Small piezoelectric air pumps with unobstructed airflow
View Patent ↗A T-shaped blade, or one or more hollow tubes, are vibrationally excited by one or more piezoelectric elements to generate an airflow from a free end of the blade or tube(s). The airflow may be directed to, or drawn away from, an electronic component to cool the electronic component.
1. An apparatus comprising:
a disk;
an annulus positioned above and coaxial with the disk;
a plurality of ribs extending up from the disk to the annulus; each rib corresponding to a respective radius of the disk, the ribs defining passages that run from a space above a central region of the disk to a periphery of the disk; and
a piezoelectric element on which the disk is mounted.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the piezoelectric element vibrates to cause a gas to flow through the passages.
3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the gas flows through the passages to cool an electronic component.
4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein electronic component is within a computer.
5. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein electronic component is a microprocessor.
6. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein electronic component is within a cellular phone.
7. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein electronic component is within a PDA.
8. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein electronic component is within a server.
9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein said apparatus is incorporated into the layout of a backplane of a server.
10. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein electronic component is within aAC adapter.
11. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein electronic component is within a circuit breaker.
12. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the gas is air.
13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the gas is ambient air.
14. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the gas is air.
15. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the gas is air.
16. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the gas is air.
17. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the gas is air.
18. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the gas is air.
19. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the gas is air.
20. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the gas is air.