JPH02288376A - Thermoelectric device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To largely reduce a manufacturing cost and to remarkably decrease the number of components by superposing a plurality of stages of thermoelectric boards having fins in thermal contact with a first conductor on the side of a film board, and bringing the ends of the fins into thermal contact with a second conductor of the board of adjacent stage. CONSTITUTION:A plurality of stages of thermoelectric boards 10 each having a thin film in electric contact with the ends of semiconductors, conductors and fins 15 in thermal contact with a first conductor 13 on the film side of an insulating film board 11 are superposed in the order of an N-type semiconductor 12, the first conductor 13, a P-type semiconductor 14 and the second conductor 13 on the board 11, and brought into thermal contact with the second conductor 13 of the board of the stage adjacent to the end of the fin. Thus, one corrugated fin 15 transfers heat of the two boards 10 disposed vertically, the number of the fins is reduced by half, and the number of branches of air to be thermally exchanged is decreased approximately by half. Thus, the number of components necessary to obtain the same performance is largely reduced, and its manufacturing cost can be remarkably decreased.

Description

【発明の詳細な説明】 産業上の利用分野 本発明はペルチェ効果を利用し、電気的に冷房もしくは
暖房を行う空調装置、もしくはゼーベック効果により温
度差を用いて発電を行う発電装置等に有用な熱電装置に
関する。[Detailed Description of the Invention] Industrial Application Field The present invention is useful for air conditioners that electrically cool or heat air using the Peltier effect, or power generation devices that generate electricity using temperature differences due to the Seebeck effect. Relating to thermoelectric devices.

従来の技術 従来、第３図に示す従来例の様に、熱を電気に変換し、
もしくは電気を熱に変換する熱電基板１は、熱電素子の
両側にフィンを有し、両側のフィンの温度差により発電
を行い、もしくは電流を通ずることにより冷却を行うも
のである。以下の説明についてはペルチェ効果による冷
却について行なう。Conventional technology Conventionally, as in the conventional example shown in Figure 3, heat is converted into electricity,
Alternatively, the thermoelectric substrate 1 that converts electricity into heat has fins on both sides of a thermoelectric element, and generates electricity based on the temperature difference between the fins on both sides, or performs cooling by passing an electric current. The following explanation will be about cooling due to the Peltier effect.

絶縁性フィルム基板２の片面にＮ型半導体３、導電体４
、Ｐ型半導体５、導電体４が順に成膜されている。２つ
のフルゲートフィン６はフィルム基板２の両側に位置し
、導電体４を１つおきに、かつ、接する導電体４がおの
おの異なるように設置されている。Ｎ型半導体３、導電
体４、Ｐ型半導体５は、各々の端部が重なり合う構造に
なっており、熱電装置に流れ込んだ電流は、半導体３．
５と導電体４の界面でペルチェ効果により発熱もしくは
吸熱する。このとき、Ｎ型半導体３とＰ型半導体５は交
互に並んでいることから、導電体４は交互に発熱部また
は吸熱部となり、前述のごとく導電体４の１つおきに接
するコルゲートフィン６は、一方が発熱フィン他方が吸
熱フィンとなる。An N-type semiconductor 3 and a conductor 4 are disposed on one side of an insulating film substrate 2.
, a P-type semiconductor 5, and a conductor 4 are deposited in this order. The two full-gate fins 6 are located on both sides of the film substrate 2, and are installed so that every other conductor 4 is in contact with the conductor 4 and the conductors 4 in contact with the fins are different from each other. The N-type semiconductor 3, the conductor 4, and the P-type semiconductor 5 have a structure in which their respective ends overlap, and the current flowing into the thermoelectric device flows through the semiconductor 3.
5 and the conductor 4 generate heat or absorb heat due to the Peltier effect. At this time, since the N-type semiconductors 3 and the P-type semiconductors 5 are arranged alternately, the conductors 4 alternately act as heat generating parts or heat absorbing parts, and as mentioned above, the corrugated fins 6 in contact with every other conductor 4 , one is a heat generating fin and the other is a heat absorbing fin.

したがって、フィルム２上部の空気から熱を吸収（もし
くは空気への熱の発散）、フィルム２の下部の空気への
熱の発散（もしくは空気からの熱の吸収）となる。Therefore, heat is absorbed from the air above the film 2 (or heat is radiated to the air), and heat is radiated to the air below the film 2 (or heat is absorbed from the air).

第４図は従来の熱電基板１を冷暖房用に使用した場合の
例を示したものである。このような装置は、大量の空気
の流動を必要とすることから、第３図に示したような熱
電基板１を多数平行に配置し、室内空気および室外空気
の２つに空気を導いて熱交換を行なっている。空気の流
れを矢印７．８で示す。FIG. 4 shows an example in which the conventional thermoelectric board 1 is used for heating and cooling purposes. Since such a device requires a large amount of air flow, a large number of thermoelectric boards 1 as shown in Fig. 3 are arranged in parallel, and the air is guided into indoor air and outdoor air to generate heat. We are doing an exchange. The air flow is indicated by arrow 7.8.

発明が解決しようとする課題 しかしながら、こめような従来の熱電装置では、第４図
に示したごとく空気を導くダクトが細分化されダクトの
コストが大きくなり熱電装置全体も大型化する課題があ
った。Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, with conventional thermoelectric devices that are compact, the duct that guides the air is segmented into smaller pieces as shown in Figure 4, which increases the cost of the ducts and increases the size of the entire thermoelectric device. .

本発明は、上記従来技術の課題を解決し、熱電装置の構
成および空気流路を大幅の簡素化し、製造コストを大幅
に低減するばかりでなく、熱電装置を構成する部品点数
も大幅に低減する熱電装置を提供することを目的とする
ものである。The present invention solves the above problems of the prior art, greatly simplifies the configuration and air flow path of a thermoelectric device, significantly reduces manufacturing costs, and also significantly reduces the number of parts that make up the thermoelectric device. The object is to provide a thermoelectric device.

課題を解決するための手段 そこで本発明による熱電装置は、絶縁性フィルム基板上
に、Ｎ型（またはＰ型）半導体、第１の導電体、Ｐ型（
またはＮ型）半導体、第２の導電体の順で、各半導体・
導電体の端部が電気的に接触する薄膜を有し、かつ、前
記フィルム基板の膜側に第１の導電体と熱的に接触する
フィンを有する熱電基板を複数段重ね、前記フィン先端
が隣接する段の熱電基板の第２の導電体と熱的に接触し
たものである。Means for Solving the Problems The thermoelectric device according to the present invention includes an N-type (or P-type) semiconductor, a first conductor, and a P-type (or P-type) semiconductor on an insulating film substrate.
or N type) semiconductor, and then the second conductor.
A plurality of thermoelectric substrates each having a thin film in electrical contact with the end of the conductor and having a fin in thermal contact with the first conductor on the film side of the film substrate are stacked, and the tip of the fin is It is in thermal contact with the second conductor of the thermoelectric substrate of the adjacent stage.

作用 本発明は、多段にした熱電基板に電流を１段ごとに反対
方向に流す。これにより、任意のコルゲートフィンの両
端と接する導電体はすべて冷却または発熱状態になる。Function: According to the present invention, current is passed through a multi-stage thermoelectric substrate in opposite directions for each stage. As a result, all conductors in contact with both ends of any corrugated fin are cooled or heated.

したがって、１つのコルゲートフィンは上下に位置する
熱電基板２つの伝熱を行なうことになり、コルゲートフ
ィンの数がほぼ半分となり、かつ、熱交換する空気の分
岐数もほぼ半分となる。したがって、同一性能を得るた
めに必要な部品点数が大幅に減少し、製造コストを大幅
に低減することができる。Therefore, one corrugated fin transfers heat between two thermoelectric substrates located above and below, and the number of corrugated fins is approximately halved, and the number of air branches for heat exchange is also approximately halved. Therefore, the number of parts required to obtain the same performance is significantly reduced, and manufacturing costs can be significantly reduced.

実施例 以下に、本発明の実施例について図面を参照しながら説
明する。Examples Examples of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

第１図は本発明による一実施例であり、熱電基板１０の
構成を示すものである。FIG. 1 is an embodiment according to the present invention, and shows the configuration of a thermoelectric substrate 10. As shown in FIG.

絶縁性フィルム基板１１の片面にはＮ型半導体１２、導
電体１３、Ｐ型半導体１４、導電体１３が順に成膜され
ている。熱電装置に流れ込んだ電流は、半導体１２．１
４と導電体１３の界面でペルチェ効果により発熱もしく
は吸熱する。このとき、Ｎ型半導体１２とＰ型半導体１
４は交互に並んでいることから、導電体１３は交互に発
熱部または吸熱部となる。フルゲートフィン１５は導電
体１３の１つおきに接している。実際に使用する場合は
熱電基板１０を多数枚積層する。このとき下部に位置す
る熱電基板１０のコルゲートフィン１５の先端は、破線
でしめした位置となり、コルゲートフィン１５と接して
いない導電体１３の裏面と熱的に接触する。本実施例で
は、熱電基板１０の上面に位置するコルゲートフィン１
５と導電体１３とを直接接触させているが、コルゲート
フィン１５を流れる電流はペルチェ吸熱に寄与しないこ
とから、両者の間に電気絶縁層を設けることにより、さ
らに高効率化も容易である。On one side of the insulating film substrate 11, an N-type semiconductor 12, a conductor 13, a P-type semiconductor 14, and a conductor 13 are formed in this order. The current flowing into the thermoelectric device is the semiconductor 12.1
4 and the conductor 13 generate heat or absorb heat due to the Peltier effect. At this time, the N-type semiconductor 12 and the P-type semiconductor 1
Since the conductors 4 are arranged alternately, the conductors 13 alternately serve as heat generating parts or heat absorbing parts. The full gate fins 15 are in contact with every other conductor 13. When actually used, a large number of thermoelectric substrates 10 are stacked. At this time, the tip of the corrugated fin 15 of the thermoelectric substrate 10 located at the bottom is at the position indicated by the broken line, and comes into thermal contact with the back surface of the conductor 13 that is not in contact with the corrugated fin 15. In this embodiment, a corrugated fin 1 located on the upper surface of a thermoelectric board 10 is used.
Although the corrugated fins 15 and the conductor 13 are in direct contact with each other, since the current flowing through the corrugated fins 15 does not contribute to Peltier heat absorption, it is easy to further improve the efficiency by providing an electrical insulating layer between the two.

第２図は、冷暖房用に使用した場合の一実施例を示しす
ものである。大量の空気の流動を必要とすることから、
第１図に示したような熱電基板１０を多段に配置し、矢
印１６．１７で示す室内空気および室外空気の２つに空
気を導いて熱交換を行なっている。隣あう熱電基板１０
に印加する電流の向き１８を逆にすることにより、コル
ゲートフィン１５と接する導電体１３は上下共に発熱ま
たは吸熱とすることができる。本発明の熱電基板１０を
用いると、１つのコルゲートフィン１５が２つの熱電基
板１０の熱交換に寄与することからコルゲートフィン１
５の数が半減し、また、２つの空気の流路の数も半減す
る。したがって、コルゲートフィン１５および空気を導
くダクトのコストが大幅に低減することができる。FIG. 2 shows an embodiment when used for air conditioning. Because it requires a large amount of air flow,
Thermoelectric boards 10 as shown in FIG. 1 are arranged in multiple stages, and air is introduced into indoor air and outdoor air as shown by arrows 16 and 17 for heat exchange. Adjacent thermoelectric boards 10
By reversing the direction 18 of the current applied to the corrugated fins 15, the conductor 13 in contact with the corrugated fins 15 can generate heat or absorb heat on both the upper and lower sides. When the thermoelectric substrate 10 of the present invention is used, one corrugated fin 15 contributes to heat exchange between the two thermoelectric substrates 10.
5 is halved, and the number of two air channels is also halved. Therefore, the cost of the corrugated fins 15 and the air guiding duct can be significantly reduced.

本実施例では、コルゲートフィン１５は吸熱側、排熱側
ともに同じ寸法としたが、吸熱・排熱比や、おのおのの
空気側条件により最適寸法で製作することも容易な形状
といえる。一般に、排熱量は吸熱量と入力電力との和に
等しく、効率の悪い熱電素子を用いると、吸熱量と排熱
量の差が大きくなる。したがって、空気側との伝熱に必
要な伝熱面積の差も大きくなる。本発明では、吸熱側と
排熱側のフルゲートフィン１５の長さを変えることによ
って、最適な形状を容易に得ることができる。In this embodiment, the corrugated fins 15 have the same dimensions on both the heat absorption side and the heat exhaust side, but it can be said that the shape can be easily manufactured with optimal dimensions depending on the heat absorption/exhaust heat ratio and the conditions on each air side. Generally, the amount of heat removed is equal to the sum of the amount of heat absorbed and the input power, and if an inefficient thermoelectric element is used, the difference between the amount of heat absorbed and the amount of heat removed becomes large. Therefore, the difference in heat transfer area required for heat transfer with the air side also increases. In the present invention, an optimal shape can be easily obtained by changing the lengths of the full gate fins 15 on the heat absorption side and the heat exhaust side.

また、本実施例では、コルゲートフィン１５の表面はフ
ラットとしたが、空気との伝熱性能を高めるスリットフ
ィンやルーバーフィンの加工も容易な形状と言える。Further, in this embodiment, the surface of the corrugated fin 15 is flat, but it can be said that the shape can be easily fabricated into slit fins or louver fins that improve heat transfer performance with air.

発明の効果 本発明による熱電装置は、絶縁性フィルム基板上に、Ｎ
型（またはＰ型）半導体、第１の導電体、Ｐ型（または
Ｎ型）半導体、第２の導電体の順で、各半導体・導電体
の端部が電気的に接触する薄膜を有し、かつ、前記フィ
ルム基板の膜側に第１の導電体と熱的に接触するフィン
を存する熱電基板を複数段重ね、前記フィン先端が隣接
する段の熱電基板の第２の導電体と熱的に接触させたた
め、同一性能を得るために必要な部品点数が大幅に減少
し、製造コストを大幅に低減させた熱電装置の実現が可
能となる。Effects of the Invention The thermoelectric device according to the present invention has N on an insulating film substrate.
type (or P-type) semiconductor, first conductor, P-type (or N-type) semiconductor, and second conductor, in the order of which the ends of each semiconductor/conductor have a thin film in electrical contact with each other. , and a plurality of stacked thermoelectric substrates each having a fin in thermal contact with a first conductor on the film side of the film substrate, and a tip of the fin is thermally connected to a second conductor of an adjacent thermoelectric substrate. Since the thermoelectric device is brought into contact with the thermoelectric device, the number of parts required to obtain the same performance is significantly reduced, making it possible to realize a thermoelectric device with significantly reduced manufacturing costs.

【図面の簡単な説明】[Brief explanation of the drawing]

第１図は本発明の一実施例の熱電基板の概略を示す斜視
図、第２図は同実施例にかかる熱電装置の構成を示す斜
視図、第３図は従来の熱電基板の概略を示す斜視図、第
４図は従来の熱電装置の構成を示す斜視図である。 ３、　５．　１２．　１４・・・半導体、　２．１１・
・・フィルム基板、４．１３・・・導電体。 代理人の氏名　弁理士　粟野重孝　はか１名１θ・−熱
を壬１反 １１−一絶甥Ｉ虫フィルＡ基板 １２−・・Ｎ型半導体 ｔＳ・・−ゴルグ′−トフィン ／−一一煕を基林。 ２、−フィルム基板 ３−Ｎ型牛淳イネ ４−・・Ｓ電／本 ５・−ＰｇＬ＋傳Ａ本 ｇ−コルゲートフｌ／Fig. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a thermoelectric board according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a thermoelectric device according to the same embodiment, and Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional thermoelectric board. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a conventional thermoelectric device. 3, 5. 12. 14...Semiconductor, 2.11.
...Film substrate, 4.13...Conductor. Name of agent: Patent attorney Shigetaka Awano Haka 1 person 1θ・-Heat 11 anti-11-1st nephew I insect filter A substrate 12--N-type semiconductor tS...-Gorg'-Toffin/-11-hi Kibayashi. 2, -Film substrate 3 -N type Ushijun rice 4-... S electric / book 5 -PgL + Den A book g - Corrugate full /

Claims (4)

【特許請求の範囲】[Claims] （１）絶縁性フィルム基板上に、Ｎ型（またはＰ型）半
導体、第１の導電体、Ｐ型（またはＮ型）半導体、第２
の導電体の順で、各半導体、導電体の端部が電気的に接
触する薄膜が形成され、かつ、前記フィルム基板の膜側
に前記第１の導電体と熱的に接触するフィンを有する熱
電基板が複数段重ねられ、前記フィン先端が隣接する段
の熱電基板の前記第２の導電体と熱的に接触することを
特徴とする熱電装置。(1) On an insulating film substrate, an N-type (or P-type) semiconductor, a first conductor, a P-type (or N-type) semiconductor, a second
A thin film is formed in which the ends of each semiconductor and the conductor are in electrical contact with each other in the order of the conductors, and a fin is formed on the film side of the film substrate to be in thermal contact with the first conductor. A thermoelectric device characterized in that a plurality of thermoelectric substrates are stacked one on top of the other, and the fin tip is in thermal contact with the second conductor of the thermoelectric substrate in an adjacent step. （２）フィンの形状がコルゲート状に一体化されたこと
を特徴とする請求項１記載の熱電装置。(2) The thermoelectric device according to claim 1, wherein the fins are integrated into a corrugated shape. （３）半導体の発熱量および吸熱量に応じて、フィンの
面積が変わることを特徴とする請求項１記載の熱電装置
。(3) The thermoelectric device according to claim 1, wherein the area of the fin changes depending on the amount of heat generated and the amount of heat absorbed by the semiconductor. （４）フィンに、スリットまたはルーバーが設けられた
ことを特徴とする請求項１記載の熱電装置。(4) The thermoelectric device according to claim 1, wherein the fins are provided with slits or louvers.