Generating displacement and theroacoustic refrigerator

US6490881B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• CSIR · ZA

Inventors

• Robert Henry Sinclair · Pretoria, ZA
• Philip Wayne Loveday · Midrand, ZA
• David Ronald Jones · Basingstoke, GB
• Michael Yuri Shatalov · Pretoria, ZA
• Frederik A. Koch · Bela-Bela, ZA
• Jeremy Rex Wallis · Pretoria, ZA
• Johannes Nicolaas Bothma · Ōtorohanga, NZ
• Jonathan Du Pre Le Roux · Centurion, ZA

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 21, 2001
• Grant date: Dec 10, 2002
• Expiry date: Mar 21, 2021

Classification

• Technology area (CPC F): Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
• CPC primary: F25B2309/1407
• WIPO field: Engines, pumps, turbines
• WIPO sector: Mechanical engineering

Abstract

A displacement generator (10) has a housing (12) defining a chamber (14) containing an incompressible liquid (15). A port (22) of the housing (12) is closed by a movable member (24). Within the chamber (14), opposing, convex, flexible walls (16.1, 16.2) form an internal modulating chamber (18), which optionally contains a compressible gas. Opposed ends of the walls (16.1, 16.2) can be displaced toward and away from each other by a motion transducer, e.g. a stack of ceramic piezoelectric members (20), respectively to pressurize and depressurize the chamber (14) and thus to displace the member (24) to and fro to form an output of the displacement generator.