Fault tolerant thermoelectric device circuit
First Claim
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1. A thermoelectric device comprising:
- at least one thermoelectric element;
an electrical circuit for supplying electricity to said thermoelectric element;
a by-pass circuit coupled in parallel with said thermoelectric element for providing an electrical path for electricity supplied to said thermoelectric element to by-pass said thermoelectric element in response to a failure of said thermoelectric element and to allow continued current flow through the electrical circuit;
said by-pass circuit being operable to maintain substantially the same amount of current flow through the electrical circuit in response to said failure of said thermoelectric element; and
said by-pass circuit having a normally off state which presents high impedance to said electrical circuit providing electricity to said thermoelectric element.
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Abstract
Fault tolerant thermoelectric device circuit (18) is provided including a plurality of thermoelectric elements (19, 20, 21, and 22) and a plurality of secondary by-pass circuits (24, 25, 26, and 27) coupled in parallel with a number of the thermoelectric elements. The secondary by-pass circuits provide by-pass paths to failed thermoelectric elements, thereby allowing the remaining elements to continue operating. Primary by-pass circuit (30) is also provided to provide a by-pass path to all of the thermoelectric elements as required.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A thermoelectric device comprising:
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at least one thermoelectric element; an electrical circuit for supplying electricity to said thermoelectric element; a by-pass circuit coupled in parallel with said thermoelectric element for providing an electrical path for electricity supplied to said thermoelectric element to by-pass said thermoelectric element in response to a failure of said thermoelectric element and to allow continued current flow through the electrical circuit; said by-pass circuit being operable to maintain substantially the same amount of current flow through the electrical circuit in response to said failure of said thermoelectric element; and said by-pass circuit having a normally off state which presents high impedance to said electrical circuit providing electricity to said thermoelectric element. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11)
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7. A thermoelectric device comprising:
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a plurality of serially coupled thermoelectric elements; an electrical circuit for supplying electricity to said thermoelectric device; a plurality of by-pass circuits with each by-pass circuit coupled in parallel with a selected group of said thermoelectric elements, each of said plurality of by-pass circuits being operable to provide an electrical path for electricity supplied to its associated group of thermoelectric elements to by-pass said group of thermoelectric elements; said by-pass circuits each being operable to maintain substantially the same amount of current flow through the electrical circuit in response to said failure of its associated thermoelectric element; and said by-pass circuits each having a normally off state which presents high impedance to said electrical circuit providing electricity to said thermoelectric device. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9)
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12. A thermoelectric system comprising:
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a plurality of serially coupled thermoelectric devices for providing heat transfer when electricity is supplied to said thermoelectric devices and each of said thermoelectric devices comprising a plurality of thermoelectric elements for transferring said heat; a plurality of by-pass circuits each coupled in parallel with one of said thermoelectric devices, each of said by-pass circuits being operable to provide an electrical path for electricity provided to its associated thermoelectric device to by-pass said thermoelectric device in response to a failure of said associated thermoelectric device and to allow continued current flow through the electrical circuit; said by-pass circuits each being operable to maintain substantially the same amount of current flow through the electrical circuit in response to said failure of its associated thermoelectric element; and said by-pass circuits each having a normally off state which presents high impedance to said electrical circuit providing electricity to said thermoelectric device. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15)
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16. A method for providing fault tolerance for a thermoelectric device, comprising the steps of:
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coupling a plurality of thermoelectric elements in an electrical circuit; coupling in parallel to each thermoelectric element a by-pass circuit for providing an electrical path for electricity provided to the associated thermoelectric element to by-pass said thermoelectric element in response to a failure of said thermoelectric dement and to allow continued current flow through the electrical circuit; maintaining substantially the same amount of current flow through the electrical circuit by said by-pass circuit in response to said failure of its associated thermoelectric element; and said by-pass circuits each having a normally off state which presents high impedance to said electrical circuit providing electricity to said thermoelectric device. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification