Other

Owens-corning Fiberglas Corporation

Oceaneering International, Inc.

Marlow Industries, Inc.

Marlow Industrie, Inc.

John L Nelson

Michael D Gilley

Brian V Park

Raymond Marlow

Lance Criscuolo

Ralph D McGrath

Richard J Buist

Joseph S Berg

Robert L Montgomery

Dwight A Johnson

Malcolm C Smith, Jr

A refrigerator is provided which combines the benefits of superinsulation materials with thermoelectric devices and phase change materials to provide an environmentally benign system that is energy efficient and can maintain relatively uniform temperatures for extended periods of time with relatively low electrical power requirements. The refrigerator includes a thermoelectric assembly having a thermoelectric device with a hot sink and a cold sink. The superinsulation materials include a plurality of vacuum panels. The refrigerator is formed from an enclosed structure having a door. The vacuum panels may be contained within the walls of the enclosed structure and the door. By mounting the thermoelectric assembly on the door, the manufacturer of the enclosed structure is simplified and the overall R rating of the refrigerator increased. Also an electrical motor and propellers may be mounted on the door to assist in the circulation of air to improve the efficiency of the cold sink and the hot sink. A propeller and/or impeller is preferably mounted within the refrigerator to assist in establishing the desired air circulation flow path.

Thermoelectric refrigerator

Apparatus including a power supply (202) and control system is provided for maintaining the temperature within an enclosed structure (40) using thermoelectric devices (92). The apparatus may be particularly beneficial for use with a refrigerator (20) having superinsulation materials (46) and phase change materials (112) which cooperate with the thermoelectric device (92) to substantially enhance the overall operating efficiency of the refrigerator (20). The electrical power supply (202) and control system allows increasing the maximum power capability of the thermoelectric device (92) in response to increased heat loads within the refrigerator (20). The electrical power supply (202) and control system may also be used to monitor the performance of the cooling system (70) associated with the refrigerator (20).

Control system for thermoelectric refrigerator

An encapsulated thermoelectric heat pump, apparatus and method for manufacturing the encapsulated thermoelectric heat pump is disclosed. The encapsulated thermoelectric heat pump includes a plurality of spaced n-type and p-type thermoelectric elements arranged alternatively in rows and columns. The thermoelectric elements having opposing ends operatively connected to first and second metalized ceramic substrates. The first and second metalizations patterned to connect serially the thermoelectric elements. The space between the spaced thermoelectric elements is filled with a microballoon filled epoxy for substantially increasing the strength of the thermoelectric heat pump to withstand a stress of more than 2000 g's. The apparatus includes a mold cup holding the encapsulating material, a mold holding the thermoelectric heat pump mounted in the mold cup, and a vacuum means connected to the mold for drawing the encapsulating material upwardly through the spaces of the plurality of thermoelectric elements to fill the spaces for curing.

Encapsulated thermoelectric heat pump and method of manufacture

A radar system comprising an RF transmitter and receiver means for mounting in a moving carrier for transmitting RF energy and receiving RF energy returns and a non-rotating modulating radar reflector which has a lens means for focusing incident impinging RF energy onto a spot opposite the incident side and a plurality of solid state modulating radar reflectors positioned at the spot locations for selectively reflecting the RF energy and dissipating the RF energy for providing RF energy returns modulated with a lens identification code and frequencies for determining true ground speed, range, glide slope, and azimuth position. The solid state modulating radar reflector including a microwave section having open back and front ends, a load resistive means at the back end, a PIN diode adjacent to the load resistive means and a modulating power source for modulating the PIN diode to provide at preselected intervals virtual shorts at the open end of the wave guide for reflecting modulated RF energy returns directly to the source of RF energy.

Radar system

A ground speed determining radar system for take off roll and landings and roll out maneuvers has a ground based modulating radar reflector and a carrier based radar. The radar transmits microwave energy to the reflector where it is modulated by rotating spaced reflectors and returned to the radar receiver. The receiver is a heterodyne receiver having a log IF stage and a fast time control (FTC) circuit for attenuating clutter and an acquisition loop circuit, lock-on circuit and tracking loop circuit. The acquisition loop circuit includes a center, gate, modulation bandpass filter, switch, acquisition sweep generator and gate generator; the lock-on circuit adds a delay line and a good data indicator to the loop acquisition circuit, and the track loop circuit includes early/late gates, early/late gate low pass filters, subtractor, integrator, the switch and gate generator. Prior to acquisition or upon loss of lock-on, the modulation band pass filter has zero output to the switch and the switch switches in the acquisition sweep generator and a ramp voltage is applied to the early/late gates. During the time the early/late gates are swept over the desired modulated frequency from the ground reflector the modulated band pass filter outputs a signal to the switch which switches in the integrator of the tracking loop. The lock-on circuit's delay means delays the modulation band pass output a time sufficient for the integrator to settle down and spurious noise to the disappear before activiting the data indicator. At times, the early/late gates are not centered on an echo return; thus more echo energy is in one (late) gate than in the other (early gate), for example. The subtractor outputs the difference to the integrator which output a dc voltage proportional to the range to the reflector. A differentiator and range indicator and the switch are connected to the integrator for receiving its dc output and, respectively, outputting velocity and range information and feed back to center the early/late gates on the echo.

Ground speed determining radar system

Alternating current is applied to a bi-directional triode thyristor (triac) and a zero voltage switch, the zero voltage switch controls the operation of the triac to selectively heat a heater element, the thermal energy of the heater element drives a first thermoelectric heat pump (module), acting as a dc power generator, to produce power to drive a second thermoelectric heat pump acting as a cooling or heating source, towards a preselected temperature, a thermally sensitive resistor (thermistor) senses the temperature and generates a resistance corresponding to the temperature, the thermistor is connected to the zero voltage switch in series with a temperature set point resistor (potentiometer) and source of power to form a voltage divider input to the zero voltage switch, whereby when the resistance of the thermistor substantially equals that of the temperature set point resistor the zero voltage switch inhibits the trigger pulses to the triac to cut off ac current to the heater element.

Thermoelectric power generating device

A glass batch feeder for an electrically-heated, glass-melting furnace is provided. The furnace typically includes a glass melting tank with electrodes immersed therein and with a batch feeder extending across the tank and movable back and forth from one end to the other to supply a layer of glass batch over molten glass in the tank. The batch is deposited gently on the top of the batch layer and in a positive, uniform manner to assure proper control of the thickness of the layer. The feeder includes a hopper and a rotatable distributor which intercepts batch from the hopper and deposits it in uniform increments onto the batch layer.

Growing community of inventors

Garland, TX, United States of America

John L Nelson