Patents Examined by Amene Bayou
  • Patent number: 8360745
    Abstract: An air driven diaphragm pump includes an performance control actuator having a housing with opposed air chambers. The pump includes pump chambers facing the air chambers and pump diaphragms extending between each air chamber and each pump chamber, respectively. The actuator further includes an air valve, an intake to the air valve and an engagement. The intake includes an intake passage and a performance control intake adjuster rotatably mounted. The intake adjuster has a helical channel and a closure element extending adjustably into the intake passage. The engagement engages the helical channel for control of the intake. The helical channel has varied pitch to provide a nonlinear relationship between rotation and axial advancement of the intake adjuster. The nonlinear relationship gives flow rate proportional to the angular rotation of the intake adjuster.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: Wilden Pump and Engineering LLC
    Inventors: Curtis W. Dietzsch, Greg S. Duncan, Gary K. Lent
  • Patent number: 8356985
    Abstract: A fail-safe system for a hybrid vehicle employing an over-center variable-displacement hydraulic motor includes an actuator configured to stroke the motor to a zero angle if each of two control ports is supplied with fluid at an equal pressure. A control valve is configured, in the event of loss of power to the valve, to default to a position in which high-pressure fluid is supplied to both control ports. A pilot-controlled check valve is coupled between high- and low-pressure ports of the motor such that, during normal operation, passage of fluid through the check valve from the high-pressure port to the low-pressure port is checked, while passage of fluid through the check valve from the second port to the first port is enabled. When the pilot control is activated, passage of fluid in the opposite direction is also enabled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2013
    Assignee: The United States of America, as represented by the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
    Inventors: Charles L. Gray. Jr., Anthony J. Tesoriero
  • Patent number: 8348639
    Abstract: A high performance sealing device having an excellent pressure resistance and realizing a prevention of damage. The sealing device usable at a working pressure of 0 to 2 MPa, and not damaged even if the pressure of high-pressure fuel of 5 MPa or higher is applied thereto, wherein high pressure fuel on the high pressure side is sealed by a first seal part, oil from a cam side on a low pressure side is sealed by a second seal part, and the fuel slightly leaked due to failure of scraping at the first seal part is sealed by the second seal part to form a dual seal structure. A resin ring coming into slidable sealing contact with a shaft is used in the first seal part, whereby abnormal abrasion does not occur even when fuel having less lubricity is used, and the durability of the seal is increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: NOK Corporation
    Inventors: Masatoshi Okada, Iwao Taira, Tadashi Abiko, Yosuke Kondo, Kazuki Takeno, Ichiro Yamane
  • Patent number: 8348628
    Abstract: A system and method enable monitoring of a mechanical condition of a reciprocating compressor. The compressor includes a compressor frame, a pressure chamber, and a pressure head. A plurality of tie bolts are secured between the compressor frame and the pressure chamber head. A sensor assembly is secured to one of the plurality of tie bolts. The sensor assembly includes an elongation member positioned to extend in concert with extension of one of the tie bolts. A sensor measures extension of the elongation member to thereby monitor cylinder pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Roger A. Hala
  • Patent number: 8333573
    Abstract: Apparatus for detecting a flammable atmosphere within a compressor during operation thereof is provided. The apparatus comprising a test chamber which is selectably connected between the compressor and an exhaust duct of the compressor using isolation device; an ignition device which is located within the test chamber for igniting any flammable fluid mixture present therein; and sensor associated with the test chamber for monitoring a parameter indicative of combustion within the test chamber and for outputting a signal indicative of the parameter to a controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignee: Edwards Limited
    Inventors: Clive Marcus Lloyd Tunna, Donovan Collins, Roland Paul Gregor Kusay, Richard Wakefield
  • Patent number: 8328524
    Abstract: An air compressor includes: a tank portion for reserving compressed air used in a pneumatic tool; a compressed air generation portion for generating compressed air and supplying the compressed air to the tank portion; a drive portion including a motor for driving the compressed air generation portion; a control circuit portion for controlling the drive portion; and a pressure sensor for detecting pressure of the compressed air reserved in the tank portion. The control circuit portion includes a unit for controlling the rotational speed of the motor multistageously based on a detection signal output from the pressure sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Hitachi Koki Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshio Iimura, Hiroaki Orikasa, Mitsuhiro Sunaoshi, Toshiaki Uchida, Kazuhiro Segawa
  • Patent number: 8323003
    Abstract: A pump includes a housing partially bounded by first and second outer walls, an inner wall fixed within a bore, a first piston disposed between the first outer wall and the inner wall, a second piston disposed between the second outer wall and the inner wall, a coupling member coupling the first and second pistons, a plurality of valves, and a control unit configured to communicate with the plurality of valves. Wherein One of a first inner chamber and a first outer chamber is configured to receive process fluid and the other of the first inner chamber and the first outer chamber is configured to receive working fluid, and one of a second inner chamber and a second outer chamber is configured to receive damping fluid and the other of the second inner chamber and the second outer chamber is configured to receive working fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: Hydril USA Manufacturing LLC
    Inventors: Robert Arnold Judge, Peringandoor Raman Hariharan
  • Patent number: 8282366
    Abstract: A pump including a stator, a rotor comprising an axial extension slidably and rotatably mounted at least partially in a rotor chamber of the stator, and at least first and second valves between an inlet and the rotor chamber, respectively between the rotor chamber and an outlet, that open and close as, a function of at least the angular displacement of the rotor. The pump comprises interacting cam elements on the rotor and stator and biasing elements acting on the rotor for applying a force on the rotor in the axial direction of the stator cam elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: Sensile Pat AG
    Inventors: Josef Hilber, Sigfrid Straessler
  • Patent number: 8277203
    Abstract: A DC fan of an inner rotor type includes a housing having a frame defining a compartment. A rotor is rotatably received in the compartment. The rotor includes a shaft having an outer periphery and a permanent magnet fixed to and around the outer periphery of the shaft. A stator is fixed in the compartment of the frame and surrounds the rotor. The stator includes a plurality of magnetic pole faces facing an outer periphery of the permanent magnet. An air gap is formed between each magnetic pole face and the permanent magnet. The stator further includes at least one coil. An impeller is coupled to an end of the shaft. A drive control unit is mounted in the compartment and electrically connected to the at least one coil of the stator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: Sunonwealth Electric Machine Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Alex Horng
  • Patent number: 8267668
    Abstract: A fuel pump system for pumping fuel to an engine in a vehicle includes a pump motor having a carbon-based commutator and brushes in a position exposed to fuel, resulting in a tendency to form a film between the commutator and brushes that can reduce pump performance by increasing the electrical resistance of the brush-commutator interface. The pump motor has a nominal voltage rating. A power circuit is coupled to the pump motor for selectably providing an operating voltage and a boost voltage, wherein the boost voltage is greater than the nominal voltage rating. A controller selecting the operating voltage during an ordinary run cycle and selects the boost voltage during a clean-up cycle. The controller selects the clean-up cycle for a limited time that is sufficiently short to avoid damage to the pump motor from exceeding the nominal voltage rating and sufficiently long to create arcing between the commutator and brushes that reverses formation of the film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Thomas C. Nation, Stephen T. Kempfer, James Knight, James L. Thompson
  • Patent number: 8257067
    Abstract: A volume chamber is formed by a valve member, an inner peripheral wall of a tubular portion and a bottom portion of a stopper when the valve member is engaged with tubular portion. A communication passage communicates between the volume chamber and one of an intermediate passage of a valve body and a tertiary passage of the stopper. The communication passage is formed at a location, which is spaced from a contact surface between the tubular portion and the valve member by a first predetermined distance and is also spaced from a contact surface between the bottom portion and the first urging member by a second predetermined distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiro Fukui, Yoshihito Suzuki, Katsunori Furuta, Tatsumi Oguri, Hiroshi Inoue
  • Patent number: 8246327
    Abstract: A duel-cylinder reciprocating rocking piston-type compressor is disclosed with side foot mounts resulting in reduced compressor vibration and noise. An optimum vertical height for the foot mounts as well as an optimum lateral or axial position along the compressor body relative to the piston connecting rod are also disclosed. Specifically, the side foot mounts are mounted to the housing at a height falling in the range of 0.5 times the height of the drive shaft to about 1.5 times the height of the drive shaft. Further, an elevated o-ring gland or gasket is disclosed for sealing the heads to the valve plates. Still further, and improved valve plate design is disclosed that includes substantially flat valve plates, monolithically connected together through a raised central portion that defines tubes or passageways connecting the intake and output chambers associated with each cylinder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignee: Gast Manufacturing, Inc.
    Inventors: William S. Otte, Jr., Travis J. Dokey, Gary W. Dunlap, Steven T. Krempasky
  • Patent number: 8226373
    Abstract: A sensorless magnetic bearing type blood pump apparatus includes a blood pump and a control mechanism. The blood pump has electromagnets for rotating a rotating body in a non-contact condition, and a hydrodynamic bearing section for rotating the rotating body in a non-contact condition when operation of the electromagnets is stopped. The apparatus is devoid of any sensors for determining the position of the rotating body. The control mechanism includes a pulse width modulation type electromagnet driving unit, a carrier component measuring unit for measuring carrier components of voltage and current in the driving unit, a modulation factor calculating unit which calculates a modulation factor using the carrier wave data, and a bearing mode changing-over mechanism for effecting change-over from the magnetic bearing mode to the hydrodynamic bearing mode when the calculated modulation factor is outside a predetermined range and for returning to the magnetic bearing mode after the change-over.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: Terumo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Mitsutoshi Yaegashi
  • Patent number: 8226381
    Abstract: A valve assembly includes first and second conduits having respective first and second flanges in abutment with each other, a stopper in the second conduit, and a valve body secured between the first and second flanges. The valve body includes a body bore in communication between the first and second conduits. The body bore defines a circular opening in one end of the valve body. The valve body also includes a circumferential notch that substantially insulates the circular opening from distortion arising from securing the valve body. The stopper snuggly seats against the circular opening to prevent fluid flow from the second conduit to the first conduit, but unseats to permit fluid flow from the first conduit to the second conduit. An o-ring may surround a portion of the valve body and be energized as the valve body is secured. A lip may surround the circular opening to provide a seat for the stopper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: Ingersoll Rand Company
    Inventors: Thomas R. Headley, Lloyd I. Towne
  • Patent number: 8210832
    Abstract: The hermetic compressor has grooves provided at an upper side and a lower side of outer circumference of a piston. Of outer shape of the grooves, the outer shape of the grooves communicating with a space in the hermetic container at least when the piston is in a bottom dead center is a shape not forming parallel line to an axial center of the piston when the grooves are developed in a plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Makoto Katayama, Kosuke Tsuboi
  • Patent number: 8206128
    Abstract: A refrigeration cycle system is provided with a two-cylinder type rotary compressor having one compression mechanism which includes a switching mechanism for switching a back surface side of a blade between a low pressure mode and a high pressure mode and controlling the inner space of the cylinder chamber to the high pressure upon switching at the low pressure mode. In a high load state, a normal operation is performed by switching the pressure of the back surface side of the blade of the one compression mechanism at the high pressure mode. In a low load state, an uncompressed operation is performed by switching the pressure of the back surface side of the blade of the one compression mechanism at the low pressure mode and by controlling the inner space of the cylinder chamber to the high pressure to move the blade away from the roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: Toshiba Carrier Corporation
    Inventor: Izumi Onoda
  • Patent number: 8202057
    Abstract: An oil-free scroll compressor prevents wraps from being broken and provides improved reliability. The oil-free scroll compressor includes an orbiting scroll member and fixed scroll members, and has compression channels into which water is injected each formed between the intake port and exhaust port provided in the fixed scroll member. The oil-free scroll compressor includes temperature sensors each of which detects temperature in the compression channel, regulating valves each of which controls ratio of the amount of the water to be injected into the respective compression channels to the total amount of the water to be injected into the compression channels, and controller which controls the opening degrees of the regulating valves such that a difference between the detected temperatures from the compression channels is small.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2012
    Assignee: Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hirokatsu Kohsokabe, Hirotaka Kameya, Kazuaki Shiinoki, Toshiaki Yabe
  • Patent number: 8197239
    Abstract: A pump, especially a power-steering pump, having a flow-control valve device that has a piston arranged inside a piston bore so as to be displaced. The piston bore has at least one inlet and at least one outlet channel. The piston has an axial inlet opening and a plurality of substantially radial outlet openings as well as a continuous outlet groove between a first collar and a second collar, representing a control edge for an outlet fluid flow. The axial inlet opening extends at least to the beginning of the radial, lateral outlet openings in a substantially cylindrical manner and the continuous outlet groove widens in terms of its radial depth on the outer circumference of the piston towards the control edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Luk Fahrzeug-Hydraulik GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Anwar Abumustafa
  • Patent number: 8197219
    Abstract: An apparatus is provided for estimating and/or precluding stick-slip, or other oscillatory or resonant behavior, through use of a virtual transducer, which precludes the need for having sensors located adjacent to a driven element of the system, or adjacent contact surfaces at which the stick-slip relative motion may occur. Parameters measurable at a drive mechanism are utilized for controlling a system in a manner which precludes stick-slip, or other oscillatory or resonant behavior, of a driven element of the system. Relative motion between contacting surfaces in the driven element, prone to stick-slip behavior, is controlled after sufficient force is applied by the drive element to overcome static friction forces between the contacting surfaces and break them free from one another, relative motion between the surfaces is maintained at a high enough relative speed that the surfaces are precluded from contacting one another, so that stick-slip behavior is precluded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Unico, Inc.
    Inventor: Mark E. Garlow
  • Patent number: 8172557
    Abstract: A high-pressure gas compressor comprises a single-acting cam driven piston with a pressure compensation chamber disposed between the piston and the cam. A roller tappet assembly transmits reciprocating motion from the cam to the piston. A pressurized gas directed to the pressure compensation chamber offsets forces acting on the piston from the compression chamber gas pressure, thereby reducing Hertzian pressure between the tappet roller and the cam. Overall efficiency and durability can be improved by reducing friction between compressor components, for example by employing thin film coatings to reduce friction, pressurized oil lubrication systems and higher cylinder bore diameter to piston stroke ratios. The service life of gas seals and compression efficiency can be improved by thermal management strategies, including liquid-cooled compressor cylinder liners and intercoolers between compression stages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Westport Power Inc.
    Inventors: Ulrich Hilger, Bernd Bartunek, Martin Blank