Patent ID: 7384704

Claim:
An apparatus for controlling the temperature of an automobile battery to maintain the temperature within a predetermined temperature range, the apparatus comprising: an enclosure for housing said automobile battery, said enclosure having at least one first aperture; an electrical current source configured to generate an electrical current with a direction; a thermoelectric device having a first surface and a second surface, said thermoelectric device configured to generate a first temperature on said first surface and a second temperature on said second surface that is greater than said first temperature if said direction of said electrical current has a first direction and said thermoelectric device configured to generate a third temperature on said first surface and a fourth temperature on said second surface that is less than said third temperature if said direction of electrical current has a second direction; a control circuit configured to adjust said direction of said electrical current generated by said electrical current source in response to relationship of the temperature of the automobile battery to the predetermined temperature range; a heat exchanger having a first air duct with a first airflow that is configured to thermally couple said first surface of said thermoelectric device to the ambient atmosphere and a second air duct with a second airflow that is configured to thermally couple said second surface of said thermoelectric device to the automobile battery, said first air duct and said second air duct each having an interior region; a housing configured to house said thermoelectric device and said heat exchanger, said housing having at least one second aperture aligned with said at least one first aperture in said enclosure to couple said second air duct to said enclosure; a fan located in said housing, said fan being operable to force ambient air through said interior regions of said first air duct and said second air duct, past said first surface and said second surface of said thermoelectric device, to enable said air flows to provide said thermal coupling of said first surface of said thermoelectric device to the ambient atmosphere and said thermal coupling of second surface of said thermoelectric device to the automobile battery.