The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 12, 1998
Filed:
Oct. 12, 1995
Lyn Bowman, Athens, OH (US);
Jarlath McEntee, Castine, ME (US);
Ohio University, Athens, OH (US);
Abstract
A microminiature Stirling cycle engine or cooler is formed utilizing semiconductor, planar processing techniques. Such a Stirling cycle thermomechanical transducer has silicon end plates and an intermediate regenerator. The end plates are formed with diaphragms and backspaces, one end plate forming the expansion end and the opposite end plate forming the compression end, with the regenerator bonded in between. A control circuit apparatus is linked to the diaphragms for controlling the amplitude, phase and frequency of their deflections. The control circuit apparatus is adapted to operate the transducer above 500 Hz and the passages and the workspace, including those within the regenerator, expansion space and compression space, are sufficiently narrow to provide a characteristic Wolmersley number, which is characteristic of the irreversibilities generated by the oscillating flow of the working fluid in the workspace, below substantially 5 at the operating frequency above 500 Hz. Additionally, the amplitude of the vibrations of the diaphragm vibrations are sufficiently small to provide the working fluid a maximum Mach number below substantially 0.1 at an operating frequency above 500 Hz.