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  Cooling systemUSPTO Application #: 20060156726Title: Cooling system Abstract: A cooling system using a heat differential power system and apparatus for cooling and generating mechanical and/or electrical power in a system are presented. A number of embodiments are presented. In each embodiment a heat differential power system is implemented which dissipates heat created by heat-generating components, such as, but not limited to, microprocessors, within the system and utilizes the heat differential created between the heat generating components and other parts of the system as power to operate the heat differential power system and convert thermal energy into other forms of energy such as, but not limited to, mechanical, and/or electrical energy for powering desired systems such as, but not limited to, fans, or other electrical components, and/or extending the battery life in a portable system. (end of abstract)
Agent: Arthur W. Fisher Patent Dominion Lp - Plano, TX, US Inventor: Brian A. Hamman USPTO Applicaton #: 20060156726 - Class: 060645000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Power Plants, Motive Fluid Energized By Externally Applied Heat, Process Of Power Production Or System Operation The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060156726. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] The present application is a Continuation-in-Part application of U.S. patent applications Ser. No. 11/017,024 filed on Dec. 20, 2004 entitled "Heat Differential Power System" and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/240,863 filed Sep. 30, 2005 and also entitled "Heat Differential Power System". BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Description of the Related Art [0002] Portable computing and telecommunication devices are increasingly being used. At the heart of these devices are processors and other heat-generating components which are becoming increasingly more powerful and which, as a result, are requiring more power to operate and generating more heat in operation. More sophisticated methods is needed for cooling these heat generating components in these systems as well as heat generating components in a wide variety of other applications and system. [0003] When these devices are used in portable mode, there is an ever increasing demand on the battery for power, which in turn shortens the battery life. Moreover, in portability mode, these devices are often at rest on a person's lap or in close contact with other parts of the body and it is not desirable to have increasing amounts of heat in such close contact with the human body. [0004] An additional environmental problem is that the increasing amounts of heat generated by these heat generating components results in additional amounts of wasted energy. [0005] The additional heat being generated by these heat-generating components has other detrimental effects. For example, it can cause component malfunctions or shut-downs and lower the useful life of the components themselves and the device as a whole. [0006] Heat differential power sources or engines such as the Stirling engine have been known and available for some time. They operate on the principal that thermal energy can be converted to other forms of energy such as mechanical or electrical energy and make use of a difference in temperature between two or more points, areas or locations to make this conversion. [0007] Thus, there is a need in the art for a sophisticated method and apparatus for cooling heat generating components. There is a need in the art for a method and apparatus for reducing the power consumed by these systems, particularly in portability mode. There is a need in the art for a method or apparatus for extending the battery life and thus the operational time of these devices in portability mode. There is a need in the art for a method or apparatus to conserve or utilize wasted thermal energy. There is a need in the art for a method or apparatus used to cool the heat generating components, conserve and utilize the thermal energy and/or to extend the battery life which can be deployed within the small footprint available in the case or housing of a system, such as a laptop computer, standalone computer, cellular telephone, an engine or any system with heat generating components. There is a need in the art for an optimal, cost-effective method and apparatus for cooling heat generating components which allows the heat generating component to operate at the marketed operating capacity, and which is effective in portability mode for the device or system. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0008] A method and apparatus for cooling one or more heat generating components in a system including a heat differential power system; a hot contact thermally coupling one or more heat generating components to the heat differential power system; and a cold contact for thermally coupling a region of the system cooler than the heat generating components to the heat differential power system. A variety of heat differential power-based cooling systems are implemented. [0009] The cooling system as described above wherein the heat differential power system includes a housing containing a gas and having a surface thermally coupled to the hot contact and having another surface thermally coupled to the cold contact; a first piston disposed within the housing for alternately moving the gas toward the surfaces causing the gas to expand as it nears the surface thermally coupled to the hot contact and to contract as it nears the surface thermally coupled to the cold contact; a second piston disposed within or adjacent to the housing which responds to the alternate expansion and contraction of the gas for powering the first piston; and means coupled to the pistons for receiving the mechanical motion of the second piston and providing the first piston with mechanical motion. [0010] The cooling system as described above wherein the cooling power of the system is increased or decreased by increasing or decreasing, respectively, the surface areas of the housing coupled to the hot contact and the cold contact. [0011] The cooling system as described above having additional surface area means thermally coupled to the surfaces of the housing coupled to the hot contact and/or coupled to the cold contact, said additional surface area means providing additional cooling power to the cooling system. [0012] The cooling system as described above wherein the cooler region of the system is the casing of the system. [0013] The cooling system as described above for powering one or more air flow devices for the system. [0014] The cooling system as described above further including a heat dissipating device coupled to one or more heat-generating components for providing additional cooling of the heat-generating components. [0015] The cooling system as described above for conserving electrical energy in the system. [0016] The cooling system as described above for generating electrical energy in the system. [0017] The cooling system as described above wherein the system is disposed within the casing of the system. [0018] The cooling system as described above wherein the first contact is a thermal spreader for spreading the heat from hot spots of one or more the heat generating components. [0019] A method of cooling heat generating components in a system having a heat differential power system by thermally coupling a heat differential power system to one or more heat generating components and thermally coupling a region of the system cooler than the heat-generating components to the heat differential power system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Continue reading... Full patent description for Cooling system Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Cooling system patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Cooling system or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Power generation from solar and waste heat Next Patent Application: Method and apparatus for phase change driven actuator Industry Class: Power plants ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Cooling system patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.56585 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Electronics: Semiconductor , Audio , Illumination , Connectors , Crypto , |
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