Patents Examined by Bryan Lettman
  • Fan
    Patent number: 9670932
    Abstract: In a fan, a housing includes decreased thickness portions and increased thickness portions arranged alternately in a circumferential direction. A distance between a central axis and an edge increases from an air inlet toward an air outlet. An inner circumferential surface has a minimum radius smaller than a distance between the central axis and an outermost portion of the edge. At a boundary between upper and lower housing portions of the housing, the inner circumferential surface has a radius greater than the distance between the central axis and the outermost portion of the edge. The increased thickness portions include component fastening structures defining a fastening structure arranged to fit the upper and lower housing portions to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: NIDEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenji Iwamoto, Tomotsugu Sugiyama, Yoshiaki Oguma, Yasuyuki Kaji
  • Variable displacement pump
    Patent number: 9670925
    Abstract: A variable displacement pump includes: an urging mechanism which includes two spring members; an electromagnetic switching valve which is arranged to connect the second control chamber and the discharge portion in an energized state, and to connect the second control chamber and the low pressure chamber in a deenergized state; and a control valve which is actuated by the pressure of the discharge portion, and which is arranged to decrease the pressure within the second control chamber when the pressure of the discharge portion becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Yasushi Watanabe, Atsushi Naganuma
  • Solar fan
    Patent number: 9657742
    Abstract: A solar fan has a solar panel deposited inside a transparent protective plate that is positioned at a surface of a casing, so that solar energy can be converted into electricity that is then transmitted to a solar cell in the casing for storage. The solar fan has two blade sets that can be angularly adjusted with respect to a case of the casing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: SPEEDTECH ENERGY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Ko-Chien Chu
  • Compressor having biased controlled magnetic bearings
    Patent number: 9660499
    Abstract: A stator is provided which exerts a combined electromagnetic force of a plurality of electromagnets on a drive shaft having a fluctuating load. A controller is provided which controls a current difference between a first coil current passed through a coil of the electromagnet generating an electromagnetic force in a direction opposite to that of the load and a second coil current passed through a coil of the electromagnet generating an electromagnetic force in the same direction as that of the load to perform a position control on the drive shaft. The controller adjusts the second coil current to reduce an average value of the second coil current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: Daikin Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Atsushi Sakawaki, Yuji Nakazawa, Yusuke Irino, Naoya Yamashita
  • Control valve for a variable displacement compressor
    Patent number: 9651037
    Abstract: A control valve according to an embodiment includes a body having a valve hole and a guiding passage formed coaxially with the valve hole, an actuating rod, slidably supported along the guiding passage, which is provided with a valve element, a solenoid for applying the solenoidal force in an opening or closing direction of a valve section to the valve element via the actuating rod, and a seal section, provided between the actuating rod and the guiding passage, which houses a sealing member for restricting the leakage of refrigerant from a high pressure side to a low pressure side. The actuating rod and the guiding passage are configured such that the clearance, between the actuating rod and the guiding passage, which is at a higher-pressure side of the seal section is larger than the clearance which is at a lower-pressure side of the seal section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: TGK Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hidekazu Sakakibara, Takashi Kobayashi, Michiyoshi Miyazaki, Kotaka Tamotsu, Satoshi Shimazaki
  • Hydraulic control system for a reverse osmosis hydraulic pump
    Patent number: 9638179
    Abstract: A liquid pumping system comprises a plurality of liquid pumps and a hydraulic drive unit. Each liquid pump is driven by a separate hydraulic cylinder. The hydraulic cylinders are powered by a shared hydraulic pump through a valve set. A valve set controller is configured to operate the valve set. A liquid pumping process comprises distributing an initial flow of pressurized hydraulic fluid between the hydraulic cylinders. The hydraulic cylinders move through a cycle in a phased relationship to provide a constant sum of flow rates from the liquid pumps. A membrane filtration system combines the liquid pumping system with a membrane unit. In a water treating process, feed water is pumped through the membrane unit. Brine from the membrane unit is returned to each liquid pump while that liquid pump is feeding water to the membrane unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Shyam Sivaramakrishnan, Todd Alan Anderson, Matthew David D'Artenay, Robert Bruce Kingsley
  • Air compressor having mechanical govenor with engine speed relief
    Patent number: 9638184
    Abstract: An air compression apparatus includes an air tank, an air compressor, and a governor. The air compressor delivers compressed air to the air tank by using power of an engine at the time of load running and stops the delivery of the compressed air to the air tank at the time of no-load running. The governor switches between the load running and the no-load running of the air compressor. Furthermore, the governor changes, when an engine speed is equal to or more than a threshold value, switchover timing for switching the air compressor from the no-load running to the load running in comparison with a time when the engine speed is less than the threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: UD TRUCKS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Atsushi Ichihara
  • Shaftless turbocharger
    Patent number: 9638198
    Abstract: A product for use with a turbocharger is disclosed. The product may include a housing with an opening extending through at least part of the housing. An outer bearing race may be positioned in the opening. An inner bearing race may be rotatably positioned in the outer bearing race. A turbine wheel may be fixed to one end of the inner bearing race. A compressor wheel may be fixed to another end of the inner bearing race. The inner bearing race may be comprised of one, two, or more race sections. The turbine wheel may be connected to the compressor wheel only through the inner bearing race or race sections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: BorgWarner Inc.
    Inventor: John David Norton
  • Determination of a fluid loss of a piston pump based on evacuation time variation
    Patent number: 9631618
    Abstract: A device for determining a leakage of fluid in a piston pump, wherein the piston pump comprises a piston arranged in such a manner that it can reciprocate in a piston chamber for delivering fluid, wherein the device comprises a control unit for controlling the piston in such a manner that the piston executes two piston chamber evacuation processes with different evacuation times, in each case for at least partial evacuating of fluid located in the piston chamber, and a determination unit for determining the leakage based on a comparison of fluid quantities evacuated from the piston chamber in the two piston chamber evacuation processes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Konstantin Shoykhet, Klaus Witt
  • Axial turbine with statorless inlet formed by meridionally divided turbine housing and heat shroud
    Patent number: 9631625
    Abstract: A statorless axial turbine for a turbocharger has a turbine housing assembly defining a meridionally divided scroll extending circumferentially and surrounding the turbine wheel, the meridionally divided scroll defining a first scroll extending substantially fully about the turbine wheel and a separate second scroll extending substantially fully about the turbine wheel. The turbine housing assembly defines a separate inlet for each of the first and second scrolls through which a separate exhaust gas stream is received, and separate first and second outlets for each of the first and second scrolls, respectively, through which the respective exhaust gas streams are fed into an inlet side of the turbine wheel generally in an axial direction of the turbine wheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Vit Houst, Vaclav Kares
  • Air cooling system for a turbocharger driven generator
    Patent number: 9624934
    Abstract: A turbocharger arrangement comprises a turbocharger and a generator. The turbocharger comprises a turbine having a turbine wheel and a compressor having a compressor wheel. The turbine wheel and the compressor wheel are mounted to a shaft, the shaft being supported by a bearing assembly located in a bearing housing between the turbine and the compressor, such that the shaft may rotate about an axis; The compressor wheel is between the generator and the bearing assembly; and an inducer portion of the compressor wheel is between an exducer portion of the compressor wheel and the bearing assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: Cummins Ltd.
    Inventor: John F Parker
  • Nozzle for bladeless fan assembly with heater
    Patent number: 9599368
    Abstract: A bladeless fan assembly for creating an air current includes a nozzle mounted on a base housing a device for creating an air flow. The nozzle includes an interior passage for receiving the air flow and a mouth for emitting the air flow. The nozzle defines, and extends about, an opening through which air from outside the fan assembly is drawn by the air flow emitted from the mouth. The nozzle also includes a heater for heating the air flow upstream of the mouth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2017
    Assignee: Dyson Technology Limited
    Inventors: Nicholas Gerald Fitton, John Scott Sutton, Peter David Gammack, James Dyson, John David Wallace, Arran George Smith
  • Double-headed piston type swash plate compressor
    Patent number: 9581149
    Abstract: A double-headed piston type swash plate compressor includes a swash plate, a double-headed piston, a control pressure chamber, a discharge pressure region, a suction pressure region, a supplying passage, which extends from the discharge pressure region to the control pressure chamber, a narrowing portion, which narrows an opening degree of the supplying passage, and a displacement control valve. The displacement control valve controls a pressure in the control pressure chamber. The displacement control valve includes a driving force transmission rod, a valve chamber, a guide wall, and a back pressure chamber. The back pressure chamber is in communication with the valve chamber through a clearance between the guide wall and the driving force transmission rod. The narrowing portion has a passage cross-sectional area that is larger than a passage cross-sectional area of the clearance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOYOTA JIDOSHOKKI
    Inventors: Masaki Ota, Shinya Yamamoto, Takahiro Suzuki, Kei Nishii, Yusuke Yamazaki, Kazunari Honda
  • Submersible electric pump having a shaft with spaced apart shoulders
    Patent number: 9581158
    Abstract: A submersible electric pump includes a housing adapted to be submerged within a fluid to be pumped having apertures extending therethrough. An electric motor stator is positioned within the housing in communication with the apertures and is adapted to be in contact with the fluid. Inner and outer pump rotors are positioned within the housing in meshed engagement with one another to pump fluid when rotated. A plurality of permanent magnets are fixed for rotation with the outer rotor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: Magna Powertrain Inc.
    Inventors: Gil Hadar, Andy Bennett
  • Cooling passages for turbine buckets of a gas turbine engine
    Patent number: 9567859
    Abstract: A turbine bucket may include a platform, an airfoil extending radially from the platform, and a number of cooling passages defined within the airfoil and near an outer surface of the airfoil. Each of the cooling passages may include a radially inner portion having a first cross-sectional area and at least one radially outer portion having a second cross-sectional area, wherein the first cross-sectional area may be greater than the second cross-sectional area. A method of cooling a turbine bucket used in a gas turbine engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Benjamin Paul Lacy
  • Leak detector for a persitaltic pump
    Patent number: 9562528
    Abstract: A peristaltic pump is provided comprising a drive unit, a pumphead comprising a pressing element. The pumphead is connectable to the drive unit such that, when connected, the pressing element is driveable by the drive unit to exert a peristaltic action on a tube arranged within the pumphead. The pumphead further comprises an optical sensor, wherein the optical sensor comprises an emitter and a receiver which are mounted on the drive unit and a reflector element mounted on the pumphead. The reflector element is arranged on the pumphead such that when the pumphead is connected to the drive unit, radiation emitted by the emitter is reflected by the reflector element towards the receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2017
    Assignee: Watson-Marlow Limited
    Inventor: Oliver Warren
  • Tube roller pump with auto-orientable and auto-lockable rotor and medical device for extracorporeal blood treatment with tube roller pump
    Patent number: 9562529
    Abstract: Tube roller pumps for blood treatment devices are disclosed. The pumps include a curved surface with a rotor rotatable therein. The rotor attaches via a shaft reception to a drive shaft of the pump. The rotor has a first locking element for axially locking the rotor on the shaft and a second locking element for rotationally coupling the shaft and the rotor. The shaft reception and the drive shaft guide the rotor to a position on the shaft, when pushed onto the shaft, and, at this position, the first element may be moved by the shaft from locked to released. The rotor, when pushed further onto the shaft, is moved to another position at which the first element is automatically moved back to locked and the second element may be brought into manual engagement with the shaft to transmit torque from the shaft to the rotor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2017
    Assignee: B. Braun Avitum AG
    Inventor: Oliver Schaefer
  • Variable capacity compressor having a control valve with channels
    Patent number: 9551334
    Abstract: Provided is a control valve for a variable capacity compressor, the control valve including: a valve body including a crank-chamber port, a discharge port, a suction port, a control channel formed inside the control valve such that the crank-chamber port and the discharge port communicate with each other, and a first bleeding channel formed such that the crank-channel port and the suction port communicate with each other; an operating unit provided in the valve body and including a second bleeding channel communicated from a center area to a side surface of the operating unit; and a driving unit provided in the valve body and connected to the operating unit to enable the operating unit to reciprocally move according to a current applied by an external source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignees: DOOWON TECHNICAL COLLEGE, DOOWON ELECTRONICS CO., LTD
    Inventors: Yong Ju Lee, Geon Ho Lee
  • Pressure exchange device
    Patent number: 9546671
    Abstract: A pressure exchange device is equipped with a rotator, for which first flow paths through which a first fluid flows in and out and second flow paths through which a second fluid flows in and out are arranged around a shaft center so as to penetrate through in the direction of the rotation axis. The device includes a first lateral member with a first fluid inflow path, a second fluid outflow path, a second fluid inflow path, and a first fluid outflow path. The device also includes a second lateral member with communication sections that connect the first flow paths and the second flow paths and exchange pressure between the first fluid and the second fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Assignee: Kubota Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshifumi Hirosawa, Norihiro Teramoto, Akira Shouzaki, Kazuto Komatsu
  • System for pressuring the bearing chambers of turbine engines machines using air taken from the intake duct
    Patent number: 9540951
    Abstract: A system for pressurizing at least one chamber for lubricating bearings of a turbine engine, including a circuit for supplying the chamber with pressurized air, and a circuit for recovering oil mist formed in the chamber and for returning the mist to an oil tank of the turbine engine. The supply circuit supplies the chamber with air taken upstream from the low-pressure compressor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: SNECMA
    Inventors: Nelson Dos Santos, Dominik Igel, Serge Rene Morreale