US 12,266,494 B2
Electrically controlled solid-state thermal switch
Joseph P. Heremans, Upper Arlington, OH (US); and Brandi Wooten, Columbus, OH (US)
Assigned to Ohio State Innovation Foundation, Columbus, OH (US)
Filed by Ohio State Innovation Foundation, Columbus, OH (US)
Filed on Sep. 14, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/932,087.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/243,860, filed on Sep. 14, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0100399 A1, Mar. 30, 2023
Int. Cl. H01H 57/00 (2006.01); H01H 61/01 (2006.01)
CPC H01H 57/00 (2013.01) [H01H 61/01 (2013.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A solid-state electrically controlled thermal switch, comprising:
a first electrode including a plurality of first conductive layers;
a second electrode including a plurality of second conductive layers;
a plurality of electrostrictive layers, wherein each electrostrictive layer:
includes an electrostrictive material having a plurality of faces including an upper face, a lower face opposite the upper face, a left face, and a right face opposite the left face,
a first face of the plurality of faces is operatively coupled to a respective first conductive layer of the first electrode, the first face being one of the left face or the right face of the electrostrictive material, and
a second face of the plurality of faces is operatively coupled to a respective second conductive layer of the second electrode, the second face being the other of the left face or the right face of the electrostrictive material opposite the first face,
a first thermal coupler operatively coupled to the upper face of the electrostrictive material of each electrostrictive layer of the plurality of electrostrictive layers; and
a second thermal coupler operatively coupled to the lower face of the electrostrictive material of each electrostrictive layer of the plurality of electrostrictive layers, wherein:
the electrostrictive layers, the first conductive layers, and the second conductive layers define a stack of alternating layers of the electrostrictive material and the first and second conductive layers,
the first and second electrodes are configured to apply an electric field to at least a portion of the electrostrictive material of each electrostrictive layer in response to a voltage being applied across the first and second electrodes,
the upper and lower faces of the electrostrictive material of each electrostrictive layer define a thermal path through the electrostrictive layer that includes at least a part of the portion of the electrostrictive layer across which the electric field is applied, and
applying the electric field to the at least the portion of each electrostrictive layer selectively alters a thermal conductivity of the thermal switch.