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. 21, 2002
Filed:
Jul. 15, 1999
Alan H. Epstein, Lexington, MA (US);
Stephen D. Senturia, Brookline, MA (US);
Ian A. Waitz, Newton, MA (US);
Jeffrey H. Lang, Sudbury, MA (US);
Stuart A. Jacobson, Somerville, MA (US);
Fredric F. Ehrich, Marblehead, MA (US);
Martin A. Schmidt, Reading, MA (US);
G. K. Ananthasuresh, Philadelphia, PA (US);
Mark S. Spearing, Newton, MA (US);
Kenneth S. Breuer, Newton, MA (US);
Steven F. Nagle, Cambridge, MA (US);
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (US);
Abstract
The invention overcomes limitations of conventional power and thermodynamic sources by with micromachinery components that enable production of significant power and efficient operation of thermodynamic systems in the millimeter and micron regime to meet the efficiency, mobility, modularity, weight, and cost requirements of many modern applications. A micromachine of the invention has a rotor disk journalled for rotation in a stationary structure by a journal bearing. A plurality of radial flow rotor blades, substantially untapered in height, are disposed on a first rotor disk face, and an electrically conducting region is disposed on a rotor disk face. A plurality of stator electrodes that are electrically interconnected to define multiple electrical stator phases are disposed on a wall of the stationary structure located opposite the electrically conducting region of the rotor disk. A first orifice in the stationary structure provides fluidic communication with the first rotor disk face at a location radially central of the rotor blades, and a second orifice in the stationary structure provides fluidic communication with the first rotor disk face at a location radially peripheral of the rotor blades. An electrical connection to the stator electrode configuration is provided for stator electrode excitation and for power transfer with the stator electrode configuration as the rotor disk rotates.