Patents Examined by John K. Ford
  • Patent number: 9016352
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to apparatus and methods for cooling computer servers and/or electrical equipment in a rack device for data centers or telecommunication centers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: Calvary Applied Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Joerg Burkhard Helbig, Steven Thomas Gizzi
  • Patent number: 9010405
    Abstract: The disclosure provides a fluid-cooled heat sink having a heat transfer base and a plurality of heat transfer fins in thermal communication with the heat transfer base, where the heat transfer base and the heat transfer fins form a central fluid channel through which a forced or free cooling fluid may flow. The heat transfer pins are arranged around the central fluid channel with a flow space provided between adjacent pins, allowing for some portion of the central fluid channel flow to divert through the flow space. The arrangement reduces the pressure drop of the flow through the fins, optimizes average heat transfer coefficients, reduces contact and fin-pin resistances, and reduces the physical footprint of the heat sink in an operating environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: U.S. Department of Energy
    Inventors: Desikan Bharathan, Kevin Bennion, Kenneth Kelly, Sreekant Narumanchi
  • Patent number: 8003271
    Abstract: A heat exchanger that can mechanically automatically control a level of cooling water according to heat generation of the fuel cell. The heat exchanger includes a housing having a cooling water inlet and an outlet connected to a fuel cell stack, a moving plate which moves reciprocally in the housing and discharges cooling water filled in the housing to the stack when it moves in a one direction and when it receives a steam pressure from the stack it moves in an opposite direction, and an elastic member that applies a force to the moving plate in the one direction. The heat exchanger can automatically maintain the level of cooling water despite a difference in heat generated between a full and a partial load operation of the fuel cell obviating complicated electronics such as a thermo-sensor, a valve, or a controller. Also, under a partial load, the exposure of flow channels to superheated steam is avoided, thereby extending the lifetime of the fuel cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2011
    Assignee: Samsung SDI Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tae-won Song, Seung-jae Lee
  • Patent number: 7992401
    Abstract: An evaporator includes a plurality of flat heat exchange tubes arranged in a left-right direction at a spacing with the widthwise direction thereof pointing forward or rearward, and fins arranged between respective adjacent pairs of heat exchange tubes. The fins have at least front edges thereof projected forwardly outward beyond the heat exchange tubes. Assuming that the amount of projection of the fins beyond the heat exchange tubes is X mm and that the heat exchange tubes are Y mm in thickness in the left-right direction, i.e., in height, X and Y have the relationship of 0.11Y?X?1.0Y. The surfaces of the fins can be drained of condensation water efficiently.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2011
    Assignee: Showa Denko K.K.
    Inventor: Naohisa Higashiyama
  • Patent number: 7967063
    Abstract: An air conditioning apparatus has a cool-side door device and a heating-side door device between an evaporator and a heater core. The cool-side door device is configured to open and close a cool air passage through which a cool air generated by the evaporator flows. The heating-side door device is configured to open and close a heating air passage through which the cool air flows to be heated by the heater core. At least one of the cool-side door device and the heating-side door device is constructed of a plurality of doors. The plurality of doors is configured to begin to open successively when being opened from a fully closed condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2011
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Sato, Toshihiko Muraki
  • Patent number: 7963315
    Abstract: A vehicle with an air conditioner comprises an instrument panel center member disposed vertically behind an evaporator and fixed to a vehicle structure. The evaporator is disposed obliquely in such a manner that its maximum-area face has a crossing angle relative to a horizontal face and a distance between its front and rear ends is a specified length or greater. The evaporator is configured so as to be rotated between a vehicle dash panel being moved rearward and the instrument panel center member at a frontal crash of a vehicle in such a manner that the distance between its front end and rear end becomes shorter. Accordingly, the evaporator can be prevented from being pushed into a vehicle cabin at the vehicle frontal crash, thereby ensuring the safety of the passenger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2011
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventor: Masanori Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 7954540
    Abstract: A HVAC assembly includes a temperature mixing valve that comprises a shaft, an upper paddle, a lower paddle, and a yielding means. The upper paddle and the lower paddle attach to the shaft. The yielding means applies a force to keep the upper paddle sealed to prevent cold air in a cold air inlet from entering a mixing zone and the lower paddle moves away from a shared sealing boundary over a predetermined angle of rotation before the upper paddle initially moves to allow cold air to enter the mixing zone. Movement of the lower paddle away from the shared sealing boundary allows cold air to enter a hot air inlet and admix with hot air to mix in the mixing zone to produce non-stratified air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2011
    Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Garrett Wade Hoehn
  • Patent number: 7950444
    Abstract: An automotive air conditioning system is disclosed. At the foot mode position of a rotary door 25, a gap T is formed along the door diameter between a circumferential end of a door surface 25c of the rotary door 25 and a seal rib 28 of a case 11. The flow path of a foot opening 22 communicates with a defroster opening 20 through the gap T. At the defroster mode position of the rotary door 25, on the other hand, the other circumferential end of the door surface 25c comes into contact with the seal rib 28 and closes the gap T, and the door surface 25c closes up the foot opening 22. Even upon slight rotation of the foot rotary door under the air pressure of the foot mode, therefore, the defroster blowout air amount and the foot blowout air amount are kept in a predetermined proportion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2011
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventor: Akira Masatsugu
  • Patent number: 7950443
    Abstract: Apparatus for supporting a heat exchanger such as a condenser of an air conditioning system on a vehicle, for pivotal movement between an operational position and a position angularly related to the operational position, for such purposes as inspection, cleaning, service and maintenance, the apparatus being configured for holding the heat exchanger in the operational position, and for guiding and controlling movement thereof to the tilted position, and holding the heat exchanger in the tilted position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2011
    Assignee: CNH America LLC
    Inventors: John T. Rasset, Jay M. Larson
  • Patent number: 7913752
    Abstract: A cooling system for a vacuum processing apparatus is provided with an internal heat conduction path for transfer of heat entering the subject body through the vacuum processing apparatus, a heat radiation path for radiation of the heat to an outside of the vacuum processing apparatus and a heat conduction path for regulation of quantity of heat transfer between the internal heat conduction path and the heat radiation path. Preferably, a heat pipe is applied to the internal heat conduction path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2011
    Assignee: Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masashi Ueda, Yoshimi Watabe, Shusaku Yamasaki, Kazuo Miyoshi, Hiroyuki Otsuka
  • Patent number: 7913746
    Abstract: An air conditioning arrangement for a work vehicle having a cabin includes: a hood disposed forwardly of the cabin; an air conditioning unit housed in the hood forwardly of the cabin; and a dashboard provided in a front portion in the cabin. The air conditioning unit includes a rear duct for delivering conditioned air rearward and a front duct having a portion for delivering conditioned air frontward. The front duct further has a portion extending rearward under the air conditioning unit. The dashboard includes an upper outlet, a defrost outlet and a lower outlet. Each of the upper outlet, the defrost outlet and the lower outlet is communicated with either one of the front duct and the rear duct.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2011
    Assignee: Kubota Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshimi Hirooka, Shoichiro Kawamura, Masaki Hayashi
  • Patent number: 7896062
    Abstract: A cooling system for a work vehicle is disclosed that includes first and second heat exchangers disposed one above the other to create two discrete flow paths. The upper heat exchanger is an engine water cooler and the lower heat exchanger may be an intercooler, an oil cooler or a refrigerant condenser. The lower heat exchanger is disposed forward of the upper heat exchanger. Additional heat exchangers may be positioned in front of the first and second heat exchangers to provide additional cooling. The first and second heat exchanger may be cross-flow heat exchangers conducting the fluid to be cooled laterally through the core of the heat exchanger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: CNH America LLC
    Inventors: William H. Adamson, Stephen M. Balcom, Daniel A. Morey, Daniel M. Ruedinger
  • Patent number: 7891409
    Abstract: Noise occurring in an upright air-conditioning unit is greatly reduced. An upright air-conditioning unit 1 is disposed under a steering member support part 23, a vent opening 15 and a vent outlet port 20 are made to communicate with each other via a vent duct 25, a defrost opening 16 and a defrost outlet port 21 are made to communicate with each other via a defrost duct 26. The vent opening 15 assumes a position further frontward than the steering member support part 23 along the frontward/rearward direction relative to the vehicle body whereas the defrost opening 16 assumes a position further rearward than the steering member support part 23 along the frontward/rearward direction relative to the vehicle body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2011
    Assignee: Valeo Thermal Systems Japan Corporation
    Inventors: Daisuke Araki, Hiroshi Tsuzuki, Yoshihiro Sekiya, Keisuke Hara
  • Patent number: 7886816
    Abstract: A method for cooling a semiconductor including passive cooling including transferring heat via passive cooling components; active cooling including transferring heat via active cooling components; and controlling the active cooling based on temperature of the semiconductor. A cooling system for a semiconductor including: a passive component in thermal contact with the semiconductor; an active cooling component in thermal contact with the semiconductor; and a controller controlling the active cooling component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2011
    Assignee: Oracle America, Inc.
    Inventor: Chien Ouyang
  • Patent number: 7878236
    Abstract: In an HVAC system in which ambient air is supplied by the system to a building through an ambient air intake airstream and is exhausted from the building through an exhaust airstream energy is conserved by transferring heat between the intake airstream and the exhaust airstream. A heat exchange fluid is circulated between heat exchangers located in the intake airstream and in the exhaust airstream. An air turbine is placed in the exhaust airstream for being driven by the exhaust airstream, and the air turbine is coupled with a pump arranged to circulate the heat exchange fluid between the heat exchangers such that upon being driven by the exhaust airstream, the air turbine, in turn, drives the pump to circulate the heat exchange fluid between the heat exchangers and thereby effects the transfer of heat from one to the other of the intake airstream and the exhaust airstream and a concomitant conservation of energy in the HVAC system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Inventor: Joseph G. Breen
  • Patent number: 7878233
    Abstract: An air-to-air aftercooler may include at least one tube body configured to direct a flow of charged air, wherein the at least one tube body includes a first material. The air-to-air aftercooler may also include a header assembly coupled to ends of the at least one tube body. The header assembly may include a second different material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc
    Inventors: Kent C. Bates, Jiubo Ma, Rishabh Sinha
  • Patent number: 7870893
    Abstract: A cooling device includes a base having cells. A pipe is coupled to the base for each of the cells. The pipes include passages that carry fluid toward the cell and away from the cell. A magnetohydrodynamic pump system coupled to the pipe circulates an electrically conductive cooling fluid within the passages and the cell. An orifice may emits jets of fluid into the cells. A controller coupled to the cooling device may independently control flow rates in two or more cells of the cooling device. The controller may receive information from the temperature sensors on the base of the cooling device for use in controlling the flow rates in the cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2011
    Assignee: Oracle America, Inc.
    Inventors: Chien Ouyang, Kenneth C. Gross
  • Patent number: 7870892
    Abstract: The present invention provides a system for controlling the climate of a hybrid vehicle. The system includes a thermoelectric module, a heat exchanger, a pump, and a valve. The thermoelectric module includes thermoelectric elements powered by electric energy. The thermoelectric elements emit or absorb heat energy based on the polarity of the electrical energy provided. A tube containing coolant runs proximate the thermoelectric elements. To aid in the transfer of heat energy, a blower is provided to generate an air flow across the thermoelectric elements and the tube. The coolant is provided from the thermoelectric module to a heat exchanger that heats or cools the air flow provided to the cabin of the vehicle. The pump and valve are in fluid communication with the heat exchanger and thermoelectric module. The pump pressurizes the coolant flow through the tube and coolant lines. In a cooling mode, the valve is configured to selectively bypass the engine coolant system of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2011
    Assignee: BSST LLC
    Inventor: Peter R. Gawthrop
  • Patent number: 7866043
    Abstract: A method of flatting evaporating section of a heat pipe embedded in a heat dissipation device includes the following steps: (a) providing at least a heat pipe and a base of the heat dissipation device to be thermally connected with the heat pipe, the base defining at least a groove for embedding the heat pipe therein; (b) positioning an evaporating section of the heat pipe on the groove of the base; (c) pressing the evaporating section of the heat pipe to embed the evaporating section into the groove of the base with a partial uneven surface of the evaporating section protruding out of the base; (d) flatting the protruded uneven surface of the evaporating section by polishing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2011
    Assignees: Golden Sun News Techniques Co., Ltd., CPUMATE Inc.
    Inventors: Kuo-Len Lin, Wen-Jung Liu, Chih-Hung Cheng, Ken Hsu
  • Patent number: 7866378
    Abstract: A double-wall pipe includes an outer pipe, and an inner pipe disposed inside the outer pipe. An outer wall of the inner pipe has thereon a ridge portion, which defines a groove portion extending in a longitudinal direction of the inner pipe. The outer pipe and the inner pipe are bent to have a straight portion extending straightly, and a bend portion bent from the straight portion. In the straight portion, the outer pipe has an inside diameter that is larger than an outside diameter of an imaginary cylinder defined by an outer surface of the ridge portion of the inner pipe. Furthermore, the ridge portion of the inner pipe contacts an inside surface of the outer pipe to be readially squeezed and held by the outer pipe, in the bend portion. The double-wall pipe can be suitably used for a refrigerant cycle device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2011
    Assignees: Denso Corporation, Denso Airs Corporation
    Inventors: Fumiaki Nakamura, Yoshiaki Takano, Shun Kurata, Takahisa Suzuki, Takashi Ono, Hiroki Naganawa, Kinji Ochiai, Hiroki Ohara