Drive system comprising at least one metal element exhibiting shape memory properties

A drive system based on the cyclic conversion of thermal energy into mechanical or electrical energy by using a difference in temperature between at least two media (M1, M2) and the contraction of a metal element (20) with shape memory properties, comprising:

• at least one drive assembly (48, 48′;
• 49) which comprises a housing (34;
• 34′) with at least one metal element (20) placed inside the housing (34, 34′),
• at least one restoring element (37) located inside the housing (34;
• 34′), and
• at least one moveable actuating element (35) to which the metal element (20) and the restoring element (37) are coupled,
• wherein a gaseous or liquid medium flows around the metal element (20) and the restoring element (37),
• wherein
• the drive assembly (48, 48′;
• 49) comprises at least one first and at least one second store (11;
• 12) containing media (M1, M2) at different temperatures, wherein the second store (12) has a passage opening (36) for direct connection of the second store (12) with a first cylinder space (14) through a bottom (18) of the housing (34, 34′),
• the housing (34, 34′) is a cylinder (10) which contains a liquid- and gas-tight arranged cylinder piston (15) and wherein the cylinder piston (15) forms the actuating element (35), and
• the cylinder piston (15) divides the cylinder (10) into the first cylinder space (14) and a second cylinder space (16), wherein the two cylinder spaces (14, 16) are separated from each other by the cylinder piston (15), and wherein the first cylinder space (14), which is bounded by the bottom (18), contains the metal element (20) with shape memory properties, and the second cylinder space (16) contains the restoring element (37),
• wherein the metal element (20) is secured to the cylinder piston (15) at a fixing point (A) on the cylinder piston (15) and to a fixing point (B) located within the second store (12) so that a section (33) of the metal element (20) is in contact with the medium (M2) of the second store (12) and a section (39) is in contact with the medium (M1) in the second store (14).