The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 21, 2001
Filed:
Jun. 23, 2000
Yoji Urano, Ikeda, JP;
Kazuo Kamada, Hirakata, JP;
Hirokazu Yoshioka, Osaka, JP;
Kentaro Kobayashi, Sijonawate, JP;
Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd., Kadoma, JP;
Abstract
A sintered body of a material for thermoelectric element having excellent thermoelectric performance and mechanical strength can be produced by the following method. A block of the material for thermoelectric element is provided. The block has an electric-current passing direction, in which electricity is supplied to obtain a desired thermoelectric performance of the thermoelectric element. The block is encased in an elongate capsule such that the electric-current passing direction of the block is substantially agreement with an axial direction of the capsule. After degassing the capsule, a forming operation for reducing a cross section perpendicular to the axial direction of the capsule is performed to obtain a formed capsule having a green compact of the block crushed by the forming operation therein. A heat treatment is then performed to sinter the green compact in the formed capsule. Finally, the resultant sintered body is removed from the formed capsule. This method is preferably used to manufacture a thermoelectric module that is a temperature control device using the Peltier effect.