Patent attributes
A thermal switch having an on-state and an off-state is provided. First and second plates are composed from a thermally conductive material. The first and second plates are connected to form an internal cavity having a channel defining a gap between the first and second plate. The first reservoir is coupled to the channel and contains a thermally conductive liquid. The actuator is coupled to the first reservoir and the channel and is moveable between a first state and a second state corresponding to the on-state and the off-state of the thermal switch, respectively. Thermally conductive liquid is allowed to flow from the first reservoir to the channel when the actuator is in the first state and allowed to flow from the channel to the first reservoir when the actuator is in the second state.