Patent ID: 11933524
Assignee: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
Field: Thermal processes and apparatus (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC F  Y | IPC F

Claim 19:
20. The device of claim 19, further comprising a charge recovery circuit applying the electric fields, wherein:
the charge recovery circuit transfers charges between the first flexible electrocaloric element and the second flexible electrocaloric element in each pair of the flexible electrocaloric elements,
each of the heat transfer laminates are attached to a different one of the m pairs, so that the jth heat transfer laminate is attached between the first flexible electrocaloric element and the second electrocaloric element in the jth pair, for 1≤j≤m,
movement and position of the flexible electrocaloric elements are controlled by the charge transfer circuit, so that:
the first electrocaloric element forms a first contact zone on the jth heat transfer laminate attached to the jth pair and a second contact zone with the j−1th heat transfer laminate attached to the j−1th pair, for 2≤j≤m,
the second electrocaloric element forms a third contact zone on the jth heat transfer laminate attached to the jth pair and a fourth contact zone on the j+1th heat transfer laminate attached to the j+1th pair, for 1≤j≤m
the first flexible electrocaloric elements oscillate between their respective first and second contact zones and the second flexible electrocaloric elements oscillate between their respective third and fourth contact zones,
the first flexible electrocaloric elements are operated using an antiphase electrocaloric effect so that when the first flexible electrocaloric elements are heated up, the second flexible electrocaloric elements are cooled down, and vice versa;

charges are transferred between the first flexible electrocaloric element and the second flexible electrocaloric element in each the m pairs of the flexible electrocaloric elements;
when the first flexible electrocaloric element next to a heat sink is in thermal contact with the heat sink and is heated through the electrocaloric effect, every other one of the first flexible electrocaloric elements are heated through the electrocaloric effect, while all the second flexible electrocaloric elements are cooled through the electrocaloric cooling effect and the second flexible electrocaloric element next to a heat source is in thermal contact with the heat source.