KR20150123055A - Device using thermoelectric moudule - Google Patents

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a heat conversion apparatus including a thermoelectric element. Provided is the heat conversion apparatus which arranges a heat conversion member which is in surface contact with the air, and increases the heat conversion efficiency by maximizing a contact area with the air by applying the heat conversion member having a folded structure by forming a plurality of flow paths with a folding structure.

Description

{DEVICE USING THERMOELECTRIC MOUDULE}

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a thermal conversion device comprising a thermoelectric device.

Generally, a thermoelectric element including a thermoelectric conversion element is a structure that forms a PN junction pair by bonding a P-type thermoelectric material and an N-type thermoelectric material between metal electrodes. When the temperature difference is given between the PN junction pairs, the thermoelectric element can function as a power generation device by generating power by the Seeback effect. Further, the thermoelectric element may be used as a temperature control device by a Peltier effect in which one of the PN junction pair is cooled and the other is heated.

In such a temperature control device, a heat transfer function due to the heat generation and the heat absorption of the thermoelectric element is realized by using the structure of the heat dissipation fin structure connected to the heat generation portion and the heat absorption portion of the thermoelectric element. However, in the case of the temperature control device using the heat dissipation fin structure, There is a problem that the heat exchanging efficiency is lowered. When increasing the density or size of the heat-dissipating fins to increase the heat-exchanging efficiency, the volume of the equipment itself increases and it is difficult to mount the device in a device requiring the temperature control device .

Embodiments of the present invention have been devised in order to solve such a problem, and in particular, a heat converting member having a structure that folds while forming a plurality of flow paths by a folding structure is disposed To thereby provide a heat conversion device capable of maximizing the contact area with air and improving the heat conversion efficiency.

As a means for solving the above-mentioned problems, in an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a thermoelectric module including a thermoelectric semiconductor element between a first substrate and a second substrate facing each other, And a thermal conversion module including a thermal conversion module for performing thermal conversion of the thermal conversion module. Particularly, in this case, the heat conversion member is characterized by including a flow path pattern for forming a fluid flow path on the surface of the substrate.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a heat conversion member having a structure of folding while forming a plurality of flow paths by a folding structure is disposed to maximize the contact area with air, The heat conversion efficiency can be improved.

In addition, due to the thermal conversion member of the folding structure, a highly efficient thermal conversion device can be formed in a limited area of the heat exchange device, and the product itself can be formed in a small volume, realizing a general design layout.

Particularly, due to the structure of the heat conversion member according to the embodiment of the present invention, the temperature rise of the heat generating unit and the temperature reduction effect of the heat absorbing unit are maximized, and the volume of the heat transfer member such as aluminum is 50% The thickness of the product itself can be reduced.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a thermal conversion apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of a structure of a thermal conversion member included in a thermal conversion module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is an enlarged conceptual view of a structure in which one flow path pattern is formed in the heat conversion member.
5 is a conceptual diagram showing various embodiments of the flow path pattern of the heat transfer member.
Fig. 6 shows a thermal conversion apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 7 shows a planar arrangement concept of a thermoelectric module disposed in Fig.
8 is a view showing a structure of a unit cell of a thermoelectric module including a thermoelectric element in contact with a first module and a second module in the embodiment of the present invention. The thermoelectric module of FIG.

Hereinafter, the configuration and operation according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals denote the same elements regardless of the reference numerals, and redundant description thereof will be omitted. The terms first, second, etc. may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a thermal conversion apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view of FIG. 1.

1 and 2, a thermal conversion apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a thermoelectric module (not shown) including a thermoelectric semiconductor element 120 between a first substrate 140 and a second substrate 150, And a thermal conversion module (200, 300) including a thermal conversion member (220, 320) for performing thermal conversion in contact with the first substrate (140) and the second substrate (150) In this case, the heat exchanging members 220 and 320 may include a flow path pattern for forming a fluid flow path on the surface of the substrate. In other words, the thermal conversion device according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described with reference to the structure in which the thermal conversion modules 200 and 300 are disposed on the upper and lower sides of the thermoelectric module 100, respectively, It is needless to say that it is possible to use a structure in which only one of the heat generating portion and the heat absorbing portion is used. In addition, as shown, the thermal conversion members 220 and 320 may be formed in a structure that is disposed in a separate receiving module 210 or 310.

The thermoelectric module 100 has a structure in which thermoelectric semiconductor elements 120 electrically connected to each other are disposed on a pair of mutually opposing substrates 140 and 150. The thermoelectric semiconductor element includes a P- And a heat absorbing portion and a heat generating portion are realized on the pair of substrates by the Peltier effect when a current is applied. In the embodiment of the present invention, a heat absorbing region is formed on the first substrate 140 side and a heat generating region is formed on the second substrate 150 side in the structures of FIGS. 1 and 2.

The thermal conversion modules 200 and 300 are disposed on a pair of the first substrate 140 and the second substrate 150. In the illustrated structure, The first substrate 140 and the second substrate 150 are in direct contact with the surfaces of the first substrate 140 and the second substrate 150. However, It is also possible. The structure in which the first substrate 140 and the second substrate 150 are in direct contact with each other directly transmits heat and endothermic effect of the thermoelectric module to improve heat transfer efficiency. There is an advantage that the stability of the self is improved.

The thermal conversion apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention may be configured such that the structure of the heat exchanging units 220 and 320 that contact the first substrate 140 and the second substrate 150 to perform thermal conversion is in contact with air, And a channel groove is provided in a structure that maximizes the contact area.

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of the structure of the thermal conversion member 220 included in the thermal conversion module according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 illustrates one structure of the thermal conversion member 220, ) Is formed.

As shown in the figure, the thermal conversion member 220 includes a first plane 221 and a second plane 222, which are opposite to the first plane 221, so as to perform surface contact with air, And at least one flow path pattern 220A for forming an air flow path C 1, which is a constant path of air flow, is implemented.

4, the flow path pattern 220A is formed into a folding structure, that is, a folding structure so that a curvature pattern having a constant pitch P 1, P 2 and a height T 1 is formed. However, such a flow path pattern may be formed in various modifications as shown in FIG. 5 as well as the structure shown in FIG.

That is, the heat conversion members 220 and 320 according to the embodiment of the present invention may have a structure in which two surfaces are plane-contacted by air, and a flow path pattern is formed to maximize the contact surface area.

4, the first plane 221 and the second plane 222, which are opposite to the first plane 221, flow in the direction of the flow path C 1 of the inflow portion into which the air flows, So that the air can be moved evenly in contact with the end portion (C 2) of the flow path. As a result, much more air can be brought into contact with the air in the same space than the contact surface with the simple flat plate shape. The effect of the present invention is further enhanced.

Particularly, in order to further increase the contact area of the air, the heat conversion member 220 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes the resistance pattern 223 on the surface of the substrate as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. . The resistance pattern 223 may be formed on the first curved surface B1 and the second curved surface B2, respectively, in consideration of the unit flow path pattern. The resistance pattern may be formed in a structure that protrudes in either one of a first plane and a second plane opposite to the first plane.

Further, the heat exchanging member 220 may further include a plurality of fluid flow grooves 224 passing through the surface of the substrate, through which the heat exchanging member 220 is inserted between the first plane and the second plane So that air contact and movement can be implemented more freely.

4, the resistance pattern 224 is formed as a protruding structure inclined so as to have an inclination angle &thetas; in the direction in which air enters, so as to maximize friction with air, So that the contact efficiency can be further increased. It is more preferable that the angle of inclination (θ) is an acute angle between a horizontal extension line of the resist pattern surface and an extension line of the surface of the base material, because the effect of resistance is reduced when the angle is a right angle or an obtuse angle.

In addition, the arrangement of the above-described flow grooves 224 may be disposed at the connection portion between the resistance pattern and the base material, thereby increasing the resistance of the fluid such as air and improving the movement to the opposite surface. Specifically, a flow groove 224 is formed in the front surface of the resist pattern 223 to allow a part of the air that comes in contact with the resistance pattern 223 to pass through the front and back surfaces of the substrate, So that the area can be further increased.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing various embodiments of the flow path pattern of the heat conversion member.

(A) repeatedly forming a pattern having a curvature at a constant pitch (P 1), (b) implementing a repetitive structure of a pattern structure in which a unit pattern of a flow path pattern has an attachment, or c) and (d) so that the unit pattern has a cross section of a polygonal structure. It is needless to say that the above-described resist pattern described in Fig. 4 may be provided on the surface B1, B2 of the pattern.

5 shows that the flow path pattern is formed to have a constant pitch with a constant pitch. Alternatively, the pitch of the unit pattern may not be made uniform and the period of the pattern may be unevenly implemented. Further, It goes without saying that the height (T 1) of each unit pattern can also be varied nonuniformly.

1 and 2 illustrate a structure in which one heat conversion member included in the thermal conversion module is included in the heat transfer device according to the embodiment of the present invention. However, in another embodiment, when a plurality of heat conversion members are stacked in one heat transfer module . ≪ / RTI > In this way, the surface area of contact with the air or the like can be further maximized. This structure is realized by a structure capable of realizing many contact surfaces in a narrow area on the specific property of the heat conversion member of the present invention formed by a folding structure, A larger number of heat conversion members can be disposed. Of course, in this case, a supporting substrate such as a second intermediate member may be further disposed between the heat converting members stacked. Further, in another embodiment of the present invention, it is also possible to implement a structure having two or more thermoelectric modules.

6 is a cross-sectional view of a thermoelectric module 100 including two thermoelectric modules 100 and 400 and a thermal conversion member having a heat conversion member having a plurality of lamination structures on a substrate forming a heat- Modules 200 and 500 are implemented. In particular, in this structure, a thermal conversion module that implements the same function is disposed in the space between adjacent thermoelectric modules 100 and 400 to maximize heat generation and endothermic performance. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the heat generating portion may be disposed between the two thermoelectric modules 100 and 400 (X region) to enhance the heat generating characteristic, or the heat absorbing portion may be disposed in the X region to enhance the heat absorbing characteristic .

6, the pitch of the heat conversion members of the thermoelectric module (X region) forming the heat generating portion and the pitch of the heat conversion members of the thermoelectric modules 100 and 400 forming the heat absorption portion are formed to be different from each other It is also possible. In this case, in particular, the pitch of the flow path pattern of the heat conversion member in the heat conversion module forming the heat generation portion may be formed to be equal to or larger than the pitch value of the flow path pattern of the heat conversion member in the heat conversion module forming the heat absorption portion. In this case, the ratio of the pitch of the heat conversion member forming the heat generating portion and the heat absorbing portion may be formed in the range of (1 to 1.4): 1.

The structure of the heat conversion member according to the embodiment of the present invention for forming the flow path pattern can realize a much larger contact area within the same volume than the thermal conversion member having the flat plate structure or the conventional heat dissipation fin structure, It is possible to increase the air contact area of 50% or more compared to the conventional air conditioner, thereby greatly reducing the size of the module. In addition, various members such as a metal material or a synthetic resin having high heat transfer efficiency such as aluminum can be applied to such a heat conversion member.

FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view illustrating the arrangement structure of the thermoelectric modules 100 and 400 in the structure of FIG. That is, in the embodiment of the present invention, although one thermoelectric module can be disposed for the thermoelectric modules 100 and 400, the plurality of thermoelectric modules 100a, 100b, and 100c may be disposed on a separate radiator plate 101, As shown in Fig.

8 is a view showing a structure of a unit cell of a thermoelectric module including a thermoelectric element in contact with a first module and a second module in the embodiment of the present invention. The thermoelectric module of FIG.

8 and 9, a thermoelectric module including a thermoelectric module according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first substrate 140 and a second substrate 150 facing each other, a first substrate 140, And a second semiconductor element 130 electrically connected to the first semiconductor element 120 between the first substrate 110 and the second substrate 150. In this case, An insulating substrate such as an alumina substrate may be used for the first substrate 140 and the second substrate 150. In another embodiment, a metal substrate may be used to achieve endothermic efficiency and heat generation efficiency and thinness. have. When the first substrate 140 and the second substrate 150 are formed of a metal substrate, the electrode layers 160a and 160b formed on the first and second substrates 140 and 150, as shown in FIG. 8, The dielectric layer 170a and the dielectric layer 170b are formed between the dielectric layer 170a and the dielectric layer 170b. In the structure described above with reference to FIG. 1, the third module 210A and the fourth module 310B of the first module 200 and the second module 300, and the first and second substrates 300 and 310 are integrated with each other Materials such as alumina, Cu, and Cu alloys can be used.

In the case of a metal substrate, Cu or a Cu alloy can be used, and a thin thickness can be formed in a range of 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm. When the thickness of the metal substrate is 0.1 mm or less, or when the thickness exceeds 0.5 mm, the heat radiation characteristic is excessively high or the thermal conductivity is too high, thereby greatly reducing the reliability of the thermoelectric module. In the case of the dielectric layers 170a and 170b, a material having thermal conductivity of 5 to 10 W / K is used as a dielectric material having high heat dissipation performance, considering the thermal conductivity of the thermoelectric module for cooling, and the thickness is 0.01 mm to 0.15 mm. < / RTI > In this case, the insulation efficiency (or withstand voltage characteristics) is significantly lowered when the thickness is less than 0.01 mm, and when the thickness exceeds 0.15 mm, the thermal conductivity is lowered and the heat radiation efficiency is lowered. The electrode layers 160a and 160b electrically connect the first semiconductor element and the second semiconductor element using an electrode material such as Cu, Ag, or Ni, and when a plurality of unit cells shown in FIG. 9 are connected, Thereby forming an electrical connection with adjacent unit cells. The thickness of the electrode layer may be in the range of 0.01 mm to 0.3 mm. When the thickness of the electrode layer is less than 0.01 mm, the function as an electrode is deteriorated and the electrical conductivity becomes poor. When the thickness of the electrode layer is more than 0.3 mm, the conduction efficiency is lowered due to an increase in resistance.

In this case, a thermoelectric element including a unit element of a layered structure according to an embodiment of the present invention can be applied to the thermoelectric element constituting the unit cell. In this case, The first semiconductor and the second semiconductor may be connected to the metal electrodes 160a and 160b. A plurality of such structures may be formed, and electrodes may be formed on the semiconductor elements. The Peltier effect is realized by the circuit lines 181 and 182 supplied with the intermediate current.

8 and 9, a P-type semiconductor or an N-type semiconductor material can be applied to the semiconductor device in the thermoelectric module. The p-type semiconductor or the n-type semiconductor material is characterized in that the n-type semiconductor element is at least one selected from the group consisting of Se, Ni, Al, Cu, Ag, Pb, (BiTe-based) including gallium (Ga), tellurium (Te), bismuth (Bi), and indium (In), and a bismuth telluride system (BiTe system) containing 0.001 to 1.0 wt% May be formed using a mixture of Bi or Te. For example, the main raw material may be a Bi-Se-Te material, and Bi or Te may be added to the Bi-Se-Te by adding a weight corresponding to 0.001 to 1.0 wt% of the total weight of Bi-Se-Te. That is, when 100 g of Bi-Se-Te is added, it is preferable to add Bi or Te to be added in the range of 0.001 g to 1.0 g. As described above, since the weight range of the substance added to the above-described raw material is not in the range of 0.001 wt% to 0.1 wt%, the thermal conductivity is not lowered and the electric conductivity is lowered, so that the improvement of the ZT value can not be expected. I have.

The P-type semiconductor material may be at least one selected from the group consisting of antimony (Sb), nickel (Ni), aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), silver (Ag), lead (Pb), boron (B), gallium (BiTe-based) including Bi, Te, Bi, and In, and a mixture of Bi or Te corresponding to 0.001 to 1.0 wt% of the total weight of the main raw material It is preferable to form it by using. For example, the main raw material may be a Bi-Sb-Te material, and Bi or Te may be added to the Bi-Sb-Te to a weight corresponding to 0.001 to 1.0 wt% of the total weight of Bi-Sb-Te. That is, when 100 g of Bi-Sb-Te is added, Bi or Te to be added may be added in the range of 0.001 g to 1 g. The weight range of the substance added to the above-described main raw material is not inferior to the range of 0.001 wt% to 0.1 wt%, and the electrical conductivity is lowered, so that improvement of the ZT value can not be expected.

In this case, the electric conductivity of the P-type semiconductor device and the electrical conductivity of the N-type semiconductor device are different from each other, It is possible to improve the cooling performance by forming one of the volumes to be different from the volume of the other semiconductor elements facing each other.

That is, the different sizes of the semiconductor elements of the unit cells arranged in mutually opposite directions may be formed by forming the entire shape differently, or by forming the diameter of one of the semiconductor elements wide in the semiconductor element having the same height, It is possible to realize a method of making the height or cross-section diameter of the semiconductor device different. In particular, the diameter of the N-type semiconductor device is formed larger than that of the P-type semiconductor device so that the volume can be increased to improve the thermoelectric efficiency.

In the foregoing detailed description of the present invention, specific examples have been described. However, various modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention. The technical spirit of the present invention should not be limited to the above-described embodiments of the present invention, but should be determined by the claims and equivalents thereof.

100, 400: thermoelectric module
120: thermoelectric element
130: thermoelectric element
140: first substrate
150: second substrate
200, 300: thermal conversion module
210, 310: housing of thermal conversion module
220, 320: heat conversion member

Claims (15)

A thermoelectric module including a thermoelectric semiconductor element between mutually opposing first and second substrates; And
A thermal conversion module including a thermal conversion member that contacts the first substrate and the second substrate to perform thermal conversion; / RTI >
Wherein the heat conversion member includes a flow path pattern for forming a fluid flow path on a surface of the substrate.
The method according to claim 1,
The above-
And a curvature pattern having a pitch in the longitudinal direction of the substrate.
The method of claim 2,
Wherein pitches of the flow path patterns are uniform or non-uniform.
The method of claim 2,
A resistance pattern protruding from the surface of the substrate on the surface of the flow path pattern; Further comprising a heat exchanger.
The method of claim 4,
And a plurality of fluid flow grooves passing through the surface of the substrate.
The method of claim 5,
The flow-
And a heat conversion device disposed at a connection portion between the resistance pattern and the substrate.
The method of claim 6,
The resistance pattern
Wherein a horizontal extension line of the resist pattern surface and an extension line of the surface of the substrate are acute angles.
The method of claim 4,
The resistance pattern
And protruding in either one of a first plane and a second plane opposed to the first plane.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The thermal conversion module includes:
Wherein two or more heat conversion members are stacked on the substrate.
The method of claim 9,
Further comprising an intermediate member between the first substrate and the second substrate and the heat conversion member.
The method of claim 9,
Wherein the first substrate and the second substrate are in direct contact with the thermal conversion member.
The method of claim 9,
Further comprising a second intermediate member between the stacked thermal conversion members.
The method of claim 9,
And at least two thermoelectric modules.
The method of claim 9,
Wherein pitches of the flow path patterns of the thermal conversion members included in the thermal conversion module on the first substrate and the second substrate are different from each other.
A heat exchanger comprising at least two thermal conversion devices according to claim 9,
Wherein the thermal conversion module is disposed such that any one of the heat generating portion and the heat absorbing portion of each thermal converting device faces each other.

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