Multi-segment electronic temperature control device

Abstract

The present invention provides a multi-stage electronic temperature controller which can cope with from elevated temperatures to ultralow freezing-range temperatures, can be operated so as to have a large temperature difference, and can perform cooling / heating control under good cooling-efficiency conditions. This multi-stage electronic temperature controller, which is for cooling a heat-insulated vessel, comprises: a stack of a plurality of thermoelectric conversion elements having substantially the same specifications; a cooling-side heat conductor disposed on a cooling surface of the stack; a radiation-side heat conductor disposed on a radiating surface of the stack; and a control board for separately supplying electric power to the plurality of thermoelectric conversion elements. The multi-stage electronic temperature controller is characterized in that the electric power to be supplied to each of the thermoelectric conversion elements is determined on the basis of a ratio of temperature allocation to the thermoelectric conversion elements calculated from the heat-insulating performance of the vessel, the heat-conducting performance of the interior of the vessel or the heat-conducting performance of the cooling-side portion of the stack, the radiation performance of the stack, measured data on ambient temperatures, a target temperature of the vessel or measured data on interior temperatures of the vessel, and measured data on radiation temperatures of the stack, so that the cooling efficiency of the stack is within a given range.

Images