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:
Nov. 20, 2007
Filed:
Jan. 19, 2005
Carl S. Kirkconnell, Huntington Beach, CA (US);
Ken J. Ciccarelli, Huntington Beach, CA (US);
Abram Alaniz, Culver City, CA (US);
Carl S. Kirkconnell, Huntington Beach, CA (US);
Ken J. Ciccarelli, Huntington Beach, CA (US);
Abram Alaniz, Culver City, CA (US);
Raytheon Company, Waltham, MA (US);
Abstract
A multi-stage cryocooler includes a concentric second-stage pulse tube expander in which a pulse tube is located within a second-stage regenerator. In one embodiment, an inner wall of the regenerator also functions as an outer wall of the pulse tube. In another embodiment, there is an annular gap between an inner wall of the regenerator and an outer wall of the pulse tube. The gap may be maintained at a low pressure, approaching a vacuum, by placing the gap in fluid communication with an environment around the cryocooler, such as the low-pressure environment of space. The integrated second-stage structure, with the pulse tube within the annular regenerator, provides several potential advantages over prior multi-stage cryocooler systems.