Patent ID: 9748465
Date: 2017-08-29
CPC Classifications: H01L,Y02E

Claim:
1. A thermoelectric module for converting thermal energy into electric energy, the thermoelectric module comprising: a plurality of leg pairs, each leg pair comprising a p-doped semiconductor leg and an n-doped semiconductor leg and metal bridges contacting the p-doped semiconductor leg and the n-doped semiconductor leg such that the p-doped semiconductor leg and the n-doped semiconductor leg are electrically in contact, each of said metal bridges comprising a first metal bridge planar surface and a second metal bridge planar surface, said first metal bridge planar surface being in direct contact with said p-doped semiconductor leg and said n-doped semiconductor leg, one of said metal bridges being located at a spaced location from another one of said metal bridges; and an electrically insulating ceramic plate arranged on a hot side of the thermoelectric module or on a cold side of the thermoelectric module, the electrically insulating ceramic plate being in surface contact with the metal bridges associated with the side and being fastened thereto and wherein: the ceramic plate is segmented to provide a plurality of ceramic plate segments arranged next to each other, the ceramic plate segments being in flat surface contact with the plurality of metal bridges and being fastened thereto, each of said ceramic plate segments comprising a planar ceramic plate surface, said planar ceramic plate surface of one of said ceramic plate segments extending continuously, without interruption, from one end of one of said ceramic plate segments to another end of another one of said ceramic plate segments, said planar ceramic plate surface comprising a first planar ceramic plate surface portion, a second planar ceramic plate surface portion and a third ceramic plate surface portion, said first planar ceramic plate surface portion being in direct contact with said second metal bridge planar surface of one of said metal bridges, said second planar ceramic plate surface portion being in direct contact with said second metal bridge planar surface of another one of said metal bridges, said third ceramic plate surface portion being located at a spaced location from said one of said metal bridges and said another one of said metal bridges.