US Patent 10948222 Hybrid thermal apparatus

The present invention refers to a hybrid thermal apparatus comprising at least one heat exchanger and at least one heat source and/or heat sink. The thermal apparatus according to the invention is formed as a combination of a first thermal apparatus (1, 15) based on a vapour-compression principle and comprising a first medium for heat transfer, and of a second thermal apparatus (2, 16) based on an elastocaloric principle and comprising a second medium for heat transfer. Said thermal apparatuses (1, 15; 2, 16) have at least one deformable heat exchanger (3, 21) of elastocaloric material in common.