Patent · US Expired

Synthetic jet actuators for cooling heated bodies and environments

US6123145A · kind A · utility

131Cited by
58References
17Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateNov 14, 1997
Grant dateSep 26, 2000
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 14, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY02T50/10
  • WIPO fieldMechanical elements
  • WIPO sectorMechanical engineering

Abstract

Briefly described, the present invention is concerned with cooling heated bodies and/or heated fluid with synthetic jet actuators in either open or closed systems. A first preferred embodiment of a cooling system of the present invention comprises a synthetic jet actuator directed to impinge directly on a heat producing (or heated) body. The synthetic jet actuator generates a synthetic jet stream comprised of cool ambient fluid that impinges on the heated surface thereby cooling this surface. As an example, the heated surface/body could be a microchip array in a microcomputer. After coming into contact with the heated surface, the fluid moves along the surface and is finally rejected to the ambient where it mixes and cools down. The synthetic jet may be incorporated into a modular unit that may be clipped on to a circuit board or other heat producing element to provide added, `ad hoc` cooling. In another configuration, a synthetic jet actuator may be positioned, relative to the heated surface, to create a synthetic jet stream to flow along the heated surface. In this embodiment, the flow would be approximately tangential to a surface of a heat producing body. This embodiment may fu…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.