Patents Examined by William M McCalister
  • Patent number: 11960308
    Abstract: An entire fluid supply line or an entire fluid controller constituted by a plurality of fluid control devices is precisely monitored. A fluid controller G accumulating and having a plurality of fluid control devices A. The fluid control devices A include an operation information acquisition mechanism acquiring an operation information in the fluid control devices, an identification information storage 71 storing a self-identification information, and a communication processing unit 72 transmitting the operation information acquired by the operation information acquisition mechanism to an external terminal with the self-identification information stored in the identification information storage 71 at different timings for each of the fluid control devices A.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: Fujikin, Incorporated
    Inventors: Ryutaro Tanno, Tsutomu Shinohara, Yuya Suzuki, Hidenori Kiso
  • Patent number: 11953924
    Abstract: In order to prevent unnatural behavior of a calculated flow rate, provided is a fluid control device in which a fluid control valve and upstream and downstream pressure sensors are provided on a flow path. The device includes a calculation unit configured to calculate a flow rate based on measured pressures; and an output unit configured to output the calculated flow rate, and exhibit a zero output function of outputting a zero value regardless of the calculated flow rate when the valve is in a closed state. The device is further configured to switch between execution and stop of the zero output function, and when the valve is in an open state and a difference between the measured pressures of the pressure sensors is larger than a threshold, stop the zero output function and cause the flow rate output unit to output the calculated flow rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: HORIBA STEC, Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sota Matsumoto, Kentaro Nagai, Yosuke Hisamori, Kazuhiro Matsuura
  • Patent number: 11946550
    Abstract: An overpressure protective device for passively blocking flow of gas at a selected pressure setpoint includes a valve, a valve stem, and vacuum-filled bellows coupled to the valve stem. The vacuum-filled bellows are configured such that expansion and/or contraction of the bellows as a result of pressure changes present at the valve are harnessed to passively move the valve stem to operate the valve and block pressures higher than a preconfigured pressure setpoint. If the process pressure drops below the pressure setpoint, the overpressure protective device operates the valve to again permit flow of pressurized gas through the valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Weed Instrument Company, Inc.
    Inventor: Taylor M. Campbell
  • Patent number: 11946602
    Abstract: In some configurations, a supply-chain characteristic-vectors merchandising system and a method for an environmental characteristic-vectors of a gas communicating from an upstream amenity to a downstream amenity in a supply-chain may be disclosed. The system may be configured to track oil and/or gas throughout the supply-chain by associating characteristic-vectors (e.g., environmental, operational, physical etc.) of the upstream amenity and the downstream amenity with the energy units of the gas transmitted through the supply-chain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: PROJECT CANARY, PBC
    Inventors: William J. Foiles, Ryan E. Brush, Nathan C. Eichenlaub, Kieran J. Lynn
  • Patent number: 11946559
    Abstract: A vessel pressure regulating system with a multidirectional control valve device includes: a pressure source; the multidirectional control valve device, which includes a housing, an actuation unit, and a working element, the housing having an interior space, an input port, and an output port, the input port being in communication with the pressure source, the actuation unit having a stationary portion and a driving portion, and the working element being controlled by the driving portion in order to open or close the output port; a vessel in communication with the output port; and a control unit for controlling the operation of the pressure source and of the driving portion. The vessel pressure regulating system enables a safety airbag of a vehicle or a similar device in a chair, bed, or the like to function effectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: KOGE MICRO TECH CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Chih Chang, Po-Yuan Liao
  • Patent number: 11939210
    Abstract: Systems operable to blend at least one finished gasoline from a refined petroleum product comprising at least one neat gasoline with ethanol and optionally butane utilizing a blend model that calculates a volumetric blend ratio comprising at least one neat gasoline, ethanol and optionally, butane. The blend model incorporates estimated values for the octane number and the volatility of the ethanol and butane when calculating the volumetric blend ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Phillips 66 Company
    Inventors: James C. Moynihan, Paul M. Ryder, Robert L. Schnefke
  • Patent number: 11940819
    Abstract: Embodiments of fast gas exchange (FGE) manifolds are provided herein. In some embodiments, a FGE manifold includes: a manifold housing having a plurality of inlets and a plurality of outlets for flowing a plurality of process gases therethrough, wherein the plurality of outlets correspond with a plurality of zones in the process chamber; a plurality of hybrid valves disposed in the manifold housing and fluidly coupled to the plurality of inlets; a plurality of mass flow controllers disposed in the manifold housing downstream of the plurality of hybrid valves; a plurality of mixing lines extending downstream from the plurality of mass flow controllers to a plurality of outlet lines; and a plurality of outlet valves disposed in line with corresponding ones of the plurality of outlet lines, wherein a flow path is defined between each inlet of the plurality of inlets and each outlet of the plurality of outlets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Abhishek Chowdhury, Ravikumar Patil, Arun Chakravarthy Chakravarthy, Jon Christian Farr, Saravanan Chandrabalu, Prabhuraj Kuberan
  • Patent number: 11934208
    Abstract: A fire suppression system includes a water supply, a foam concentrate supply, and a venturi-principle foam proportioner fluidly coupled to each of the water supply and the foam concentrate supply. The venturi-principle foam proportioner controls a ratio of water and foam concentrate within a low pressure chamber to form a water and foam solution flowing out of the venturi-principle foam proportioner. The system also includes a variable foam concentrate orifice fluidly coupling the foam concentrate line to the low pressure chamber. The variable foam concentrate orifice includes an actuator configured to adjust an orifice area of the variable foam concentrate orifice based on a temperature of the foam concentrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Tyco Fire Products LP
    Inventor: James A. Engman
  • Patent number: 11933331
    Abstract: A control device controls movement of a valve body of a valve device and estimates a flow rate of the valve device; determines, on the basis of an input target flow rate value and the flow rate estimate, whether or not the flow of an operating fluid in the valve device is in a transient flow state; calculates an opening command on the basis of the target flow rate value and an upstream-downstream pressure difference of the valve device; and controls the movement of the valve body. When the control device determines that the flow is not in the transient flow state, it controls the movement of the valve body on the basis of the opening command, and when the control determines that the flow is in the transient flow state, it controls the movement of the valve body on the basis of the target flow rate value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomomichi Nose, Hayato Kawasaki, Hideyasu Muraoka, Nobuyuki Kinoshita
  • Patent number: 11934209
    Abstract: Certain embodiments provide a vacuum generation system with an override PID controller, a proportional valve, and a vacuum generator. The override PID controller allows the vacuum generation system to control the operating range of supply air pressure that is provided to the vacuum generator. By controlling the operating range of the supply air pressure, the vacuum generation system is able to avoid entering the decreasing or non-monotonic region of the vacuum generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Alcon Inc.
    Inventor: Brian T. Chiem
  • Patent number: 11913565
    Abstract: In an electric valve, an upper surface of a main body portion of a valve body, a cylindrical portion of the valve body, and a flange member form a groove in an annular recess shape. A stator unit includes a tubular portion that surrounds the groove. A sealing member is disposed in the groove and held between the cylindrical portion of the valve body and the tubular portion of the sealing member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: FUJIKOKI CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takeshi Hosoya, Yusuke Arai
  • Patent number: 11914408
    Abstract: In accordance with at least one aspect of this disclosure, a system for active flow control includes one or more flow control devices configured to control flow between a fluid source and a fluid destination, and a control module configured to control a flow area of each of the one or more flow control devices with fluid provided from the fluid source flowing to the fluid destination through the one or more flow control devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation
    Inventor: Matej Rutar
  • Patent number: 11914407
    Abstract: The flow rate control device 10 includes a control valve 11, a restriction part 12 provided downstream of the control valve 11, an upstream pressure sensor 13 for measuring a pressure P1 between the control valve 11 and the restriction part 12, a differential pressure sensor 20 for measuring a differential pressure ?P between the upstream and the downstream of the restriction part 12, and an arithmetic control circuit 16 connected to the control valve 11, the upstream pressure sensor 13, and the differential pressure sensor 20.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: FUJIKIN INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Kaoru Hirata, Keisuke Ideguchi, Shinya Ogawa, Katsuyuki Sugita, Masaaki Nagase, Kouji Nishino, Nobukazu Ikeda, Hiroyuki Ito
  • Patent number: 11906064
    Abstract: An electric valve can be further miniaturized while reducing the number of manufacturing man-hours. The electric valve contains: a motor including a stator member and a rotor member that displace a valve body, and a housing for accommodating the motor. The housing is formed by joining a heat generation portion formed of a first material to a heat receiving portion formed of a second material. The light transmittance in the first material is lower than the light transmittance in the second material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: FUJIKOKI CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tatsuya Yoshida, Yusuke Arai, Satoshi Uehara, Takeshi Hosoya
  • Patent number: 11906112
    Abstract: The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method for safety management of a compressor in a smart gas pipeline network and an Internet of Things system thereof. The method is implemented based on a smart gas safety management platform of an Internet of Things system for safety management of a compressor in a smart gas pipeline network. The method comprises: obtaining sound data and a target vibration feature of a gas compressor, and determining a target sound feature based on the sound data; obtaining gas data and device data, and determining a standard sound feature and a standard vibration feature based on the gas data and the device data; and predicting whether there is a safety hazard in the gas compressor based on the target vibration feature and the standard vibration feature, or based on the target sound feature and the standard sound feature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: CHENGDU QINCHUAN IOT TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD
    Inventors: Zehua Shao, Yong Li, Yuefei Wu, Bin Liu, Guanghua Huang
  • Patent number: 11906987
    Abstract: Methods, devices, and assemblies for controlling pressure in a supply grid are provided. The supply grid is suitable for supplying fluid to loads. The supply grid has first sensors for measuring the flow and/or the pressure of the fluid at first locations in the supply grid and a pump for pumping the fluid or a valve for controlling the flow of the fluid. The method includes: measuring the flow and/or pressure of the fluid at the first locations in the supply grid by the first sensors; predicting the pressure at the second location in the supply grid using a self-learning system based on the measured flows or pressures, wherein the self-learning system is trained to predict the pressure at a specified location in the supply grid; and actuating the pump or the valve at least also based on the pressure predicted by the trained system at the second location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Moritz Allmaras, Jan Christoph Wehrstedt, Utz Wever
  • Patent number: 11892084
    Abstract: A valve assembly for a dispenser. The valve assembly includes a valve body that extends about a longitudinal axis and defines an outer surface and an inner passageway. A valve stem extends through the inner passageway and includes an outer stem surface, an inner stem surface opposite the outer stem surface, and a first orifice extending from the outer stem surface to the inner stem surface. The valve assembly includes a retaining member joined to the second portion of the valve stem, wherein the retaining member extends outward from the outer stem surface. The retaining member includes a first retaining member surface, a second retaining member surface, and a void.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
    Inventors: David Andrew Dalton, Robert Earl Magness, John Boyet Stevens, Philip Andrew Sawin, Jennifer Elizabeth Hosmer
  • Patent number: 11892095
    Abstract: A valve device includes: a driving source making rotational motion; a rotated part provided rotatably around a predetermined axis; and a fluid passage portion having a flow hole for passing a fluid. The valve device further includes: a gear mechanism having gears to transmit rotational motion of the driving source to the rotated part by engagement between the gears to rotate the rotated part; and a biasing part biasing the rotated part toward one side in a circumferential direction with the predetermined axis at the center. The rotated part includes a rotor increasing or reducing an opening of the flow hole in conjunction with rotation of the rotated part and is rotated according to rotational motion of the driving source while being biased toward the one side in the circumferential direction by the biasing part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takuya Hamada, Hiroki Shimada, Akira Higuchi, Takehito Mizunuma, Syota Kimura, Ryou Sano
  • Patent number: 11882981
    Abstract: An operating assembly for use with a sink or bathtub having at least one fluid-holding basin and a basin drain includes an actuator and a housing. The housing includes a plug structure at, or near, a bottom portion of the housing for selectively blocking the basin drain and a drain valve comprising an inlet adjacent a bottom portion of the housing controlled by the actuator to be in an open position or a closed position. The inlet of the drain valve is provided on a first side of the housing, and the outlet of the drain valve is provided on a second side of the housing opposite the first side and directs fluid into the plug structure. The plug structure mates with the basin drain to prevent fluid in the basin from escaping into the drain other than through the drain valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: Sink Tech, LLC
    Inventor: Declan Morgan
  • Patent number: 11880213
    Abstract: A substrate liquid processing apparatus includes: at least one liquid pipe through which a processing liquid flows; a discharge nozzle configured to discharge the processing liquid supplied via the at least one liquid pipe; a valve mechanism configured to regulate a flow of the processing liquid in the at least one liquid pipe; and a liquid detection sensor configured to detect presence or absence of the processing liquid in the at least one liquid pipe, wherein in a state in which the valve mechanism is operating so that the processing liquid in the at least one liquid pipe is located at an upstream of a first pipe measurement site of the at least one liquid pipe, the liquid detection sensor detects the presence or absence of the processing liquid at the first pipe measurement site located at a first measurement point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Mikio Nakashima, Akinori Tanaka, Nobuhiro Ogata, Isamu Miyamoto