Patents Examined by Thach H. Bui
  • Patent number: 6793161
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to obtain a consistently stable needle lift damping effect in an injector 8b for fuel injection. In an injector 8b that relieves fuel pressure inside a pressure control chamber 37 and lifts a needle valve 36, there are provided a damper member 62 that is slidably mounted to the needle valve 36, a damping chamber 63 formed between the damper member 62 and the needle valve 36, a leak passage 64 for extracting and leaking out the fuel in the damping chamber 63, and a stopper member 41 to restrict the lift position of the damper member 62. Damping of the lift of the needle valve 36 is carried out by extracting and leaking out the fuel in the damping chamber 63 through the leak passage 64. The needle valve 36 functions as a guide for the damper member 62, and prevents vibration of the damper member 62, allowing a consistently stable damping effect to be obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2004
    Assignees: Isuzu Motors Limited, Delphi Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Mahoro Fujita, Hermann Breitbach, Terukazu Nishimura, Akihiko Minato, Shigehisa Takase
  • Patent number: 6793158
    Abstract: A fuel injector has a fuel inlet, and a metering valve which is activated by an electromagnetic actuator to open and close an injection nozzle; the metering valve has a control chamber communicating with the inlet and defined by an end wall, in which is formed an outlet hole closed by a shutter moved along an axis by the actuator; the end wall and the shutter are defined by respective parallel, facing surfaces which rest against each other to compress the film of fuel issuing from the hole during closure by the shutter, and which have channeling formed about the hole to generate, in use, a counterpressure for the outflowing fuel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2004
    Assignee: C.R.F. Societa Consortile Per Azioni
    Inventor: Mario Ricco
  • Patent number: 6793149
    Abstract: An atomizer 10 atomizes a multi-component liquid from a reservoir 20 into a cloud 14 comprising small droplets 38 which are ejected into the atmosphere to a certain height and allowed to fall toward a surface 12. Essentially complete evaporation is assured by maintaining the size of the droplets, the liquid's component vapor pressures and the height through which the droplets fall according to a predetermined relationship. Also, the suitability of a liquid for evaporation in a vibrating plate atomizer is determined by measuring the rate of size decrease and the surface tension of a pendant drop of the liquid after a predetermined amount of the liquid has evaporated from the drop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2004
    Assignee: S. C. Johnson & Son, Inc.
    Inventors: Heather R. Schramm, Edward J. Martens, III, Susan M. Clausen, Padma P. Varanasi, Jesse Ben Crandall
  • Patent number: 6783083
    Abstract: A fluid spraying apparatus (10) comprising a generally cylindrical body defining a longitudinal axis, which body comprises: a first fixed part (12) comprising inlet means (16) adapted for connection to a pumped supply of fluid, and turbine means (40, 42, 44) arranged to be driven by said fluid; and a second rotatable part (14) comprising gear means (46-60), and one or more nozzles (82) in fluid communication with the turbine means for outletting the fluid as one or more jets, which nozzles extend radially of the longitudinal axis, which rotatable part is drivable by the turbine means through said gear means such that said nozzles are caused to rotate about said longitudinal axis; characterized in that none of the nozzles extends radially of the longitudinal axis further than the body. The apparatus is adapted to operate at a working pressure of 4-8 bar to provide a flow-rate of 400-700 m3/hr, and is thus suitable for use with low pressure pumps of the kind often found at oil refineries.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2004
    Assignee: Onyx UK Limited
    Inventor: Dennis Barker
  • Patent number: 6776362
    Abstract: An electrostatic painting device in which spray coating may be carried out by keeping a spray distance of the electrostatic painting machine within an optimum distance range to provide good coating efficiency and to prevent a coating worker from extending unconsciously out of the optimum distance range. The electrostatic painting device includes an electrostatic spray gun (2) provided with a high voltage generation part (201) for supplying high voltage to an atomized painting material, a detection device (107) for detecting load current I which varies depending on a change of the spray distance L between the electrostatic spray gun (2) and an article (4) to be coated, a processing device (107) adapted to output an alarm signal when the detected load current falls below a threshold value, and an alarm (108) adapted to receive the alarming signal and provide an alarm indication.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2004
    Assignee: Anest Iwata Corporation
    Inventors: Akira Kawamoto, Takuya Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 6772845
    Abstract: The invention comprises a detector arrangement adjustable for inclusion in a preventive protective system for a process plant comprising at least two sensor units (10, 10′), a unit (16a, 16b) for evaluating the output signal of each sensor unit and a calculation unit (17) capable of co-operating with the evaluating units (16a, 16b), the output signals of which calculation unit can cause an activating unit (18) to pass from a first position to a second position. One or more of a first category of sensor units (10) is designed, via its circuit (16a) for evaluating output signals, to be able to determine the energy content of a particle present. One or more of a second category of sensor units (10′) is designed, via its circuit (16b) for evaluating output signals, to be able to determine the fire tendency or tendency to some other damage of the particle surroundings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2004
    Assignee: Firefly AB
    Inventor: Lennart Karl Erik Jansson
  • Patent number: 6769637
    Abstract: Electromagnetic coil parts 25 and wiring 26 for connection to the electromagnetic coil parts 25 are installed inside injector electric block body 20 in which injector main body housing holes 21h are made in accordance with injector mounting holes Eh of the engine body E side, and injector main bodies 30 having valve parts 35 are inserted into the injector main body housing holes 21h, whereby the valve parts 35 are driven to open and close by means of exciting and non-exciting operation of the electromagnetic coil parts 25. Further, an ignition coil device module is provided with ignition coil devices 102 provided corresponding to a plurality of combustion chambers of an engine, respectively, wherein connection surface base portions at which connecting terminals are exposed are provided on one-side surface of each ignition coil device 102.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2004
    Assignees: Autonetworks Technologies, Ltd., Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd., Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazushige Nakamura, Isao Isshiki, Takao Nozaki, Fumiyoshi Tanigawa
  • Patent number: 6769492
    Abstract: A fire extinguisher includes a compressed gas generator for fighting fires and nascent explosions, and has two bursting membranes with predetermined breaking points for closing the fire extinguishing material container. The predetermined breaking points of the bursting membranes are designed with differences in resistance in order to achieve a time delay between the breaking occurrences of the two predetermined breaking points. This time delay ensures a non-deformed and rotationally symmetrical expulsion of the fire extinguishing material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2004
    Assignee: Bayern-Chemie GmbH
    Inventors: Karl Bauer, Joachim Sans, Steffen Schilling
  • Patent number: 6769630
    Abstract: A headlight washer device is equipped with a nozzle support, which can be adjusted in its cleaning position through an opening in the autobody. A cap for closing the opening is connected via elastic elements with the nozzle support in such a way that the cap aligns autonomously along the edge of the body opening during the retracting movement of the nozzle support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2004
    Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Alfred Leipziger
  • Patent number: 6766864
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a device for distributing liquid media, in particular extinguishing fluids. The aim of the invention is to provide a method and a device of the aforementioned type which can be used to produce a fine mist of small droplets and a jet spray of large droplets at separate moments, at approximately the same operating pressure of the extinguishing fluid, depending on the outbreak and the development of the fire, whilst at the same time minimising water consumption, reducing water damage caused during a fire and increasing cost-effectiveness, by creating a modular system which can be universally installed. To achieve this, the intensity of the vortex and the proportion of fine or large droplets in the spray cone is adjusted by regulating the quantity and speed of the flow during the distribution of the extinguishing fluid in at least two sub-streams and by combining said sub-streams with at least one additional sub-stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2004
    Inventors: Torsten Clauss, Andreas Schmidt, Wassili Jansen
  • Patent number: 6766968
    Abstract: A fuel injector for fuel injection systems in internal combustion engines, including an actuator, a valve needle operable by the actuator for operating a valve-closure member, which, together with a valve-seat surface forms a sealing seat and a swirl device including at least one swirl channel, through which fuel flows with a tangential component relative to a longitudinal axis of the fuel injector. The axial position of a plunger element determines a cross-section of at least one bypass channel that bypasses the at least one swirl channel without a tangential component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2004
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Franz Rieger, Thomas Ludwig, Hans Schlembach, Gottlob Haag, Ulrich Brenner, Michael Huebel, Juergen Stein, Udo Sieber
  • Patent number: 6758416
    Abstract: An electromechanical fuel injector for an internal combustion engine. The fuel injector includes a pump unit and a control valve assembly in communication with the pump unit. The control valve assembly including a body and a stator. The fuel injector also includes a stator nut cooperable with the valve body to secure the stator to the valve body and at least one expansion tank to accumulate pressure created by the pump unit. The fuel injector may also include a spacer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2004
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Thomas Earhart, Mike Van Allsburg
  • Patent number: 6758419
    Abstract: A fuel injector for fuel injection system of an internal combustion engine includes a solenoid coil, an armature acted upon in a closing direction by a return spring, and a valve-closure member frictionally connected to the armature. The valve-closure member, together with a valve-seat surface, forms a sealing seat, the armature striking with an armature stop face against a magnetic-pole surface of a magnet body. The armature stop face includes a first annular, inner edge zone that adjoins an inner edge and is inclined inwardly with respect to a plane perpendicular to longitudinal axis of the armature, and has a second annular, outside edge zone that adjoins an outer edge and is inclined outwardly with respect to a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the armature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2004
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Fevzi Yildirim, Michael Huebel, Christian Doering, Juergen Stein
  • Patent number: 6755353
    Abstract: A fuel injector comprises a body having a longitudinal axis, a length-changing solid state actuator that has first and second ends, a closure member coupled to the first end of the solid state actuator, and a compensator assembly coupled the second end of the solid state actuator. The solid state actuator includes a plurality of solid state elements along the axis between the first and second ends. The closure member is movable between a first configuration permitting fuel injection and a second configuration preventing fuel injection. And the compensator assembly axially positions the solid state actuator with respect to the body in response to temperature variation. The compensator assembly utilizes a configuration of at least one spring disposed between two pistons so as to reduce the use of elastomer seals to thereby reduce a slip stick effect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2004
    Assignee: Siemens Automotive Corporation
    Inventors: Jack Lorraine, Andreas Kappel, Enrico Ulivieri, Bernhard Gottlieb, Bernhard Fischer
  • Patent number: 6755362
    Abstract: An irrigation system for conveying a fluid is provided. The irrigation system comprises a first irrigator span having a first end and extending to a distal end. A first drive system moves the first irrigator span. A second irrigator span extends from the distal end of the first irrigator span. A second drive system moves the second irrigator span. An alignment mechanism interconnects the first irrigator span and the second irrigator span to maintain alignment between the first and second irrigator spans within a predetermined limit. One of the drive systems is variable speed and the alignment mechanism includes a potentiometer for measuring the magnitude of misalignment between the first and second irrigator spans. The potentiometer is used to vary the speed of one of the drive systems to realign the first and second irrigator spans to maintain the predetermined limit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2004
    Inventors: Neal Krieger, Doug Honsinger, Leonard Walther, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6755347
    Abstract: A method for adjusting the flow quantity in a fuel injector, that has an excitable actuation element, a valve-closure member that can be moved axially along a valve longitudinal axis, the valve-closure member, for the purpose of opening and closing the valve, cooperating with a fixed valve seat that is configured on a valve seat element, and a multilayer, or multiple-disk, perforated disk that is arranged downstream of the valve seat, is characterized by the fact that, in a first method step, the discharged fuel quantity of the opened fuel injector is measured and, in a second method step, a lower base layer of the perforated disk is deformed in the direction of the valve seat into a vacant flow-cross-section of the layer situated on top of it and, as a result, the vacant flow-cross-section within the perforated disk is changed until the actual quantity discharged corresponds to the predetermined setpoint quantity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2004
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventor: Dieter Holz
  • Patent number: 6755355
    Abstract: A coal gasification nozzle is disclosed having a barrier, integral with the face of the injector, that fits into a groove of a heat shield attached to the nozzle face. The barrier prevents oxidative corrosion of the shield, and subsequent damage to the underlying face of the feed injector, by preventing diffusion of corrosive species to the threaded ring by which the heat shield is attached to the face of the nozzle. The life of the injector, and thus the length of any single gasification campaign, is thereby extended.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2004
    Assignee: Eastman Chemical Company
    Inventor: Gary Scott Whittaker
  • Patent number: 6752324
    Abstract: An injector, actuated by a piezoelectric actuator with a hydraulic booster, for a fuel injection system for internal combustion engines is disclosed, in which the pressure booster is always hydraulically prestressed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2004
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventor: Patrick Mattes
  • Patent number: 6752323
    Abstract: A hot melt high temperature material application system with application device pressure monitoring and heated recirculating manifold uses high temperature pressure transducers with each application device such as spray guns to monitor hot melt material application. A material supply line fitting has a calibrated orifice at the interface with a device manifold associated with each application device. In another embodiment, the calibrated orifice is located in a fluid passageway of the device manifold. The calibrated orifice corresponds in size to the opening of a nozzle of the application device. Heated recirculating manifolds are combined with hot melt material supply systems to provide uniform pressure to multiple application devices, and to recirculate material back through the supply system. Each recirculating manifold includes a heater, pressure regulator, and a recirculation path. The manifolds may be directly or remotely connected to one or more hot melt material supply systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2004
    Assignee: Nordson Corporation
    Inventors: John P. Roos, Thomas A. Loparo, William L. Palmer, Joseph C. Waryu, Stephen P. Stewart, Charles F. Nagy, Lenzie L. Borders, John C. Dillon
  • Patent number: 6749128
    Abstract: A spray control device for use with vehicle mountable spraying apparatus having a pump for conveying fluid under pressure to a spray head. The control device has a pressure sensor for sensing the pressure of the fluid near the spray head. A speed sensor enables calculation of vehicle speed. An adjustment device adjusts the delivery of fluid to the spray head. A microprocessor is programmed to calculate from information derived from the pressure sensor and speed sensor spray application rate. The microprocessor compares the application rate with a stored target application rate to thereby cause the adjustment device to, if necessary, adjust the pump so that the pressure of fluid delivery achieves the target application rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2004
    Assignee: C-Dax Systems Limited
    Inventor: Michael Henry Aart Oosterman