Patents Examined by Kelsey Stanek
  • Patent number: 9689344
    Abstract: Multiple free-piston stirling-cycle machine modules are connected together in double-acting configurations that may be used as engines or heat pumps and scaled to any power level by varying the number of modules. Reciprocating piston assemblies oriented in balanced pairs reduce vibration forces. There are no buffer spaces. Linear motors or generators are packaged inside piston cavities entirely within the module working spaces. The external heat-accepting and heat-rejecting surfaces in one embodiment are directed along inward-facing and outward facing cylinders, and in another embodiment along parallel planes, simplifying thermal connections to the external heat source and sink.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Inventor: David Ray Gedeon
  • Patent number: 9689347
    Abstract: An engine for propelling vehicles on land, in the air and on the water. The engine is able to extract energy from a same fuel twice, including extracting a first amount of energy with a gas turbine and a second amount of energy by burning the fuel in a combustion engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Inventors: Charles A. Evans, Jr., Michael D. Strathman
  • Patent number: 9689292
    Abstract: Disclosed are an apparatus and a method for controlling a urea injection system of a diesel engine. The apparatus (200) comprises: an operation condition parameter acquiring module (201), a control quantity determining module (202) and a drive signal determining module (203), wherein the operation condition parameter acquiring module (201) is configured to acquire operation condition parameters related to the urea injection system, the control quantity determining module (202) is configured to determine a control quantity for controlling the urea injection system based on the operation condition parameters, a target value of urea pressure in a urea buffer chamber (107) and a control model designed based on a physical model of the urea injection system, and the drive signal determining module (203) is configured to determine a drive signal for a urea pump (103) drive motor (106) according to the determined control quantity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: Weichai Power Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Guangdi Hu, Shaojun Sun, Dehui Tong, Shenggang Guo, Yongliang Sun
  • Patent number: 9689368
    Abstract: A system for the generation of energy from the flow of water in a body of water is provided, the system comprising a support assembly extending across at least a portion of the body of water; a generator assembly mounted in the support assembly, the generator assembly comprising a first rotor assembly and a second rotor assembly, each rotor assembly comprising a vertical hub rotatable about a vertical axis and a plurality of vertical blades extending radially from the hub, the first and second rotor assemblies being arranged such that the volume swept by the blades of the first rotor assembly overlaps the volume swept by the blades of the second rotor assembly. The system may be used to generate energy, for example electricity. In addition, the system may be used to control the level of water on the upstream side of the installation, for example in the cases of flooding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventor: Hans P Hopper
  • Patent number: 9683514
    Abstract: A powering system includes an engine having a first side and an interface for providing heat to the first side of the engine. The interface includes a combustor having a combustion chamber positioned at least partially in an enclosure that receives a fuel and an oxidizer for combustion of the fuel and oxidizer into a combustion product. A conduit is connected to the combustion chamber for receiving the combustion product. A heat transfer fluid is positioned in the enclosure and engages an external surface of the combustion chamber and an external surface of the conduit within the enclosure. The heat transfer fluid is heated by the combustion product via the external surface of the combustion chamber and the external surface of the conduit such that the heat transfer fluid transfers heat to the first side of the engine. The heat transfer fluid may thereby decouples the engine from the combustor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventor: John David Herr
  • Patent number: 9677442
    Abstract: A concentration of sulfur components contained in fuel is determined, without adding any special sensor for determining the sulfur concentration of the fuel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiromasa Nishioka, Daichi Imai
  • Patent number: 9677537
    Abstract: A wind blade is provided that includes a primary blade body defining a leading edge and a trailing edge and further defining a pressure side and a suction side joining along the trailing edge. The wind blade also includes a secondary blade having an aerodynamic contour defining a first surface and a second surface and coupled with the primary blade body for the purpose of shielding noise. The secondary blade body is disposed proximate to at least a portion of the trailing edge on at least one of the pressure side and the suction side of the primary blade body and may also improve overall performance of the wind blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Lorenz Edwin Drack, Thierry Pascal Maeder, Gowri Jaganathan Sengundermudaliar, Karthickprabu Vijayakumar
  • Patent number: 9677449
    Abstract: In one aspect, a system for controlling the temperature of an exhaust reductant used within an exhaust treatment system of a work vehicle may generally include a tank having a plurality of walls defining an enclosed volume for containing the exhaust reductant. The tank may also include a threaded port defined through a first wall of the plurality of walls. The system may also include an electric heating device having a mounting portion and a heating element. The mounting portion may be configured to be screwed into the threaded port to couple to the electric heating device to the tank. In addition, the system may include a controller communicatively coupled to the electric heating device that is configured to control the operation of the electric heating device based on a temperature associated with the tank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: CNH Industrial America LLC
    Inventors: William Adamson, Eran Salzman
  • Patent number: 9670900
    Abstract: Rotor blade assemblies for wind turbines are provided. In one embodiment, a rotor blade assembly includes a rotor blade having exterior surfaces defining a pressure side, a suction side, a leading edge, and a trailing edge each extending between a tip and a root. The rotor blade further defines a span and a chord. A span-wise portion of the pressure side includes along a chord-wise cross-section a plurality of inflection points. The plurality of inflection points include a first inflection point and a second inflection point, the first and second inflections points positioned within approximately 50% of the chord from the leading edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Christian A. Carroll, Stefan Herr
  • Patent number: 9664094
    Abstract: A system for controlling an air/fuel ratio in an engine based on catalyst deactivation includes an NH3 detector disposed downstream from the three way catalyst, and a subsystem that compares measured values of NH3 concentration with a nominal value of NH3 concentration at rich operating conditions. A subsystem adjusts the air/fuel ratio based on the measured value of NH3 concentration and estimated CO concentration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Maruthi Devarakonda
  • Patent number: 9664072
    Abstract: A valve train of an internal combustion engine with a switchable hydraulic lash adjuster (SHLA) is provided, including a cylinder head having a boss, with an opening defined in the boss. The SHLA is located in the opening, and the SHLA includes: an outer housing having an inner bore, an inner housing movably located in the inner bore of the outer housing, and including a spring retainer at an outer end thereof, and a plunger assembly with a hydraulic lash adjuster mechanism movably located in a bore of the inner housing. A lost motion spring is located between the spring retainer and a spring seat located around the boss. This arrangement reduces the overall packaging length of the SHLA in that only a fraction of the lost motion spring's installed height has an influence on the overall length of the SHLA.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG
    Inventor: Matthew Evans
  • Patent number: 9664172
    Abstract: The invention relates to a wind power station (1) for energy generation with an axial-flow, rotating, vortex-generating wind concentrator (2) pivot-mounted on a shaft (3), covered by a ring-shaped outer jacket (4) which on its outside features flow channels distributed over 360° and which is equipped concentrator blades (7) in a circular arrangement between the shaft (3) and the ring-shaped outer jacket (4). To create favorable conditions, it is proposed to include sawtooth-shaped, curved edge-vortex-generating guide profiles (5) producing a downstream vortex coil across the entire cross-section of the ring-shaped outer jacket (4).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Inventor: Gudrun Wieser
  • Patent number: 9650945
    Abstract: A collector for several manifold pipes of a motor vehicle carrying exhaust gas, including a first shell and a second shell, which can be connected to one another in a sealed manner by a shell connection that forms a connection plane (E), at least one outlet port for connecting to an exhaust pipe of an exhaust gas system, and several manifold pipe connection ports for connecting the manifold pipes, wherein the outlet port is designed as a rim hole within the respective shell and at least one first manifold pipe connection port is provided, which is designed as a rim hole within only one of the two shells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: TENNECO GMBH
    Inventor: Björn Gorenflo
  • Patent number: 9650934
    Abstract: An approach and system for engine and aftertreatment system optimization. Emissions of an engine may be reduced by an aftertreatment mechanism. Control of the engine and the aftertreatment mechanism may be coordinated for the best overall efficiency relative to both fuel consumption and the emissions reduction. Engine and aftertreatment control may also be optimized in terms of cost function minimization. Individual efficiencies of the engine and aftertreatment mechanism are not necessarily significant by themselves. Therefore, the engine and aftertreatment mechanism should be controlled in a manner to achieve the optimality of the engine and the aftertreatment mechanism together as one entity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: Honeywell spol.s.r.o.
    Inventors: Daniel Pachner, Jaroslav Pekar
  • Patent number: 9650920
    Abstract: Disclosed in the present invention is a method of generating a high-speed gas flow, utilizing a device comprised of a gas pipe, a circulating pipe and a starting and controlling system. The starting and controlling system is comprised of one or a combination of any two or more of a refrigerator, a circulating pump and a heat exchanger. The method comprises the following operation steps: filling the device with a working medium; activating the starting and controlling system; after having been pressurized under liquid state, the working medium absorbing heat and being gasified, entering the gas pipe, and generating the high-speed gas flow. The method may utilize a low quality heat source to convert a low-speed gas flow into a high-speed or extremely high-speed gas flow with relatively high use value. Thus, thermal energy carried by the fluid in the nature may be converted into mechanical energy efficiently.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: SHANDONG NATERGY ENERGY TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Angfeng Liu
  • Patent number: 9638206
    Abstract: The invention relates to a centrifugal pump (1) comprising a pump housing (2) which is provided with an axial inlet (6), an outlet (5) and a rotor (7) which is attached in the pump housing (2) such that it can rotate about an axial rotation axis A. The rotor (7) is provided with a central boss (9), a shaft shield (11) fastened to the boss (9), a suction shield (12) attached so as to be axially set apart from the shaft shield (11), which suction shield (12) has an axial supply (14) aligned with the axial inlet (6) of the pump housing (2), and a plurality of rotor blades (15) which are fastened between the shields (11, 12). The radial inner ends (18) of the rotor blades (15) are connected to the suction shield (12) by a substantial perpendicular connection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: IHC Holland IE B.V.
    Inventors: Cornelis Hendrik van den Berg, Hasan Hüseyin Bugdayci, Erwin Cornelis Johannes Bijvoet, Mattheus Abraham Manneke
  • Patent number: 9624944
    Abstract: A bladeless fan assembly is provided which includes a housing having an air inlet and an air outlet. A blower is located within the housing, and includes a motor for driving an air stream between the air inlet and air outlet of the housing. A directional scoop is affixed to the housing at the air outlet. The directional scoop including a first end, connected to the housing at the air inlet, and a second open end opposite the first end. The first end and second open end of the directional scoop define a longitudinal length “L” of the directional scoop having a longitudinal axis “X.” The directional scoop is arcuate is shape, being curved along the longitudinal axis between the first and the second open end, and about the longitudinal axis to define an open channel along the length of the directional scoop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: Sunbeam Products, Inc.
    Inventor: Carlos Ojeda
  • Patent number: 9611762
    Abstract: A fossil fuel fired power plant for the generation of electrical energy comprises a water steam cycle and a plant (10) for the capture of CO2 from exhaust gases emitted by the power plant and a steam jet ejector (24) configured and arranged to receive an input steam flow from a low- or intermediate pressure extraction point in the power plant and to increase its pressure. It is further arranged to receive motive steam (25) from a further extraction point in the power plant. A steam line (27, 22) directs the steam of increased pressure from the steam jet ejector (24) to the CO2 capture plant (10). The power plant according to this invention allows the use of low-pressure steam for the operation of the CO2 capture plant, where the extraction of such steam affects the overall efficiency of the power plant to a lesser degree than in power plant of the state of the art.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Assignee: General Electric Technology GmbH
    Inventors: Staffan Jönsson, Hongtao Li, Enrico Conte
  • Patent number: 9605580
    Abstract: An exhaust system is provided for an internal combustion engine having at least a first and a second cylinder, wherein the first cylinder is assigned a first exhaust gas pipe and the second cylinder is assigned a second exhaust gas pipe. The first exhaust gas pipe is assigned a first muffler, and the second exhaust gas pipe is assigned a second muffler. A first damping pipe branches off from the first exhaust gas pipe upstream of a first shut-off element. The damping pipe firstly opens into a first reflection chamber and is subsequently led through the first muffler and opens into the second exhaust gas manifold downstream of a second shut-off element. A second damping pipe branches off from the second exhaust gas pipe upstream of a second shut-off element. The second damping pipe firstly opens into a second reflection chamber and is subsequently led through the second muffler and opens into the first exhaust gas pipe downstream of the first shut-off element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Rainer Drees, Christian Eichmueller
  • Patent number: 9599050
    Abstract: A vehicle is disclosed which includes: an engine; a catalyst purifying exhaust gas of the engine; a grille shutter adjusting an opening area of a radiator grille; and an electronic control unit configured to: (a) control an injection quantity of fuel to be supplied to the engine, (b) detect a malfunction of the grille shutter in a state where the grille shutter is closed, and (c) increase the injection quantity when the malfunction is detected in comparison to when the malfunction is not detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hitoki Sugimoto