KR20110066668A - Operation method of air cleaner and air cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a method of operating an air cleaner that can reduce power consumption by controlling the amount of power supplied to a thermoelectric element and at the same time prevent overheating of the thermoelectric element.

The method of operating the air cleaner includes: detecting a current humidity; determining a power supply amount applied to a thermoelectric element according to a difference between a current humidity and a set humidity; and detecting a temperature of a heating part of the thermoelectric element. And correcting a power supply amount applied to the thermoelectric element according to the temperature of the heat generating unit of the thermoelectric element.

According to the operation method of the air cleaner, power consumption can be reduced by adjusting the power supply amount supplied to the thermoelectric element by determining the power supply amount applied to the thermoelectric element according to the difference between the current humidity and the set humidity. In addition, overheating of the thermoelectric device may be prevented by correcting a power supply amount applied to the thermoelectric device according to the temperature of the heat generating unit of the thermoelectric device.

Description

Operation Method of Air Purifier and Air Cleaner {OPERATION METHOD OF AIRCLEANER AND AIRCLEANER}

The present invention relates to a method of operating an air cleaner and an air purifier.

In general, the air purifier sucks contaminated indoor air to filter dust, odor particles, etc. contained in the air with a filter to purify the sucked air with clean air. The air thus purified is discharged back to the outside of the air cleaner, that is, the room.

In other words, the air cleaner purifies the ambient air in which the air cleaner is installed while purifying the contaminated ambient air by discharging the clean air to the outside.

To this end, in general, the air purifier may include a blower for injecting ambient air to discharge purified air, and a filter for filtering dust, odor particles, and the like contained in the introduced air.

However, the air purifier may discharge the purified air after purifying the surrounding air by introducing the purified air, but may not remove the moisture contained in the incoming air.

As such, it is necessary to reduce the humidity by providing a dehumidifying function in an air cleaner driven in an environment such as summer when the humidity is high. That is, a dehumidifying function is required for an air cleaner operating in a high humidity environment.

In addition, when the air cleaner is driven in a high humidity state, such as summer, moisture contained in the air may be transferred to, for example, a surface of the deodorizing filter.

As a result, moisture is attached to the deodorizing filter, thereby degrading the performance of the deodorizing filter. That is, for example, when moisture adheres to the surface of the deodorizing filter, the moisture is entangled with pollutants in the air.

Therefore, the pollution degree of each filter is increased or the pores of each filter are reduced, which lowers the blowing efficiency of the filter. This phenomenon shortens the replacement cycle and the life of the filter. Therefore, the necessity of an air cleaner having a dehumidifying function is further highlighted. have.

Accordingly, recently, a dehumidifying unit is installed inside the air purifier, and air purifiers are installed after the dehumidifying unit on the air path to perform dehumidification and air purifying at the same time.

On the other hand, in recent years, a technique for dehumidifying by installing a thermoelectric element in the dehumidifying unit has been developed. By the way, the thermoelectric element has a problem that the heat generating side of the thermoelectric element is easily overheated and damaged when power is continuously supplied.

In addition, the power consumption in the air cleaner serves as an important factor in designing the air cleaner. However, when the thermoelectric element is installed in the dehumidifying unit, there is a problem in that power consumption increases.

In other words, when dehumidifying through a thermoelectric element, there is a problem in that the power consumption increases, and in addition, there is a problem in that the heat generating side of the thermoelectric element is overheated and damaged.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method of operating an air cleaner and an air purifier capable of reducing power consumption by controlling the amount of power supplied to a thermoelectric element and preventing overheating of the thermoelectric element.

The method of operating an air cleaner according to the present invention includes the steps of sensing a current humidity, determining a power supply amount applied to a thermoelectric element according to a difference between a current humidity and a set humidity, and detecting a temperature of a heating part of the thermoelectric element. And correcting a power supply amount applied to the thermoelectric element according to a temperature of a heat generating unit of the thermoelectric element.

Determining the amount of power supplied to the thermoelectric element is to turn off the thermoelectric element when the current humidity is lower than the set humidity, and to apply 100% power to the thermoelectric element when the difference between the current humidity and the set humidity is more than a predetermined value and When the difference between the current humidity and the set humidity is less than a preset value, the amount of power supplied to the thermoelectric element may be reduced.

The step of correcting the amount of power applied to the thermoelectric element is to cut off the power supplied to the thermoelectric element when the heat generating unit temperature of the thermoelectric element is more than the first temperature, the heat generating unit temperature of the thermoelectric element is less than the first temperature When the temperature is greater than or equal to the second temperature, the amount of power supplied to the thermoelectric element may be reduced. When the temperature of the heat generating unit of the thermoelectric element is less than the second temperature, the amount of power supplied to the thermoelectric element may be maintained.

The method of operating the air cleaner further includes determining whether the blower fan is driven before determining a power supply amount applied to the thermoelectric element, and determining whether the blower fan is driven is performed by the blower fan. When driving, the amount of power supplied to the thermoelectric element may be determined, and when the blower fan is not driven, power applied to the thermoelectric element may be cut off.

The method of operating the air cleaner may further include setting a humidity to be maintained by dehumidification before the detecting the current humidity.

In the method of operating the air cleaner, after the step of correcting the amount of power supplied to the thermoelectric element according to the temperature of the heat generating portion of the thermoelectric element, detecting the temperature of the heat absorbing portion of the thermoelectric element, and the heat absorbing portion of the detected thermoelectric element And controlling the power supply to the thermoelectric element according to a temperature, wherein the controlling the power supply to the thermoelectric element may include controlling the power supply to the thermoelectric element when the temperature of the heat absorbing portion of the thermoelectric element is lower than a third temperature. It can reduce the power supply to the power supply and cut off the power supply for a certain time.

A method of operating an air cleaner according to the present invention includes the steps of sensing the temperature of the heating element of the thermoelectric element, correcting the amount of power supplied to the thermoelectric element according to the temperature of the heating portion of the thermoelectric element, the endotherm of the thermoelectric element Sensing a negative temperature, and controlling a power supply to the thermoelectric element according to the sensed temperature of the heat absorbing portion of the thermoelectric element.

The air purifier according to the present invention includes a main body in which external air is introduced into and discharged from the inside, a dehumidifying unit having a thermoelectric element installed inside the main body so as to be disposed in a flow path of the air and removing moisture from the air passing through the main air purifier; A humidity sensing sensor mounted on the main body to sense humidity of external air, a temperature sensing unit installed on the main body to be disposed adjacent to the dehumidifying unit, and sensing a temperature of the thermoelectric element, and the humidity sensing sensor and the Is connected to a temperature sensing unit, determines the amount of power supplied to the thermoelectric element according to the difference between the current humidity and the set humidity detected by the humidity sensor, and is applied to the thermoelectric element in accordance with the temperature of the thermoelectric element It includes a control unit for correcting the power supply amount.

The dehumidifying unit absorbs heat through one side and radiates heat to the other side, a cooling plate installed on one side of the thermoelectric element, and cooled to remove moisture from the air passing through, and the other of the thermoelectric element. It may be provided on the side may be provided with a heat sink for dissipating heat transferred from the thermoelectric element.

The temperature sensing unit may include a first temperature sensor disposed adjacent to the other side of the thermoelectric element to sense the temperature of the other side of the thermoelectric element or the heat sink.

The temperature sensing unit may further include a second temperature sensor disposed adjacent to one side of the thermoelectric element to sense a temperature of one side of the thermoelectric element or the cooling plate.

According to the present invention, power consumption may be reduced by adjusting the amount of power supplied to the thermoelectric element through determining the amount of power supplied to the thermoelectric element according to the difference between the current humidity and the set humidity.

In addition, overheating of the thermoelectric device may be prevented by correcting a power supply amount applied to the thermoelectric device according to the temperature of the heat generating unit of the thermoelectric device.

Hereinafter, an air cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Before this, the air purifier operated by the method for operating the air purifier according to the present invention will be described, and the method for operating the air purifier according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

1 is a block diagram showing an air purifier operated by the operating method of the air purifier according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the air cleaner 100 is, for example, a main body 110, a filter unit 120, a blower unit 130, a dehumidifying unit 140, a humidity sensor 150, and a temperature detecting unit 160. ), And the control unit 170.

The main body 110 has an inner space so that the filter unit 120, the blower unit 130, and the like can be installed therein, and the inlet 112 through which the outside air is introduced by the blower unit 130; A discharge port 114 through which air is discharged may be provided.

In addition, the main body 110 may include a fan grill 116 disposed at the rear end of the filter unit 120 to provide a movement path of the air flowing into the blower 130.

On the other hand, the filter unit 120 may be provided with a plurality of filters to filter the foreign matter or dust in the air to provide clean air. That is, the filter unit 120 may be provided with a combination of a prefilter, a pretreatment filter, a function filter, a hepa filter, and a deodorization filter.

In addition, the blower 130 is composed of a blowing fan 132 and a fan driving source 134, the outside air of the main body 110 flows into the inside by the blowing fan 132 rotated by the fan driving source 134. Can be.

In addition, the fan driving source 134 may be connected to the control unit 170, and accordingly, the control unit 170 may determine whether the fan driving source 134 is driven.

The dehumidifying means 140 is installed inside the main body 110 so as to be disposed on the flow path of the introduced air to remove moisture from the air passing through.

Meanwhile, the dehumidifying means 140 may include, for example, a thermoelectric element 142, a cooling plate 144, a heat sink 146, and a water tank 148.

The thermoelectric element 142 absorbs heat through one side and radiates heat to the other side. The thermoelectric element 142 is generally referred to as a Peltier element, and simultaneously performs heat absorption and heat dissipation by a supplied current.

That is, the thermoelectric element 142 is a semiconductor device in which heat absorbed through one side of the thermoelectric element 142 is radiated to the other side.

The cooling plate 144 is installed on one side of the thermoelectric element 142 and is cooled by the thermoelectric element 142. As a result, the air contacting the cooling plate 144 is cooled by the cooling plate 144. As a result, the temperature of the air drops below the dew point, and moisture is condensed on the cooling plate 144.

The heat sink 146 is installed on the other side of the thermoelectric element 142 to release heat transferred from the thermoelectric element 142. On the other hand, the heat sink 146 may be formed to have a large area in order to improve the heat radiation efficiency.

Accordingly, the air flowing toward the heat sink may be discharged to the discharge hole 114 by the temperature rising by the heat sink 146.

The water tank 148 is mounted to the main body 110 to be disposed below the cooling plate 144, and the water condensed on the cooling plate 144 is finally dropped into the water tank 148 and stored.

Meanwhile, the thermoelectric element 142 may be connected to a power supply source (not shown) and the power supply source may be connected to the controller 170. That is, the power supply source is controlled by the controller 170 to cut off, decrease or increase power supplied to the thermoelectric element 142.

Humidity sensor 150 is an example, is mounted on the upper portion of the main body 110 to detect the humidity of the place where the air cleaner 100 is installed. Meanwhile, the humidity sensor 150 may also be connected to the controller 170, and the humidity sensor 150 may transmit information about the detected humidity to the controller 170.

The temperature sensing unit 160 is installed in the main body 120 to be disposed adjacent to the dehumidifying unit 140 to sense the temperature of the thermoelectric element 142. Meanwhile, the temperature sensing unit 160 may include, for example, a first temperature sensor 162 and a second temperature sensor 164.

The first temperature sensor 162 is installed on the main body 110 to be disposed adjacent to the heat sink 146 of the dehumidification means 140 to detect the temperature of the heat sink 146, and the second temperature sensor 162 is a dehumidification means. It is installed in the main body 110 to be disposed adjacent to the cooling plate 144 of 140 to sense the temperature of the cooling plate 144.

In addition, the first and second temperature sensors 162 and 164 may also be connected to the control unit 170. Information about the temperature of the heat sink 146 and the cooling plate 144 detected by the first and second temperature sensors 162 and 164 may be controlled. May be sent to 170.

Hereinafter, a method of operating an air cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. However, the operation method of the air cleaner will be described using the reference numerals used in the above description.

2 and 3 are flowcharts illustrating a method of operating an air cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 to 3, first, humidity is set by a user (S110). That is, the set humidity H0 of the space in which the air cleaner 100 is installed is input by the user. However, if there is no humidity setting by the user, it may be set to a comfortable humidity amount according to the temperature stored in the control unit 170 as a set value.

Then, when the air cleaner 100 is operated, the humidity sensor 150 detects the humidity of the ambient air (S120).

When the humidity of the ambient air is detected from the humidity sensor 150, the humidity sensor 150 transmits information about the humidity to the controller 170.

Thereafter, the controller 170 determines whether the current humidity H1 sensed by the humidity sensor 150 is higher than the set humidity H0 (S130). If the current humidity H1 is lower than the set humidity H0, the controller 170 turns off the thermoelectric element 142 by cutting off the power supplied to the thermoelectric element 142 (S140).

On the other hand, if the current humidity (H1) is higher than the set humidity (H0), the controller 170 determines whether the blowing fan 142 is driven (S150). If the blowing fan 142 is not driven, the control unit 170 turns off the thermoelectric element 142 (S140). Accordingly, when the blower fan 142 is not driven, power is supplied to the thermoelectric element 142 to prevent the thermoelectric element 142 from overheating.

If the blowing fan 142 is being driven, the controller 170 determines the amount of power supplied to the thermoelectric element according to the difference between the current humidity H1 and the set humidity H0 (S162).

That is, when the difference between the current humidity H1 and the set humidity H0 exceeds the preset value A, 100% of power is applied to the thermoelectric element 142 (S164), and the current humidity H1 and the set humidity are set. If the difference of H0 is less than or equal to the predetermined value A, the amount of power supplied to the thermoelectric element 142 is reduced and applied (S170).

For example, it is assumed that the current humidity H1 is 90% and the set humidity H0 is 50%. On the other hand, if the predetermined value A is 30%, the difference between the current humidity H1 and the set humidity H0 is 40%. In this case, since the difference between the current humidity H1 and the set humidity H0 is greater than the preset value A, the controller 170 applies 100% of power to the thermoelectric element 142 to quickly dehumidify. To lose.

In addition, in this case, the blowing fan 142 may be controlled to rotate at the highest rotational speed. Accordingly, the amount of air introduced into the main body 110 may be increased, so that dehumidification may be performed at a faster time.

On the other hand, if the present humidity (H1) is 70% and the set humidity (H0) is 50%, the difference between the present humidity (H1) and the set humidity (H0) is less than 30%, which is the preset value (A). The controller 170 reduces the amount of power supplied to the thermoelectric element 142. As an example, the amount of power supplied to the thermoelectric element 142 may be reduced to 80% to 20%.

In addition, as another example, the power supply amount may be adjusted as in the following equation.

Power Supply (%) = 100-{Preset Value-(H1-H0)}

That is, in the above example, the power supply amount may be 90%.

As such, when the difference between the current humidity H1 and the set humidity H0 is large, a large amount of power is supplied, and when the difference between the current humidity H1 and the set humidity H0 is small, a small amount of power is supplied. The power consumption can be reduced.

In addition, since the power supply amount is adjusted according to the difference between the current humidity H1 and the set humidity H0, the thermoelectric element 142 may be prevented from being overheated. That is, even after dehumidification is performed for a predetermined time, the thermoelectric element 142 is prevented from being overheated because the amount of power supplied can be reduced to reduce the amount of power supply without continuously supplying 100% of power. can do.

When the amount of power supply applied to the thermoelectric element 142 is determined as described above, the temperature of the heat generating portion, that is, the heat sink 146 of the thermoelectric element 142 is sensed through the first temperature sensor 162 (S190).

Subsequently, the amount of power supplied to the thermoelectric element 142 is corrected according to the temperature T _H of the heat generating part detected by the first temperature sensor 162 (S200). That is, first, it is determined whether the temperature T _H of the heat generating portion of the thermoelectric element 142, that is, the heat sink 146 is greater than or equal to the first temperature T1 (S202). If the heat generating unit temperature T _H of the thermoelectric element 142 is greater than or equal to the first temperature T1, the controller 170 cuts off power supplied to the thermoelectric element 142 (S140).

Accordingly, the thermoelectric element 142 is prevented from being overheated and malfunctioning or breaking.

As an example, the first temperature T1 may be 90 ° C.

If the heat generating part temperature T _H of the thermoelectric element 142 is less than the first temperature T1, the controller 170 determines that the heat generating part temperature T _H of the thermoelectric element 142 is less than the first temperature T1. Then, it is determined whether or not the second temperature (T2) or more (S204).

If the heat generating unit temperature T _H of the thermoelectric element 142 is less than the first temperature T1 and is greater than the second temperature T2, the controller 170 reduces the amount of power supplied to the thermoelectric element 142. (S206). For example, when the heat generating unit temperature T _H of the thermoelectric element 142 is less than the first temperature T1 and is greater than or equal to the second temperature T2, the controller 170 may adjust the power supply amount supplied to the thermoelectric element 142. Again, reduce it by 10% to allow power.

That is, when 100% of the power is supplied under the same conditions as the above example, the power supply amount is reduced to 90%, and when the power supply amount is 90% (or 80%), the power supply amount is reduced to 80% (or 70%). .

Accordingly, overheating of the heat generating portion of the thermoelectric element 142 can be prevented.

As an example, the second temperature T2 may be 70 ° C.

On the other hand, if the heat generating unit temperature (T _H ) of the thermoelectric element 142 is less than the second temperature (T2), the control unit 170 to maintain the power supply amount supplied to the thermoelectric element (142) (S208).

In addition, as described above, after correcting the power supply amount applied to the thermoelectric element 142 according to the heat generating unit temperature of the thermoelectric element 142, the controller 170 controls the thermoelectric element 142 through the second temperature sensor 164. A heat absorbing portion of the heat sink, that is, the temperature T _L of the cooling plate 144 is sensed (S210).

Thereafter, the power supply to the thermoelectric element 142 is controlled according to the sensed heat absorbing part temperature T _L of the thermoelectric element 142 (S220). That is, it is determined whether the detected heat absorbing part temperature T _L of the thermoelectric element 142 is lower than the third temperature T3 (S222). If the detected temperature of the heat absorbing portion T _L of the thermoelectric element 142 is lower than the third temperature T3, the controller 170 reduces the amount of power supplied to the thermoelectric element 142 again and then supplies the power for a predetermined time. Supply can be cut off (S224).

For example, the power supply may be reduced to 70% to operate the thermoelectric element 142 for 20 minutes and then cut off the power supply for 20 seconds.

As such, when the heat absorbing part temperature T _L of the thermoelectric element 142 is lower than the third temperature T3, the power supply amount supplied to the thermoelectric element 142 is reduced, and then the power supply is cut off, thereby the thermoelectric element 142. Condensation of the heat absorbing portion, that is, the cooling plate 144 can be prevented. Accordingly, the dehumidification performance can be improved.

Thereafter, the controller 170 may detect the current humidity H1 again through the humidity sensor 150 (S120) and repeat the above steps.

Meanwhile, when the heat absorbing part temperature T _L of the thermoelectric element 142 is higher than the third temperature T3, the controller 170 detects the current humidity H1 again through the humidity sensor 150 (S120). The above steps can be repeated.

As described above, the amount of power supplied to the thermoelectric element 142 is adjusted by determining the amount of power supplied to the thermoelectric element 142 according to the difference between the current humidity H1 and the set humidity H0. Can reduce consumption.

In addition, overheating of the thermoelectric element may be prevented by correcting a power supply amount applied to the thermoelectric element 142 according to the heat generation temperature T _H of the thermoelectric element 142.

In the above description of the configuration and features of the present invention based on the embodiment according to the present invention, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various changes or modifications can be made within the spirit and scope of the present invention. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, such changes or modifications fall within the scope of the appended claims.

1 is a block diagram showing an air purifier operated by the operating method of the air purifier according to the present invention.

2 and 3 are flowcharts illustrating a method of operating an air cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

<Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

100: air cleaner

110: body

120: filter unit

130: blower

140: dehumidifying unit

150: humidity sensor

160: temperature detection unit

170: control unit

Claims (13)

Detecting a current humidity; Determining a power supply amount applied to the thermoelectric element according to a difference between the current humidity and the set humidity; Sensing a temperature of a heat generating unit of the thermoelectric element; And Correcting a power supply amount applied to the thermoelectric element according to a temperature of a heat generating unit of the thermoelectric element; Operation method of an air cleaner, characterized in that it comprises a. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the amount of power supplied to the thermoelectric element is performed. When the current humidity is lower than the set humidity, the thermoelectric element is turned off. When the difference between the current humidity and the set humidity is more than the preset value, 100% power is applied to the thermoelectric element, and the difference between the current humidity and the set humidity is less than the preset value. If the method of operating the air cleaner, characterized in that for reducing the power supply to the thermoelectric element. The method of claim 1, wherein correcting the amount of power applied to the thermoelectric element is performed. When the temperature of the heating element of the thermoelectric element is greater than or equal to the first temperature, the power supply to the thermoelectric element is cut off, and when the temperature of the heating element of the thermoelectric element is less than the first temperature and is greater than the second temperature, the amount of power supplied to the thermoelectric element is reduced. And maintaining a power supply amount supplied to the thermoelectric element when the heat generating unit temperature of the thermoelectric element is less than the second temperature. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining the amount of power supplied to the thermoelectric element is performed. Determining whether the blowing fan is driven; Determining whether the blower fan is driven comprises determining the amount of power supplied to the thermoelectric element when the blower fan is driven, and cutting off the power applied to the thermoelectric element when the blower fan is not driven. Operation method of air cleaner. The method of claim 1, wherein before the detecting of the current humidity, Operating method of the air cleaner, characterized in that it further comprises the step of setting the humidity to be maintained by dehumidification. The method of claim 1, further comprising correcting a power supply amount applied to the thermoelectric element according to a temperature of a heat generating unit of the thermoelectric element. Sensing temperature of the heat absorbing portion of the thermoelectric element; And Controlling the supply of power to the thermoelectric element according to the sensed temperature of the heat absorbing portion of the thermoelectric element, The controlling of the power supply to the thermoelectric element may include reducing the amount of power supplied to the thermoelectric element and cutting off the power supply for a predetermined time when the sensed temperature of the heat absorbing portion of the thermoelectric element is lower than a third temperature. How to operate an air cleaner. Sensing the temperature of the heat generating portion of the thermoelectric element; Correcting a power supply amount applied to the thermoelectric element according to a temperature of a heat generating unit of the thermoelectric element; Sensing temperature of the heat absorbing portion of the thermoelectric element; And Controlling power supply to the thermoelectric element according to the sensed temperature of the heat absorbing portion of the thermoelectric element; Operation method of an air cleaner, characterized in that it comprises a. The method of claim 7, wherein correcting the amount of power applied to the thermoelectric element When the temperature of the heating element of the thermoelectric element is greater than or equal to the first temperature, the power supply to the thermoelectric element is cut off, and when the temperature of the heating element of the thermoelectric element is less than the first temperature and is greater than the second temperature, the amount of power supplied to the thermoelectric element is reduced. And maintaining a power supply amount supplied to the thermoelectric element when the heat generating unit temperature of the thermoelectric element is less than the second temperature. The method of claim 8, wherein the controlling of the power supply to the thermoelectric element is performed. If the temperature of the heat absorbing portion of the thermoelectric element is lower than the third temperature, the power supply to the thermoelectric element is reduced, the operation method of the air cleaner, characterized in that the power supply is cut off for a certain time. A main body into which external air is introduced and discharged; A dehumidifying unit installed inside the main body so as to be disposed in a flow path of air, the dehumidifying unit having a thermoelectric element to remove moisture from air passing through the main body; A humidity sensor mounted on the main body to detect humidity of external air; A temperature sensing unit installed on the main body so as to be adjacent to the dehumidifying unit and sensing a temperature of the thermoelectric element; And It is connected to the humidity sensor and the temperature sensor, and determines the amount of power supplied to the thermoelectric element according to the difference between the current humidity and the set humidity detected by the humidity sensor, according to the temperature of the thermoelectric element A controller for correcting a power supply amount applied to the thermoelectric element; Air purifier comprising a. The method of claim 10, wherein the dehumidifying unit The thermoelectric element that absorbs heat through one side and radiates heat to the other side; A cooling plate installed on one side of the thermoelectric element and cooled to remove moisture from air passing through the thermoelectric element; And A heat dissipation plate disposed on the other side of the thermoelectric element and dissipating heat transferred from the thermoelectric element; Air purifier characterized in that it comprises a. The method of claim 11, wherein the temperature sensing unit And a first temperature sensor disposed adjacent to the other side of the thermoelectric element and sensing a temperature of the other side of the thermoelectric element or the heat sink. The method of claim 12, wherein the temperature sensing unit And a second temperature sensor disposed adjacent to one side of the thermoelectric element and sensing a temperature of one side of the thermoelectric element or the cooling plate.

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