Input Power Control for Thermoelectric-Based Refrigerator Apparatuses

• US 20080022695A1
• Filed: 07/26/2006
• Published: 01/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Aerospace Corporation
• Original Assignee: Aerospace Corporation
• Inventors: Welle, Richard P., Janson, Siegfried W.
• Application Number:
  US11/460,128
• Publication Number:
  US 20080022695A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 62/3.7
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 21/04 reversible
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2321/0212 of electric power, current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2700/12 Sensors measuring the inside temperature

Abstract

A refrigerator apparatus includes a housing with an interior chamber, a thermoelectric device that is thermally coupled to the interior chamber, a temperature sensing device that is thermally coupled to the interior chamber, the temperature sensing device providing a temperature measurement; and electronics configured to generate and apply input power to the thermoelectric device, and to adjust the input power maintaining a functional relationship between the input power and the temperature measurement.

Claims

1. A refrigerator apparatus comprising:

a housing with an interior chamber;

a thermoelectric device that is thermally coupled to the interior chamber;

a temperature sensing device that is thermally coupled to the interior chamber, the temperature sensing device providing a temperature measurement; and

electronics configured to generate and apply input power to the thermoelectric device, and to adjust the input power maintaining a functional relationship between the input power and the temperature measurement.

2. The refrigerator apparatus of claim 1, wherein the functional relationship includes a proportional relationship between the input power and the temperature measurement.

3. The refrigerator apparatus of claim 1, wherein the input power is adjusted to maintain the functional relationship when the temperature measurement falls outside a range of acceptable temperatures for a substance stored within the interior chamber.

4. The refrigerator apparatus of claim 1, wherein the input power is adjusted to maintain the functional relationship when the temperature measurement falls inside a range of acceptable temperatures for a substance stored within the interior chamber.

5. The refrigerator apparatus of claim 1, wherein the input power is held substantially constant when the temperature measurement falls inside a range of acceptable temperatures for a substance stored within the interior chamber.

6. The refrigerator apparatus of claim 1, wherein no input power is applied when the temperature measurement falls inside a range of acceptable temperatures for a substance stored within the interior chamber.

7. The refrigerator apparatus of claim 1, wherein the electronics are configured to apply the input power to cause the thermoelectric device to heat the interior chamber only when the temperature measurement indicates a dangerously cold condition for a substance stored in the interior chamber.

8. The refrigerator apparatus of claim 1, wherein the electronics are configured to apply the input power to cause the thermoelectric device to cool the interior chamber at a maximum available cooling rate of the thermoelectric device only when the temperature measurement indicates a dangerously hot condition for a substance stored in the interior chamber.

9. The refrigerator apparatus of claim 1, wherein the temperature sensing device is a thermistor circuit, and the electronics include a microcontroller that provides a digital output to activate the thermistor circuit.

10. The refrigerator apparatus of claim 1, wherein the electronics include a microcontroller configured for direct connection to a battery without the use of a voltage regulator.

11. A refrigerator apparatus comprising:

a housing with an interior chamber;

a thermoelectric device that is thermally coupled to the interior chamber;

temperature sensing devices that provide temperature measurements; and

electronics configured to generate and apply input power to the thermoelectric device, and to adjust the input power depending upon the temperature measurements.

12. The refrigerator apparatus of claim 11, wherein the temperature sensing devices include a first temperature sensing device in thermal contact with one end of the thermoelectric device and a second temperature sensing device in thermal contact with an opposite end of the thermoelectric device.

13. The refrigerator apparatus of claim 11 wherein the temperature sensing devices include a first temperature sensing device in thermal contact with the interior chamber and a second temperature sensing device in thermal contact with an exterior portion of the housing.

14. The refrigerator apparatus of claim 11, wherein the electronics are configured to estimate a rate of heat transfer based on the temperature measurements.

15. The refrigerator apparatus of claim 11, wherein the temperature measurements include an interior chamber temperature measurement, and the input power is adjusted to maintain a functional relationship when the interior chamber temperature measurement falls outside a range of acceptable temperatures for a substance stored within the interior chamber.

16. The refrigerator apparatus of claim 11, wherein the temperature measurements include an interior chamber temperature measurement, and the input power is adjusted to maintain a functional relationship when the interior chamber temperature measurement falls inside a range of acceptable temperatures for a substance stored within the interior chamber.

17. The refrigerator apparatus of claim 11, wherein the temperature measurements include an interior chamber temperature measurement, and the input power is held substantially constant when the interior chamber temperature measurement falls inside a range of acceptable temperatures for a substance stored within the interior chamber.

18. The refrigerator apparatus of claim 11, wherein the temperature measurements include an interior chamber temperature measurement, and the electronics are configured to apply the input power to cause the thermoelectric device to heat the interior chamber only when the interior chamber temperature measurement indicates a dangerously cold condition for a substance stored in the interior chamber.

19. The refrigerator apparatus of claim 11, wherein the temperature measurements include an interior chamber temperature measurement, and the electronics are configured to apply the input power to cause the thermoelectric device to cool the interior chamber at a maximum available cooling rate of the thermoelectric device only when the interior chamber temperature measurement indicates a dangerously hot condition for a substance stored in the interior chamber.

20. The refrigerator apparatus of claim 11, wherein the electronics include a microcontroller configured for direct connection to a battery without the use of a voltage regulator.

21. A refrigerator apparatus comprising:

a housing with an interior chamber;

a thermoelectric device that is thermally coupled to the interior chamber; and

a temperature sensing device that is thermally coupled to the interior chamber, the temperature sensing device providing a temperature measurement; and

electronics configured to receive power from a battery and to generate and apply input power to the thermoelectric device, and to adjust the input power according to an operating mode selected by the electronics depending upon the temperature measurement and a voltage measurement at an output of the battery.

22. The refrigerator apparatus of claim 21, wherein the operating mode is selected by the electronics to be a normal operating mode when the voltage measurement indicates a sufficiently high battery output voltage, and a low energy reserve operating mode otherwise.

23. The refrigerator apparatus of claim 22, wherein the electronics, when adjusting the input power in the low energy reserve operating mode, prevent the thermoelectric device from operating at the maximum heating or cooling rates of the thermoelectric device.

24. The refrigerator apparatus of claim 21, wherein the operating mode includes a functional relationship between the input power and the temperature measurement.

25. The refrigerator apparatus of claim 24, wherein the functional relationship includes a proportional relationship between the input power and the temperature measurement.

26. The refrigerator apparatus of claim 24, wherein the input power is adjusted to maintain the functional relationship when the temperature measurement falls outside a range of acceptable temperatures for a substance stored within the interior chamber.

27. The refrigerator apparatus of claim 24, wherein the input power is adjusted to maintain the functional relationship when the temperature measurement falls inside a range of acceptable temperatures for a substance stored within the interior chamber.

28. The refrigerator apparatus of claim 21, wherein the input power is held substantially constant when the temperature measurement falls inside a range of acceptable temperatures for a substance stored within the interior chamber.

29. The refrigerator apparatus of claim 21, wherein the electronics are configured to apply the input power to cause the thermoelectric device to heat the interior chamber only when the temperature measurement indicates a dangerously cold condition for a substance stored in the interior chamber.

30. The refrigerator apparatus of claim 21, wherein the electronics are configured to apply the input power to cause the thermoelectric device to cool the interior chamber at a maximum available cooling rate of the thermoelectric device only when the temperature measurement indicates a dangerously hot condition for a substance stored in the interior chamber.

31. A refrigerator apparatus comprising:

a housing with an interior chamber;

a thermoelectric device that is thermally coupled to the interior chamber;

temperature sensing devices that provide temperature measurements; and

electronics configured to receive power from a battery and to generate and apply input power to the thermoelectric device, and to adjust the input power according to an operating mode selected by the electronics depending upon the temperature measurements and a voltage measurement at an output of the battery.

32. The refrigerator apparatus of claim 31, wherein the temperature sensing devices include a first temperature sensing device in thermal contact with one end of the thermoelectric device and a second temperature sensing device in thermal contact with an opposite end of the thermoelectric device.

33. The refrigerator apparatus of claim 31, wherein the temperature sensing devices include a first temperature sensing device in thermal contact with the interior chamber and a second temperature sensing device in thermal contact with an exterior portion of the housing.

34. The refrigerator apparatus of claim 31, wherein the electronics are configured to estimate a rate of heat transfer based on the temperature measurements.

35. The refrigerator apparatus of claim 31, wherein the temperature measurements include an interior chamber temperature measurement, and the input power is adjusted to maintain a functional relationship between the input power and the interior chamber temperature measurement.

36. The refrigerator apparatus of claim 35, wherein the functional relationship includes a proportional relationship between the input power and the interior chamber temperature measurement.

37. The refrigerator apparatus of claim 31, wherein the temperature measurements include an interior chamber temperature measurement, and the input power is adjusted to maintain a functional relationship when the interior chamber temperature measurement falls outside a range of acceptable temperatures for a substance stored within the interior chamber.

38. The refrigerator apparatus of claim 31, wherein the temperature measurements include an interior chamber temperature measurement, and the input power is adjusted to maintain a functional relationship when the interior chamber temperature measurement falls inside a range of acceptable temperatures for a substance stored within the interior chamber.

39. The refrigerator apparatus of claim 31, wherein the temperature measurements include an interior chamber temperature measurement, and the input power is held substantially constant when the interior chamber temperature measurement falls inside a range of acceptable temperatures for a substance stored within the interior chamber.

40. The refrigerator apparatus of claim 31, wherein the temperature measurements include an interior chamber temperature measurement, and the electronics are configured to apply the input power to cause the thermoelectric device to heat the interior chamber only when the interior chamber temperature measurement indicates a dangerously cold condition for a substance stored in the interior chamber.

41. The refrigerator apparatus of claim 31, wherein the temperature measurements include an interior chamber temperature measurement, and the electronics are configured to apply the input power to cause the thermoelectric device to cool the interior chamber at a maximum available cooling rate of the thermoelectric device only when the interior chamber temperature measurement indicates a dangerously hot condition for a substance stored in the interior chamber.

42. The refrigerator apparatus of claim 31, wherein the operating mode is selected by the electronics to be a normal operating mode when the voltage measurement indicates a sufficiently high battery output voltage, and a low energy reserve operating mode otherwise.

43. The refrigerator apparatus of claim 42, wherein the electronics, when adjusting the input power in the low energy reserve operating mode, prevent the thermoelectric device from operating at the maximum heating or cooling rates of the thermoelectric device.

44. The refrigerator apparatus of claim 31, wherein the electronics include a microcontroller configured for direct connection to the battery without the use of a voltage regulator.