Magnetic refrigerator

• US 7,552,592 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2006
• Issued: 06/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Iwasaki, Hideo, Kasahara, Akihiro, Koga, Akihiro, Saito, Akiko, Takahashi, Takuya, Kobayashi, Tadahiko, Hisano, Katsumi
• Primary Examiner(s): DOERRLER, WILLIAM CHARLES
• Application Number:
  US11/533,063
• Publication Number:
  US 20070125094A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,015 Days
• Field of Search: 62/31
• US Class Current: 62/3.1
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 21/00 Machines, plants or systems, using electric or magnetic effects
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2321/0022 with a rotating or otherwise moving magnet
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/00 Energy efficient heating, ventilation or air conditioning [HVAC]

Abstract

In a magnetic refrigerator, a permanent magnet unit shaped like a hub is so rotated as to face an annular magnetic unit having magnetic blocks arranged in a circumferential direction. The permanent magnet unit is also arranged to be concentric with a magnetic unit and has an inner and outer diameters substantially equal to those of the magnetic unit. Each of the magnetic blocks has positive and negative magnetic segments alternately arranged with predetermined gaps. As the permanent magnet unit rotates, heat conducting members are inserted into and removed from the gaps between the magnetic segments of the magnetic block. This allows heat generated from the magnetic segments to conduct in one direction.

Claims

1. A magnetic refrigerator comprising:

a generating unit which generates a magnetic field increased and reduced alternately;

a magnetic block including positive and negative magnetic segments which are alternately arranged with gaps and to which the magnetic field is applied, the positive magnetic segments producing heat depending on the increasing of the magnetic field and absorbing heat depending on the decreasing of the magnetic field, and the negative magnetic segments producing heat depending on the decreasing of the magnetic field and absorbing heat depending on the increasing of the magnetic field; and

a heat conducting unit configured to conduct heat between the positive and negative magnetic segments, which includes a conducting member which is inserted into the gap and removed from the gap, alternately, in accordance with the increasing or decreasing of the magnetic field, the positive and negative magnetic segments and the conducting member forming a heat conducting path in the magnetic block.

2. The magnetic refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising a first heat exchanging unit configured to absorb heat, which is thermally coupled to the magnetic block at a lower-temperature side of the heat conduction path, and a second heat exchanging unit configured to dissipate heat, which is thermally coupled to the magnetic block at a higher-temperature side of the heat conduction path.

3. The magnetic refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the generating unit comprises a permanent magnet and a driving unit which moves the permanent magnet above the magnetic block, the permanent magnet being alternately close to the magnetic block and apart from the magnetic block.

4. The magnetic refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein the conducting member is moved with permanent magnet by the driving unit and inserted into and removed from the gap, alternately.

5. The magnetic refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the magnetic segments are arranged so that operating temperature is gradually lowered from the first exchanging unit toward the second heat exchanging unit to form the heat conducting path.

6. A magnetic refrigerator comprising:

a generating unit which generates a magnetic field increased and reduced, alternately;

a magnetic unit having a circumferential direction and a radial direction, which includes magnetic blocks arranged in a circumferential direction, each of the magnetic blocks including an arrangement of positive and negative magnetic segments which are alternately arranged in the radial direction with gaps and to which the magnetic field is applied, the positive magnetic segments producing heat depending on the increasing of the magnetic field and absorbing heat depending on the decreasing of the magnetic field, and the negative magnetic segments producing heat depending on the decreasing of the magnetic field and absorbing heat depending on the increasing of the magnetic field; and

a heat conducting unit configured to conduct heat between the positive and negative magnetic segments, which includes conducting members each of which is inserted into the corresponding gap and removed from the corresponding gap, alternately, in accordance with the increasing or decreasing of the magnetic field, the positive and negative magnetic segments and the conducting member forming a heat conducting path in the magnetic block.

7. The magnetic refrigerator according to claim 6, further comprising a first heat exchanging unit configured to absorb heat, which is thermally coupled to the magnetic block or blocks at a lower-temperature side of the heat conduction path, and a second heat exchanging unit configured to dissipate heat, which is thermally coupled to the magnetic block at a higher-temperature side of the heat conduction path.

8. The magnetic refrigerator according to claim 6, wherein the generating unit comprises permanent magnets arranged above the magnetic blocks, and a driving unit which rotate the permanent magnets above the magnetic blocks along the circumferential direction.

9. The magnetic refrigerator according to claim 8, wherein the driving unit include a rotating shaft rotating the permanent magnets.

10. The magnetic refrigerator according to claim 8, wherein the arrangement of the magnetic segments corresponding to each of the magnetic blocks have a first shape and a first size, and each of the permanent magnets have a second shape and a second size same as the first shape and the first size.

11. The magnetic refrigerator according to claim 8, wherein the driving unit rotates the conducting members with the permanent magnets.

12. The magnetic refrigerator according to claim 7, wherein the magnetic segments are so arranged that operating temperature is gradually lowered from the first exchanging unit toward the second heat exchanging unit to form the heat conducting path.

13. The magnetic refrigerator according to claim 7, wherein the permanent magnet includes permanent magnet pieces, each of the permanent magnet pieces having the same shapes as that of the magnetic segment.

14. The magnetic refrigerator according to claim 7, wherein heat conducting grease or lubricant is applied to the gap.

15. The magnetic refrigerator comprising:

a permanent magnet unit including permanent magnets, the permanent magnets being so separately arranged along a circumferential direction as to form a substantially hub shape and have a first inner and outer diameters in a radial direction;

a rotating unit having a rotating shaft which supports the permanent magnet unit, configured to rotate the permanent magnet unit with the rotating shaft to produce a rotating magnetic field which is alternately increased and reduced depending on the rotation of the permanent magnet along the circumferential direction;

a magnetic unit substantially formed into a hollow disk shape having a hollow space and a second inner and outer diameters which are substantially equal to the first inner and outer diameters, the magnetic unit including magnetic blocks arranged in the circumferential direction and concentric with the permanent magnet unit, every two of the magnetic blocks corresponding to each of the permanent magnets, each of the magnetic blocks including an arrangement of positive and negative magnetic segments which are alternately arranged in the radial direction with gaps, the positive magnetic segments producing heat depending on the increasing of the magnetic field and absorbing heat depending on the decreasing of the magnetic field, and the negative magnetic segments producing heat depending on the decreasing of the magnetic field and absorbing heat depending on the increasing of the magnetic field; and

a heat conducting unit configured to conduct heat between the positive and negative magnetic segments, which includes conducting members each of which is inserted into the corresponding gap and removed from the corresponding gap, alternately, in accordance with the increasing or decreasing of the magnetic field, the positive and negative magnetic segments and the conducting member forming a heat conducting path in the magnetic block.

16. The magnetic refrigerator according to claim 15, wherein the further comprising a first heat exchanging unit configured to absorb heat, which is thermally coupled to the magnetic block at a lower-temperature side of the heat conduction path, and a second heat exchanging unit configured to dissipate heat, which is thermally coupled to the magnetic block at a higher-temperature side of the heat conduction path.

17. The magnetic refrigerator according to claim 15, wherein the first heat exchanging unit is located in the hollow space of the magnetic unit and the second heat exchanging unit is located at the peripheral side of the magnetic unit.

18. The magnetic refrigerator according to claim 15, wherein the permanent magnet unit is faced to the magnetic unit with a gap between the permanent magnet unit and the magnetic unit.

19. The magnetic refrigerator according to claim 15, further comprising first and second yokes, a heat insulating member mounted on the first yoke, the magnetic unit being mounted on the heat insulating member and the second yoke being mounted on the permanent magnet unit so that the second yoke is rotated with the permanent magnet.

20. The magnetic refrigerator according to claim 19, wherein the first yoke is concentric with the magnetic unit and has third inner and outer diameters substantially equal to the second inner and outer diameters, and the second yoke is concentric with the magnetic unit and has fourth inner and outer diameters the second inner and outer diameters.

21. The magnetic refrigerator according to claim 15, wherein the heat conducting member has a circumferential length substantially equal to a circumferential length of the magnetic segment.

22. The magnetic refrigerator according to claim 15, wherein the magnetic segments are so arranged that operating temperature is gradually lowered from the first exchanging unit toward the second heat exchanging unit to form the heat conducting path.

23. The magnetic refrigerator according to claim 15, wherein heat conducting grease or lubricant is applied to the gap.