Patent ID: 7739877
Filing Date: 2010-06-22
Classification: F25B,G02B,H01S

Abstract:
1. A thermoelectric cooler apparatus for a fiber optic system, the apparatus comprising: a first plate coupled to the fiber optic system; a second plate for coupling to a heat sink; a first plurality of thermoelectric units being sandwiched between the first plate and the second plate, the first plurality of thermoelectric units being connected to each other electrically in series; a second plurality of thermoelectric units being sandwiched between the first plate and the second plate, the second plurality of thermoelectric units being connected to each other electrically in series; wherein: the first plurality of thermoelectric units is electrically insulated, at least within the thermoelectric cooler apparatus, from the second plurality of thermoelectric units; the first plurality of thermoelectric units is configured to enhance or retard a heat transfer between the first plate and the second plate in response to a first current flowing through the first plurality of thermoelectric units; the second plurality of thermoelectric units is configured to enhance or retard the heat transfer between the first plate and the second plate in response to a second current flowing through the second plurality of thermoelectric units; the first plurality of thermoelectric units and the second plurality of thermoelectric units are configured such that a cross-section of the thermoelectric cooler apparatus includes one or more of the second plurality of thermoelectric units being sandwiched by the first plurality of thermoelectric units, and an interleaved configuration of the first and second plurality of thermoelectric units is formed, such that the interleaved configuration provides uniform cooling and redundancy over a specific area.