Thermoelectric cooling device and cold water generator having same

Abstract

Provided is a thermoelectric cooling device (200) comprising: a thermoelectric module (210) for cooling by applying electricity; a heat sink (230) having a body (231), which has on one side a contact surface (234) coming into contact with a heating side of the thermoelectric module (230), and a plurality of heat dissipation fins (233), which are formed on the other side of the body (231), and emitting the heat transferred from the heating side of the thermoelectric module (210); a heat pipe (240) coupled to a mounting groove which is formed on the contact surface (234) of the heat sink (230), and for transferring heat by means of a working fluid stored therein; and a cooling fan (250) for forming the airflow to the heat sink (230), wherein the heat pipe (240) comprises a plurality of corner-extension heat pipes (241) extending to a corner area of the heat sink (230) from the central part of the heat sink (230) on which the thermoelectric module (210) is installed, and the shape of the mounting groove corresponds to the shape of the corner-extension heat pipes (241). FIGURE 4

Description

Thermoelectric cooling device and cold water generator equipped therewith

[0001] The present invention relates to a thermoelectric cooling device having a thermoelectric module and a cold water generator having the same, and more particularly, to a thermoelectric cooling device having excellent heat dissipation and cooling efficiency and a cold water generator having the same.

[0002] Refrigerators used to cool objects often use a traditional refrigeration cycle that includes a compressor, condenser, and evaporator, but recently, refrigerating devices using thermoelectric modules are also widely used for small-scale cooling.

[0003] These thermoelectric coolers are also used to generate cold water in water purifiers or water coolers.

[0004] Conventional thermoelectric cooling devices utilize the Peltier effect, which allows for simultaneous heat absorption and generation on both sides of a thermoelectric module. The cooling target is placed on the cooling side of the module, and a heat sink (heat dissipation member) is installed on the heating side for heat dissipation. The heat sink is provided with a number of heat dissipation fins to increase its contact area with air and promote heat dissipation. Furthermore, a cooling fan is installed on the heat sink to promote heat dissipation by blowing air toward the heat sink.

[0005] At this time, the heat sink is configured to have a large area compared to the area of ​​the thermoelectric module to ensure smooth heat dissipation. Although the heat sink is formed of a metal material with excellent thermal conductivity (e.g., stainless steel), the temperature of the central part of the heat sink that comes into contact with the heating side of the thermoelectric module is very high, and the temperature of the outer part of the heat sink is relatively low, so there was a limit to heat dissipation through the entire area of ​​the heat sink.

[0006] To address these issues, heat dissipation structures utilizing heat pipes have been proposed in Patent Publication No. 2018-0119251 and Patent Publication No. 2014-0055418, filed by the same applicant. Heat pipes consist of an evaporator and a condenser, and transfer heat using the latent heat of the working fluid.

[0007] However, the above-described prior art, while attempting to improve heat dissipation efficiency by utilizing heat pipes, suffers from the complexity of the heat pipe installation structure and the difficulty of manufacturing. Furthermore, the prior art requires significant modifications to the heat sink structure typically found in thermoelectric cooling devices.

[0008] (Patent Document 1) KR2018-0119251 A

[0009] (Patent Document 2) KR2014-0055418 A

[0010] The present invention has been devised to solve at least some of the problems of the prior art as described above, and aims to provide a thermoelectric cooling device capable of improving the heat dissipation efficiency of a heat sink through a heat pipe and thus improving the cooling efficiency through a thermoelectric module, and a cold water generating device equipped with the same.

[0011] In addition, the present invention aims to provide a thermoelectric cooling device capable of sufficiently dissipating heat even through a peripheral portion including a corner region of a heat sink as one aspect, and a cold water generator equipped with the same.

[0012] And, as one aspect, the present invention aims to provide a thermoelectric cooling device having a simple combined structure of a heat pipe and a heat sink and a cold water generating device having the same.

[0013]

[0014] In one aspect to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a thermoelectric cooling device comprising: a thermoelectric module that performs cooling by applying electricity; a body having a contact surface on one side that contacts a heat-generating side of the thermoelectric module, and a plurality of heat-radiating fins formed on the other side of the body, the heat sink dissipating heat transferred from the heat-generating side of the thermoelectric module; a heat pipe that is coupled to a mounting groove formed on the contact surface of the heat sink and performs heat transfer through a working fluid contained therein; and a cooling fan that forms airflow to the heat sink; wherein the heat pipe includes a plurality of corner-extended heat pipes that have a shape extending from a central portion of the heat sink where the thermoelectric module is installed to a corner region of the heat sink, and the mounting groove has a shape corresponding to a shape of the corner-extended heat pipes.

[0015] At this time, each of the corner-extended heat pipes may have a shape in which each end of the corner-extended heat pipe extends from both sides of the central portion and reaches two corner areas of the heat sink.

[0016] In addition, the heat sink may be formed in a square shape, and the heat pipe may be configured to include at least two corner-extended heat pipes such that the ends of the corner-extended heat pipes are located in all four corner areas of the heat sink.

[0017] At this time, the corner area can correspond to the four outermost areas when the contact surface of the heat sink is divided into four equal parts horizontally and vertically on a plane.

[0018] Additionally, the heat pipe may additionally include a central heat pipe positioned between two of the corner-extended heat pipes.

[0019] In addition, the width of the thermoelectric module may have a value greater than the center spacing between the two corner-extended heat pipes.

[0020] In addition, the heat pipe may be configured so that a portion exposed to the outside of the heat sink while being coupled to the mounting groove has the same height as the contact surface.

[0021] And, the heat pipe can be arranged so that the central portion corresponding to the central portion of the heat sink is perpendicular to the direction of gravity.

[0022]

[0023] In another aspect, the present invention provides a cold water generation device including the thermoelectric cooling device described above; and a tank body having a space for containing water formed therein, and cooling of the water contained therein by the cooling side of the thermoelectric module.

[0024] At this time, the tank body has a first body made of synthetic resin material and a second body made of metal material, and the cooling side of the thermoelectric module can be configured to absorb heat from the second body.

[0025]

[0026] According to one embodiment of the present invention having such a configuration, heat from the central portion of the heat sink where the thermoelectric module is installed can be transferred to the corner portion of the heat sink through the heat pipe, and the heat transferred to the corner portion of the heat sink can be released, so that sufficient heat dissipation can be achieved not only in the central portion of the heat sink but also in the peripheral portion including the corner portion. Accordingly, not only can the heat dissipation efficiency of the heat sink be improved, but also the temperature of the heating side of the thermoelectric module can be lowered, so that the cooling efficiency through the cooling side of the thermoelectric module can be improved.

[0027] In addition, according to one embodiment of the present invention, by forming a mounting groove in a heat sink and installing a heat pipe in the mounting groove, it is possible to obtain an effect in which the combined structure of the heat pipe and the heat sink is simple and easy to manufacture.

[0028]

[0029] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cold water generator according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the cold water generator shown in Figure 1 and the thermoelectric cooling device provided therein.

[0031] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the heat pipe and heat sink constituting the heat sink assembly of the thermoelectric cooling device illustrated in FIG. 2 in an exploded form.

[0032] Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which the heat pipe illustrated in Fig. 3 is seated and coupled in the seating groove of the heat sink.

[0033] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view along line AA' of Figure 4.

[0034] Figure 6 is a front view of the heat sink assembly illustrated in Figure 4.

[0035] Fig. 7 is a front view showing a modified example of a heat sink assembly provided in a thermoelectric cooling device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] FIG. 8 is a front view illustrating another modified example of a heat sink assembly provided in a thermoelectric cooling device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] FIG. 9 is an actual photograph produced for testing a heat sink assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention, (a) is an actual photograph of the heat sink assembly illustrated in FIG. 7, and (b) is an actual photograph of the heat sink assembly illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 6.

[0038] Fig. 10 is a graph measuring temperature changes according to heat dissipation in the heat sink assembly (first embodiment) shown in Fig. 9(a) and a heat sink (comparative example) in which a heat pipe is not installed.

[0039]

[0040] * Explanation of symbols *

[0041] 100... cold water generator 110... tank body

[0042] 120... First body 121... Inlet

[0043] 122... outlet 125... grating

[0044] 130... Second body 132... Fastening hole

[0045] 200... Thermoelectric Cooler 210... Thermoelectric Module

[0046] 220... Heatsink assembly 230... Heatsink

[0047] 231... Body 232... Fastening hole

[0048] 233... Radiating fin 234... Contact surface

[0049] 235... Corner extension mounting groove 237... Central mounting groove

[0050] 240... Heat pipe 241... Corner extension heat pipe

[0051] 242... Central heat pipe 250... Cooling fan

[0052] 260... Cooling block 262... Fastening hole

[0053] A1, A2, A3, A4... Corner area D... Spacing between heat pipes

[0054] HE... Heat pipe end W... Thermoelectric module width

[0055]

[0056] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. However, the embodiments of the present invention may be modified in various ways, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below. Furthermore, the embodiments of the present invention are provided to more fully explain the present invention to those skilled in the art. The shapes and sizes of elements in the drawings may be exaggerated for clarity.

[0057] Additionally, in this specification, singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, and the same reference numerals throughout the specification refer to the same component or corresponding components.

[0058]

[0059] Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8, a cold water generator (100) and a thermoelectric cooling device (200) provided therein according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0060] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cold water generator (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the cold water generator (100) illustrated in FIG. 1 and a thermoelectric cooling device (200) provided therein, FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a heat pipe (240) and a heat sink (230) constituting a heat sink assembly (220) of the thermoelectric cooling device (200) illustrated in FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the heat pipe (240) illustrated in FIG. 3 is mounted and coupled to a mounting groove (235, 237) of the heat sink (230), FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA' of FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 is a front view of the heat sink assembly (220) illustrated in FIG. 4. In addition, FIGS. 7 and 8 are front views showing a modified example of a heat sink assembly (220) provided in a thermoelectric cooling device (200) according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0061]

[0062] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a cold water generator (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention is configured to include a tank body (110) that accommodates water therein, and a thermoelectric cooling device (200) for cooling the water accommodated in the tank body (110).

[0063] The tank body (110) has a space formed inside to store water, and water filtered through a filter unit (not shown) can be accommodated inside the tank body (110).

[0064] This tank body (110) can take various forms, but as an example, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, it can be configured to include a first body (120) and a second body (130) that is joined to the first body (120) and forms an internal space together with the first body (120).

[0065] At this time, the first body (120) may be provided with an inlet (121) through which water flows in and an outlet (122) through which cooled cold water flows out, and a partition (125) may be provided to prevent rapid mixing of water flowing in through the inlet (121) and water contained inside the tank body (110).

[0066] In addition, the first body (120) may have a relatively larger volume than the second body (130) and may be formed of a synthetic resin material. In addition, the second body (130) may be formed of a metal material such as stainless steel so as to be connected to the cooling side of the thermoelectric module (210) described later so as to enable heat transfer so as to absorb heat from the second body (130) at the cooling side of the thermoelectric module (210). In this case, the first body (120) of the synthetic resin material having a relatively large volume and the second body (130) of the metal material having a relatively small volume minimize heat transfer between the cold water and the outside air while the cold water is stored, thereby reducing the rise in the cold water temperature, and at the same time, the water contained inside the tank body (110) may be directly cooled through the second body (130) of the metal material.

[0067] However, the configuration of the tank body (110) is not limited to the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, and may have various structures and shapes as long as cold water can be generated through the thermoelectric cooling device (200). For example, the tank body (110) may have a known structure in which a heat-conducting member thermally connected to the cooling side of the thermoelectric module (210) extends from the outside to the inside of the tank body (110), and may have a known structure in which a tank cover covers the upper part of the tank body.

[0068]

[0069] Next, with reference to FIGS. 2 to 8, a thermoelectric cooling device (200) according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0070] A thermoelectric cooling device (200) according to one embodiment of the present invention may be configured to include a thermoelectric module (210), a heat sink (230), a heat pipe (240), and a cooling fan (250). Among these, the thermoelectric module (210), the heat sink (230), and the cooling fan (250) have a configuration similar to that of a conventional thermoelectric cooling device (200).

[0071] A thermoelectric module (thermoelectric element) (210) performs cooling by applying electricity, and heat absorption and heat generation occur simultaneously on both sides of the thermoelectric module (210) due to the Peltier effect, and the heat of the object to be cooled is absorbed on the cooling side of the thermoelectric module (210) and released through the heating side of the thermoelectric module (210).

[0072] The cooling side of the thermoelectric module (210) may be configured to be directly thermally connected to the second body (130) of the aforementioned tank body (110), but a cooling block (260) for heat conduction may be arranged between the cooling side of the thermoelectric module (210) and the object to be cooled, so that the second body (130) and the cooling side of the thermoelectric module (210) may be indirectly thermally connected by the cooling block (260). At this time, in order to connect the cooling block (260) to the second body (130), a bolt / nut connection may be formed through the fastening hole (262) of the cooling block (260) and the fastening hole (132) of the second body (130). Meanwhile, the structure in which the cooling side of the thermoelectric module (210) cools the water contained inside the tank body (110) is not limited to the structure of FIGS. 1 and 2, and various changes are possible, such as a structure in which a heat-conducting member thermally connected to the cooling side of the thermoelectric module (210) extends from the outside to the inside of the tank body (110) as described above.

[0073] The heat sink (230) may include a body (231) having a contact surface (234) on one side that contacts the heating side of the thermoelectric module (210), and a plurality of heat dissipation fins (233) formed on the other side of the body (231) to improve heat dissipation performance by expanding the contact area with air. The contact surface (234) of the heat sink (230) may be formed as a flat surface so as to be in close contact with the heating side of the thermoelectric module (210). In addition, the heat sink (230) is configured to have a larger area than the area of ​​the thermoelectric module (210) to ensure smooth heat dissipation.

[0074] In addition, the cooling fan (250) forms an airflow to the heat sink (230) and can be installed on the heat dissipation fin (233) to supply air to the heat dissipation fin (233) of the heat sink (230). In addition, a plurality of cooling fans (250) can be installed on the heat dissipation fin (233) as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 so that air can be blown over a wide area of ​​the heat sink (230).

[0075] The heat pipe (240) is coupled to the mounting grooves (235, 237) formed on the contact surface (234) of the heat sink (230) to form the heat sink assembly (220). The heat pipe (240) is formed of a material with excellent thermal conductivity, such as aluminum, and has a tube shape with both ends closed. The heat pipe (240) is composed of an evaporation section and a condensation section and transfers heat using the latent heat of the working fluid contained therein. Since this heat pipe (240) is a well-known structure, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0076] The heat pipe (240) may include a plurality of corner-extended heat pipes (241) having a shape extending from the central portion of the heat sink (230) where the thermoelectric module (210) is installed to the corner regions (A1, A2, A3, A4) of the heat sink (230). That is, the corner-extended heat pipes (241) transfer heat from the central portion of the heat sink (230) to the corner regions (A1, A2, A3, A4), thereby lowering the temperature of the central portion of the heat sink (230) and raising the temperature of the corner regions (A1, A2, A3, A4), thereby reducing the temperature difference between the central portion of the heat sink (230) and the corner regions (A1, A2, A3, A4).

[0077] Although the heat sink (230) is formed of a metal material with excellent thermal conductivity (e.g., aluminum, etc.), in the case of the conventional technology, the temperature of the central portion of the heat sink (230) in contact with the heat-generating side of the thermoelectric module (210) is very high, and the temperature of the peripheral portion of the heat sink (230) is relatively low, so that there is a limit to heat dissipation through the entire area of ​​the heat sink (230). However, in the case of one embodiment of the present invention, heat is transferred to the corner areas (A1, A2, A3, A4) by the corner-extended heat pipe (241), so that sufficient heat dissipation can be achieved not only through the central portion of the heat sink (230) but also through the corner areas (A1, A2, A3, A4).

[0078] In addition, the corner extension mounting groove (235) in which the corner extension heat pipe (241) is installed may have a shape corresponding to the shape of the corner extension heat pipe (241).

[0079] And, each corner-extended heat pipe (241) may have a shape that extends from one side of the central portion to the corner regions (A1, A2, A3, A4), but in order to transfer heat to a plurality of corner regions (A1, A2, A3, A4) through one corner-extended heat pipe (241), each corner-extended heat pipe (241) may extend from each of both sides of the central portion so that both end portions (HE) of one corner-extended heat pipe (241) reach the corner regions (A1, A2, A3, A4) of the heat sink (230). That is, one corner-extended heat pipe (241) may have a shape in which its end portions (HE) reach two corner regions (A1, A2, A3, A4).

[0080] In addition, the heat pipe (240) may be configured to include at least two corner-extended heat pipes (241) so that the ends (HE) of the corner-extended heat pipes (241) are positioned in all four corner areas (A1, A2, A3, A4) of the heat sink (230). At this time, the corner-extended heat pipes (241) may have a shape that is symmetrical with respect to the center of the heat sink (230).

[0081] Meanwhile, the heat sink (230) may be formed in a square shape as illustrated in FIGS. 2 to 8, and the corner areas (A1, A2, A3, A4) of the heat sink (230) may be configured to correspond to the four outermost areas when the contact surface (234) of the heat sink (230) is divided into four equal parts horizontally and vertically on a plane as illustrated in FIGS. 6 to 8. Accordingly, the corner-extended heat pipe (241) can transfer heat from the central portion of the heat sink (230) to a wide area corresponding to the periphery of the heat sink (230), thereby enabling efficient heat dissipation to be achieved throughout the entire area of ​​the heat sink (230).

[0082]

[0083] And, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 6, the heat pipe (240) may additionally include a central heat pipe (242) positioned between two corner-extended heat pipes (241). At this time, the central heat pipe (242) may be installed to be seated in the central mounting groove (237). The central heat pipe (242) may extend from the central portion of the heat sink (230) between the two corner-extended heat pipes (241) and transfer heat to an area where heat is not transferred through the corner-extended heat pipes (241). Therefore, when a central heat pipe (242) is additionally installed in the heat sink (230) portion between two corner-extended heat pipes (241), the heat dissipation effect of the heat sink (230) can be further improved compared to the case where only two corner-extended heat pipes (241) are installed, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.

[0084] At this time, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 8, the heat pipe (240) may be arranged such that the central portion corresponding to the central portion of the heat sink (230) is perpendicular to the direction of gravity. In this case, gravity acts on the working fluid within the heat pipe (240) to easily move in the vertical direction, thereby increasing heat transfer efficiency compared to when the heat pipe (240) is installed horizontally.

[0085] In addition, in order to efficiently transfer heat generated on the heating side of the thermoelectric module (210) to the periphery of the heat sink (230), as shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the width (W) of the thermoelectric module (210) may have a value greater than the center spacing (D) between two corner-extended heat pipes (241).

[0086] Meanwhile, as illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, the center gap (D) between the two corner-extended heat pipes (241) may be configured to have a narrow gap as illustrated in FIG. 7 within a range having a value smaller than the width (W) of the thermoelectric module (210), or may be configured to have a relatively wide gap as illustrated in FIG. 8 compared to FIG. 7. At this time, the position of the fastening hole (232) for fixing the heat sink (230) may be adjusted so as not to overlap with the corner-extended heat pipe (241).

[0087]

[0088] Referring to FIG. 3, the heat pipe (240) may be formed as a pipe with a circular cross-section with both ends closed, and when installed in the mounting grooves (235, 237) in this state, the heat pipe (240) may protrude outside the contact surface (234) of the heat sink (230). In this way, when the heat pipe (240) protrudes, contact is not made between the heating side of the thermoelectric module (210) and the heat sink (230), and thus heat transfer from the heating side of the thermoelectric module (210) to the heat sink (230) is not made. Therefore, the heat pipe (240) may be formed by pressing so that the portion exposed to the outside of the heat sink (230) in the state of being coupled to the mounting grooves (235, 237) has the same height as the contact surface (234).

[0089] In this way, according to one embodiment of the present invention, by forming a mounting groove (235, 237) corresponding to the shape of a heat pipe (240) in a heat sink (230) through mechanical processing, and by applying pressure with a press while the heat pipe (240) having a circular cross-section is mounted in the mounting groove (235, 237) of the heat sink (230), the cross-section of the heat pipe (240) can have a flat shape, as illustrated in FIG. 5. In addition, since the joint structure of the heat pipe (240) and the heat sink (230) is simple and the heat sink (230) and the heat pipe (240) are integrated by the pressing force, the heat sink assembly (220) can be easily manufactured. In addition, since the heat pipe (240) can be in direct contact with the heating side of the thermoelectric module (210), the heat generated in the thermoelectric module (210) can be more easily transferred to the periphery of the heat sink (230). In addition, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the heat dissipation efficiency of the heat sink (230) can be significantly improved while maintaining the shape of a conventional heat sink (230).

[0090]

[0091] Next, with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10, the cooling performance of a cold water generator (100) and a thermoelectric cooling device (200) according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0092] FIG. 9 is a real photograph produced for testing a heat sink assembly (220) according to one embodiment of the present invention, (a) is a real photograph of a heat sink assembly (220) having two corner-extended heat pipes (241) as illustrated in FIG. 7, (b) is a real photograph of a heat sink assembly (220) having two corner-extended heat pipes (241) and a central heat pipe (242) installed between them as illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 6, and FIG. 10 is a graph measuring temperature changes according to heat dissipation in a heat sink assembly (220) (first embodiment) illustrated in FIG. 9 (a) and a heat sink (230) (comparative example) in which a heat pipe (240) is not installed.

[0093]

[0094] In order to compare the heat dissipation performance of the heat sink (230) in the case where the heat pipe (240) is not installed in the heat sink (230) (comparative example) and in the case where the heat pipe (240) is installed in the heat sink (230) (first embodiment), a test was performed using the mass-produced product of the applicant, a cold water generator (water purifier) ​​(100), under the same conditions as the remaining configuration. In the case of the first embodiment, a heat sink assembly (220) having two corner-extended heat pipes (241) in the heat sink (230) was used, as illustrated in FIG. 9(a).

[0095] Under the conditions of an outside temperature of 35°C and a relative humidity of 65%, the same amount of 30°C water was injected into the tank body (110), and then the thermoelectric module (210) was operated to measure the temperature change in each area of ​​the heat sink (230).

[0096] Referring to FIG. 10, in the comparative example where the heat pipe (240) was not installed, the maximum temperature at the center of the heat sink (230) was 57.9°C, but in the first embodiment where the heat pipe (240) was installed, the maximum temperature at the center of the heat sink (230) was 54.0°C, which is approximately 4°C lower than the comparative example where the heat pipe (240) was not installed.

[0097] On the other hand, in the comparative example where the heat pipe (240) was not installed, the maximum temperatures of the upper left, upper right, lower left, and lower right corner regions (A1, A2, A3, A4) of the heat sink (230) were 45.4°C, 44.8°C, 44.9°C, and 45.0°C, respectively, but in the first embodiment where the heat pipe (240) was installed, the maximum temperatures of the upper left, upper right, lower left, and lower right corner regions (A1, A2, A3, A4) increased to 47.1°C, 47.0°C, 45.7°C, and 45.7°C, respectively. That is, in the case of the first embodiment where the heat pipe (240) was installed, the upper temperature of the heat sink (230) increased by approximately 2°C and the lower temperature increased by approximately 1°C, compared to the comparative example where the heat pipe (240) was not installed.

[0098] In this way, in the case of the first embodiment in which the heat pipe (240) was installed, the temperature of the central portion of the heat sink (230) in which the thermoelectric module (210) was installed decreased and the temperature of the corner areas (A1, A2, A3, A4) increased, and thus it was confirmed that an efficient heat dissipation effect could be implemented over the entire area of ​​the heat sink (230).

[0099]

[0100] Meanwhile, a test was performed on the cold water extraction performance for a comparative example in which a heat pipe (240) was not installed, a first embodiment using a heat sink assembly (220) in which two corner-extended heat pipes (241) were installed in a heat sink (230) as shown in FIG. 9(a), and a second embodiment using a heat sink assembly (220) in which two corner-extended heat pipes (241) and one central heat pipe (242) were installed in a heat sink (230) as shown in FIG. 9(b).

[0101] In order to verify the cooling performance of the cold water generator (100) (water purifier), which is a mass-produced product of the present applicant, in a very hot region under the same conditions as the other configurations except for the heat pipe (240), cooling was performed by injecting the same amount of 35°C water into the tank body (110) under conditions of an outside temperature of 40°C, which is more extreme than the test of FIG. 10. As a result of measuring the 'first cooling cycle startup time (completion time)', which is the time for which the thermoelectric module (210) was operated for an additional 30 minutes after the cold water temperature reached 6.5℃, the first cooling cycle was completed after 220 minutes in the first embodiment, and the first cooling cycle was completed after 173 minutes in the second embodiment, which was faster than the first embodiment. However, in the comparative example where the heat pipe (240) was not installed, the heat dissipation of the heat sink (230) was insufficient, so the cold water temperature of 6.5℃ was not reached even after 220 minutes, which was the completion time of the first cooling cycle in the first embodiment.

[0102] In addition, when 120 ml of cold water was continuously extracted for the comparative example, the first embodiment, and the second embodiment, the number of cups from which cold water of 10℃ or lower could be extracted and the temperature of each cup were measured, and the results as shown in the comparison table below were obtained. At this time, for the comparative example and the first embodiment, 120 ml of cold water was continuously extracted at 220 minutes, which is the time point when the first cooling cycle of the first embodiment was completed, and for the second embodiment, at 173 minutes, which is the time point when the first cooling cycle of the second embodiment was completed.

[0103] As can be seen in the comparison table below, in the comparative example where the heat pipe (240) is not installed, the number of cups of cold water extracted at 10℃ or lower is 5, which is smaller than the 6 cups of the first and second embodiments where the heat pipe (240) is installed, and the average temperature is also higher (for reference, the cold water temperature of the first cup is higher than that of the second cup due to the water remaining in the cold water extraction path).

[0104] In addition, in the case of the second embodiment, the first cycle start-up time was faster than in the first embodiment, and it was confirmed that the heat dissipation performance of the heat sink (230) was superior to that of the first embodiment. In addition, in the case of the first and second embodiments, the number of extracted cups of cold water below 10°C was the same at 6 cups, and the average temperature of cold water below 10°C was also similar, so it was confirmed that the cooling performance during continuous extraction was also similar.

[0105] [Comparison table of heat dissipation performance and cooling performance] Classification Comparison Example 1 Example 2 First cycle operation time - (does not reach 6.5℃) 220 minutes 173 minutes Cold water temperature of each cup when extracting 120ml (℃) 8.2, 6.8, 7.0, 7.8, 9.3, 11.7 7.3, 5.5, 5.4, 6.0, 7.0, 9.2, 11.8 7.8, 5.9, 5.9, 6.4, 7.1, 9.6, 12.2 Average temperature of cold water below 10℃ (℃) 7.8℃ 6.7℃ 7.1℃ Extraction residual water of cold water below 10℃ 5 cups 6 cups 6 cups First cup temperature (℃) 8.2℃ 7.3℃ 7.8℃ Minimum temperature of cold water (℃) 6.8℃ 5.4℃ 5.9℃

[0106]

[0107] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations are possible within a scope that does not depart from the technical spirit of the present invention described in the claims.

Claims

1. Thermoelectric module that performs cooling by electrical application; A heat sink having a body having a contact surface on one side that contacts the heating side of the thermoelectric module and a plurality of heat dissipation fins formed on the other side of the body, and dissipating heat transferred from the heating side of the thermoelectric module; A heat pipe that is coupled to a mounting groove formed on the contact surface of the heat sink and performs heat transfer through a working fluid contained therein; and A cooling fan that forms airflow to the above heat sink; Includes, The above heat pipe includes a plurality of corner-extended heat pipes having a shape extending from the central portion of the heat sink where the thermoelectric module is installed to the corner region of the heat sink, A thermoelectric cooling device in which the above-mentioned mounting groove has a shape corresponding to the shape of the above-mentioned corner-extended heat pipe.

2. In paragraph 1, A thermoelectric cooling device in which each of the corner-extended heat pipes extends from both sides of the central portion, such that the ends of each of the corner-extended heat pipes reach two corner regions of the heat sink.

3. In paragraph 2, The above heat sink is made in a square shape, A thermoelectric cooling device comprising at least two corner-extended heat pipes such that the ends of the corner-extended heat pipes are positioned in all four corner areas of the heat sink.

4. In paragraph 1, The above heat sink is made in a square shape, The above corner area is a thermoelectric cooling device corresponding to the four outermost areas when the contact surface of the above heat sink is divided into four equal parts horizontally and vertically on a plane.

5. In paragraph 3, The above heat pipe is a thermoelectric cooling device additionally provided with a central heat pipe positioned between two of the above corner-extended heat pipes.

6. In paragraph 3, A thermoelectric cooling device in which the width of the above thermoelectric module has a value greater than the center gap between the two above corner-extended heat pipes.

7. In any one of paragraphs 1 to 6, A thermoelectric cooling device in which the heat pipe is configured such that a portion exposed to the outside of the heat sink while being coupled to the mounting groove has the same height as the contact surface.

8. In any one of paragraphs 1 to 6, The above heat pipe is a thermoelectric cooling device in which the central portion corresponding to the central portion of the heat sink is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the direction of gravity.

9. A thermoelectric cooling device as described in any one of paragraphs 1 to 6; and A tank body in which a space for containing water is formed inside, and cooling of the water contained inside is performed by the cooling side of the thermoelectric module; A cold water generator including:

10. In paragraph 9, The above tank body has a first body made of synthetic resin material and a second body made of metal material, A cold water generator configured such that the cooling side of the above thermoelectric module absorbs heat from the second body.