THERMOELECTRIC UNITS

• US 3,780,425 A
• Filed: 01/25/1971
• Issued: 12/25/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Alan William Penn, Frank Neighbour
• Original Assignee: Alan William Penn, Frank Neighbour
• Inventors: Penn, Alan William, Neighbour, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Behrend, Harvey E.
• Application Number:
  US05/109,485
• Time in Patent Office: 1,065 Days
• Field of Search: 136/201,203-205,208,211,212,225,230 29/583,573
• US Class Current: 438/55
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 21/02 using Peltier effect; using Nernst-Ettinghausen effect
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 10/01 Manufacture or treatment
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 257/93 Thermoelectric, e.g. peltier effect cooling

Abstract

In a thermoelectric unit comprising a plurality of thermoelectric elements, accurate spacing between adjacent elements is achieved by use of a cellular insulating material between adjacent thermoelectric elements and applying pressure during setting of the bonding medium so that the bonding medium occupies the pores of the cellular material.

Claims

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the thermoelectric elements comprise bismuth telluride based semiconductor material.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the grain size of the material comprising the thermoelectric elements is less than the cross sectional dimensions of the elements.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the paper used is cigarette paper.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the electrically insulating cellular material is paper and the bonding medium is epoxy resin.