotation speed of the blower fan is higher than the reference rotation speed; A restarting step of supplying power to the thermoelectric element again when the temperature of the heat sink drops below the restarting temperature after shutting off the power of the thermoelectric element; And a restart interrupting step of shutting off the power of the thermoelectric element and the blower fan when the thermoelectric element blocking step and the restarting step are repeated more than a predetermined number of times.

According to the method for preventing overheating of a thermoelectric element and the dehumidifying device using the same according to an embodiment of the present invention, there is no problem in operation of the blowing fan for cooling the thermoelectric element, It is possible to prevent overheating of the thermoelectric element by providing appropriate control even when the temperature rises continuously.

In addition, in connection with the prevention of overheating of the thermoelectric element, it is possible to prevent power waste due to repeated on / off repetition of the thermoelectric element and to inform the user that an abnormality has occurred in the dehumidifier, .

1 is a block diagram showing functions of a dehumidifier according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a flowchart showing a method of preventing overheat of a thermoelectric element according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in order that those skilled in the art can easily carry out the present invention. In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear. In the drawings, like reference numerals are used throughout the drawings.

In addition, in the entire specification, when a part is referred to as being 'connected' to another part, it may be referred to as 'indirectly connected' not only with 'directly connected' . Also, to "include" an element means that it may include other elements, rather than excluding other elements, unless specifically stated otherwise.

1 is a block diagram showing functions of a dehumidifier according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1, a dehumidifying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a cooling plate 10, a thermoelectric element 20, a heat sink 30, a temperature sensor 40, a blower fan 50, a controller 60 A power supply unit 70, and a display unit 80. [

Hereinafter, a dehumidifying device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

The cooling plate 10 is in contact with the incoming outside air and can condense the water vapor present in the outside air with water.

Since the cooling plate 10 is cooled by the thermoelectric element 20, the surface of the cooling plate 10 may be lower in temperature than the temperature of the introduced outside air. Therefore, the cooling plate 10 can absorb heat energy possessed by the outside air, and more specifically, can absorb heat energy possessed by the water vapor contained in the outside air. Therefore, the water vapor can condense into water on the surface of the cooling plate 10.

The condensed water can be collected using a separate water tank, and water vapor contained in the outside air is condensed and removed by water, so that the humidity of the outside air can be lowered.

The thermoelectric element 20 can cool the cooling plate 10 using the thermoelectric effect. Specifically, the thermoelectric element 20 can cause endothermic heat at one end of the thermoelectric element 20 and exothermic phenomenon at the other end using the Peltier effect among thermoelectric effects. Here, since the endothermic and the exothermic heat correspond to each other, if the endothermic heat is generated largely, the exothermic heat also increases.

As the high voltage is applied to the thermoelectric element 20, the endothermic and the invention may become larger. As the lower voltage is applied to the thermoelectric element 20, the heat absorption and the heat generation may be less. The temperature of both ends of the thermoelectric element 20 may be varied according to the amount of endothermic and exothermic heat.

1, the cooling plate 10 and the heat sink 30 may be provided at both ends of the thermoelectric element 20. In the cooling plate 10, the heat absorbed, the heat sink 30, A fever may occur.

The heat sink 30 can emit heat generated by the thermoelectric element 20 while cooling the cooling plate. As described above, the thermoelectric element 20 simultaneously exhibits endothermic and exothermic phenomena. Therefore, in order to effectively implement the dehumidifying function in the dehumidifying device using the thermoelectric element 20, it is necessary to induce the heat generation phenomenon to occur actively with the endothermic phenomenon. Therefore, the heat sink 30 may be provided at one end of the thermoelectric element 20 so that the heat generated from the heat sink 30 may be actively generated. Further, the heat sink 30 may be connected to the heat sink 30 using a blowing fan 50 So that the heat radiation in the heat sink 30 can be more easily generated.

If the cooling of the heat sink 30 and the heat sink 30 is not properly performed, the thermoelectric transducer 20 may be overheated and the thermoelectric transducer 20 may be damaged. Therefore, the cooling of the heat sink 30 and the heat sink 30 is important in the dehumidifying device using the thermoelectric element 20.

The temperature sensor 40 may measure the temperature of the heat sink 30 to generate a heat sink temperature value. The temperature sensor 40 may be located at or near the heat radiating plate 30 to measure the temperature and may transmit the measured temperature value to the controller 60 as a heat sink temperature value.

Here, the temperature sensor 40 may be any type as long as it generally measures the temperature of the dehumidifying device.

The blowing fan 50 forms a flow of air through the rotation and can supply the flow of the air to the heat sink 30 to cool the heat sink 30. The air blowing fan 50 may include a motor for rotating the blowing fan 50. The air blowing fan 50 may include a motor for rotating the blowing fan 50, That is, the intensity of the wind. The degree of cooling of the heat sink 30 may vary depending on the intensity of wind supplied by the blowing fan 50.

The blowing fan 50 can transmit the rotational speed of the motor or the rotational speed of the blowing fan 50 to the controller 60. The control unit 60 can determine whether the blower fan 50 can cool the heat sink 30 properly by using the rotational speed of the blower fan 50. [

The control unit 60 can generate a control signal for controlling the power supplied to the thermoelectric element 20 and the blowing fan 50 by using the rotational speed of the blowing fan 50 and the temperature value of the heat sink plate 50 .

The control unit 60 first compares the heat sink temperature value with a reference temperature to determine whether the thermoelectric device 20 is overheated. If the temperature of the heat sink is higher than the reference temperature, it can be determined that the thermoelectric element 20 is overheated.

If it is determined that the thermoelectric element 20 is overheated, it can be determined whether or not the blowing fan 50 is operating properly. Since the ventilation fan 50 functions to cool the heat sink 30, the thermoelectric module 20 may overheat if the ventilation fan 50 does not operate properly.

The normal operation of the blowing fan 50 can be determined by comparing the rotational speed of the blowing fan 50 received from the blowing fan 50 with the reference rotational speed. If the rotational speed of the blowing fan 50 is less than the reference rotational speed, it can be determined that the blowing fan 50 is abnormal. The fact that the rotational speed of the blowing fan 50 is lower than the reference rotational speed means that the rotation of the blowing fan 50 is too slow to cool the heat sink 30 properly.

Therefore, in order to prevent overheating of the thermoelectric element 20 and thereby breakage of the thermoelectric element 20, the control unit 60 stops the supply of power to the thermoelectric element 20 and the blower fan 50, Can generate a control signal. The control signal generated by the controller 60 is transmitted to the power supply unit 70 so that the power supply unit 70 can stop the power supply to the thermoelectric element 20 and the blower fan 50. [

Here, stopping the supply of power to the thermoelectric element 20 and the blowing fan 50 can be regarded as stopping the dehumidifying function of the dehumidifying device to prevent the thermoelectric element 20 from overheating.

In addition, the controller 60 may generate a control signal indicating that the dehumidifying function can not be performed due to an error in the blowing fan 50, and may transmit the control signal to the display unit 80 . According to the control signal, the display unit 80 may notify the user of the operation using light, sound, or the like.

If it is determined that the thermoelectric element 20 is overheated and the rotation speed of the blower fan 50 is higher than the reference rotation speed, the power supply to the thermoelectric element 20 is interrupted, Can be prevented from being overheated.

In this case, since there is no abnormality in the blowing fan 50, it can be considered that the thermoelectric element 20 is not properly cooled due to another cause.

For example, when the inlet or outlet of the dehumidifying device is temporarily blocked, the blowing fan 50 normally operates, but the blowing fan 50 can not provide a sufficient amount of air to the heat sink 30 The cooling of the thermoelectric element 20 can not be performed properly.

If the temperature of the heat sink is lower than the restarting temperature after the interruption of the supply of the thermoelectric elements 20, So that power can be supplied to the thermoelectric element 20.

However, if the blowing fan 50 operates normally but the thermoelectric element 20 is overheated continuously and repeatedly, the power of the thermoelectric element 20 and the blowing fan 50 is cut off The control unit 60 can generate a control signal and generate a control signal indicating that the display unit 80 indicates that the thermoelectric element 20 is overheating and inform the user of the control signal.

For example, even if the inlet or the outlet is blocked and the cooling of the heat sink 30 can not be performed properly, the supply and interruption of the power supply to the thermoelectric transducer 20 may be continuously repeated, . Therefore, in this case, it may be preferable that power is not supplied to the thermoelectric element 20 even if the temperature of the heat sink exceeds the restarting temperature.

Therefore, the dehumidifying function of the dehumidifying device is interrupted by turning off the power supply to the thermoelectric element 20 and the blowing fan 50, and instead, the user is informed by the display unit 80 that there is a problem in the inlet or the outlet .

The power supply unit 70 can supply power to the blowing fan 50 and the thermoelectric element 20 in accordance with the control signal. The power supply unit 70 may receive a control signal from the controller 60 to adjust power supply to the thermoelectric element 20 and the blower fan 50.

The power supply unit 70 may be a switch mode power supply (SMPS), converts a commercial power supply of the supplied alternating current to generate a correct supply voltage to the thermoelectric conversion unit 20, Can be applied to the device (20). The amount of dehumidification of the thermoelectric element 20 may vary depending on the magnitude of the supply voltage applied from the power supply unit 70.

The display unit 80 can visually or audibly indicate the operating state of the dehumidifier. The display unit 80 may be an LCD, an LED, or the like, and may include a speaker. The display unit 80 may indicate whether the thermoelectric element 20 is overheated or overheated according to a control signal of the controller 60. [

2 is a flowchart showing a method of preventing overheat of a thermoelectric element according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, a thermoelectric device overheat prevention method according to an embodiment of the present invention includes steps of operating a thermoelement (S10), a blowing fan checking step (S20), a thermoelectric element blocking step (S30) And a restart restart step S50.

In the thermoelectric element operation step (S10), power can be supplied to the thermoelectric element. First, power is supplied to the thermoelectric element, so that heat can be generated in the heat sink and the heat sink in the cooling plate. By the operation of the thermoelectric element, the cooling plate is cooled and moisture in the external air introduced can be removed.

As shown in FIG. 2, it is possible to set one variable Error check before supplying power to the thermoelectric element to set it to zero. The variable Error Check can be utilized in the control relating to the power supply of the thermoelectric element thereafter.

In the blowing fan checking step S20, when the heat radiating plate of the thermoelectric element is higher than the reference temperature (T standard) and the rotating speed of the blowing fan for cooling the heat radiating plate is lower than the reference rotating speed, the power of the thermoelectric element and the blowing fan is shut off And it is possible to indicate that there is an abnormality in the blowing fan.

The thermoelectric element is overheated when the temperature of the heat radiating plate of the thermoelectric element is higher than the reference temperature (T standard). If the rotational speed of the blowing fan is lower than the reference rotational speed, The power of the thermoelectric element and the blowing fan may be cut off to temporarily stop the dehumidifying function of the dehumidifying device. At this time, it is possible to notify the user of the abnormality of the blowing fan by using light, sound, or the like.

The temperature of the heat dissipation plate (T heat dissipation) can be measured by a general temperature sensor, and the rotational speed of the blowing fan can be input from a motor that rotates the blowing fan.

In the step S30 of cutting off the thermoelectric element, if the temperature of the heat radiating plate (T heat radiation) is equal to or higher than the reference temperature (T reference) and the rotational speed of the blowing fan is equal to or higher than the reference rotational speed, have.

If the thermoelectric element is overheated and there is no abnormality in the blowing fan, only the power of the thermoelectric element can be shut off at one time. Since the cooling of the thermoelectric element is performed by the blowing fan, it can be considered that there is no problem in cooling the thermoelectric element as long as the blowing fan operates properly. Since the heating of the thermoelectric element is only a temporary phenomenon, it is possible to stop the power supply to the thermoelectric element once to cool the thermoelectric element, and then, when the thermoelectric element is sufficiently cooled, have.

In the restarting step S40, when the temperature of the heat sink (T heat radiation) falls below the restarting temperature (T restart) after the power supply of the thermoelectric element is turned off, the power can be supplied again to the thermoelectric element.

As described above, if the temperature of the heat sink (T heat radiation) drops below the restarting temperature (T restart), the thermoelectric element is sufficiently cooled to restart, so the power is again supplied to the thermoelectric element to perform the dehumidification function again can do.

At this time, 1 can be added to the variable Error check. That is, each time the power supply of the thermoelectric element is interrupted and restarted again, one can be added to the variable Error check. Through this, it is possible to confirm how many times the thermoelectric element is restarted.

In the restart operation stop step (S50), if the thermoelectric element blocking step and the restarting step are repeated a predetermined number of times or more, the power of the thermoelectric element and the blowing fan can be cut off and displayed.

Here, the preset number of times may be five. The variable Error check may be incremented by 1 each time the thermoelectric element is restarted. Therefore, when the variable Error check is 5, the power supply to the thermoelectric element may not be resumed.

It is preferable to notify the user of the problem in the dehumidifying device while stopping the dehumidifying function of the dehumidifying device rather than supplying the power to the thermoelectric device again because the thermostat is overheated continuously have. Accordingly, the power supply to the thermoelectric element and the blower fan is interrupted, and the user can be informed of the problem of the use of the dehumidifier by using light, sound, or the like.

Although not shown, there may be an air purifier including a dehumidifying device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The air cleaner may include a housing, a cooling plate, a thermoelectric element, a heat sink, a temperature sensor, a blower fan, a filter unit, a control unit, and a power supply unit.

The cooling plate, the thermoelectric element, the heat sink, the temperature sensor, the blower fan, the filter unit, the control unit, and the power supply unit included in the air purifier according to the embodiment of the present invention are similar to those described above.

The filter unit can remove contaminants in the air introduced by the blowing fan. The introduced air can pass through a plurality of filters constituting the filter portion. In the process of passing the introduced air through the plurality of filters, contaminants such as dust existing in the air can be adsorbed to the filter. Therefore, the inflow air can be purified through removal of contaminants while passing through the filter unit. The filter unit may perform functions such as deodorization and sterilization in addition to dust removal.

The housing constitutes the external shape of the air cleaner and may include an air inlet and an air outlet. External air can be introduced into the air cleaner through the air inlet, and the introduced external air can be purified, dehumidified, and discharged through the air outlet. Here, the inflow of outside air into the air inlet and the discharge of outside air to the air outlet may be performed by the air flow formed by the blowing fan.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and the accompanying drawings. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims, .

10: cooling plate 20: thermoelectric element
30: heat sink 40: temperature sensor
50: blower fan 60:
70: power supply unit 80: display unit
S10: thermoelectric element operation step S20: blowing fan identification step
S30: thermoelectric element breaking step S40: restarting step
S50: Step to stop restart

Claims (7)

A cooling plate contacting with the incoming external air to condense the water vapor existing in the external air with water;
A thermoelectric element for cooling the cooling plate using a thermoelectric effect;
A heat sink for dissipating heat generated by the thermoelectric elements while cooling the cooling plate;
A temperature sensor for measuring a temperature of the heat sink to generate a heat sink temperature;
A blowing fan for forming a flow of air through rotation and supplying the flow of the air to the heat sink to cool the heat sink;
A control unit for generating a control signal for controlling the power supplied to the thermoelectric element and the blower fan using the rotation speed of the blower fan and the temperature value of the heat sink; And
And a power supply unit for supplying power to the blower fan and the thermoelectric device according to the control signal,
The control unit
Generating a control signal for shutting off the power of the thermoelectric element when the temperature of the heat sink is higher than a reference temperature and the rotation speed of the blower fan is higher than a reference rotation speed,
And generates a control signal for supplying power to the thermoelectric element again when the temperature of the heat sink plate drops below the restarting temperature after the power of the thermoelectric element is cut off,
And a control signal for shutting off the power supply of the thermoelectric element and the blower fan when the control signal for supplying power to the thermoelectric element is repeatedly generated a predetermined number of times.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control unit
And a control signal for shutting off the power supply of the thermoelectric element and the blower fan when the temperature of the heat sink is higher than the reference temperature and the rotational speed of the blower fan is lower than the reference rotational speed.
delete delete delete A housing including an air inlet and an air outlet;
A cooling plate contacting the outside air introduced through the air inlet and condensing water vapor existing in the outside air with water;
A thermoelectric element for cooling the cooling plate using a thermoelectric effect;
A heat sink for dissipating heat generated by the thermoelectric elements while cooling the cooling plate;
A temperature sensor for measuring a temperature of the heat sink to generate a heat sink temperature;
A blowing fan for blowing the outside air into the housing through rotation and supplying the outside air to the heat sink to cool the heat sink;
A filter unit for removing contaminants from outside air introduced by the blowing fan;
A control unit for generating a control signal for controlling the power supplied to the thermoelectric element and the blower fan using the rotation speed of the blower fan and the temperature value of the heat sink; And
And a power supply unit for supplying power to the blower fan and the thermoelectric device according to the control signal,
The control unit
Generating a control signal for shutting off the power of the thermoelectric element when the temperature of the heat sink is higher than a reference temperature and the rotation speed of the blower fan is higher than a reference rotation speed,
And generates a control signal for supplying power to the thermoelectric element again when the temperature of the heat sink plate drops below the restarting temperature after the power of the thermoelectric element is cut off,
And generates a control signal for shutting off the power supply to the thermoelectric element and the blower fan when a control signal for supplying power to the thermoelectric element is repeatedly generated a predetermined number of times.
A thermoelectric element operation step of supplying power to the thermoelectric element;
And a blower fan for shutting off the power supply to the thermoelectric element and the blower fan when the heat radiating plate of the thermoelectric element is above the reference temperature and the rotational speed of the blower fan for cooling the heat sink is below the reference rotational speed, Identification step;
Closing the thermoelectric element when the temperature of the heat sink is higher than or equal to the reference temperature and the rotation speed of the blower fan is higher than the reference rotation speed;
A restarting step of supplying power to the thermoelectric element again when the temperature of the heat sink drops below the restarting temperature after shutting off the power of the thermoelectric element; And
And stopping the power supply to the thermoelectric element and the blower fan when the thermoelectric element blocking step and the restarting step are repeated more than a predetermined number of times.

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