THERMOELECTRIC DRINKING APPARATUS AND THERMOELECTRIC HEAT PUMP

• US 20120073309A1
• Filed: 06/10/2011
• Published: 03/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Inventors: Chou, Ya-Wen, HUNG, Ming-Lang, Peng, Jyi-Ching, Chen, Yi-Ray
• Granted Patent: US 9,310,110 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 62/3.3
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 21/02 using Peltier effect; using Nernst-Ettinghausen effect
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2321/0252 by liquids or two-phase fluids
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2331/806 Dispensers

Abstract

A thermoelectric drinking apparatus has a feeding pipe, a cooling-gain circulating loop, a heating-gain circulating loop, an outlet pipe, and a thermoelectric heat pump. The thermoelectric heat pump has a cooling unit attached to the cold side of a thermoelectric chip, which has a cooling channel in its interior, and a heating unit attached to the hot side of the thermoelectric chip and provided with a heating channel in its interior. The feeding pipe conducts fluid into the cooling channel and the heating channel respectively. The cooling-gain and heating-gain circulating loop respectively cause fluids in the cooling channel and heating channel to create circular flows, such that the cold side and hot side of the thermoelectric chip respectively cool and heat the fluids via the cooling channel and heating channel. The outlet pipe discharges the cooled and/or heated fluids respectively from the cooling-gain circulating loop and heating-gain circulating loop.

Claims

1. A thermoelectric drinking apparatus comprising:

a thermoelectric heat pump comprising;

a thermoelectric chip having a cold side for absorbing heat and a hot side for rejecting heat;

a cooling unit being attached to the cold side of the thermoelectric chip and having a cooling channel provided therein; and

a heating unit being attached to the hot side of the thermoelectric chip and having a heating channel provided therein;

a feeding pipe for conducting fluid into the cooling channel of the cooling unit and the heating channel of the heating unit, respectively;

a cooling-gain circulating loop coupled to the cooling unit for introducing the fluid into the cooling channel via the feeding pipe to create a circular flow, so as to make the cold side of the thermoelectric chip cool the fluid flowing in the cooling channel of the cooling unit;

a heating-gain circulating loop coupled to the heating unit for introducing the fluid into the heating channel via the feeding pipe to create a circular flow, so as to make hot side of the thermoelectric chip heat the fluid flowing in the heating channel of the heating unit; and

an outlet pipe coupled to the cooling-gain circulating loop and to the heating-gain circulating loop for discharging the cooled fluid and the heated fluid respectively from the cooling-gain circulating loop and the heating-gain circulating loop.

2. The thermoelectric drinking apparatus of claim 1, wherein the thermoelectric heat pump comprises a plurality of cooling units and heating units connected in series or parallel with each other.

3. The thermoelectric drinking apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cooling unit comprises a cooling body having the cooling channel and a cooling gasket groove, a cooling sealing gasket disposed in the cooling gasket groove, and a cooling sealing cover covering the cooling body, and the heating unit comprises a heating body having the heating channel and a heating gasket groove, a heating sealing gasket disposed in the heating gasket groove, and a heating sealing cover covering the heating body.

4. The thermoelectric drinking apparatus of claim 3, wherein the cooling sealing cover and the heating body are each formed with screw holes corresponding in position to each other for screws to pass therethrough so as to fix the cooling sealing cover onto the heating body and the cooling sealing gasket in the cooling gasket groove, and the heating sealing cover and the heating body are each formed with screw holes corresponding in position to each other for screws to pass therethrough so as to fix the heating sealing cover onto the heating body and the heating sealing gasket in the heating gasket groove.

5. The thermoelectric drinking apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cooling channel and the heating channel are U-shaped contralateral unidirectional channel-type structures.

6. The thermoelectric drinking apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cooling channel and the heating channel are U-shaped ipsilateral unidirectional channel-type structures.

7. The thermoelectric drinking apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cooling channel and the heating channel are helical unidirectional channel-type structures.

8. The thermoelectric drinking apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cooling channel and the heating channel are helical bi-directional channel-type structures.

9. The thermoelectric drinking apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cooling channel and the heating channel are U-shaped contralateral bi-directional channel-type structures.

10. The thermoelectric drinking apparatus of claim 1, wherein the feeding pipe has an inlet valve and a check valve, the inlet valve is used to conduct the fluid into the cooling channel of the cooling unit and the heating channel of the heating unit respectively, and the check valve is used to prevent the fluid conducted by the feeding pipe from flowing in a reverse direction in the cooling channel and the heating channel.

11. The thermoelectric drinking apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cooling-gain circulating loop has a cold control valve for controlling the fluid in the cooling channel to create a circular flow and a cold-side booster pump for improving efficiency of the circular flow of the fluid in the cooling channel, and is used to store the cooled fluid in a cooled fluid tank, and the heating-gain circulating loop has a hot control valve for controlling the fluid in the heating channel to create a circular flow and a hot-side booster pump for improving efficiency of the circular flow of the fluid in the heating channel, and is used to store the heated fluid in a heated fluid tank.

12. The thermoelectric drinking apparatus of claim 11, wherein the cooled fluid tank and the heated fluid tank are coated with an insulation layer for maintaining temperature of the cooled fluid and the heated fluid stored in the cooled fluid tank and the heated fluid tank.

13. The thermoelectric drinking apparatus of claim 11, wherein the cooled fluid tank and the heated fluid tank have switches for discharging the cooled fluid and the heated fluid.

14. The thermoelectric drinking apparatus of claim 11, wherein operation of the cold-side booster pump is terminated and the cold control valve is closed at the time the temperature of the cooled fluid in the cooled fluid tank is below a preset temperature of 8°

C., operation of the hot-side booster pump is terminated and the hot control valve is closed at the time the temperature of the heated fluid in the heated fluid tank is above a preset temperature of 85°

C.

15. The thermoelectric drinking apparatus of claim 11, wherein the cold control valve and the hot control valve are closed and the cold-side booster pump and the hot-side booster pump work at the time the outlet pipe discharges the cooled fluid and the heated fluid respectively from the cooling-gain circulating loop and the heating-gain circulating loop.

16. The thermoelectric drinking apparatus of claim 11, wherein the cooled fluid tank and the heated fluid tank provide a predetermined percentage of cooled fluid and heated fluid respectively, so as to mix into warm water with a predetermined temperature.

17. The thermoelectric drinking apparatus of claim 11, wherein the outlet pipe has an outlet valve and a flow control valve, and the outlet valve is used to conduct the cooled and heated fluid from the cooling-gain circulating loop and the heating-gain circulating loop respectively, and the flow control valve is used to control flow of the outlet pipe.

18. A thermoelectric heat pump including:

a thermoelectric chip having a cold side for absorbing heat and a hot side for releasing heat;

a cooling unit being attached to the cold side of the thermoelectric chip and having a cooling channel provided therein; and

a heating unit being attached to the hot side of the thermoelectric chip and having a heating channel provided therein, the hot side of the thermoelectric chip heating fluid in the heating channel via the heating channel of the heating unit.

19. The thermoelectric heat pump of claim 18, wherein the cooling unit comprises a cooling body having the cooling channel and a cooling gasket groove, a cooling sealing gasket disposed in the cooling gasket groove, and a cooling sealing cover covering the cooling body, and the heating unit comprises a heating body having the heating channel and a heating gasket groove, a heating sealing gasket disposed in the heating gasket groove and a heating sealing cover covering the heating body.

20. The thermoelectric heat pump of claim 18, wherein the cooling sealing cover and the cooling body are formed with screw holes corresponding in position to each other for screws to pass through so as to fix the cooling sealing cover onto the heating body and the cooling sealing gasket in the cooling gasket groove, and the heating sealing cover and the heating body are formed with screw holes corresponding in position to each other for screws to pass through so as to fix the heating sealing cover onto the heating body and the heating sealing gasket in the heating gasket groove.

21. The thermoelectric heat pump of claim 18, wherein the cooling channel and the heating channel are U-shaped channel-type structures and the inlet and the outlet of flow in the opposite sides of unit.

22. The thermoelectric heat pump of claim 18, wherein the cooling channel and the heating channel are U-shaped channel-type structures and the inlet and the outlet of flow at the same sides of unit.

23. The thermoelectric heat pump according to claim 18, wherein the cooling channel and the heating channel are helical unidirectional channel-type structures.

24. The thermoelectric heat pump according to claim 18, wherein the cooling channel and the heating channel are helical channel structures and cross-flow types.

25. The thermoelectric heat pump according to claim 18, wherein the cooling channel and the heating channel are U-shaped channel-type structures and cross-flow type.