Field-deployable electronics platform having thermoelectric power source and electronics module

Abstract

A wrapped thermoelectric power source having an inner and an outer insulator is provided within a housing formed, at least partially, by an upper and lower thermal transfer elements. The thermoelectric power source including a plurality of coupled pairs of thin film materials possessing thermoelectric properties, the pairs disposed on a flexible substrate and electrically coupled in any series/parallel combination, with the flexible substrate wrapped around an inner thermal insulator. The thermoelectric power source may be sized such that at least a portion of an electronics module may be disposed at least partly within the inner thermal insulator. The electronics module is electrically coupled to the thermoelectric power source, and includes components for voltage regulation and/or power conditioning. A mechanical means, connected to both the upper and the lower thermal transfer elements, holds those elements substantially adjacent opposite sides of the thermoelectric power source while preventing thermal shorting between the upper and lower thermal transfer elements. In one aspect, the electronics module further includes applications circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more of sensors, data storage, signal processing, computational resources and wireless communication circuitry.