Self-assembled or reconfigurable structures for heat flow control devices

• US 10,330,400 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2015
• Issued: 06/25/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Dede, Ercan Mehmet
• Primary Examiner(s): Ruppert, Eric S
• Application Number:
  US14/659,671
• Publication Number:
  US 20160273848A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,561 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F03G 7/06 using expansion or contraction of bodies due to heating, cooling, moistening, drying or the like using thermal expansion of non-vaporising liquids F01K
• CPC Class Codes: F03G 7/0614 using shape memory elements
• CPC Class Codes: F03G 7/065 using a shape memory element
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 13/00 Arrangements for modifying heat-transfer, e.g. increasing, decreasing F28F1/00 - F28F11/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 2255/00 Heat exchanger elements made of materials having special features or resulting from particular manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 2255/04 comprising shape memory alloys or bimetallic elements
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 2255/20 with nanostructures
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 2275/00 Fastening; Joining
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 2275/22 by using magnetic effect
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 2280/00 Mounting arrangements; Arrangements for facilitating assembling or disassembling of heat exchanger parts
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 27/00 Control arrangements or safety devices specially adapted for heat-exchange or heat-transfer apparatus control arrangements in general G05
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 7/00 Magnets superconducting magnets H01F6/00; for separation of solid materials or fluids B03C1/00; for bench or like work-holders B23B31/28, B23Q3/00; work-holding devices B25B11/00; lifting magnets B66C1/00; operating or controlling locks using permanent magnets E05B47/0038; devices for holding a wing, e.g. door or window, by magnetic or electromagnetic attraction E05C19/16; relieving load or bearings using magnetic means F16C39/06 ; for electric meters G01R; for relays H01H; for electric discharge tubes H01J, e.g. H01J3/24, H01J23/10, H01J29/68 ; for dynamo-electric machines H02K
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 7/206 Electromagnets for lifting, handling or transporting of magnetic pieces or material electromagnets for guidance of vehicles, workpieces B65G21/2009; for magnetic suspension or levitation H02N15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/34 Arrangements for cooling, heating, ventilating or temperature compensation ; Temperature sensing arrangements thermal treatment apparatus H01L21/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/36 Selection of materials, or shaping, to facilitate cooling or heating, e.g. heatsinks H01L23/28, H01L23/40, H01L23/42, H01L23/44, H01L23/46 take precedence; heating H01L23/345
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 40/40 Thermal components H02S10/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 35/00 Magnetostrictive devices integrated devices or assemblies of multiple devices H10N39/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy

Abstract

Devices configured to direct heat flow are disclosed, as well as methods of forming thereof. A device may include a self-assembling heat flow object. The self-assembling heat flow object may include a material having one or more self-assembling properties that cause the material to react to an environmental stimulus and one or more thermal pathways. An application of the environmental stimulus causes the self-assembling heat flow object to deploy and arrange the one or more thermal pathways for directing thermal energy to one or more locations.

Claims

1. A self-assembling heat flow object comprising:

a material having one or more self-assembling properties that cause the material to be reactive to an environmental stimulus selected from at least one of an introduction of a magnetic field adjacent to the self-assembling heat flow object, an introduction of an electrical current, and an induced illumination; and

one or more thermal pathways,

wherein an application of the environmental stimulus causes the self-assembling heat flow object to deploy from an undeployed state where the self-assembling heat flow object is not contacting an additional self-assembling heat flow object to a deployed state where the self-assembling heat flow object contacts the additional self-assembling heat flow object and arranges the one or more thermal pathways for directing thermal energy to one or more locations.

2. The self-assembling heat flow object of claim 1, further comprising a second material disposed on the material having the self-assembling properties, wherein the second material defines the one or more thermal pathways.

3. The self-assembling heat flow object of claim 2, wherein the second material is a thermally conductive material configured as a plurality of thermally conductive traces.

4. The self-assembling heat flow object of claim 1, wherein the environmental stimulus comprises an induced temperature change.

5. The self-assembling heat flow object of claim 1, wherein the self-assembling heat flow object is disposed on a substrate.

6. The self-assembling heat flow object of claim 5, wherein the substrate is a printed circuit board or a paper-based substrate.

7. The self-assembling heat flow object of claim 1, wherein the material is a ferromagnetic material, a diamagnetic material, or a paramagnetic material.

8. The self-assembling heat flow object of claim 1, wherein the material comprises at least one of iron, nickel, cobalt, copper, silver, gold, magnesium, molybdenum, lithium, and tantalum.

9. The self-assembling heat flow object of claim 1, wherein the material is an alloy comprising at least one of silver, copper, gold, aluminum, magnesium, molybdenum, zinc, lithium, tungsten, nickel, iron, cobalt, palladium, platinum, tin, lead, titanium, tantalum, and mercury.

10. The self-assembling heat flow object of claim 1, wherein the material comprises a shape memory polymer.

11. A method of forming a device configured to direct heat flow, the method comprising:

placing one or more materials having one or more of self-assembling properties on a substrate, wherein the self-assembling properties cause the shape memory material to react to an environmental stimulus;

providing one or more thermal pathways, wherein providing one or more thermal pathways comprises placing a thermally conductive material on the one or more materials; and

causing the environmental stimulus such that the one or more materials deploy from an undeployed state where the substrate having the one or more materials is not contacting an additional substrate to a deployed state where the substrate contacts the additional substrate and arranges the one or more thermal pathways for movement of heat at one or more locations adjacent to the device, wherein the environmental stimulus is selected from at least one of an introduction of a magnetic field adjacent to the substrate, an introduction of an electrical current to the substrate, and an illumination of the substrate.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the environmental stimulus is further selected from a heating or a cooling of the substrate.

13. A device configured to direct heat flow, the device comprising:

a plurality of self-assembling heat flow objects, each one of the plurality of self-assembling heat flow objects comprising;

a substrate;

a shape memory material disposed on the substrate, wherein the shape memory material comprises one or more self-assembling properties that cause the shape memory material to be reactive to an environmental stimulus selected from at least one of an introduction of a magnetic field adjacent to the self-assembling heat flow object, an introduction of an electrical current, and an induced illumination; and

one or more thermal pathways,

wherein an application of the environmental stimulus causes the plurality of self-assembling heat flow objects to deploy from an undeployed state where the plurality of self-assembling heat flow objects do not contact one another to a deployed state where each one of the plurality of self-assembling heat flow objects contacts at least one other of the plurality of self-assembling heat flow object and arrange the one or more thermal pathways for directing thermal energy to one or more locations adjacent to the self-assembling heat flow object.

14. The device of claim 13, further comprising a second material disposed on the shape memory material having the self-assembling properties, wherein the second material comprises the one or more thermal pathways.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the second material is a thermally conductive material.

16. The device of claim 13, wherein the substrate comprises a high thermally conductive material and wherein the device further comprises a second substrate comprising a low thermally conductive material disposed on the high thermally conductive material.