Flexible modular hierarchical adaptively controlled electronic-system cooling and energy harvesting for ic chip packaging, printed circuit boards, subsystems, cages, racks, it rooms, and data centers using quantum and classical thermoelectric materials

Abstract

A system for adaptive cooling and energy harvesting comprising at least one thermoelectric device capable of acting as a thermoelectric cooler and as a thermoelectric generator, a hierarchical multiple-level control system, and electronics controlled by the control system and connected to the thermoelectric device. The electronics selectively configure the thermoelectric device in at least in a thermoelectric cooler operating mode and in a thermoelectric generation operating mode. The thermoelectric device can incorporate quantum-process and quantum-well materials for higher heat transfer and thermoelectric generation efficiencies. The invention provides for thermoelectric devices to additionally operate in temperature sensing mode. The hierarchical control system can comprise a plurality of control system, each of which can operate in isolation and can be interconnected with additional subsystems associated with other hierarchical levels. The hierarchical control system can comprise linear (additive) control, bilinear (additive and multiplicative) control, nonlinear control, and hysteresis.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for adaptive cooling and heat gathering, the system comprising:
 at least one thermoelectric device from a plurality of thermoelectric devices, each of the plurality of thermoelectric devices capable of acting as a thermoelectric cooler in a first mode of operation and as a thermoelectric generator in a second mode of operation;   a control system for receiving at least one input signal and providing a control signal output; and   electronics controlled by the control signal output and connected to the at least one thermoelectric device, the electronics selectively configuring the at least one thermoelectric device to operate in one of the first mode of operation and the second mode of operation,   wherein the control system controls the operating mode of the at least one thermoelectric device responsive to the at least one input signal.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , the system providing duty-cycle control to the first mode of operation of the at least one thermoelectric device so as to prevent Peltier cooling induced condensation and icing. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , the system providing pulse-width modulated control to the first mode of operation of the at least one thermoelectric device so as to prevent Peltier cooling induced condensation and icing. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one thermoelectric device comprises quantum-process thermoelectric material. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one thermoelectric device comprises quantum-well thermoelectric material. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a multiplexor to multiplex the at least one thermoelectric device among at least two of a cooling mode, an energy-harvesting mode, and a temperature sensing mode. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a switch to adaptively switch modes of operation of the at least one thermoelectric device among at least two of a cooling mode, an energy-harvesting mode, and a temperature sensing mode. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the system comprises consideration of dynamic behavior of the at least one thermoelectric device. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the system comprises compensation for dynamic behavior of the at least one thermoelectric device. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the system further comprises micro-droplet cooling. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the micro-droplet cooling comprises planar micro-droplet cooling. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the micro-droplet cooling comprises three-dimensional micro-droplet cooling. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one thermoelectric device is in thermal contact with an integrated circuit chip. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one thermoelectric device is positioned between two heat transfer subsystems within a cooling hierarchy, the cooling hierarchy comprising a plurality of heat transfer subsystems. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the system is configured to perform energy harvesting operations at a plurality of places within the cooling hierarchy. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one thermoelectric device is located at a thermal interface between two closed loop fluid cooling systems. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein electricity created by energy harvesting operations is used to provide power for heat transfer operations. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein at least one input signal is responsive to at least one temperature measurement. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the at least one temperature measurement is obtained from the at least one thermoelectric device operating in a temperature sensing mode as the second mode of operation. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein the at least one thermoelectric device operating in the temperature sensing mode as the second mode of operation is later operated in at least one of a thermoelectric cooler operating mode and a thermoelectric generation operating mode.