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CN-114930552-B - Thermoelectric module

CN114930552BCN 114930552 BCN114930552 BCN 114930552BCN-114930552-B

Abstract

A thermoelectric module according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a heat exchange unit including a case for accommodating a material for heat exchange and a cover covering the case, and a thermoelectric element disposed on the heat exchange unit, the thermoelectric element being disposed on the cover, and a thermal conductivity of the cover being higher than a thermal conductivity of the case.

Inventors

  • Yuan Fuyun

Assignees

  • LG伊诺特有限公司

Dates

Publication Date
20260512
Application Date
20201221
Priority Date
20200107

Claims (20)

  1. 1. A thermoelectric module, comprising: heat exchange unit, and A thermoelectric device disposed on the heat exchange unit, Wherein the heat exchange unit comprises a housing for containing a heat exchange material and a cover for covering the housing, Wherein the thermoelectric device comprises a lower substrate, a lower electrode, a P-type thermoelectric leg, an N-type thermoelectric leg, an upper electrode, an upper substrate and a sealing member; Wherein the sealing member is disposed on side surfaces of the lower electrode, the P-type thermoelectric leg, the N-type thermoelectric leg, and the upper electrode between the lower substrate and the upper substrate, Wherein the area of the lower substrate is 1.2 to 5 times of the area of the upper substrate, The thermoelectric device is arranged on the cover, and The thermal conductivity of the cover is higher than the thermal conductivity of the housing.
  2. 2. The thermoelectric module of claim 1, wherein the cover comprises: A first surface disposed toward an exterior of the housing and on which the thermoelectric device is disposed, and A second surface disposed toward the interior of the housing, Wherein a plurality of cooling fins are formed on the second surface.
  3. 3. The thermoelectric module of claim 2, wherein the housing comprises: A first region in which the plurality of fins are accommodated, and A second region surrounding the first region and including a coupling portion for coupling the housing to the cover.
  4. 4. The thermoelectric module of claim 3, wherein: the coupling portion includes a plurality of holes, and The housing and the cover are coupled in the second region by a plurality of coupling members disposed in the plurality of holes.
  5. 5. The thermoelectric module of claim 3, wherein: The coupling portion includes a groove having an annular shape, and An O-ring is disposed in the groove.
  6. 6. The thermoelectric module of claim 3, wherein the housing further comprises a third region surrounding the second region and having a height greater than a height of the second region.
  7. 7. The thermoelectric module of claim 3, wherein a bottom surface of the first region and the plurality of fins are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance.
  8. 8. The thermoelectric module of claim 3, wherein: at least one guide protruding from the bottom surface is provided in the first region, and One end of the guide is spaced apart from a wall surface of the housing.
  9. 9. The thermoelectric module of claim 3, wherein the housing has a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet formed therein.
  10. 10. The thermoelectric module of claim 1, wherein: the cover comprises metal, and The housing includes an insulating material.
  11. 11. The thermoelectric module of claim 7, wherein: The height of the second region is higher than the height of the bottom surface of the first region, and The predetermined distance between the bottom surface of the first region and the plurality of fins is 0.1 to 0.7 times the difference between the height of the second region and the height of the bottom surface of the first region.
  12. 12. The thermoelectric module according to claim 8, Wherein the extending direction of the plurality of fins is parallel to the extending direction of the at least one guide.
  13. 13. The thermoelectric module according to claim 1, Wherein the thermoelectric device has a width that is less than a width of the cover.
  14. 14. The thermoelectric module of claim 1, wherein: The cover includes a first surface disposed toward an exterior of the housing and the thermoelectric device disposed thereon and a second surface disposed toward an interior of the housing, Wherein the housing includes a first region containing the heat exchange material, and a second region surrounding the first region and including a coupling portion for coupling the housing to the cover.
  15. 15. The thermoelectric module of claim 14, wherein a height of the second region is greater than a height of a bottom surface of the first region, and the second surface of the cover is in contact with the second region.
  16. 16. The thermoelectric module of claim 15, wherein the housing further comprises a third region surrounding the second region and having a height greater than a height of the second region, and the third region is disposed on a side surface of the cover.
  17. 17. The thermoelectric module of claim 16, wherein the third region has a width that is 0.5 to 2 times a width of the second region.
  18. 18. The thermoelectric module of claim 14, wherein: The housing has a first surface with a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet formed thereon, A guide protruding from the bottom surface is provided in the first region, The guide extends from the first surface of the housing toward a second surface of the housing opposite the first surface of the housing, and The guide is spaced apart from the second surface of the housing.
  19. 19. The thermoelectric module of claim 14, wherein: The housing has a first surface with a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet formed thereon, A plurality of guides protruding from the bottom surface are provided in the first region, A portion of the plurality of guides extends from the first surface of the housing toward a second surface of the housing opposite the first surface of the housing and is spaced apart from the second surface of the housing, and Another portion of the plurality of guides extends from the second surface of the housing toward the first surface of the housing and is spaced apart from the first surface of the housing.
  20. 20. The thermoelectric module of claim 14, wherein the housing is watertight coupled with the cover in the second region.

Description

Thermoelectric module Technical Field The present invention relates to a thermoelectric module, and more particularly, to a structure of a heat exchange unit included in the thermoelectric module. Background The thermoelectric effect is a phenomenon of direct energy conversion between heat and electricity that occurs due to movement of electrons and holes in a material. The thermoelectric device generally refers to a device utilizing a thermoelectric effect and has a structure in which a P-type thermoelectric material and an N-type thermoelectric material are disposed between metal electrodes and bonded with the metal electrodes to form a PN junction pair. Thermoelectric devices can be classified into devices using a change in resistance according to a temperature change, devices using the seebeck effect that generates electromotive force due to a temperature difference, devices using the peltier effect that absorbs heat or heats due to a current, and the like. Thermoelectric devices have been widely used in home appliances, electronic parts, communication parts, and the like. As an example, the thermoelectric device may be applied to a cooling apparatus, a heating apparatus, a power generation apparatus, and the like. Accordingly, there is a growing demand for thermoelectric performance of thermoelectric devices. The thermoelectric device includes a substrate, electrodes, and thermoelectric legs disposed in an array between an upper substrate and a lower substrate, a plurality of upper electrodes disposed between the thermoelectric legs and the upper substrate, and a plurality of lower electrodes disposed between the thermoelectric legs and the lower substrate. In this case, one of the upper and lower substrates may serve as a low temperature portion, and the other one may serve as a high temperature portion. Meanwhile, when the thermoelectric device is applied to a cooling apparatus, a heating apparatus, a power generating apparatus, or the like, a heat exchange unit may be provided on one surface of the thermoelectric device, and thermoelectric performance of the thermoelectric device may vary according to heat exchange efficiency between the thermoelectric device and the heat exchange unit. Disclosure of Invention [ Technical problem ] The present invention aims to provide a thermoelectric module with improved heat exchange efficiency. [ Technical solution ] One aspect of the present invention provides a thermoelectric module including a heat exchange unit and a thermoelectric device disposed on the heat exchange unit, wherein the heat exchange unit includes a case for accommodating a heat exchange material and a cover for covering the case, the thermoelectric device is disposed on the cover, and a thermal conductivity of the cover is higher than a thermal conductivity of the case. The cover may include a first surface disposed toward the outside of the case and on which the thermoelectric device is disposed, and a second surface disposed toward the inside of the case, wherein the second surface may have a plurality of heat dissipation fins formed thereon. The housing may include a first region in which the plurality of fins are received and a second region surrounding the first region and including a coupling member for coupling the housing to the cover. The coupling member may be a plurality of holes, and the case and the cover may be coupled by the plurality of coupling members in the second region. The housing and the cover may be watertight coupled in the second region. The coupling member may be a groove having an annular shape, and an O-ring may be provided in the groove. The housing may further include a third region surrounding the second region and having a height greater than a height of the second region. The bottom surface of the first region and the plurality of heat sinks may be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance. At least one guide protruding from the bottom surface may be provided in the first region, and one end of the guide may be spaced apart from the wall surface of the case. The housing may have a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet formed therein. The temperature of the fluid introduced through the fluid inlet may be higher than the temperature of the fluid discharged through the fluid outlet. The temperature of the fluid introduced through the fluid inlet may be lower than the temperature of the fluid discharged through the fluid outlet. The cover may comprise metal and the housing may comprise an insulating material. [ Advantageous effects ] According to the embodiment of the present invention, a thermoelectric device having improved heat exchange efficiency between a heat exchange unit and the thermoelectric device can be obtained. Further, according to the embodiment of the present invention, heat loss of the heat exchange unit can be prevented even without a separate heat insulating material, and thus, manufacturing costs can be reduced, manufacturing process