Magnetic refrigerator

Abstract

A magnetic refrigerator has reciprocated and rotated motions. The body of the apparatus has a nearly tubular shape and contains working pieces at corners, wherein the working pieces surround a shaft with permanent magnet. Compared with existing rotational models, the magnetic refrigerator of the present invention has a relative smaller volume, and the motion of the shaft will be back and forth. Furthermore, a torque eliminating device of the magnetic refrigerator will eliminate the reverse torque when the shaft is driven reverse so that improve cooling efficiency.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A magnetic refrigerator, comprising:
 a body;   a shaft disposed at a center of the body;   a driving device connected to a first side wall of the body outwardly to drive the shaft back and forth;   a torque eliminating device disposed to the shaft to eliminate reverse torque when the driving device reverses the shaft;   a magnetic structure disposed to the shaft to be oscillated with the shaft;   a plurality of working pieces disposed to a second side wall and a third side wall of the body according to oscillation track of the magnetic structure respectively to create a relative motion with the magnetic structure when the magnetic structure is moving with the shaft, wherein the working pieces are filled with magneto-caloric materials; and   a heat dissipating unit connected to the working pieces to exchange heat with the magneto-caloric materials.   
     
     
         2 . The magnetic refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein the body is hollow and made of magnetic conductive materials. 
     
     
         3 . The magnetic refrigerator according to  claim 2 , wherein the working pieces are in the shapes of arc, and the second side wall and the third side wall having a plurality of concaves containing the working pieces. 
     
     
         4 . The magnetic refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein the driving device further comprises a decelerating device to drive the shaft moving back and forth. 
     
     
         5 . The magnetic refrigerator according to  claim 4 , wherein the first side wall of the body has an opening with a particular length, and the shaft has at least one location limiting mechanism limited according to the particular length of the opening to keep the shaft moving back and forth in a finite range. 
     
     
         6 . The magnetic refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein the torque eliminating device comprises spring, spring sheet, rubber washer, rubber ball, magnetic module, electromagnetic buffer, hydraulic buffer, gas buffer and the combination thereof. 
     
     
         7 . The magnetic refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein the magnetic structure is a permanent magnet mass. 
     
     
         8 . The magnetic refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein the shaft has an axis and the magnetic structure comprises:
 six permanent magnet masses forming into two sets of U-shaped magnetic units, wherein the magnetic units are connected to both sides of the shaft respectively, and are disposed symmetrically to the axis of the shaft; and   a plurality of auxiliary soft iron masses attaching to and wrapping the magnetic units.   
     
     
         9 . The magnetic refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein the magneto-caloric materials are in the shape of geometric particles, irregular masses, pillars, porous, or periodic structure. 
     
     
         10 . The magnetic refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein the working pieces are connected to the heat dissipating unit by a plurality of heat pipes, and heat conducting fluid flowing through the heat pipes. 
     
     
         11 . The magnetic refrigerator according to  claim 10 , wherein the heat conducting fluid comprises anti-corrosion agent. 
     
     
         12 . The magnetic refrigerator according to  claim 10 , wherein the heat conducting fluid comprises anti-freeze agent. 
     
     
         13 . The magnetic refrigerator according to  claim 10 , wherein the heat dissipating unit further comprises at least one heat exchanger connecting to the heat pipes. 
     
     
         14 . The magnetic refrigerator according to  claim 13 , wherein the heat dissipating unit further comprises a fluid conducting device disposed between the working pieces and the heat exchanger, wherein the fluid conducting device comprises:
 a pump or a hydraulic cylinder to pressurize and conduct the heat conducting fluid; and   a fluid distributor connected to the pump or hydraulic cylinder to control flowing direction of the heat conducting fluid.   
     
     
         15 . The magnetic refrigerator according to  claim 14 , wherein the fluid distributor is driven by the shaft synchronously. 
     
     
         16 . The magnetic refrigerator according to  claim 13 , wherein the heat exchanger comprises heat sink, heat dissipating fin, heat dissipating manifold, or water tank. 
     
     
         17 . The magnetic refrigerator according to  claim 13 , wherein the heat dissipating unit further comprises a fan or a blower to dissipate heat from the heat exchanger.