Thermoelectric modules, used in thermoelectric apparatus and in thermoelectric devices using such thermoelectric modules

Claim 1

A thermoelectric module comprising a plurality of thermoelements, associated electrical connectors and cooperating heat exchangers adapted to form thermoelectric devices made of stacks of active thermoelectric units formed by a plurality of said modules and each associated with a heat exchanger through which flows a fluid to be cooled or a fluid acting as a cold source, and with a heat exchanger through which flows a fluid to be warmed or a fluid acting as a warm source, wherein said thermoelectric module includes an odd number (2x+1) of thermoelements, wherein (x) is a positive, non-zero integer; said thermoelements being connected electrically in series and thermally in parallel and being secured to corresponding electrical connectors, said electrical connectors being secured to inner face of two electrically conducting members which are in electrical and thermal contact, through the external faces thereof, with the heat exchangers and which act also as electrical terminals for module current flow, said electrical connectors which are secured to thermoelements being either two connectors of a first type secured, respectively, to a face of an inlet thermoelement and a face of an outlet thermoelement and in thermal and electrial contact with a respective one of said electrically conducting members so as to provide a module current inlet and outlet, or connectors of a second type, which are 2x in number, and are respectively secured in two groups of x connectors to the inner faces of said members in thermal contact therewith but electrically insulate therefrom by at least one insulating layer disposed on the surfaces of the second type connectors facing the inner faces of said members, said second type connectors serving to connect two by two the faces of the thermal elements which do not provide the current inlet and outlet so as to provide, in combination with the thermoelements which provide the current inlet and outlet and are secured to the two first type connectors, a preferential path for the current wherein the current is forced to flow through the entire plurality of thermoelements between the current inlet and outlet without flowing through said members, said module including (x+1) thermoelements of a P or N-type and x thermoelements of the other P or N-type, and the current inlet and outlet being provided by two thermoelements of the type of the said x+1 thermoelements, so as to provide one or the other of two kinds of modules which are functionally equivalent to single N and P-type thermoelements, at least one of the two external faces of said electrially conductive members in thermal and electrical contact with the heat exchangers having a non-planar shape cooperating with a reciprocally shaped base member of the corresponding heat exchanger.