Patents Examined by Timothy Solak
  • Patent number: 9719528
    Abstract: In a bubble lift system, a pressurized chamber at an upper end portion of a riser pipe applies a pressure to an upper portion inside the riser pipe to suppress an increase in the volume ratio of bubbles to a fluid mixture rising inside the riser pipe in a shallow water region. The upper end of the riser pipe is not opened to the atmosphere but is inserted into the pressurized chamber under a high pressure to thereby prevent expansion of the bubbles and gas. In addition, a deaerator for discharging bubbles separated by a centrifugal force is also provided in a middle portion of the riser pipe in a shallow water region to distribute the bubbles more evenly inside the whole riser pipe. The bubble lift system and a bubble lift method thus provided are efficient and employable even in a deep water region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: MODEC, INC.
    Inventors: Takuju Nakamura, Masaki Kawase
  • Patent number: 9714579
    Abstract: An airfoil blade (2) of a bearingless rotor of a helicopter. Said airfoil blade (2) has a pitch axis from a tip end to a root end and said root end is provided with junction means for a separable junction arrangement of said airfoil blade (2) with a flexbeam head (13), and a control cuff (4, 22). Said junction arrangement is mechanical with removable fasteners respectively removable connecting said root end of said airfoil blade (2) to said control cuff (4, 22) and said flexbeam head (13). Said root end comprises at least two openings (7, 8) being asymmetric with regard to said pitch axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Assignee: AIRBUS HELICOPTERS DEUTSCHLAND GMBH
    Inventors: Gerald Kuntze-Fechner, Markus Bauer, Martin Ortner
  • Patent number: 9695832
    Abstract: An integrated circuit for controlling operation of a motor of a fan assembly. The fan assembly includes a housing and a fan. The motor is in the housing. The housing is void of sensors. The motor is configured to rotate the fan. The integrated circuit includes a detection module and a first control module. The detection module is separate from the fan assembly. The detection module is configured to detect a voltage induced in a first coil of the motor or a back electromotive force received from the first coil of the motor. The first control module is configured to receive a control signal from a second control module and control the operation of the fan based on (a) the control signal, and (b) the voltage induced in the first coil of the motor or the back electromotive force. The second control module is separate from the integrated circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: Marvell World Trade Ltd.
    Inventors: Ravishanker Krishnamoorthy, Foo Leng Leong, Edy Susanto, Yayue Zhang, Cheng Yong Teoh
  • Patent number: 9689396
    Abstract: Methods and systems for monitoring a variable-speed pump system to detect a blockage condition. A value indicative of pump performance is sensed and a pump load coefficient is calculated. The value of the pump load coefficient does not change substantially due to changes in pump speed and is indicative of a blockage of a drain in a liquid holding tank. A blockage of the drain is detected based at least in part on the calculated pump load coefficient and the operation of the pump is adjusted based on the detected blockage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: Regal Beloit America, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian Thomas Branecky, Yilcan Guzelgunler
  • Patent number: 9670919
    Abstract: A plural component pump system is provided for delivering plural liquid components at a selected ratio. The pump system includes a first brushless DC motor configured to drive a first pump that pumps a first liquid component to an output and a second brushless DC motor configured to drive a second pump that pumps a second liquid component to the output. The pump system includes a first controller configured to control the first motor and a second controller configured to control the second motor. The pump system also includes a communication interface between the first controller and the second controller. The first controller is configured to send a signal to the second controller using the communication interface and the second controller is configured to control the second motor based on the signal to deliver the first and second liquid components to the output at the selected ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: Wagner Spray Tech Corporation
    Inventors: Joseph W. Kieffer, Jeffrey Scott Jerdee
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • Patent number: 9534610
    Abstract: A fan assembly for generating an air flow within a room includes an impeller and a motor for driving the impeller to draw an air flow into the fan assembly, and a casing having an interior passage with a scroll section having a cross-sectional area that decreases from a scroll inlet section to a scroll outlet section. The scroll inlet section has an inlet port for receiving the air flow and the scroll outlet section has an outlet port for returning a first portion of the air flow to the scroll inlet section. The scroll section includes an air outlet for emitting a second portion of the air flow from the casing. The casing defines a bore through which air from outside the fan assembly is drawn by the air emitted from the air outlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: Dyson Technology Limited
    Inventors: Neil Andrew Stewart, Mark James Adkin, David Andrew Tibbetts