Stirling engine displacer drive

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9574797-B2
Application number	US-201213398024-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 16, 2012
Priority date	Aug 2, 2011
Publication date	Feb 21, 2017
Grant date	Feb 21, 2017

Abstract

A cryocooler is provided that includes: a regenerator piston; a drive coupler; and a link flexure having a proximal end coupled by a first pin to the drive coupler and having a distal end coupled by a second pin to the regenerator piston, where the link flexure forms a vane having flattened opposing faces that are orthogonal to a longitudinal axis for the first and second pin.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cryocooler, comprising:
a regenerator piston having a longitudinal axis;
a drive coupler having a longitudinal axis that is substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the regenerator piston; and
a link flexure having a proximal end coupled by a first pin to the drive coupler and having a distal end coupled by a second pin to the regenerator piston,
wherein the link flexure forms a vane having flattened opposing faces that are aligned orthogonally to a longitudinal axis for the first pin and to a longitudinal axis for the second pin, and wherein the flattened opposing faces are aligned substantially parallel to a plane that is orthogonal to a longitudinal axis of a motor shaft coupled to the drive coupler.

2. The cryocooler of claim 1 , wherein the link flexure comprises titanium.

3. The cryocooler of claim 1 , wherein the link flexure comprises steel.

4. The cryocooler of claim 1 , wherein the link flexure comprises aluminum.

5. The cryocooler of claim 1 , further comprising:
a motor operable to rotate the motor shaft, wherein the longitudinal axis of the motor shaft is misaligned with respect to the orthogonal alignment for the longitudinal axis of the regenerator piston.

6. The cryocooler of claim 1 , wherein the misalignment is 6 mrad or less.

7. The cryocooler of claim 1 , further comprising a link flexure bearing configured to receive the second pin, and wherein a clearance between the link flexure bearing and the second pin is less than or equal to 0.0002 inches.

8. The cryocooler of claim 1 , further comprising a link flexure bearing configured to receive the first pin, and wherein a clearance between the link flexure bearing and the first pin is less than or equal to 0.0002 inches.

9. A method of cooling an object using the crycooler of claim 1 , the method comprising:
reciprocating the regenerator piston within a cold finger to cool a distal end of the cold finger proximate the object;
driving the reciprocation of the regenerator piston by rotating the motor shaft that drives the drive coupling, wherein the longitudinal axis of the motor shaft is misaligned with regard to an orthogonal alignment with a longitudinal axis of the regenerator piston; and
accommodating the misalignment by flexing of the link flexure linking the drive coupler to the regenerator piston, wherein the link flexure comprises the vane with the flattened opposing faces.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the object is an infrared sensor.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein reciprocating the regenerator piston displaces a working gas with respect to the cold finger.

12. The method of claim 9 , further comprising linking the link flexure to the drive coupler through the first pin.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising linking the link flexure to the regenerator piston through the second pin.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the plane is orthogonal to a longitudinal axis for the first pin.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the plane is orthogonal to a longitudinal axis for the second pin.

Assignees

• Bin-Nun Uri
• Flir Systems

Inventors

• Bin-Nun Uri

Classifications

• F25B2500/12

  Sound · CPC title

• F25B9/14 Primary

  characterised by the cycle used, e.g. Stirling cycle · CPC title

• F25B2500/06

  Damage · CPC title

• F25B2309/003

  characterised by construction or composition of the regenerator · CPC title