WO2019003582A1 - Thermoelectric conversion module and electronic component module - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a thermoelectric conversion module capable of improving the power generation amount by connecting a plurality of laminate-type thermoelectric conversion elements without providing a member for maintaining the shape. A thermoelectric conversion module 100 comprises a plurality of laminate-type thermoelectric conversion elements 10 each having a laminated structure in which p-type thermoelectric conversion material layers and n-type thermoelectric conversion material layers are alternately laminated, the p-type thermoelectric conversion material layer and the n-type thermoelectric conversion material layer being directly joined to each other in a region which is a part of a joining surface where the two are to be joined and being joined, with an insulating layer interposed therebetween, in other regions of the joining surface, and a conductive connection body 20 which is configured of a conductive material having plastic deformability and electrically and mechanically connects the plurality of laminate-type thermoelectric conversion elements 10. The thermoelectric conversion module 100 is configured so that when no external force is applied, the entire shape thereof is maintained, and when an external force of a predetermined value or more is applied, the conductive connection body 20 is plastically deformed, the entire shape is also deformed, and the entire deformed shape is thereafter maintained.

Description

Thermoelectric conversion module and electronic component module

The present invention relates to a thermoelectric conversion module and an electronic component module provided with a thermoelectric conversion module.

In recent years, reduction of carbon dioxide has become an important issue in order to prevent global warming, and a thermoelectric conversion element capable of converting heat directly to electricity is noted as one of effective waste heat utilization technologies. There is. In addition, a thermoelectric conversion module configured by connecting a plurality of such thermoelectric conversion elements is known.

Patent Document 1 discloses a stacked thermoelectric conversion element having a structure in which a p-type semiconductor and an n-type semiconductor are alternately stacked and an insulator is interposed in a partial region between the p-type semiconductor and the n-type semiconductor. A plurality of connected thermoelectric conversion modules are disclosed.

The thermoelectric conversion module described in Patent Document 1 has a configuration in which a plurality of stacked thermoelectric conversion elements fixed on an alumina substrate are connected by lead wires. That is, an alumina substrate for fixing a plurality of stacked thermoelectric conversion elements connected by lead wires is an essential component.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-169995

However, in the thermoelectric conversion module described in Patent Document 1, since the heat of the heat source is applied to the stacked thermoelectric conversion element through the alumina substrate, efficient heat transfer is impeded, and the amount of power generation is reduced accordingly. There's a problem.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problem, and it is possible to connect a plurality of laminated thermoelectric conversion elements to improve the amount of power generation without providing a separate member such as a substrate for maintaining the shape. It is an object of the present invention to provide a technology for providing a thermoelectric conversion module and an electronic component module provided with the thermoelectric conversion module.

The thermoelectric conversion module of the present invention is
The p-type thermoelectric conversion material layer and the n-type thermoelectric conversion material layer are alternately stacked, and in a partial region of the bonding surface where the p-type thermoelectric conversion material layer and the n-type thermoelectric conversion material layer are bonded, both are direct A plurality of laminated thermoelectric conversion elements having a laminated structure in which both are joined via the insulating layer in the other region of the joint surface;
A conductive connecting member made of a conductive material having plastic deformation and electrically and mechanically connecting the plurality of stacked thermoelectric conversion elements;
Equipped with
When no external force is applied, the entire shape is maintained, and when an external force of a predetermined size or more is applied, the conductive connecting member is plastically deformed to deform the entire shape, and after the external force is removed, , And is configured to hold the deformed overall shape.

The conductive connector may be provided at a position other than the contact surface where each of the plurality of stacked thermoelectric conversion elements contacts the heat source.

The plurality of stacked thermoelectric conversion elements may include a plurality of types of stacked thermoelectric conversion elements having different characteristics.

The plurality of stacked thermoelectric conversion elements may be three-dimensionally connected by the conductive connector.

The electronic component module according to the present invention is
The above thermoelectric conversion module,
An electronic component electrically and mechanically connected by at least one of the stacked thermoelectric conversion elements included in the thermoelectric conversion module and the conductive connection body;
And the like.

According to the present invention, since the plurality of stacked thermoelectric conversion elements are electrically and mechanically connected and fixed by the conductive connector, it is necessary to provide a member for maintaining the entire shape, such as a substrate. There is no Thereby, the heat of the heat source can be directly transmitted to the stacked thermoelectric conversion element, so the heat transfer efficiency can be improved and the amount of power generation can be improved.

In addition, the thermoelectric conversion module retains its entire shape when no external force is applied, and when an external force equal to or greater than a predetermined size is applied, the conductive connector deforms plastically to deform the entire shape, and the external force is removed After the heat treatment, it is configured to hold the deformed overall shape, so, for example, deform the thermoelectric conversion module formed into a predetermined shape into a shape corresponding to the shape of the heat source and the like. Can.

Moreover, according to the electronic component module by this invention, it can be set as the efficient structure which integrated the said thermoelectric conversion module and the electronic component.

It is a side view showing a thermoelectric conversion module in a 1st embodiment. It is a perspective view of a lamination type thermoelectric conversion element. It is a figure which shows the thermoelectric conversion module deformed so that the whole shape might turn into curvilinear shape by deform | transforming a conductive connection body. It is a figure which shows an example of the jig | tool used in order to produce the thermoelectric conversion module in 1st Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating one process in the case of producing a thermoelectric conversion module. It is a figure which shows the state which inserted | pinched the thermoelectric conversion module between the heat source and the cold source. It is a top view which shows the thermoelectric conversion module in 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the jig | tool used in order to produce the thermoelectric conversion module in 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the thermoelectric conversion module in 3rd Embodiment. It is a side view showing a thermoelectric conversion module in a 4th embodiment. It is a side view showing the electronic component module provided with the thermoelectric conversion module by the present invention.

Hereinafter, the features of the present invention will be described more specifically by showing embodiments of the present invention.

The thermoelectric conversion module according to the present invention has a structure in which a plurality of stacked thermoelectric conversion elements are connected by a conductive connector.

First Embodiment
FIG. 1 is a side view showing the thermoelectric conversion module 100 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the thermoelectric conversion module 100 in the first embodiment is configured such that six stacked thermoelectric conversion elements 10 are connected in series by a conductive connector 20 and have a linear shape as a whole. ing. However, the number of stacked thermoelectric conversion elements 10 constituting the thermoelectric conversion module 100 is not limited to six, and at least two or more may be used.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the stacked thermoelectric conversion element 10. In the laminate type thermoelectric conversion element 10, a plurality of p-type thermoelectric conversion material layers 11 and n-type thermoelectric conversion material layers 12 are alternately laminated, and a junction in which the p-type thermoelectric conversion material layers 11 and n-type thermoelectric conversion material layers 12 are joined In a partial region of the surface, both are directly bonded, and in the other region of the bonding surface, both have a laminated structure bonded via the insulating layer 13. That is, the p-type thermoelectric conversion material layer 11 and the n-type thermoelectric conversion material layer 12 are laminated while being electrically connected in a meander shape.

The p-type thermoelectric conversion material layer 11 is made of, for example, a material containing a metal as a main component. The metal-based material is, for example, Ni _x Mo _(1-x) . However, the constituent material of the p-type thermoelectric conversion material layer 11 is not limited to the above-mentioned material.

The n-type thermoelectric conversion material layer 12 is made of, for example, a material containing an oxide as a main component. The oxide-based material is, for example, (La _y Sr _1-y ) TiO ₃ . However, the constituent material of the n-type thermoelectric conversion material layer 12 is not limited to the above-mentioned material.

Although the thickness of the p-type thermoelectric conversion material layer 11 is configured to be thinner than the thickness of the n-type thermoelectric conversion material layer 12 as shown in FIG. 2, the thicknesses of both may be the same. The thickness of the p-type thermoelectric conversion material layer 11 may be thicker than the thickness of the n-type thermoelectric conversion material layer 12.

Further, the number of laminated layers of the p-type thermoelectric conversion material layer 11 and the n-type thermoelectric conversion material layer 12 is not particularly limited.

The insulating layer 13 is made of, for example, a complex oxide insulating material. However, the constituent material of the insulating layer 13 is not limited to the composite oxide insulating material.

A first electrode 16 is formed on a first end face 14 located on the outer side in the stacking direction of the stacked thermoelectric conversion element 10, and a second end face 15 which is an end face opposite to the first end face 14 is a first end face. A second electrode 17 having a polarity different from that of the one electrode 16 is formed.

In the stacked thermoelectric conversion element 10, an electromotive force is generated between the first electrode 16 and the second electrode 17 when a temperature difference occurs on the upper and lower surfaces in the arrangement state shown in FIG.

The conductive connector 20 is made of a conductive material having plastic deformation, and electrically and mechanically connects the stacked thermoelectric conversion elements 10 to each other. In the present embodiment, the conductive connection body 20 is a metal wire made of a metal having plastic deformability. As such a metal wire, for example, a metal wire such as nickel, copper or aluminum, or an alloy metal wire such as stainless steel or constantan can be used.

The shape of the metal wire is not limited to the bent shape as shown in FIG. 1 and may be a linear shape. In addition, the shape of the conductive connector 20 is not limited to the wire shape.

Further, the constituent material of the conductive connector 20 is not limited to a metal having plastic deformability, for example, a conductive material having a plastic deformability as a whole by mixing a resin having plastic deformability and a metal. Can also be used.

Furthermore, a metal wire coated with resin can also be used as the conductive connector 20.

In the present embodiment, the conductive connection body 20 is connected to the first electrode 16 and the second electrode 17 of two adjacent stacked thermoelectric conversion elements 10 by solder. Thereby, two adjacent stacked thermoelectric conversion elements 10 are electrically and mechanically connected by the conductive connection body 20.

The conductive connection body 20 is provided at a position other than the contact surface where the stacked thermoelectric conversion element 10 contacts the heat source. That is, when the thermoelectric conversion module 100 is disposed in contact with the heat source, the conductive connector 20 does not contact the heat source. In addition, the detailed positional relationship of the conductive connection body 20 and the contact surface of the lamination | stacking type | mold thermoelectric conversion element 10 with respect to a heat source is later mentioned using FIG.

The thermoelectric conversion module 100 retains its entire shape when no external force is applied, and when an external force equal to or greater than a predetermined size is applied, the conductive connector 20 is plastically deformed to deform the entire shape as well. After removal, the entire deformed shape is maintained.

Therefore, as in the case of lead wires, when the stacked thermoelectric conversion elements 10 are connected to each other, a thermoelectric conversion module including a plurality of stacked thermoelectric conversion elements 10 and a lead wire as a conductive connector is a substrate or the like Those which can not maintain the predetermined shape as a whole without requiring a separate member are not included in the conductive connector 20 of the present invention.

As described above, in the thermoelectric conversion module 100 according to the present embodiment, since the plurality of stacked thermoelectric conversion elements 10 are electrically and mechanically connected by the conductive connection body 20 and the entire shape is fixed, the whole is There is no need to provide a separate member such as a substrate to maintain the shape of the Thereby, when using the thermoelectric conversion module 100, it is possible to directly transfer the heat of the heat source to the stacked thermoelectric conversion element 10. Therefore, the heat can be efficiently transferred to the stacked thermoelectric conversion element 10, and the power generation amount Can be improved.

Further, the thermoelectric conversion module 100 maintains its entire shape in the state where no external force is applied, and when an external force equal to or greater than a predetermined size is applied, the conductive connector 20 is plastically deformed to deform the entire shape as well. After removal, the entire deformed shape is maintained. Thereby, at the time of manufacture, the same shape can be efficiently manufactured, and at the time of use, the entire shape can be appropriately deformed and used according to the shape of the heat source.

FIG. 3 is a view showing the thermoelectric conversion module 100 deformed so that the entire shape becomes a curved shape by deforming the conductive connection body 20 of the thermoelectric conversion module 100 shown in FIG. 1.

(Example)
The thermoelectric conversion module 100 was produced by the following method.

First, a plurality of stacked thermoelectric conversion elements 10 having a structure as shown in FIG. 2 were prepared. The stacked thermoelectric conversion element 10 having a structure as shown in FIG. 2 can be manufactured by a known method.

Subsequently, in the housing portion 31 of the jig 30 having a shape as shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of prepared laminated thermoelectric conversion elements 10 were arranged at predetermined intervals. The jig 30 is configured of the housing portion 31 and the lid 32. Thereafter, a conductive connecting body 20 for connecting adjacent stacked thermoelectric conversion elements 10, and a cream solder (not shown) for connecting the conductive connecting body 20 and the stacked thermoelectric conversion elements 10 were inserted (FIG. 5) reference).

Finally, the upper portion of the housing portion 31 was closed by the lid 32, and then the jig 30 was put into a reflow furnace to harden the cream solder, thereby producing the thermoelectric conversion module 100.

When the produced thermoelectric conversion module 100 is sandwiched between the heat source 40 and the cold source 50 and the amount of generated power is measured as shown in FIG. 6, the amount of generated power corresponding to the number of series of stacked thermoelectric conversion elements 10 is obtained. I was able to confirm that it was. In the heat source 40 and the cold source 50, the heat source 40 is in contact with one of the upper and lower surfaces of the stacked thermoelectric conversion element 10 in the arrangement shown in FIG. 2 and the other is in contact with the cold source 50.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, the surface on which the stacked thermoelectric conversion element 10 contacts the heat source 40 is a surface different from the surface of the stacked thermoelectric conversion element 10 connected to the conductive connector 20.

That is, when the thermoelectric conversion module 100 is disposed in contact with the heat source 40, the conductive connector 20 is not disposed at a position in contact with the heat source. As a result, the heat of the heat source 40 is directly transmitted to the stacked thermoelectric conversion element 10, so compared to the configuration in which the heat is transferred to the stacked thermoelectric conversion element 10 through the conductive connector, the stacked thermoelectric conversion element 10 is Power generation can be improved.

Second Embodiment
FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a thermoelectric conversion module 100A in the second embodiment. The thermoelectric conversion module 100 </ b> A in the second embodiment is not a linear shape as a whole, but a planar shape having a planar spread.

In the thermoelectric conversion module 100A shown in FIG. 7, a plurality of stacked thermoelectric conversion elements 10 (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, 10e, 10f) are connected in series and in parallel. That is, the stacked thermoelectric conversion elements 10a and 10b, 10c and 10d, and 10e and 10f are connected in series, and the stacked thermoelectric conversion elements 10b, 10c and 10e are connected in parallel. That is, the thermoelectric conversion module 100B is configured to have a planar shape that spreads radially around the conductive connection body 20 (20a) located at the center.

The conductive connector 20 (20a) located at the center is fixed to the three stacked thermoelectric conversion elements 10b, 10c, and 10e, and thus has a larger shape than the other conductive connectors 20.

The thermoelectric conversion module 100A shown in FIG. 7 can be manufactured by using a jig 30a shown in FIG. 8 instead of the jig 30 shown in FIG. That is, the plurality of stacked thermoelectric conversion elements 10 are disposed in the housing portion 31a of the jig 30a, and the conductive connection body 20 and the cream solder are inserted between the adjacent stacked thermoelectric conversion elements 10, and then housed. The thermoelectric conversion module 100A is manufactured by closing the upper part of the part 31a with a lid not shown and putting it in a reflow furnace.

The shape of the thermoelectric conversion module 100A in the second embodiment is not limited to the shape as shown in FIG. 7, and may be any shape having a planar spread.

Third Embodiment
FIG. 9 is a view showing a thermoelectric conversion module 100B in the third embodiment. As shown in FIG. 9, the thermoelectric conversion module 100B in the third embodiment is used by being attached to a heat pipe 60 which is a heat source. However, the use form of the thermoelectric conversion module 100B is not limited to the form attached to the heat pipe 60 and used.

The plurality of stacked thermoelectric conversion elements 10 constituting the thermoelectric conversion module 100B are three-dimensionally connected in series by the conductive connection body 20 and in an overall spiral shape. The fact that the plurality of stacked thermoelectric conversion elements 10 are connected three-dimensionally means that all the stacked thermoelectric conversion elements 10 constituting the thermoelectric conversion module 100B are not present on any one plane, and three-dimensional It means to exist in space.

Note that although the thermoelectric conversion module 100B shown in FIG. 9 is a shape obtained by deforming the thermoelectric conversion module having a linear shape as a whole, the shape of the thermoelectric conversion module in the present embodiment is limited to a spiral shape as shown in FIG. It can be made into arbitrary three-dimensional shape.

Fourth Embodiment
FIG. 10 is a side view showing a thermoelectric conversion module 100C in the fourth embodiment. In the thermoelectric conversion module 100C shown in FIG. 10, the plurality of stacked thermoelectric conversion elements 10 include a plurality of types of stacked thermoelectric conversion elements 10X and 10Y having different characteristics. The conductive connection members 20 connect between the stacked thermoelectric conversion elements 10X and 10Y.

For example, in at least one of the p-type thermoelectric conversion material layer 11 and the n-type thermoelectric conversion material layer 12, at least one of the constituent material, the number of laminations, and the thickness of the stacked thermoelectric conversion elements 10X and 10Y is It is different.

For example, the stacked thermoelectric conversion element 10Y is a thermoelectric conversion element that generates a large amount of power in a low temperature environment as compared to the stacked thermoelectric conversion element 10X. Thereby, when the temperature of a part of the heat source is low, the thermoelectric conversion module 100C is configured such that the multilayer thermoelectric conversion element 10Y is disposed at a part of the low temperature part. As a whole, efficient power generation can be realized.

In the above description, it has been described that the plurality of stacked thermoelectric conversion elements 10 constituting the thermoelectric conversion module 100C include two types of stacked thermoelectric conversion elements 10X and 10Y having different characteristics, but the characteristics Three or more different types of stacked thermoelectric conversion elements may be included.

Fifth Embodiment
FIG. 11 is a side view showing an electronic component module 200 provided with a thermoelectric conversion module according to the present invention.

The electronic component module 200 includes a thermoelectric conversion module 100D, an electronic component 70, a laminated thermoelectric conversion element 10j, and a plurality of conductive connection members 20.

The thermoelectric conversion module 100D has a structure in which two stacked thermoelectric conversion elements 10h and 10i are connected in series by the conductive connection body 20.

One end of the electronic component 70 is electrically and mechanically connected to the stacked thermoelectric conversion element 10 h included in the thermoelectric conversion module 100 D by the conductive connection 20, and the other end is connected by the conductive connection 20. It is electrically and mechanically connected to the stacked thermoelectric conversion element 10 j.

By the above-described connection, the stacked thermoelectric conversion element 10j, the electronic component 70, and the thermoelectric conversion module 100D are electrically and mechanically connected in series.

As the electronic component 70, any one can be used according to the application of the electronic component module 200, and for example, an IC for boosting, an LED, a wireless component, a sensor, and the like can be used.

Further, as the electronic component 70, a secondary battery, a capacitor, or the like can also be used. The electronic component module 200 using a secondary battery or a capacitor as the electronic component 70 can stably supply a voltage.

In the electronic component module 200, the stacked thermoelectric conversion element 10j may be omitted. Further, the number of thermoelectric conversion modules, the number of laminated thermoelectric conversion elements 10, and the number of electronic components 70 included in the electronic component module 200 are not limited to the above-described numbers. Furthermore, the type of the electronic component 70 included in the electronic component module 200 is not limited to one type, and may be a plurality of types.

(Example)
Using a jig 30 having a shape as shown in FIG. 4, an electronic component module in which a DC-DC converter as an electronic component and an LED were disposed between a plurality of stacked thermoelectric conversion elements 10 was produced.

When this electronic component module was sandwiched between the heat source and the cold source in a manner as shown in FIG. 6 to give a temperature difference, it could be confirmed that the LED was lit.

As described above, the electronic component module 200 according to the fifth embodiment has a high efficiency because the power generation unit including the laminated thermoelectric conversion element 10 and the electronic component unit including the electronic component 70 are integrally configured. Circuit formation can be realized.

When only one laminated thermoelectric conversion element is included in the electronic component module 200, it is necessary to provide a large temperature difference to the laminated thermoelectric conversion element in order to operate the electronic component. In this case, in order to prevent the high temperature above the heat resistance temperature from being applied to the electronic component, the laminated type thermoelectric conversion element and the electronic component can not be integrally configured, and it has been necessary to configure separately.

However, according to the electronic component module 200 in the present embodiment, since the thermoelectric conversion module 100 is configured by connecting the plurality of stacked thermoelectric conversion elements 10 by the conductive connection body 20, each stacked thermoelectric conversion element 10 Even if the temperature difference applied to the circuit is low, a large amount of power generation can be obtained as a whole, and the electronic component 70 can be operated stably. Therefore, since it can prevent that the temperature more than a heat-resistant temperature is added to the electronic component 70, the electronic component 70 and thermoelectric conversion module 100D can be comprised integrally.

In addition, the electronic component 70 and one of the plurality of laminated thermoelectric conversion elements 10 constituting the thermoelectric conversion module 100D are electrically and mechanically connected by the conductive connector 20 to maintain the entire shape. Therefore, a member for fixing the electronic component 70 and the thermoelectric conversion module 100D is unnecessary.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various applications and modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention.

10 (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, 10f, 10h, 10i, 10j, 10x, 10Y) Multilayer type thermoelectric conversion element 11 p type thermoelectric conversion material layer 12 n type thermoelectric conversion material layer 13 insulating layer 14 first end face 15 second end face 16 first electrode 17 second electrode 20 conductive connection body 30, 30a jig 31, 31a accommodation portion 32, 32a lid 40 heat source 50 cold source 60 heat pipe 70 electronic component 100, 100A, 100B, 100C, 100D thermoelectric conversion module 200 electronic component module

Claims (5)

The p-type thermoelectric conversion material layer and the n-type thermoelectric conversion material layer are alternately stacked, and in a partial region of the bonding surface where the p-type thermoelectric conversion material layer and the n-type thermoelectric conversion material layer are bonded, both are direct A plurality of laminated thermoelectric conversion elements having a laminated structure in which both are joined via the insulating layer in the other region of the joint surface;
A conductive connecting member made of a conductive material having plastic deformation and electrically and mechanically connecting the plurality of stacked thermoelectric conversion elements;
Equipped with
When no external force is applied, the entire shape is maintained, and when an external force of a predetermined size or more is applied, the conductive connecting member is plastically deformed to deform the entire shape, and after the external force is removed, A thermoelectric conversion module characterized in that the deformed overall shape is maintained. The thermoelectric conversion module according to claim 1, wherein the conductive connection body is provided at a position other than the contact surface where each of the plurality of stacked thermoelectric conversion elements contacts the heat source. The thermoelectric conversion module according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the plurality of stacked thermoelectric conversion elements include a plurality of types of stacked thermoelectric conversion elements having different characteristics. The thermoelectric conversion module according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the plurality of stacked thermoelectric conversion elements are three-dimensionally connected by the conductive connector. The thermoelectric conversion module according to any one of claims 1 to 4;
An electronic component electrically and mechanically connected by at least one of the stacked thermoelectric conversion elements included in the thermoelectric conversion module and the conductive connection body;
An electronic component module comprising:

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