WO2013162191A1

WO2013162191A1 - Dehumidifying apparatus using thermoelectric element

Info

Publication number: WO2013162191A1
Application number: PCT/KR2013/002990
Authority: WO
Inventors: Wo Young Park
Original assignee: YENE CO Ltd
Current assignee: YENE CO Ltd
Priority date: 2012-04-26
Filing date: 2013-04-10
Publication date: 2013-10-31
Anticipated expiration: 2014-10-26
Also published as: KR101205301B1

Description

DEHUMIDIFYING APPARATUS USING THERMOELECTRIC ELEMENT

The present invention relates to a dehumidifying apparatus using a thermoelectric element, and more particularly, to a dehumidifying apparatus that controls the operation of a damper by a thermoelectric element, thereby ensuring high dehumidification efficiency.

In general, a dehumidifier performs a dehumidification operation through a process of sucking in indoor air full of moisture, cooling the sucked air to remove excess moisture from the sucked air, heating the sucked air to a proper temperature, and re-discharging the heated air to the indoor space.

Such a conventional dehumidifier is configured such that air is cooled using a refrigerant circulating through a separate piping, and is heated using a separately mounted heater.

However, the conventional dehumidifier entails a problem in that since freon gas used as a refrigerant is limited in use because it is the main culprit of the global warming, and in that the use of the refrigerant increases the entire volume of the dehumidifier.

In order to solve this problem, a dehumidifier using a Peltier element is proposed as disclosed in the patent documents which will be listed below. The Peltier element (hereinafter, referred to as "thermoelectric element") is operated using the Peltier effect that generates heat at one end of thermoelectric element and absorbs heat at the other end thereof according to the direction of current when the current is applied to two metal pieces electrically connected to each other.

However, the dehumidifier using the Peltier element is conceivable only in a theoretical aspect, and is difficult to apply to actual products. That is, a dehumidification effect may be attained to some extent due to generation of a condensate by the operation of thermoelectric element at an initial stage of operation. Nevertheless, the conventional dehumidifier using the Peltier element entails a problem in that when it continues to be operated for a long time period, the generation of the condensate is difficult due to a deterioration in the function of thermoelectric element, leading to a remarkable degradation in the dehumidification effect.

For this reason, the dehumidifier using the Peltier element well-known in the patent documents as listed below encounters a problem in that it is conceivable only in a theoretical aspect, and is difficult to apply to actual products.

Therefore, there is an urgent need for the development of a dehumidifier that can attain high dehumidification efficiency even while using a thermoelectric element.

[Prior art literature]

[Patent documents ]

1. KR1020110061084 A,

2. KR100834191 B1

Accordingly, the present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems occurring in the prior art and to provide various additional advantages, and it is a main object of the present invention to provide a dehumidifying apparatus using a thermoelectric element, in which air is selectively passed through a cooling plate provided on one surface of thermoelectric element to undergo a heat-exchange process by a damper configured so as to open or close an air inlet depending on a variation in the temperature of the cooling plate, thereby exhibiting high dehumidification efficiency.

To achieve the above objects, the present invention provides a dehumidifying apparatus using a thermoelectric element, including: a casing configured so as to be closed in all directions to have an internal space defined therein, the internal space being divided into at least two space parts, i.e., a first space part and a second space part by a partition wall having an air inlet formed therein, the first space part including an external air suction port and a discharge port formed therein so as to fluidically communicate with the outside, and the second space part fluidically communicating with the first space part by the air inlet formed in the partition wall; a thermoelectric element installed within the internal space of the casing in such a manner that a heat-dissipating plate is positioned in the first space part and a cooling plate is positioned in the second space part based on the partition wall; a blower fan installed at a position confronting the suction port within the casing so as to allow external air to be introduced into the internal space of the casing therethrough so that external air sucked in is circulated in the internal space by the blower fan via thermoelectric element to undergo a heat exchange process and then is discharged to the outside through the discharge port; a damper installed adjacent to the air inlet of the partition wall so as to open or close the air inlet so that the external air sucked into the internal space of the casing is discharged to the outside and dehumidified simultaneously through a heat exchange by the close contact of the external air with the heat-dissipating plate and the cooling plate while being circulated in both the first space part and the second space part by the blower fan, or is discharged to the outside through the discharge port through a heat exchange by the close contact of the external air with only the heat-dissipating plate while being circulated only in the first space part depending on whether or not the air inlet is closed; a damper actuating member installed at the damper and including a temperature sensor, the damper actuating member being configured to control the damper to open or close the air inlet depending on the cooling temperature of the cooling plate detected by the temperature sensor such that an operation is repeatedly performed in which when the cooling temperature of the cooling plate detected by the temperature sensor is below a preset value, the damper actuating member actuates the damper to open the air inlet to allow the external air sucked in to be introduced into the second space part, and when the temperature of the cooling plate rises to exceed the preset value, the damper actuating member actuates the damper to close the air inlet to prevent the external air sucked in from being introduced into the second space part; and a return port including a tubular hollow shape which is opened at both ends thereof, the return port being installed at a lower portion of the casing so as to allow the second space part and the first space part to fluidically communicate with each other through the return port so that when the damper is operated to open the air inlet by the damper actuating member depending on the cooling temperature of the cooling plate, the air introduced into and heat-exchanged in the second space part can be supplied to the first space part through the return port and can be re-circulated in the first space part.

In another embodiment, preferably, an air filter may be installed at the suction port.

In still another embodiment, the return port may be provided at least in plural numbers.

In yet another embodiment, a gutter having a drainage port may be installed below the cooling plate so as to be exposed to the outside of the casing, so that a condensate generated through the heat exchange in the cooling plate can be drained to the outside of the casing

The dehumidifying apparatus using a thermoelectric element according to the present invention has the following advantageous effects.

A damper selectively opens or closes an air inlet depending on a variation in the temperature of the cooling plate to allow air to be supplied to the cooling plate to cause the air to undergo a heat exchange with the cooling plate, thereby achieving a dehumidification operation in a more economic and efficient manner as compared to a conventional dehumidifier.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the internal configuration of a dehumidifying apparatus using a thermoelectric element according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line I-I shown in FIG. 1; and

FIGs. 3a to 3d are views illustrating various embodiments of the operation state of a damper included in a dehumidifying apparatus using a thermoelectric element according to the present invention.

[Explanation on symbols]

110: casing 112: suction port

114: discharge port 120: thermoelectric element

122: heat-dissipating plate 124: cooling plate

130: partition wall 140: blower fan

150: damper 160: damper actuating member

170: return port 180: air filter

Reference will be now made in detail to preferred embodiments of the present invention with reference to the attached drawings.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the internal configuration of a dehumidifying apparatus using a thermoelectric element according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line I-I shown in FIG. 1.

As shown in FIGs. 1 and 2, a dehumidifying apparatus using a thermoelectric element according to the present invention includes a casing 110 configured so as to be closed in all directions to have a space defined therein. The casing 110 includes an external air suction port 112 formed at one side thereof and a discharge port 114 formed at the other side thereof. An air filter 180 may be installed at the suction port 112 so as to filter foreign substances such as dust and the like contained in the air sucked in through the suction port 112. The air filter 180 is installed in a detachable manner.

In addition, a thermoelectric element 120 is installed in the internal space of the casing 110. Thermoelectric element 120 is a general known device that is operated based on the Peltier effect that absorbs heat at one side of thermoelectric element and generates heat at the opposite side thereof when the current is applied to thermoelectric element in one direction. Thus, a detailed description of thermoelectric element 120 will be omitted to avoid redundancy.

A heat-dissipating plate 122 and a cooling plate 124 are respectively installed on one side and the opposite side of thermoelectric element 120 so as to allow a heat exchange to be performed by the heat-dissipating plate 122 and the cooling plate 124. Besides, a gutter 126 having a drainage port 126a is installed below the cooling plate 124 so as to be exposed to the outside of the casing, so that a condensate generated through the heat exchange in the cooling plate can be drained to the outside of the casing 110.

A partition wall 130 is installed in the internal space of the casing 110. The internal space of the casing 110 is divided into first and

second space parts

132 and 134 by the partition wall 130 with respect to thermoelectric element 120 so that the heat-dissipating plate 122 is positioned in the first space part 132 so as to perform a heat exchange, and the cooling plate 124 is positioned in the second space part 134 so as to perform a heat exchange.

As shown in FIGs. 1 and 2, the dehumidifying apparatus using a thermoelectric element according to the present invention includes a blower fan 140 installed within the casing 110. The blower fan 140 is installed adjacent to the suction port 112 within the internal space of the casing 110 so that external air sucked in can be circulated in the first and

second space parts

132 and 134 divided by the partition wall 130. The air circulated in the internal space of the casing 110 by the blower fan 140 is subjected to a heat exchange process by heat-dissipating plate 122 in the first space part 132 and the cooling plate 124 in the second space part 134, respectively. That is, the external air sucked in by the blower fan 140 through the suction port 112 is discharged to the outside through the discharge port 114. In this case, the air introduced into and circulated in the first space part 132 is heat-exchanged by the heat-dissipating plate 122 and then is discharged to the outside through the discharge port 114. On the other hand, the air introduced into and circulated in the second space part 134 is heat-exchanged by the cooling plate 124 to cause a condensate to be generated to remove moisture from the air.

In addition, as shown in FIGs. 1 and 2, the dehumidifying apparatus using a thermoelectric element according to the present invention includes a damper 150, a damper actuating member 160, and a return port 170. The damper 150 performs an intermittent operation of allowing the external air sucked in by the blower fan 140 to be introduced into the second space part 134 or allowing the introduction of the external air into the second space part 134 to be blocked. To this end, the damper 150 is configured so as to open or close an air inlet 116 formed at the partition wall 130 that divides the internal space of the casing 110 into the first space part 132 and the second space part 134. The detailed configuration in which the damper 150 is opened or closed is shown in FIGs. 3a to 3d.

As shown in FIG. 3a, a temperature sensor 162 detects the temperature of the cooling plate 124 so that the damper actuating member 160 is operated depending on the detected temperature of the cooling plate 124 to cause the damper 150 to open or close the air inlet 116. The damper actuating member 160 operated depending on a variation in the temperature of the cooling plate 124 is a typical temperature damper installed at a refrigerator and the like, which is applied to the present invention. Thus, a detailed construction of the damper actuating member 160 will be omitted to avoid redundancy.

In addition, the configuration in which the damper 150 is operated to open or close the air inlet 116 is as follows. That is, the damper 150 is configured such that it is pivotally rotated about a general shaft as shown in FIG. 3b, is configured such that it is moved upward or downward in a gear mesh relationship with the damper actuating member 160 as shown in FIG. 3c, or is configured such that it ascends or descends by the operation of a cylinder as shown in FIG. 3d.

The damper actuating member 160 for actuating the damper 150 is configured such that it is operated in response to the temperature of the cooling plate 124 detected by the temperature sensor 162 to cause the damper 150 to open or close the air inlet 116. When the temperature of the cooling plate 124 is below a preset value to cause the cooling plate 124 to be cooled, the damper actuating member 160 actuates the damper 150 to open the air inlet 116 to allow the external air sucked in to be introduced into the second space part 134. On the other hand, when the temperature of the cooling plate 124 rises to exceed the preset value to cause the cooling plate 124 to be heated, the damper actuating member 160 actuates the damper 150 to close the air inlet 116 to prevent the external air sucked in from being introduced into the second space part 134. The operation of the damper actuating member 160 as described above is repeatedly performed so that a condensate is generated to remove moisture from the sucked external air. In this case, the condensate is drained to the outside through the drainage port 126a of the gutter 126.

As such, the damper 150 is operated to open or close the air inlet 116 by the damper actuating member 160 actuated depending on the temperature of the cooling plate 124 so that the air circulated in and heat-exchanged with the cooling plate 134 is supplied to the first space part 132 through the return port 179 and is re-circulated in the first space part 132. To this end, the return port 170 has a tubular hollow shape which is opened at both ends thereof and is installed at a lower portion of the casing 110 so as to allow the second space part 134 and the first space part 132 to fluidically communicate with each other through the return port so that the air heat-exchanged in the second space part 134 can be supplied to the first space part 132 through the return port and can be re-circulated in the first space part 132. In this case, the return port 170 may be installed in plural numbers at both sides as shown in FIG. 2. But the installation position of the return port 170 is not limited particularly.

The return port 170 is configured such that when the damper 150 is operated to open the air inlet by the actuation of the damper actuating member 160 depending on the cooling temperature of the cooling plate, the air introduced into and heat-exchanged by the cooling plate 124 in the second space part can be supplied to the first space part 132 through the return port 170 and can be heat-exchanged by the heat-dissipating plate122 while being re-circulated in the first space part 132, thereby improving the performance of the dehumidifying apparatus .

According to the present invention, the damper actuating member 160 is installed at the damper 150 so that it actuates the damper 150 to open or close the air inlet depending to the cooling state of the cooling plate 124 and allows the air to be re-circulated through the return port 70, thereby maximizing the dehumidification effect.

As described above, if the damper 150, the damper actuating member 160, and the return port 170, which are indispensable elements of the present invention, are excluded, it is impossible to implement the dehumidifier using a thermoelectric element which is already known.

For example, in the case where the dehumidifier using a thermoelectric element is implemented without the characteristic constitution of the present invention that enables the air to be circulated depending on the cooling state of the cooling plate 124, it may performs a dehumidification function to some extent due to generation of a condensate by the operation of thermoelectric element at an initial stage of operation. However, when the dehumidifier continues to be operated for a given time period, the generation of the condensate is difficult due to a deterioration in the function of thermoelectric element, making it impossible to perform a dehumidification function. For this reason, the dehumidifier using the Peltier element well-known in the art is conceivable only in a theoretical aspect, and is difficult to apply to actual products.

Therefore, the air heat-exchanged by the cooling plate 124 is selectively circulated depending on the cooling state of the cooling plate 124 as in the present invention so that although the dehumidifying apparatus is at an initial stage of operation and is operated for more than a given time period, a reliable dehumidification effect can be attained. In addition, the air heat-exchanged by the cooling plate 124 is supplied to the second space part through the return port 170 and is heat-exchanged by the heat-dissipating plate 122 while being re-circulated in the second space part where the heat-dissipating plate 122 is positioned, thereby maximizing the dehumidification effect. For this reason, the dehumidifying apparatus using a thermoelectric element according to the present invention can be used as a dehumidifier alone as well as can be applied to the interior of an exhaust fan, a hot blast heater, and the like.

While the present invention has been described in connection with the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings, they are merely illustrative, and the invention is not limited to these embodiments. It is to be understood that various equivalent modifications and variations of the embodiments can be made by a person having an ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the true technical scope of the present invention should be defined by the technical spirit of the appended claims.

Claims

A dehumidifying apparatus using a thermoelectric element, comprising:

a casing configured so as to be closed in all directions to have an internal space defined therein, the internal space being divided into at least two space parts, i.e., a first space part and a second space part by a partition wall having an air inlet formed therein, the first space part including an external air suction port and a discharge port formed therein so as to fluidically communicate with the outside, and the second space part fluidically communicating with the first space part by the air inlet formed in the partition wall;

a thermoelectric element installed within the internal space of the casing in such a manner that a heat-dissipating plate is positioned in the first space part and a cooling plate is positioned in the second space part based on the partition wall;

a blower fan installed at a position confronting the suction port within the casing so as to allow external air to be introduced into the internal space of the casing therethrough so that external air sucked in is circulated in the internal space by the blower fan via thermoelectric element to undergo a heat exchange process and then is discharged to the outside through the discharge port;

a damper installed adjacent to the air inlet of the partition wall so as to open or close the air inlet so that the external air sucked into the internal space of the casing is discharged to the outside and dehumidified simultaneously through a heat exchange by the close contact of the external air with the heat-dissipating plate and the cooling plate while being circulated in both the first space part and the second space part by the blower fan, or is discharged to the outside through the discharge port through a heat exchange by the close contact of the external air with only the heat-dissipating plate while being circulated only in the first space part depending on whether or not the air inlet is closed;

a damper actuating member installed at the damper and including a temperature sensor, the damper actuating member being configured to control the damper to open or close the air inlet depending on the cooling temperature of the cooling plate detected by the temperature sensor such that an operation is repeatedly performed in which when the cooling temperature of the cooling plate detected by the temperature sensor is below a preset value, the damper actuating member actuates the damper to open the air inlet to allow the external air sucked in to be introduced into the second space part, and when the temperature of the cooling plate rises to exceed the preset value, the damper actuating member actuates the damper to close the air inlet to prevent the external air sucked in from being introduced into the second space part; and

a return port including a tubular hollow shape which is opened at both ends thereof, the return port being installed at a lower portion of the casing so as to allow the second space part and the first space part to fluidically communicate with each other through the return port so that when the damper is operated to open the air inlet by the damper actuating member depending on the cooling temperature of the cooling plate, the air introduced into and heat-exchanged in the second space part can be supplied to the first space part through the return port and can be re-circulated in the first space part.
The dehumidifying apparatus using a thermoelectric element according to claim 1, wherein an air filter is installed at the suction port.
The dehumidifying apparatus using a thermoelectric element according to claim 2, wherein the return port is provided at least in plural numbers.
The dehumidifying apparatus using a thermoelectric element according to claim 1 or 3, wherein a gutter having a drainage port is installed below the cooling plate so as to be exposed to the outside of the casing, so that a condensate generated through the heat exchange in the cooling plate can be drained to the outside of the casing.