DIGITAL ANGEL CORPORATION Patent applications |
Patent application number | Title | Published |
20110094556 | PLANAR THERMOELECTRIC GENERATOR - A thermoelectric generator may comprise a pair of thermally conducive top and bottom plates having a foil assembly positioned therebetween. The foil assembly may comprise a substrate having a series of alternating thermoelectric legs formed thereon. The thermoelectric legs may be formed of alternating dissimilar materials arranged in at least one row. Each one of the thermoelectric legs may define a leg axis oriented in non-parallel relation to the row axis. Thermally conductive strips mounted on opposite sides of the substrate may be aligned with opposite ends of the thermoelectric legs in the rows such that one end of the thermoelectric legs is in thermal contact with the top plate and the opposite end of the thermoelectric legs is in thermal contact with the bottom plate. The thermally conductive strips define thermal gaps between the thermoelectric legs and the top and bottom plates causing heat to flow lengthwise through the thermoelectric legs resulting in the generation of electrical voltage. | 04-28-2011 |
20090025771 | LOW POWER THERMOELECTRIC GENERATOR - A thermoelectric generator has a top plate disposed in spaced relation above a bottom plate. A series of foil segments are electrically and mechanically connected end-to-end to generate a foil assembly that is spirally wound and in thermal contact with the bottom and top plates. Each foil segment comprises a substrate having a series of spaced alternating n-type and p-type thermoelectric legs disposed in parallel arrangement on the front substrate surface. Each of the n-type and p-type legs is formed of a bismuth telluride-based thermoelectric material having a thickness of about 10-100 microns, a width of about 10-100 microns and a length of about 100-500 microns. The alternating n-type and p-type thermoelectric legs are electrically connected in series and thermally connected in parallel such that a temperature differential between the bottom and top plates results in the generation of power. | 01-29-2009 |