US 12,071,247 B2
Trim module with thermoelectric cooler
Donald E. Army, Enfield, CT (US); Jeffrey Ernst, Wethersfield, CT (US); Earl J. LaVallee, Glastonbury, CT (US); and Eric Surawski, Hebron, CT (US)
Assigned to HAMILTON SUNDSTRAND CORPORATION, Charlotte, NC (US)
Filed by Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation, Charlotte, NC (US)
Filed on Apr. 29, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/732,671.
Prior Publication US 2023/0348068 A1, Nov. 2, 2023
Int. Cl. B64D 13/06 (2006.01)
CPC B64D 13/06 (2013.01) [B64D 2013/0688 (2013.01)] 5 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An environmental control system of an aircraft, comprising:
a mix manifold having an inlet and a plurality of outlets;
a recirculation fan and an air conditioning pack fluidly coupled to the inlet;
a plurality of trim modules located proximate the mix manifold and fluidly coupled to respective ones of the plurality of outlets of the mix manifold,
each trim module of the plurality of trim modules comprising:
a first heat exchanger having an inlet and an outlet;
a second heat exchanger having an inlet and an outlet; and
a thermoelectric cooler (TEC) module thermally coupled between the first and second heat exchangers;
a mix manifold conduit fluidly coupled to the inlet of the first heat exchanger;
a zone supply conduit fluidly coupled to the outlet of the first heat exchanger;
an exhaust conduit fluidly coupled to the outlet of the second heat exchanger,
wherein the TEC module is configured to operate in a first mode or a second mode, depending on a temperature within the zone supply conduit and a target temperature, and
wherein:
in the first mode, the TEC module is configured to transfer thermal energy from the first heat exchanger to the second heat exchanger; and
in the second mode the TEC module is configured to transfer thermal energy from the second heat exchanger to the first heat exchanger,
a temperature sensor in the zone supply conduit, at the outlet of the first heat exchanger, wherein the TEC module is configured to operate in the first mode or the second mode depending on the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor and the target temperature,
an exhaust fan fluidly coupled to the outlet of the second heat exchanger and the exhaust conduit to draw air from an ambient environment around the mix manifold into the inlet of the second heat exchanger,
wherein the plurality of outlets of the mix manifold are fluidly coupled to the mix manifold conduit of respective ones of the plurality of trim modules;
an exhaust manifold fluidly coupled to the exhaust conduit of the second heat exchanger of each of the plurality of trim modules.