Circuitry and techniques described herein can use a clamp circuit to provide back-drive compensation in applications where a thermoelectric cooler (TEC) device is to be controlled. A back-drive compensation circuit can be used to inhibit or prevent a linear output stage of a TEC control circuit from being forced out of its intended operating range. The clamp circuit can be implemented using a variety of circuit topologies, such as including a comparator arrangement with hysteresis. In another approach, a linear amplifier topology can provide clamping behavior, such as by injecting or sinking a current at the output node or an intermediate node to inhibit or prevent the output node or intermediate node from being driven outside a specified voltage range by an external source.

Systems and methods to increase the recharge rate of a supplemental cooling system are provided. The system may include a primary cooling system configured to cool a thermal load, a supplemental cooling system, and a thermoelectric cooling apparatus. The thermoelectric cooling apparatus may assist the primary cooling system in recharging the supplemental cooling system in response to the supplemental cooling system operating in a recharge state, to the availability of electrical capacity, and to one or more operating parameters of the primary cooling system falling outside a predetermined range, wherein the operating parameter affects a cooling capacity of the primary cooling system.

A method for adjusting an aquarium water temperature through direct heat exchange by a water temperature adjustment apparatus for an aquarium includes: a first step of allowing a smart sensor unit to measure the temperature of the water; a second step of controlling a heat exchange adjuster that sunk in the water to adjust the temperature of the water based on the temperature of the water measured by the smart sensor unit; and a third step of allowing the heat exchange adjuster to adjust direct heat exchange with the water.

The present invention provides a refrigerating/heating device that efficiently refrigerates and heats while suppressing device costs. This refrigerating/heating device for efficiently heating and refrigerating is provided with: a refrigeration chamber; a Peltier-type cooler for supplying cold air to inside the refrigeration chamber; a heat radiation member for radiating Peltier heat; fans for air-cooling the heat radiation member; an exhaust duct through which waste heat from the fans and the heat radiation member passes; and an installation part to which a subject to be heated can be installed. The subject to be heated is installed in the waste heat flow path of the exhaust duct and heated.

A method for providing a thermal feedback performed by a feedback device is disclosed. The method includes: applying an operating power to a thermoelectric element to start a thermoelectric operation for outputting a thermal feedback; stopping the application of the operating power to terminate the thermoelectric operation; and when the application of the operating power is stopped, applying a buffering power to the thermoelectric element to reduce a temperature returning speed of a contact surface so that a thermal inversion illusion is prevented. The thermal inversion illusion being opposite to the outputted thermal feedback.

A device for manipulating the temperature of a surface may include a heat transfer surface including active portions and a passive portion. The passive portion may include an inner passive portion disposed between each of the active portions and/or may include an outer passive portion that may surround each of the active portions. The active portions may form 40-90% of a total surface area of the heat transfer surface, where total surface area includes active portions and an inner passive portion. The passive portion(s) may have a thermal conductivity less than the active portion. A processor may be in electrical communication with thermoelectric modules defining or forming the active portions to generate a heat flux through the heat transfer surface. The heat flux through the active portions may be between 500 and 15,000 W/m.sup.2 during nominal operation of the device.

Compact device for conditioning of foods allowing it to be always visible and using little physical space. The device may feature both heating and cooling functions, but is preferably used for cooling fruits, vegetables, accessory fruits, roots and others. The device was developed to be compact, having a translucent cover, and allowing the device to be in the field of vision of people, thus offering better visibility and increasing food consumption. Developed preferably with polymeric material, the body has the function of protecting all the internal constituents of the device, the base of the device is responsible for thermal stability, keeping low or high temperature in the compartment for longer periods, the bowl of the device is responsible for holding food within the cooled or heated area and the food conditioning cover is made of a translucent material, with the function of keeping thermal stability.

A method for providing a thermal feedback, includes executing a virtual reality application providing a virtual space that includes a virtual area to which an area temperature attribute is assigned, and a virtual object to which an object temperature attributed is assigned. An area event that reflects that a player character enters the virtual area is detected. A feedback device is controlled to output thermal feedback associated to the area temperature attribute when the area event is detected, the feedback device outputting the thermal feedback using a thermoelectric element performing a thermoelectric operation. An object event reflecting the player character is influenced by the virtual object is detected. The feedback device is controlled to override the thermal feedback associated to the area temperature attribute and output thermal feedback associated to the object temperature when the object is detected while the player character is in the virtual area.

A sleeping bag has an electronically adjustable interior temperature by using cooled or heated air created by a heat exchanger based on Peltier effect and connected to the sleeping bag by flexible hoses via interfaces in exterior walls of the sleeping bag for directing the cooled or heated air received from heat exchanger into an interior of the sleeping bag.

An apparatus for selectively heating or cooling a food product includes a housing including a shell and a thermally-conductive liner coupled to the shell. The shell defines a housing cavity, and the thermally-conductive liner defines a receptacle. The apparatus also includes a removable tray and a plurality of thermoelectric heating/cooling devices disposed within the housing cavity. The removable tray is sized and shaped to be received within the receptacle such that the removable tray is coupled in thermal communication with the thermally-conductive liner. Each of the thermoelectric heating/cooling devices is selectively operable in a heating mode and a cooling mode and is coupled in thermal communication with the thermally-conductive liner such that the liner draws heat away from the removable tray when the thermoelectric devices are operated in the cooling mode, and the liner transfers heat to the removable tray when the thermoelectric devices are operated in the heating mode.