Patent ID: 7723606

Claim:
A thermoelectric generator, comprising in combination: at least one thermopile positioned in between a first plate and a second plate, each thermopile comprising a plurality of thermocouples, each thermocouple having two legs defining a height and a footprint with a base area; at least one spacer separating the at least one thermopile from at least one of the first plate or the second plate, wherein the height of at least one spacer is at least ten times larger than the height of the thermocouple legs; a raised elongate structure between the at least one spacer and the at least one thermopile, wherein the plurality of thermocouples are distributed on the raised elongate structure over an area of one of the first plate or the second plate, and wherein the area of the one of the first plate or the second plate is substantially larger than a total base area of the plurality of thermocouples.