Patent ID: 9671140
Date: 2017-06-06
CPC Classifications: F25B,Y02B

Claim:
1. A heat transfer device adapted to transfer thermal energy from a heat source, the heat transfer device comprising: a plurality of adjacent heat transfer stacks configured to facilitate transfer of thermal energy between the plurality of adjacent heat transfer stacks, wherein: a thermal distribution layer arranged in thermal contact with a first odd layer of each of the plurality of adjacent heat transfer stacks, wherein the thermal distribution layer has a higher thermal conductivity than a thermal conductivity of a heat source, wherein the thermal distribution layer is configured to transfer thermal energy from the heat source, which is in contact with the thermal distribution layer, to the plurality of adjacent heat transfer stacks and also configured to transfer thermal energy between the plurality of adjacent heat transfer stacks; first electrodes positioned to apply an electric field across the odd layers of the electrocaloric effect material of each heat transfer stack of the first subset and across the even layers of the electrocaloric effect material of each heat transfer stack of the second subset; second electrodes positioned to apply an electric field across the odd layers of the electrocaloric effect material of each heat transfer stack of the second subset and across the even layers of the electrocaloric effect material of each heat transfer stack of the first subset; and a controller operative to selectively control application of the electric field from a power source to the first electrodes and the second electrodes responsive to one or more of a plurality of clock signals, wherein the plurality of clock signals comprises two clock signals that are substantially out of phase with respect to one another, wherein the controller is configured to initiate application of the electric field to the first electrodes responsive to the first clock signal to initiate transfer of thermal energy with the even layers of the electrocaloric effect material of each heat transfer stack of the second subset and with the odd layers of the electrocaloric effect material of each heat transfer stack of the first subset, and wherein the controller is configured to initiate application of the electric field to the second electrodes responsive to the second clock signal to initiate transfer of thermal energy with the even layers of the electrocaloric effect material of each heat transfer stack of the first subset and with the odd layers of the electrocaloric effect material of each heat transfer stack of the second subset.