Heat Flow Sensor With Thin Insulating Protective Layer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing heat flow sensors suffer from high thermal invasiveness due to their construction, which distorts thermal flow measurements and is not robust enough for various applications, despite efforts to minimize invasiveness through the use of polymer films and thermoelectric materials.
Innovation Solution
A heat flow sensor configuration with an extremely thin, electrically insulating, and chemically inert protective layer, combined with highly conductive thermoelectric materials arranged in thermal columns within a matrix, and anchored in thermally conducting polymers, reduces thermal resistance and invasiveness while maintaining robustness against electrical and chemical effects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a polymer film is used to protect the sensor, then protection from external influences and electrical breakdowns is provided, but thermal resistance increases and thermal invasiveness worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses an extremely thin polymer film (a few micrometers to tens of micrometers) as a protective layer that provides electrical insulation and chemical protection while minimizing thermal resistance. The thin film configuration allows it to serve as a protective barrier without significantly impeding heat flow, thus resolving the contradiction between protection and thermal conductivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the thickness parameter of the protective polymer film to an extremely small value (a few to tens of micrometers). This parameter change reduces the thermal resistance of the protective layer while maintaining its protective functions, thereby resolving the contradiction between reliability and energy loss.
2Loss of energy
If the sensor thickness is reduced to minimize invasiveness, then thermal invasiveness decreases, but micro effects increase and robustness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs an extremely thin polymer film as a protective layer that provides mechanical protection and chemical resistance without adding significant thickness. This thin film protects the already thin sensor element from micro effects and external influences while maintaining low thermal invasiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite structure combining the thin sensor element with an extremely thin polymer protective film. This composite configuration provides both the low thermal invasiveness of the thin sensor and the robustness of the protective film, resolving the contradiction between minimizing invasiveness and ensuring reliability.
3Length of stationary object
If thermoelectrically active material is mounted on thin polymer films, then sensor thickness is reduced, but thermal resistance increases due to low thermal conductivity of polymer
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses an extremely thin polymer film specifically configured to minimize thermal resistance while providing necessary protection. By reducing the film thickness to a few or tens of micrometers, the thermal resistance contribution of the polymer layer becomes negligible, resolving the contradiction between thin construction and thermal resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the thickness parameter of the polymer film to an extremely small value, which directly reduces the thermal resistance (since thermal resistance is proportional to thickness). This parameter change allows the polymer film to serve its protective function without significantly impeding heat flow.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration significantly reduces thermal invasiveness and enhances thermal conductivity, allowing for more accurate heat flow measurements with improved robustness against external influences, meeting the requirements of diverse applications.
Implementation Method 1
The heat flow is measured by generating a voltage that is dependent on the magnitude of the heat flow flowing through the surface of the sensor
Implementation Method 2
a thermally good conducting homogenising layer on the hot and cold sides of the sensor
Implementation Method 3
an extremely thin, electrically strongly insulating, chemically inert and strongly adhering protective layer
Data Source
AI summary
A heat flow sensor (HFS) and use thereof, which heat flow sensor should have the lowest possible invasiveness and nevertheless is robust enough to satisfy the requirements of individual applications. For this purpose, the heat flow sensor includes an active sensor element, which is provided with a highly thermally conductive heat-conducting element (8, 9) on the cold side and on the hot side, wherein the sensor element is covered or encased by an extremely thin, electrically strongly insulating, chemically inert, and strongly adhering protective layer (6).