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US 8,891,184 B2Granted
Method and apparatus for optically-enhanced cooling
AssigneeTechElan, LLC
InventorIlya Feygin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The illustrative embodiment of the present invention is an apparatus and method that is capable of non-contact cooling of a hot body by optically-enhanced radiation. An apparatus in accordance with the illustrative embodiment includes a cold body and an optical system. The optical system couples the cold body to a hot body for the transmission of infrared radiation. Once optically coupled, heat will flow, at an enhanced rate, from the hot body to the cold body, as dictated by thermodynamics, thereby cooling the hot body. In some embodiment, the temperature of the cold body is held substantially constant.
Claims18
A method comprising:
- thermally coupling a hot body and a cold body by forming an optical pathway therebetween;
- and
- forming the optical pathway:
- (i) by providing an optical system having at least one physical adaptation that enables the optical system to support transmission of infrared radiation and to enhance the transmission of infrared radiation relative to an amount of infrared radiation that would otherwise be transmitted in the absence of the optical system;
- and
- (ii) arranging the optical system so that the hot body is at a first focal point of the optical system and the cold body is at a second focal point of the optical system.
3 more elements
A method comprising:
- providing a relatively cooler region having a first temperature;
- optically coupling a relatively warmer region, having a second temperature and which is disposed at a focal point of a lens or mirror of a free-space optical system, to said relatively cooler region;
- and
- actively cooling the relatively cooler region so that the second temperature decreases more than the first temperature increases as a consequence of said coupling.
1 more element
A method comprising:
- providing a relatively cooler region having a first temperature;
- optically coupling a relatively warmer region having a second temperature to said relatively cooler region by coupling radiated infrared radiation from the relatively warmer region into a waveguide of a guided optical system;
- and
- actively cooling the relatively cooler region so that the second temperature decreases more than the first temperature increases as a consequence of said coupling.
1 more element
A method comprising:
- providing a relatively cooler region having a first temperature;
- optically coupling a relatively warmer region having a second temperature to said relatively cooler region by arranging a combination free-space and guided optical system so that the relatively warmer region is at a focal point of a lens or mirror of the combination free-space and guided optical system;
- and
- actively cooling the relatively cooler region so that the second temperature decreases more than the first temperature increases as a consequence of said coupling.
1 more element
A method comprising:
- providing a relatively cooler region having a first temperature;
- optically coupling, by positioning a waveguide at a focal point of a lens or mirror in a combination free-space and guided optical system, a relatively warmer region having a second temperature to said relatively cooler region;
- and
- actively cooling the relatively cooler region so that the second temperature decreases more than the first temperature increases as a consequence of said coupling.
1 more element
A method comprising:
- providing a relatively cooler region having a first temperature;
- optically coupling a relatively warmer region having a second temperature to said relatively cooler region by delivering infrared radiation from a waveguide of a guided optical system to said relatively cooler region;
- and
- actively cooling the relatively cooler region so that the second temperature decreases more than the first temperature increases as a consequence of said coupling.
1 more element
A method comprising:
- optically coupling a hot body and a cold body via an optical system, wherein:
- (i) the hot body is sited at a first focal point of the optical system;
- (ii) the cold body is sited at a second focal point of the optical system;
- (iii) the first focal point and the second focal point are physically remote from one another;
- and
- (iv) the operation of optically coupling results in the transmission of more energy at infrared wavelengths between the hot body and the cold body than when they are not optically coupled, thereby increasing the extent to which the hot body is cooled;
- and
- maintaining a temperature of the cold body substantially constant so that the temperature of the hot body decreases more than the temperature of the cold body increases.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.