Patent ID: 7536866

Claim:
A magnetic refrigerator which effects refrigeration by circulating a refrigerant between the magnetic refrigerator and an external cooling section and an external heat radiating section, comprising: a housing; a plurality of heat exchangers fixed in the housing and filled with magnetic particles having a magnetocaloric effect; a rotary drive; a rotating shaft arranged in the housing and rotated by the rotary drive; a magnetic field generator fixed to the rotating shaft in the housing which applies a magnetic field to or eliminates a magnetic field from the magnetic particles in the heat exchangers following rotation of the rotating shaft; a refrigerant pump placed in the housing and including a blade fixed to the rotating shaft which circulates the refrigerant following rotation of the rotating shaft; a rotary refrigerant control valve placed in the housing and including a rotor fixed to the rotating shaft which controls supply of the refrigerant to and discharge of the refrigerant from the heat exchangers following rotation of the rotating shaft; and a refrigerant circuit formed by connecting the refrigerant pump, the rotary refrigerant control valve, the heat exchangers, the external cooling section, and the external heat radiating section, wherein the magnetic field generator and the rotary refrigerant control valve are configured to synchronize application of the magnetic field to or elimination of the magnetic field from the magnetic particles with supply of the refrigerant to or discharge of the refrigerant from the heat exchangers.