KR101909792B1 - Thermoelectric generator and thermoelectric generator system including harvesting module array for thermal energy harvesting and reconfiguration method for harvesting module array - Google Patents

Abstract

A harvesting module array attached to a radiator of the vehicle and including a plurality of harvesting modules for converting thermal energy of the radiator into electric energy, and an electrical connection of switches connected to each of the plurality of harvesting modules, And a switch unit for reconfiguring the thermoelectric generator and the thermoelectric generator system.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a thermoelectric generator including a harvesting module array for thermal energy harvesting, a thermoelectric generator system, and a method for reconstructing a harvesting module array. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0002]

The following embodiments are directed to a thermoelectric generator, a thermoelectric generator system, and a method of reconstructing a harvesting module array, including a harvesting module array for thermal energy harvesting.

As an electric vehicle, internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEV) that do not have regenerative braking characteristics can have an energy conversion efficiency of 30% or less. The energy that is wasted in energy conversion can be mostly lost in the form of heat. Various techniques related to high-capacity radiators and coolant pumps have been developed to overcome excessive heat generation, but the recycling of heat energy has not been a major aspect of vehicle design. Thermal energy scavenging from the exhaust system has been studied previously, but altering the thermodynamics of the exhaust system can cause vehicle performance degradation and emissions problems. Thus, there is a need for a method of recycling thermal energy that does not alter the thermodynamics of the exhaust system.

According to one embodiment, all of the harvesting modules are placed at their maximum power point (MPP) or near the maximum power point under the temperature of the dynamically changing hot-side, the temperature of the coolant and the flow rate of the coolant The harvesting module array can be reconfigured to operate.

According to one embodiment, it is possible to provide a thermoelectric generator and a thermoelectric generator system that can maximize the output without affecting the performance of the vehicle and the thermodynamics of the exhaust system.

According to an embodiment, it is possible to provide a thermoelectric generator and a thermoelectric generator system that exhibit optimum efficiency irrespective of a temperature distribution that varies dynamically according to driving conditions of a vehicle.

According to one aspect, a thermoelectric generator includes a harvesting module array including a plurality of harvesting modules attached to a radiator of a vehicle to convert thermal energy of the radiator into electrical energy; And a switch portion for reconfiguring an electrical connection of switches connected to each of the plurality of harvesting modules based on the temperature distribution of the plurality of harvesting modules.

The switch portion may reconfigure the electrical connection of the switches such that each of the plurality of harvest modules operates at a maximum power point with respect to temperature.

Wherein the switch unit comprises: a parallel switch for connecting the harvesting modules in parallel to form harvesting module groups; And a serial switch for connecting the harvesting module groups in series to constitute the harvesting module array.

Each of the harvesting modules includes an upper ceramic attached to a heat sink of the radiator; And a lower ceramic attached to the radiator fins of the radiator.

Each of the harvesting modules may convert the temperature difference between the upper ceramic and the lower ceramic into the electrical energy.

According to one aspect, a thermoelectric generator system includes a thermoelectric generator including a harvesting module array including a plurality of harvesting modules for harvesting the thermal energy of a radiator of a vehicle and switches for reconfiguring the electrical connection of the harvesting module array; A controller for controlling the switches based on a spatial temperature variation of the vehicle radiator to obtain an optimum harvesting module array configuration in which the plurality of harvesting modules output maximum power; And a charger for setting the operating point of the harvesting module array such that the harvesting module array achieves maximum output power.

Wherein the thermoelectric generator includes the plurality of harvesting modules attached to a radiator of the vehicle and converting the thermal energy of the radiator into electrical energy; And a switch portion for reconfiguring an electrical connection of the switches connected to each of the plurality of harvesting modules.

Each of the harvesting modules includes an upper ceramic attached to a heat sink of the radiator; And a lower ceramic attached to a radiator pin of the radiator, wherein the temperature difference between the upper ceramic and the lower ceramic can be converted into electric energy.

The control unit may reconfigure the electrical connection of the switches such that each of the plurality of harvesting modules operates at a maximum power point according to temperature.

The switches including a parallel switch connecting the harvesting modules in parallel to form harvesting module groups; And a serial switch for connecting the harvesting module groups in series to constitute the harvesting module array.

The controller may calculate an optimal harvesting module array according to the spatial temperature change and an operating point according to the configuration of the optimal harvesting module array.

The thermoelectric generator system may further include a battery and the controller may determine the charge current of the battery according to the operating point according to the configuration of the optimal harvesting module array.

Wherein the thermoelectric generator system further comprises a receiver for receiving a temperature profile indicative of a temperature distribution in accordance with the spatial temperature change and wherein the controller is operable to determine a maximum power point voltage and a maximum power point of each harvesting module in the harvesting module array, The maximum output power of the harvesting module array can be estimated based on the point current.

The controller may periodically update the configuration of the optimal harvesting module array.

According to one aspect, a method for reconstructing a harvesting module array includes receiving temperature profiles along a spatial temperature change of a radiator of a vehicle, wherein the number of temperature profiles corresponds to a number of harvesting modules included in the harvesting module array; Computing a maximum power point current according to the number of harvesting modules included in the reference harvesting module group of the harvesting module array based on the temperature profiles; Determining the number of harvesting modules included in the harvesting module group such that the maximum power point currents of the harvesting module groups of the harvesting module array correspond to the maximum power point current of the reference harvesting module group; And maximum power point currents of the reference harvesting module group and remaining harvesting modules not included in the reference harvesting module group and the corresponding harvesting module groups, And reconstructing the harvesting module array.

The temperature of the harvesting modules located at the inlet of the radiator may be higher than the temperature of the harvesting modules located at the outlet of the radiator.

The reference harvesting module group includes at least one harvesting module located at an inlet of the radiator, and the corresponding harvesting module groups may be determined in the order of adjacent to the reference harvesting module group.

Wherein the step of determining the number of harvesting modules included in the harvesting module group includes calculating a minimum number of harvesting modules in the harvesting module group such that a maximum power point current of the harvesting module group is equal to or greater than a maximum power point current of the reference harvesting module group Based on the result of the determination.

Wherein reconfiguring the harvesting module array comprises: creating a new harvesting module group consisting of the remaining harvesting modules; Including the remaining harvesting modules in at least one of the harvesting module groups; And bypassing the remaining harvesting modules.

According to one aspect, the harvesting module array can be reconfigured such that all of the harvesting modules operate at their maximum power point (MPP) or near the maximum power point under the temperature of the dynamically changing heat sink, the temperature of the coolant, and the flow rate of the coolant.

According to one aspect, it is possible to provide a thermoelectric generator and a thermoelectric generator system that can maximize the output without affecting the performance of the vehicle and the thermodynamics of the exhaust system.

According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a thermoelectric generator and a thermoelectric generator system that exhibit optimum efficiency irrespective of a temperature distribution that varies dynamically according to driving conditions of a vehicle.

1 is an operational schematic diagram of a radiator and harvest module of a vehicle with an array of harvesting modules according to an embodiment;
2 is a graph illustrating voltage-current (VI) and voltage-power (VP) characteristics of a thermoelectric generator module according to one embodiment.
3 shows a harvesting module array attached to an S-shaped radiator fin according to one embodiment.
Figure 4 shows a harvesting module array with a fixed electrical connection attached to a radiator.
5 is a view for explaining a reason why a loss occurs in the output power of the harvesting modules due to the temperature change of the radiator heat radiating unit according to an embodiment.
6 is a diagram illustrating a structure of a thermoelectric generator including a reconfigurable harvesting module array according to one embodiment;
Figure 7 illustrates various configurations of a reconfigurable harvesting module array including a plurality of harvesting modules in accordance with one embodiment.
8 illustrates a structure of a thermoelectric generator system according to an embodiment.
9 illustrates a numeric code of an algorithm that illustrates a method for reconstructing a harvesting module array in accordance with one embodiment;
10 illustrates a structure of a reconstructed harvesting module array for a plurality of harvesting modules to operate at a maximum power point in accordance with one embodiment;
11 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for reconstructing a harvesting module array in accordance with one embodiment.

In the following, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Like reference symbols in the drawings denote like elements.

Various modifications may be made to the embodiments described below. It is to be understood that the embodiments described below are not intended to limit the embodiments, but include all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives to them.

The terms used in the examples are used only to illustrate specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the embodiments. The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this specification, the terms "comprises" or "having" and the like refer to the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof, But do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this embodiment belongs. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries are to be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the contextual meaning of the related art and are to be interpreted as either ideal or overly formal in the sense of the present application Do not.

In the following description of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals regardless of the reference numerals, and redundant explanations thereof will be omitted. In the following description of the embodiments, a detailed description of related arts will be omitted if it is determined that the gist of the embodiments may be unnecessarily blurred.

1 is an operational schematic diagram of a radiator and harvesting module of a vehicle with an array of harvesting modules according to one embodiment. Referring to FIG. 1, an operation is shown in which an air flow through a radiator pin of a radiator 110 with a harvesting module array 120 dissipates heat from a coolant.

A cooling system for an internal combustion engine vehicle (ICEV) is one of the essential vehicle components to maintain the desired engine temperature. The Carnot Limit describes the theoretical limitations of the internal combustion engine, but generally about one-third of its annual consumption is wasted in the form of heat. Half of the heat generated by the internal combustion engine must pass through the engine cooling system, which can lead to additional energy consumption to release heat.

The radiator 110 is a major component of a cooling system for heat exchange. The cooling water passes through the inner engine block to transfer the heat to the inner tank, which is dispersed to the surrounding air through the radiator fan. The airflow passing through the radiator fins and provided by the radiator fan can dissipate the heat from the coolant as shown in Figure 1 (a). The harvesting module array 120 is attached to the radiator 110 of the vehicle and includes a plurality of harvesting modules (the harvesting module 130 of FIG. 1 (b)) for converting the heat energy of the radiator into electric energy, ). ≪ / RTI >

The main function of automotive radiators is to release extra heat from the internal engine block into the atmosphere to ensure that the engine operates at the optimum temperature. In one embodiment, the cooling water in the tube, a finned-tube heat exchanger having cross-flow air, can be used as the radiator 110. The radiator 110 according to one embodiment can be used, for example, to: i) dissipate heat only through the radiator, ii) coolant flow in the coolant tube is distributed evenly through the radiator, and coolant flows completely through the tube And iii) both fluids (e.g., cooling water and ambient air) are considered incompressible flows and are not mixed at any intersection between paths.

In one embodiment, the number of heat transfer units (NTU) may be used to determine the efficiency of the radiator 110 as a heat exchanger. The heat transfer unit number method may include three non-dimensional parameters calculated including the number of heat transfer units (NTU), the heat exchange efficiency (?), And the heat capacity ratio (C _r ).

The heat capacity ratio C _r of the radiator 110 can be defined as shown in Equation (1) below.

Where C _min equals the minimum value between C _a and C _c and C _max equals the maximum value between C _a and C _c . C _a and C _c represent the heat capacity rates of the ambient atmosphere and the cooling water, respectively, and can be calculated by the following equations (2) and (3).

As shown in FIG. 1, m _a represents the air flow rate of ambient air, and m _c represents the coolant flow rate. c _{p, a} is the specific heat capacity of the ambient air, and c _{p, c} is the specific heat capacity of the coolant.

The number of heat transfer units can be used to analyze the heat exchanger, i. E., The radiator 110, and can be defined as: " (4) "

Here, U represents a heat transfer coefficient, and A represents a surface area of the radiator 110. An unmixed quantum intersection type may be used as the flow arrangement type of the heat exchanger according to one embodiment.

The heat exchanger effectiveness (?) Of the radiator 110 can be obtained by the following equation (5).

The maximum possible heat transfer rate (Q _max ) for the radiator 110 can be defined as: " (6) "

Here, T _{c, in} and T _{a, in} Represents the inlet temperature of the coolant and the inlet temperature of the ambient atmosphere.

The actual heat transfer rate Q of the radiator 110 can be determined by the heat exchange coefficient? Of the radiator 110 and the maximum possible heat transfer rate Q _max as shown in Equation (7) below.

The outlet temperature (T _{c, out} ) of the coolant can be obtained as shown in Equation (8).

The outlet temperature (Ta _{, out} ) of the ambient atmosphere can be calculated as shown in Equation (9).

The temperature profile (T _pf ) along the radiator fins of the radiator 110 can be obtained by the following equation (10).

Where A _var is the average surface area of the radiator 110 and may be an area vector for partial temperature derivation. The temperature profile T _pf may be a vector having the same dimensions as the average surface area A _var of the radiator 110.

The harvesting module array 120 may include a plurality of harvesting modules 130. The harvesting module 130 is a device that directly converts the thermal energy of the radiator into electric energy. The harvesting module 130 may also be referred to as a " thermoelectric generator (TEG) module ". A plurality of harvesting modules 130 may be coupled to the vehicle radiator in the form of a harvesting module array 120.

What is important in harvesting the heat energy of the radiator is that all of the harvesting modules 130 included in the harvesting module array coupled to the radiator can operate at the maximum power point.

In general, the surface temperature of the radiator may gradually decrease progressively from the inlet to the outlet. Also, the temperature difference between the inlet and outlet of the radiator can reach 60 degrees in the summer. The temperature distribution of the radiator can change dynamically depending on the driving conditions of the vehicle.

Due to the dynamically changing temperature distribution, each of the harvesting modules 130 attached to the radiator is hard to have the same hot-side temperature. Further, when the harvesting modules 130 having different heat sink temperatures have a fixed connection structure, each of the harvesting modules 130 is difficult to operate at the maximum power point (MPP). Here, the maximum power point can be understood as the maximum value of the output power.

In one embodiment, each of the harvesting modules 130 may be operated at a maximum power point through reconstruction of the harvesting modules 130 under the temperature of the dynamically varying coolant and the flow rate of the coolant. To this end, in one embodiment, a reconfiguration algorithm with the best polynomial time complexity for a given coolant flow rate, inlet temperature, air flow (vehicle speed) and ambient temperature may be used. The reconstruction algorithm will be described later.

The structure of the harvesting module 130 is as follows.

The harvesting modules 130 may be attached to the radiator fins in the direction of the outlet from the inlet of the radiator. The harvesting module 130 may include an upper ceramic 131 and a lower ceramic 133. The upper ceramic 131 and the lower ceramic 133 may correspond to thermoelectric materials. In addition, the harvesting module 130 may further include internal pellets and peripheral circuits, not shown. Internal pellets and peripheral circuits can be utilized to create electrical energy from the temperature difference of both ceramics.

The upper ceramic 131 may be attached to (one end of) a heat sink 150 of the radiator. At this time, the other end of the radiating plate 150 of the radiator can be exposed to the atmosphere. The heat sink 150 of the radiator is attached to the upper ceramic of the harvesting module 130 and may be exposed to an atmosphere of, for example, about 10 [deg.] C in a vehicle running test.

The lower ceramic 133 may be attached to the radiator fins 170 of the radiator. The lower ceramic 133 is attached to the assigned location of the radiator fins 170 and can operate at the temperature condition of that location. Also, the hot side of the harvesting module 130 may be in contact with the coolant of the radiator, and the cool sides of the harvesting module 130 may be in contact with ambient air. According to one embodiment, the amount of thermal energy harvested by the harvesting modules 130 attached to the vehicle radiator can be maximized.

The harvesting module 130 according to an embodiment may convert the temperature difference between the upper ceramic 131 and the lower ceramic 133 into electrical energy.

In one embodiment, if the heat sink 150 of the radiator and the ambient air have the same temperature, or if the ambient air flow (corresponding to the normal operating state of the vehicle radiator) is fast enough, The output energy E _teg can be estimated by the following equation (11).

는 수확 모듈(130)이 부착된 영역(부분)에 대응하는 라디에이터 핀의 온도를, T_amb 는 대기 온도를 나타낸다. N_cpl 는 수확 모듈들의 개수를 나타낸다.Here,? Is a Seebeck coefficient,

_Represents the temperature of the radiator fin corresponding to the area (portion) to which the harvesting module 130 is attached, and T _amb represents the atmospheric temperature. N _cpl represents the number of harvesting modules.

The current I _teg and the power P _teg when the harvesting module 130 has the output energy E _teg can be obtained through the following equations (12) and (13), respectively.

Here, R _teg represents the resistance of the harvesting module 130.

Here, R _load represents the load resistance of the harvesting module 130.

According to one embodiment, thermal energy harvesting of the radiator may be accomplished by a harvesting module 130 having a much lower room temperature. One harvesting module 130 is difficult to generate sufficient voltage and current. A plurality of harvesting modules 130 may be connected in a serial and parallel array configuration, such as, for example, the harvesting module array 120. A single power converter may be connected to both ends of the harvesting modules 130 connected in series and in parallel.

)와 대기 온도(T_amb) 간의 온도 차(

) 하에서 수확 모듈의 전압(V) 대 전류(I) 간의 관계를 나타낸 그래프 (a) 및 수확 모듈의 전압(V) 대 전력(P) 간의 관계를 나타낸 그래프 (b)가 도시된다. 2 is a graph illustrating voltage-current (VI) and voltage-power (VP) output characteristics of a harvesting module according to one embodiment. 2, the temperature of the radiator fin corresponding to the area (portion) to which the harvesting module according to one embodiment is attached

) And the ambient temperature (T _amb ) (

(B) showing the relationship between the voltage (V) and the current (I) of the harvesting module under the condition of the harvesting module (a) and the voltage (V)

The black dots (●) in the graph (a) represent the maximum power points (MPP) of the harvesting module at each temperature difference. In graph (a), the maximum power points (MPP) of the harvesting module are found to increase as the temperature difference increases.

The black dot in the graph (b) represents the maximum output power achieved by the harvesting module according to each temperature difference, and corresponds to the black dot shown in the graph (a). In graph (b), the larger the temperature difference, the larger the maximum output power.

)와 대기 온도(T_amb) 간의 온도 차에 따른 최대 전력점 또는 최대 전력점 부근에서 동작하도록 함으로써 수확 모듈 어레이의 출력 전력을 향상시킬 수 있다. In one embodiment, the harvesting modules all have a temperature difference of each of the harvesting modules, i. E. The temperature of the radiator fin corresponding to the portion to which each harvesting module is attached

) And the ambient temperature (T _amb ), the output power of the harvesting module array can be improved by operating at the maximum power point or near the maximum power point.

FIG. 3 illustrates a harvest module array 300 attached to an S-shaped radiator fin in accordance with one embodiment. In one embodiment, a vehicle radiator having an S-shaped radiator pin model may be used. At this time, a plurality of (for example, N) harvesting modules 310 constituting the harvesting module array 300 may be attached to S-shaped radiator pins as shown in FIG.

)의 수확 모듈에서의 라디에이터 핀의 온도는

이고, 전술한 [수학식 10]을 통해 구할 수 있다. At this time, the i-th position (

) The temperature of the radiator pin in the harvesting module is

, And can be obtained through the above-described expression (10).

일 수 있다. Thus, the temperature difference between the bottom ceramic and the top ceramic of the TEGi harvesting module at the i-th position

Lt; / RTI >

및 온도 차이

는 점차 감소할 수 있다. The temperature of the radiator pin along the radiator pin, from the cooling water inlet to the outlet

And temperature difference

Can be gradually decreased.

Figure 4 shows a harvesting module array having a fixed electrical connection attached to a radiator. Referring to FIG. 4, the harvesting module array 410 may have a fixed electrical connection between a plurality of harvesting modules 415. The harvesting modules in the same row in the harvesting module array 410 may be connected in parallel, and the columns of the harvesting modules may be connected in series.

Ideally, if all of the harvesting modules 415 included in the harvesting module array 410 are simultaneously operating at the maximum power point, then the harvesting module array 410 may calculate the sum of the powers of the maximum power points of each of the harvesting modules 415 The maximum output power can be achieved.

However, due to temperature changes of the radiator fins in which the harvesting modules 415 are located, the maximum power points of these harvesting modules 415 may be different. The harvesting modules 415 of the harvesting module array 410 having the fixed electrical connections as shown in Fig. 4 will operate out of their maximum power point. Thus, the harvesting module array 410 may experience severe output power loss.

5 is a view for explaining a reason why a loss occurs in the output power of the harvesting modules due to the temperature change of the radiator heat radiating part according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 5 (a), there is shown a graph showing the temperature difference between the inlet and the outlet of the radiator by time. The cooling water flow between the inlet and outlet of the radiator may be delayed (e.g., by about 30 seconds), resulting in a temperature difference between the inlet and outlet of the radiator. The flow rate of the cooling water may have a correlation with, for example, the engine RPM (Revolution Per Minute) of the vehicle, the vehicle speed and the engine temperature.

Since the cooling water is gradually cooled through the radiator, a distribution in which the temperature is gradually lowered between the inlet and the outlet of the radiator may appear. The temperature of the harvesting modules located at the inlet of the radiator may be higher than the temperature of the harvesting modules located at the outlet of the radiator. The temperature difference between the inlet and outlet of the radiator can be, for example, up to 65 ° C.

5 (b) and 5 (c), when the harvesting modules A, B, C, D and E attached to different positions of the radiator pins are connected to each other in parallel and in series The voltage-current output characteristic according to the temperature change of the radiator pin is shown.

5 (b) and 5 (c), the radiator pin temperature at each position of the harvesting modules A, B, C, D, and E gradually decreases from harvesting module A to harvesting module E. Can be seen. At this point, the maximum power point of the harvesting modules A, B, C, D, and E may be placed on line 510 or line 520.

Assuming that the harvesting modules A, B, C, D and E are connected in parallel and the charger 530 sets the output voltage to _Vo as shown in Figure 5 (b), the harvesting modules A, B , C, D, and E) may be indicated by dashed line 515. [ The currents of the harvesting modules A, B, C, D, and E, when connected to the harvesting modules A, B, C, D and E in parallel, And E), and the voltages of the harvesting modules A, B, C, D, and E may be set to the same value.

In Figure 5 (b), the operating point of harvest module B is located on line 510, so that harvest module B can operate at the maximum power point. Also, the output voltage V _o of the charger 530 The open circuit voltage of the harvesting module E is equal to the output voltage V _o of the charger 530 . Therefore, the harvesting module E consumes power instead of producing electricity. 5 (b), the open circuit voltage of the harvesting module E is equal to the output voltage V _o of the charger 530 The voltages of the harvesting modules A, B, C, D, and E may be lost by the harvesting module E.

Similarly, the harvesting module as shown in Fig. 5 (c) and (A, B, C, D and E) are connected in series, assuming that the charger 530 is set the output current I _o, the harvesting module (A, B, C, D, and E) may be represented by the dashed line 525. [ When the harvesting modules A, B, C, D and E are connected in series, the currents of the harvesting modules have the same value, and the voltage of the harvesting modules can be set to the sum of the voltages of the harvesting modules .

In Figure 5 (c), the operating point of the harvesting module C is located on line 525, so that the harvesting module C can operate at the maximum power point. Under the output current I _o of the charger 530, the open circuit current of the harvesting module E is lower than the output current I _o of the charger 530. Therefore, the harvesting module E consumes power instead of producing electricity. In Figure 5 (c), the open circuit current of the harvesting module E is equal to the output current I _o of the charger 530 The current of the harvesting modules may be lost by the harvesting module E.

6 is a diagram illustrating a structure of a thermoelectric generator including a reconfigurable harvesting module array according to an embodiment. Referring to FIG. 6, the structure of a reconfigurable harvesting module array of a thermoelectric generator 600 according to one embodiment and the electrical connections of harvesting modules are shown.

The thermoelectric generator 600 according to one embodiment may include switches (not shown) connected to each of the harvesting modules 631, 633, 635 to overcome the output power loss of the harvesting module array 630 due to spatial temperature changes in the radiator 651, 653, 655 can be reconfigured.

The thermoelectric generator 600 includes a harvesting module array 630 and a switch portion 650.

The harvesting module array 630 includes a plurality of harvesting modules 631, 633, 635 attached to a radiator 610 of the vehicle to convert the thermal energy of the radiator into electrical energy.

The switch unit 650 is connected to the switches 651, 653 and 655 connected to the plurality of harvesting modules 631, 633 and 635, respectively, based on the temperature distribution of the plurality of harvesting modules 631, 633 and 635 Reconfigure electrical connections. The switch unit 650 can reconfigure the electrical connection of the switches 651, 653, and 655 based on the temperature distribution of the heat dissipation units of the dynamically changing harvesting modules 631, 633, and 635. The switch unit 650 is connected to the control signal of the control unit (refer to reference numeral 850 in Fig. 8) so that the harvesting modules operate at the maximum power point regardless of the coolant flow rate, the coolant temperature, the vehicle speed (air flow) The electrical connections of the switches 651, 653 and 655 connected to the respective harvesting modules 631, 633 and 635 can be reconfigured.

The switch unit 650 can reconfigure the electrical connections of the switches such that each of the plurality of harvest modules 631, 633, 635 operate at the maximum power point according to temperature.

The switch unit 650 includes three semiconductor switches of an upper parallel switch (S _{PT, i} ) 651, a lower parallel switch (S _{PB, i} ) 653 and a serial switch (S _S, can do.

The parallel switches 651 and 653 may connect the harvesting modules in parallel to form harvesting module groups. The upper parallel switch 651 is located on top of the radiator pin so that the harvesting modules can be connected in parallel. The lower parallel switch 653 is located under the radiator pin and can connect the harvesting modules in parallel.

The serial switch 655 can configure the harvesting module array 630 by connecting the harvesting module groups in series.

For example, if the harvesting module array 630 includes N harvesting modules, each of the harvesting modules except for the Nth harvesting module may include a top parallel switch (S _{PT, i} ), a bottom parallel switch (S _{PB, i} ) Can be combined with the three semiconductor switches of the serial switch (S _{S, i} ).

The control of the thermoelectric generator system according to one embodiment (see reference numeral 850 in FIG. 8) controls the ON / OFF state of the switches coupled to each of the harvesting modules, so that even though the physical location of the harvesting modules is fixed Nevertheless, the electrical connections of the harvesting modules can be changed, that is, reconstructed. The harvesting module array having the structure capable of reconfiguring the electrical connection of the harvesting modules in this way can be referred to as a 'reconfigurable harvesting module array'.

For example, suppose there is a reconfigurable harvesting module array with N harvesting modules. The reconfigurable harvesting module array may include harvesting module groups of any number (e.g., g (N)). j-th module group harvest there may be r _j-parallel connected harvest modules satisfying the formula (14) below.

에 의해 정의될 수 있다. The configuration of the harvesting module array

Lt; / RTI >

7 is a diagram illustrating various configurations of a reconfigurable harvesting module array including a plurality of harvesting modules in accordance with one embodiment. Referring to Figures 7A and 7B, there is shown a configuration of a harvesting module array that may be constructed by twelve harvesting modules.

Referring to FIG. 7A, twelve harvesting modules are formed of a total of three groups of a first group (TEG group 1), a second group (TEG group 2), and a third group (TEG group 3) The configuration of the harvesting module array having three, four, five, respectively, of the number of the harvesting modules belonging thereto is shown. The configuration of the harvesting module array as shown in Fig. 7A can be expressed as C (3; 3, 4, 5).

In the harvesting module array of FIG. 7A, the last harvesting module of the first group (TEG group 1) is bypassed, the last harvesting module of the second group (TEG group 2) is bypassed, and the number of harvesting modules belonging to each group is Three, four, five.

Referring to FIG. 7B, the 12 harvesting modules are constituted of a total of three groups of a first group (TEG group 1), a second group (TEG group 2), and a third group (TEG group 3) The configuration of the harvesting module array having three, four, and four harvesting modules belonging to the group is shown. The configuration of the harvesting module array as shown in FIG. 7B can be expressed as C (3; 3, 4, 4).

In the harvesting module array of FIG. 7B, the last harvesting module of the first group (TEG group 1) is bypassed, the last harvesting module of the second group (TEG group 2) is bypassed, The last harvest module is also bypassed and a total of 11 harvest modules can be seen connected to the array.

According to one embodiment, by controlling the connection of the switches coupled to the plurality of harvesting modules included in the harvesting module array, it is possible to optimize the plurality of harvesting modules to output the maximum power based on the spatial temperature change of the vehicle radiator The configuration of the harvesting module array can be obtained.

8 is a diagram illustrating a structure of a thermoelectric generator system according to an embodiment. Referring to FIG. 8, a thermoelectric generator system 800 according to one embodiment includes a thermoelectric generator 810, a charger 830, and a controller 850, including a reconfigurable harvesting module array. The thermoelectric generator system 800 may further include a battery 870 and a receiver (not shown).

Thermoelectric generator 810 includes a harvesting module array and switches. The harvesting module array may include a plurality of harvesting modules attached to a radiator of the vehicle to convert the thermal energy of the radiator into electrical energy. Each of the harvesting modules may include an upper ceramic attached to the heat sink of the radiator and a lower ceramic attached to the radiator fin. Each of the harvesting modules can convert the temperature difference between the upper ceramic and the lower ceramic into electrical energy. The thermoelectric generator 810 shown in FIG. 8 is the same as the thermoelectric generator 600 described above with reference to FIG. 6, and therefore, the detailed description will be referred to above.

The switches can reconfigure the electrical connection of the harvesting module array. The thermoelectric generator 810 may include a switch portion for reconfiguring the electrical connection of the switches connected to each of the plurality of harvesting modules. The switches may be included in the switch portion.

Charger 830 sets the operating point of the harvesting module array so that the harvesting module array achieves maximum output power. Charger 830 may control the output current to set the operating point of the harvesting module array such that the harvesting module array achieves maximum output power under a given harvesting module array configuration. The input port of the charger 830 is connected to the harvesting module array and the output port of the charger 830 can be connected to the battery 870.

The control unit 850 controls the switches based on the spatial temperature change of the vehicle radiator to obtain the configuration of the optimum harvesting module array in which the plurality of harvesting modules output the maximum power. The control unit 850 calculates the optimal configuration of the harvesting module array according to the instantaneous spatial temperature changes of the radiator pins of the vehicle and sets the on / off states of the switches in the reconfigurable harvesting module array to obtain the configuration of the current optimal harvesting module array (ON / OFF) state can be controlled. The control unit 850 may be implemented by a processor.

The control unit 850 may reconfigure the electrical connections of the switches such that each of the plurality of harvesting modules operates at a maximum power point according to temperature. The controller 850 can calculate an optimal harvesting module array according to the spatial temperature change and an operating point according to the configuration of the optimal harvesting module array.

The battery 870 may be a battery having a charge voltage of 13.8 V, which is the voltage for the internal combustion engine vehicle. At this time, the controller 850 can determine the charging current of the battery 870 according to the operating point according to the configuration of the optimal harvesting module array.

The receiving unit (not shown) may receive a temperature profile indicating a temperature distribution according to a spatial temperature change. At this time, the controller 850 can estimate the maximum output power of the harvesting module array based on the maximum power point voltage and the maximum power point voltage of each harvesting module in the harvesting module array according to the temperature profile.

In addition, the controller 850 may periodically update the configuration of the optimal harvesting module array. The control unit 850 may update the configuration of the harvesting module array by periodically executing the configuration algorithm of the harvesting module array described below in order to keep the configuration of the optimal harvesting module array updated.

According to one embodiment, the harvest module array reconstruction algorithm may be expressed as: < RTI ID = 0.0 >

)의 수확 모듈에 대한 순간적인 공간적 온도 변화와 함께 라디에이터 핀을 따라 수확 모듈 배열이 주어지면, 일 실시예에 따른 열전 발전기 시스템(800)은 1) 최적의 수확 모듈 구성 C^opt 및 최적의 열전 발전기 어레이의 동작점(V_array, I_array)를 찾고, 2) 배터리 충전 전류 I_batt.를 최대화할 수 있다.Of the N total harvesting modules, the i < th >

), The thermoelectric generator system 800 according to one embodiment may be configured to: 1) provide an optimal harvesting module configuration C ^opt and an optimal thermoelectric generator < RTI ID = 0.0 > Find the array's operating point (V _array , I _array ), and 2) maximize the battery charge current, I _batt .

The ultimate purpose of reconfiguring the harvesting module array configuration of the harvesting modules harvesting module array in which each number is to operate at the maximum power point, or operating proximate to the maximum power point included in the harvesting module array C (g; r ₁ , r ₂ , ..., r _g ).

Given a temperature distribution according to the configuration of the harvesting module array and the harvesting module array on the radiator pins, the thermoelectric generator system 800 calculates the maximum power point voltage (MPP voltage) and the maximum power point current (MPP) of each harvesting module in the harvesting module array the maximum output power of the harvesting module array (that is, the maximum power point power (MPP power)) can be estimated as follows.

As described above with reference to FIG. 5, when the harvesting modules are connected in a row (in parallel), the output voltage of the corresponding row may be limited by the harvesting module having the smallest maximum power point voltage. Likewise, if the harvesting modules are connected in a row (in series), the output current of that row may be limited by the harvesting module with the smallest maximum power point current.

Given a configuration C (g; r ₁ , r ₂ , .., r _g ) of the harvesting module array, the maximum power point voltage of the harvesting module array is estimated by the sum of the smallest maximum power point voltages in each harvesting module group . The thermoelectric generator system 800 according to one embodiment is configured to provide a configuration that allows the sum of the maximum power point currents in each of the harvesting module groups to be well balanced, in other words, Can be found. If the output power of the harvesting module array is too low, the efficiency of the power converter connected to the end of the harvesting module array is reduced. Therefore, it is not appropriate to connect all harvesting modules in parallel to obtain maximum output current.

A method for reconfiguring the harvesting module array to operate at the maximum power point will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 9 below.

)을 출력할 수 있다. 9 is a diagram illustrating pseudo code of a reconstruction algorithm illustrating a method of reconstructing a harvesting module array according to an embodiment. Referring to FIG. 9, a reconfiguration algorithm according to an exemplary embodiment receives temperature profiles according to a spatial temperature change of a radiator of a vehicle as input, and compares the configuration of an optimal harvesting module array (for example,

Can be output.

The reconstruction algorithm includes i) an outer loop that sweeps the number of harvesting modules (e.g., r ₁ ) in the first harvesting module group of the array and ii) an outer loop that sweeps the given r ₁ value, And a kernel procedure that fixes the harvest module array configuration according to the number of harvest modules (e.g., C (r ₁ )) contained within the module group.

The thermoelectric generator system according to one embodiment can calculate the maximum power point current according to the number of harvesting modules included in the first harvesting module group of the harvesting module array based on input temperature profiles. At this time, the number of input temperature profiles may correspond to the number of the harvesting modules included in the harvesting module array.

이 결정되면, 현재 수확 모듈 어레이의 공간적 온도 분포 하에서 최적의 수확 모듈 어레이의 구성이 결정될 수 있다. Configuration of an optimal harvesting module array to obtain the maximum power point power in the first harvesting module group

The configuration of the optimal harvesting module array can be determined under the spatial temperature distribution of the current harvesting module array.

In the kernel procedure, the thermoelectric generator system calculates the sum of the maximum power point currents of the harvesting modules included in the second harvesting module group based on the number (r ₁ ) of harvesting modules in the first harvesting module group supplied from the outer loop The number of harvesting modules (r ₂ ) in the second harvesting module group can be determined to be close to the sum of the maximum power point currents of the first harvesting module group.

That is, the thermoelectric generator system can find a second harvesting module group satisfying the following equation (15).

는 i 번째 수확 모듈의 최대 전력점 전류를 나타낸다. here,

Represents the maximum power point current of the ith harvesting module.

The thermoelectric generator system may determine the number (r _3, r ₄ ) of harvesting modules included in each of the third harvesting module group and the fourth harvesting module group similarly to the above.

The thermoelectric generator system is configured such that the maximum power point currents of the harvesting module groups of the harvesting module array correspond to the maximum power point currents of the first harvesting module group and the other harvesting module groups except the first harvesting module group The third harvesting module group and the fourth harvesting module group, etc.).

When the number of harvesting modules in each harvesting module group is determined through the above-described process, the thermoelectric generator system determines the maximum power point current of the first harvesting module group, the maximum power point current of the harvesting module groups other than the first harvesting module group And the maximum power point currents of the remaining harvesting modules not included in the first harvesting module group and other harvesting module groups, the harvesting module array can be reconfigured.

The thermoelectric generator system calculates the sum of the maximum power point currents of the remaining harvesting modules not included in each harvesting module group by the following equation (16) to be smaller than the sum of the maximum power point currents of the harvesting modules included in the first harvesting module group Or not.

The thermoelectric generator system can reconstruct the harvesting module array by applying the following three options to the remaining harvesting modules, based on the determination result of Equation (16).

(E.g., a j + 1 th group) consisting of the remaining harvest modules, or ii) generating at least one of the remaining harvest modules (e.g., the j th group) Or iii) the remaining harvest modules may not be connected to the harvesting module groups and bypass, i. E., The remainder harvesting modules, to the harvesting module groups.

,

또는

와 같이 표현할 수 있다. The configuration of the harvesting module array according to the above three options

,

or

Can be expressed as

The thermoelectric generator system compares the maximum power point power according to the configuration of the harvesting module array according to the three options to obtain the configuration of the harvesting module array with the highest maximum power point power as C (r ₁ ) Can be selected as a result.

10 is a diagram illustrating the structure of a reconstructed harvesting module array for a plurality of harvesting modules to operate at a maximum power point in accordance with one embodiment.

When a device using the harvesting module array is determined, the maximum power point current corresponding to the temperature difference between the heat dissipating unit and the cooling unit can be determined according to the intrinsic characteristics of the device. According to one embodiment, the configuration of the imbalanced harvesting module array can be determined as shown in FIG. 10 such that the current of each harvesting module is as close as possible to the maximum power point current.

11 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of reconstructing a harvesting module array in accordance with one embodiment. Referring to FIG. 11, a thermoelectric generator system according to an embodiment receives temperature profiles according to a spatial temperature change of a radiator of a vehicle (1110). The number of temperature profiles may correspond to the number of harvesting modules included in the harvesting module array. At this time, the temperature of the harvesting modules located at the inlet of the radiator may be higher than the temperature of the harvesting modules located at the outlet of the radiator.

The thermoelectric generator system may calculate 1120 the maximum power point current according to the number of harvesting modules included in the reference harvesting module group of the harvesting module array, based on the temperature profiles received in step 1110. The reference harvesting module group may comprise at least one harvesting module located at the inlet of the radiator. The reference harvesting module group may correspond to a first group of harvesting modules, for example.

The thermoelectric generator system may determine the number of harvesting modules included in the harvesting module group so that the maximum power point currents of the harvesting module groups of the harvesting module array correspond to the maximum power point current of the reference harvesting module group (1130). The groups of harvesting modules may be determined in the order of proximity to the reference harvesting module group. The corresponding harvesting module groups may be the remaining harvesting module groups except the reference harvesting module group in the harvesting module array. The thermoelectric generator system can determine the minimum number of harvesting modules so that the maximum power point current of the harvesting module group is greater than or equal to the maximum power point current of the reference harvesting module group.

The thermoelectric generator system is based on the maximum power point currents of the reference harvesting module group, the maximum power point currents of the harvesting module groups, and the maximum power point currents of the remaining harvesting modules not included in the reference harvesting module group and the corresponding harvesting module groups. , The harvesting module array may be reconfigured (1140). At step 1140, the thermoelectric generator system may either create a new harvest module group comprised of the remaining harvest modules, include the remaining harvest modules in at least one of the harvest module groups, or bypass the remaining harvest modules. .

The method according to an embodiment of the present invention can be implemented in the form of a program command which can be executed through various computer means and recorded in a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, and the like, alone or in combination. The program instructions recorded on the medium may be those specially designed and constructed for the present invention or may be available to those skilled in the art of computer software. Examples of computer-readable media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks and magnetic tape; optical media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs; magnetic media such as floppy disks; Magneto-optical media, and hardware devices specifically configured to store and execute program instructions such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like. Examples of program instructions include machine language code such as those produced by a compiler, as well as high-level language code that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like. The hardware devices described above may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the present invention, and vice versa.

While the invention has been shown and described with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill 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. This is possible. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described, but should be determined by equivalents to the appended claims, as well as the appended claims.

800: Thermoelectric generator system
810: Thermoelectric generator
830: Charger
850:
870: Battery

Claims (20)

delete delete delete delete delete A thermoelectric generator including a harvesting module array including a plurality of harvesting modules for harvesting thermal energy of a radiator of a vehicle and switches for reconfiguring an electrical connection of the harvesting module array;
A controller for controlling the switches based on a spatial temperature variation of the vehicle radiator to obtain an optimum harvesting module array configuration in which the plurality of harvesting modules output maximum power; And
A charger module for setting an operating point of the harvesting module array such that the harvesting module array achieves a maximum output power;
Lt; / RTI >
The control unit
Calculating a maximum power point current according to the number of harvesting modules included in the reference harvesting module group of the harvesting module array based on the temperature profiles of the harvesting module arrays, Determining a number of harvesting modules included in the harvesting module group so as to correspond to a maximum power point current of the group, calculating a maximum power point current of the reference harvesting module group, a maximum power point currents of the harvesting module groups, And reconstructs the harvesting module array based on the reference harvesting module group and the maximum power point currents of the remaining harvesting modules not included in the harvesting module groups. The method according to claim 6,
The thermoelectric generator
The harvesting module array comprising: a plurality of harvesting modules attached to a radiator of the vehicle to convert thermal energy of the radiator into electrical energy; And
A switch unit for reconfiguring an electrical connection of the switches connected to each of the plurality of harvesting modules,
/ RTI > thermoelectric generator system. The method according to claim 6,
Each of the harvesting modules
An upper ceramic attached to a heat sink of the radiator; And
A lower ceramic attached to the radiator pin of the radiator
/ RTI >
And converts the temperature difference between the upper ceramic and the lower ceramic into electrical energy. The method according to claim 6,
The control unit
Wherein each of the plurality of harvest modules reconfigures an electrical connection of the switches to operate at a maximum power point according to temperature. The method according to claim 6,
The switches
A parallel switch for connecting the harvesting modules in parallel to form harvesting module groups; And
A serial switch for connecting the harvesting module groups in series and constituting the harvesting module array;
/ RTI > thermoelectric generator system. The method according to claim 6,
The control unit
A thermoelectric generator system for calculating an optimal harvesting module array according to the spatial temperature change and an operating point according to the configuration of the optimal harvesting module array, 12. The method of claim 11,
Further comprising a battery,
The control unit
And determines the charge current of the battery according to the operating point according to the configuration of the optimal harvesting module array. The method according to claim 6,
A receiver for receiving the temperature profile indicating a temperature distribution according to the spatial temperature change;
Further comprising:
The control unit
And estimates the maximum output power of the harvesting module array based on a maximum power point voltage and a maximum power point current of each harvesting module in the harvesting module array according to the temperature profile. The method according to claim 6,
The control unit
And periodically updates the configuration of the optimal harvesting module array. Receiving temperature profiles according to a spatial temperature variation of the radiator of the vehicle, the number of temperature profiles corresponding to the number of harvesting modules included in the harvesting module array;
Computing a maximum power point current according to the number of harvesting modules included in the reference harvesting module group of the harvesting module array based on the temperature profiles;
Determining the number of harvesting modules included in the harvesting module group such that the maximum power point currents of the harvesting module groups of the harvesting module array correspond to the maximum power point current of the reference harvesting module group; And
The maximum power point currents of the reference harvesting module group, the maximum power point currents of the corresponding harvesting module groups, and the maximum power point currents of the remaining harvesting modules not included in the reference harvesting module group and the corresponding harvesting module groups , ≪ / RTI > reconstructing the harvesting module array
Wherein the harvesting module array comprises a plurality of harvesting modules. 16. The method of claim 15,
The temperature of the harvesting modules located at the inlet of the radiator is
Wherein the temperature of the harvesting modules located at the outlet of the radiator is higher than the temperature of the harvesting modules located at the outlet of the radiator. 16. The method of claim 15,
Wherein the reference harvesting module group comprises at least one harvesting module located at an inlet of the radiator,
Wherein the corresponding harvesting module groups are determined in order of proximity to the reference harvesting module group. 16. The method of claim 15,
The step of determining the number of harvesting modules included in the corresponding harvesting module group
Determining a minimum number of harvesting modules such that a maximum power point current of the harvesting module group is greater than or equal to a maximum power point current of the reference harvesting module group
≪ / RTI > 16. The method of claim 15,
The step of reconstructing the harvesting module array
Generating a new harvesting module group composed of the remaining harvesting modules;
Including the remaining harvesting modules in at least one of the harvesting module groups; And
Bypassing the remaining harvest modules
, ≪ / RTI > 19. A computer program stored on a medium for executing a method according to any one of claims 15 to 19 in combination with hardware.

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