High efficiency cooling device

Abstract

A cooling device has a cooling area with a predefined periphery, and a cooling circuit surrounding the cooling area. The cooling circuit includes a medium and a plurality of N conductors in parallel alignment and located within the medium, the medium being a plurality of N+1 segments, with each segment being separated from other segments by a member of the plurality of conductors.

1 . A cooling device comprising: 
 a cooling area having a predefined periphery; and    a cooling circuit surrounding the cooling area, the cooling circuit includes a medium and a plurality of N conductors in parallel alignment and located within the medium, the medium being a plurality of N+1 segments with each segment being separated from other segments by a member of the plurality of conductors.    
     
     
         2 . The cooling device according to  claim 1  wherein the cooling circuit further comprises: 
 a plurality of N−1 current sources operatively connected to the cooling circuit.  
 
     
     
         3 . The cooling device according to  claim 1  wherein the predefined periphery has a polygonal shape.  
     
     
         4 . The cooling device according to  claim 3  wherein the cooling circuit further comprises: 
 a plurality of N−1 current sources operatively connected to the plurality of N conductors with a first current source being connected between a first conductor and a second conductor of the plurality of conductors and a second current source being connected between the second conductor and a third conductor of the plurality of N conductor and each of any remaining current sources of the plurality of current source being like wise connect through an N th −1 current source being connected between the N th −1 conductor and the N th  conductor.  
 
     
     
         5 . The cooling device according to  claim 4  wherein the cooling circuit cools the cooling area and the first conductor is located between a first segment and a second segment of the plurality of N+1 segments and the second conductor is located between the second segment and a third segment of the plurality of N+1 segments and each of any remaining conductors of the plurality of N conductors being like wise located through an N th  conductor being located being located between the N th  segment and the N th +1 segment of the plurality of N+1 segments.  
     
     
         6 . The cooling device according to  claim 5  wherein each segment has a heat field depletion area and an electric field depletion area with the heat depletion area being located on a first side of a segment nearest the cooling area and the electric depletion area being located on a side across the segment from the first side and the width of the segment being selected so that the heat depletion area is in contact with the electric depletion area.  
     
     
         7 . The cooling device according to  claim 5  wherein the first segment is the segment nearest the cooling area and the second current source provides a current twice the current of the first current and similarly each additional current source of the plurality of N−1 current sources providing a current that is multiple of the first current source with a current source connected to a conductor nearer the cooling area providing a current that is less than a current provided from an adjacent current source connected to a conductor further from the cooling area such that the largest amount of current being provided by the N−1 current source providing N−1 times the current of the first current source.  
     
     
         8 . The cooling device according to  claim 1  with the medium being of an annular shape.  
     
     
         9 . The cooling device according to  claim 8  wherein the cooling circuit further comprises: a plurality of N−1 current sources operatively connected to the plurality of N conductors with a first current source being connected between a first conductor and a second conductor of the plurality of conductors and a second current source being connected between the second conductor and a third conductor of the plurality of N conductor and each of any remaining current sources of the plurality of current source being like wise connect through an N th −1 current source being connected between the N th −1 conductor and the N th  conductor.  
     
     
         10 . The cooling device according to  claim 9  wherein the cooling circuit cools the cooling area and the first conductor is located between a first segment and a second segment of the plurality of N+1 segments and the second conductor is located between the second segment and a third segment of the plurality of N+1 segments and each of any remaining conductors of the plurality of N conductors being like wise located through an N th  conductor being located being located between the N th  segment and the N th +1 segment of the plurality of N+1 segments.  
     
     
         11 . The cooling device according to  claim 10  wherein each segment has a heat field depletion area and an electric field depletion area with the heat depletion area being located on a first side of a segment nearest the cooling area and the electric depletion area being located on a side across the segment from the first side and the width of the segment being selected so that the heat depletion area is in contact with the electric depletion area.  
     
     
         12 . The cooling device according to  claim 10  wherein the first segment is the segment nearest the cooling area and the second current source provides a current twice the current of the first current and similarly each additional current source of the plurality of N−1 current sources providing a current that is multiple of the first current source with a current source connected to a conductor nearer the cooling area providing a current that is less than a current provided from an adjacent current source connected to a conductor further from the cooling area such that the largest amount of current being provided by the N−1 current source providing N−1 times the current of the first current source.  
     
     
         13 . The cooling circuit according to  claim 1  wherein the medium is a vacuum.  
     
     
         14 . The cooling circuit according to  claim 1  wherein the medium is a semiconductor medium.  
     
     
         15 . The cooling circuit according to  claim 1  wherein the medium is a conductor medium.  
     
     
         16 . The cooling circuit according to  claim 1  wherein the medium is a liquid.  
     
     
         17 . The cooling circuit according to  claim 1  wherein the medium is a solid state medium.  
     
     
         18 . The cooling circuit according to  claim 1  wherein the medium is a plasma.  
     
     
         19 . The cooling circuit according to  claim 1  wherein the cooling area is a space ship.  
     
     
         20 . The cooling circuit according to  claim 1  wherein the cooling area is a heat pipe.  
     
     
         21 . The cooling circuit according to  claim 1  wherein the cooling area is a semiconductor circuit.  
     
     
         22 . The cooling circuit according to  claim 21  wherein the semiconductor circuit is a power MOSFET.  
     
     
         23 . The cooling circuit according to  claim 21  wherein the semiconductor circuit is a smart power device having a power section and a logic section and the cooling area is the power section.  
     
     
         24 . A cooling device comprising: 
 a cooling area having a predefined periphery; and    a cooling circuit surrounding the cooling area, the cooling circuit includes a cooling cell of a medium segment and first and second conductors in parallel alignment and spaced apart by a predetermined width, L, within the medium segment, the width L being determined to be a width of the medium segment that becomes substantially depleted during operation of the cooling circuit.    
     
     
         25 . The cooling device according to  claim 24  wherein the cooling circuit further comprises: 
 a current sources operatively connected to the first and second conductor to facilitate the transfer heat from a first side of the cooling cell to a second side of the cooling cell.  
 
     
     
         26 . The cooling device according to  claim 24  wherein the predefined periphery has a polygonal shape.  
     
     
         27 . The cooling device according to  claim 24  wherein the cooling circuit further comprises: a second cooling cell of a second medium segment and a third conductor with a first side of the second medium segment being adjacent to the third conductor and a second side of the second medium segment being adjacent to the second conductor.  
     
     
         28 . The cooling device according to  claim 27  wherein each medium segment has a heat field depletion area and an electric field depletion area with the heat depletion area being located on a first side of a medium segment nearest the cooling area and the electric depletion area being located on a side across the medium segment from the first side and the width of the medium segment being selected so that the heat depletion area is in contact with the electric depletion area.  
     
     
         29 . The cooling device according to  claim 24  wherein the cooling circuit further comprises: a current source operatively connected to the first and second conductor to facilitate the transfer heat from a first side of the cooling cell to a second side of the cooling cell.  
     
     
         30 . The cooling device according to  claim 24  wherein the cooling circuit further comprises: a second cooling cell of a second medium segment and a third conductor with a first side of the second medium segment being adjacent to the third conductor and a second side of the second medium segment being adjacent to the second conductor.  
     
     
         31 . The cooling device according to  claim 30  wherein the cooling circuit further comprises: 
 a first current sources operatively connected to the first and second conductor to facilitate the transfer heat from a first side of the medium segment to a second side of the medium segment; and  
 a second current sources operatively connected to the second and third conductor to facilitate the transfer heat from the first side of the second medium segment to the second side of the second medium segment.  
 
     
     
         32 . The cooling device according to  claim 31  wherein the current from the second current source is one half the current from the first current source.  
     
     
         33 . The cooling device according to  claim 31  wherein each segment has a heat field depletion area and an electric field depletion area with the heat depletion area being located on a first side of a segment nearest the cooling area and the electric depletion area being located on a side across the segment from the first side and the width of the segment being selected so that the heat depletion area is in contact with the electric depletion area.  
     
     
         34 . The cooling device according to  claim 24  with the medium being of an annular shape.  
     
     
         35 . The cooling circuit according to  claim 24  wherein the medium is a vacuum.  
     
     
         36 . The cooling circuit according to  claim 24  wherein the medium is a semiconductor medium.  
     
     
         37 . The cooling circuit according to  claim 24  wherein the medium is a conductor medium.  
     
     
         38 . The cooling circuit according to  claim 24  wherein the medium is a liquid.  
     
     
         39 . The cooling circuit according to  claim 24  wherein the medium is a solid state medium.  
     
     
         40 . The cooling circuit according to  claim 24  wherein the medium is a plasma.  
     
     
         41 . The cooling circuit according to  claim 24  wherein the cooling area is a space ship.  
     
     
         42 . The cooling circuit according to  claim 24  wherein the cooling area is a heat pipe.  
     
     
         43 . The cooling circuit according to  claim 24  wherein the cooling area is a semiconductor circuit.  
     
     
         44 . The cooling circuit according to  claim 43  wherein the semiconductor circuit is a power MOSFET.  
     
     
         45 . The cooling circuit according to  claim 43  wherein the semiconductor circuit is a smart power device having a power section and a logic section and the cooling area is the power section.