Integrity-enhanced thermoelectrics
US5209786A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 9, 1990 |
| Grant date | May 11, 1993 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 9, 2010 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH10N10/17
Abstract
Disclosed are integrity-enhanced thermoelectric devices and methods of their preparation. Such devices have the following characteristics: (1) there is, on average, no greater than about 10% incidence of function loss (failure) of the device on application to the device of a substantial impact or distortion force or corrosion exposure, and (2) the device have at least about 85% of the thermal performance of thermoelectric devices without integrity enhancement (i.e., thermal conductivity across the integrity-enhanced devices is significantly less than 0.0021 Cal-Cm/Cm.sup.2 Sec .degree.C., and is less than or equal to about 0.0015 Cal-Cm/Cm.sup.2 Sec .degree.C.; empirically expressed as maintenance of at least a 40.degree. C. temperature differential over the intra-plate distance which is about 3/16 to about 1/4 of an inch.). Integrity enhancement techniques are described, including the method of embedding components of standard thermoelectric devices in syntactic foam materials, such as those formed of resins and balloon elements.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.