Centrally located linear actuators for driving displacers in a thermodynamic apparatus
AssigneeThermoLift, Inc.
InventorTheodore St. George
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A heat pump is disclosed that has a hot displacer section and a cold displacer section with a linear actuator section disposed between the hot and cold displacer sections. By providing the linear actuator section between the displacers, the shafts that couple the actuators in the linear actuator section to their respective displacer is shorter than if the linear actuator section were located at the bottom of the cold displacer. The shorter shaft can be less stiff to avoid buckling. Due to a lesser propensity to cock, there is less friction of the shaft when reciprocating.
Claims20
A thermodynamic apparatus, comprising:
- a hot displacer disposed in a hot displacer cylinder;
- a cold displacer disposed in a cold displacer cylinder, with a central axis of the cold displacer cylinder collinear with a central axis of the hot displacer cylinder;
- a hot chamber defined by an upper dome, the hot displacer cylinder, and a top of the hot displacer;
- and
- a linear actuator section disposed between the hot and cold displacer cylinders wherein the linear actuator section comprising a hot displacer linear actuator and a cold displacer linear actuator.
A heat pump, comprising:
- a hot displacer disposed in a hot displacer cylinder;
- a cold displacer disposed in a cold displacer cylinder;
- a hot chamber that is delimited by a dome, the hot displacer, and the hot displacer cylinder;
- a first linear actuator coupled to a shaft of the hot displacer;
- and
- a second linear actuator coupled to a shaft of the cold displacer wherein:
- the first linear actuator is adjacent to the second linear actuator;
- the shaft of the cold displacer extends outwardly from the first linear actuator in a first direction;
- the shaft of the hot displacer extends outwardly from the second linear actuator in a second direction;
- and
- the first direction is opposed to the second direction.
A heat pump, comprising:
- a hot displacer disposed in a hot displacer cylinder;
- a cold displacer disposed in a cold displacer cylinder, with a central axis of the cold displacer cylinder collinear with a central axis of the hot displacer cylinder;
- a hot displacer linear actuator coupled to the hot displacer, the hot displacer actuator comprising a hot displacer linear motor and a hot displacer spring;
- and
- a cold displacer linear actuator coupled to the cold displacer, the cold displacer actuator comprising a cold displacer linear motor and a cold displacer spring wherein:
- the hot displacer and cold displacer linear actuators are disposed in a linear actuator section;
- and
- the linear actuator section is located between the hot and cold displacer cylinders.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.