Patents by Inventor David W. Pfeifer

David W. Pfeifer has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 7068507
    Abstract: An electronic converter assembly including a liquid cooled heat sink member having a sink length dimension, at least one mounting surface and first and second oppositely facing lateral surfaces, the mounting surface and first and second lateral surfaces forming first and second lateral edges, respectively, the sink member also forming at least one internal channel that extends substantially along the entire sink length, an inlet and an outlet that open into opposite ends of the channel, a plurality of power switching devices mounted side by side to the mounting surface thereby forming a single device row that extends substantially along the sink length, each device including intra-converter terminals that are substantially within a single connection plane, a plurality of capacitors, each capacitor including capacitor connection terminals, the capacitors linked for support to and adjacent the sink member with the capacitor terminals juxtaposed substantially within the connection plane and a linkage assembly in
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2006
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: David W. Pfeifer, John Kasunich, Richard Sheppard
  • Patent number: 6956742
    Abstract: An electronic converter assembly comprising first and second liquid cooled heat sink members, each sink member having at least one sink mounting surface, first and second pluralities of power switching devices, each switching device including connection terminals, the first and second pluralities of switching devices mounted to the first and second sink mounting surfaces, respectively and a planar laminated bus bar including a plurality of conductors that link the power switching device connection terminals to form a power conversion topology.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2005
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: David W. Pfeifer, John M. Kasunich, Richard Sheppard
  • Patent number: 6885553
    Abstract: An electronic converter assembly comprising a first heat sink member having at least a first mounting surface and a length dimension, a plurality of power switching device modules wherein each module includes at least four separate power switching devices, the modules mounted to the first sink mounting surface such that the switching devices are aligned along the length of the sink member, each switching device including inter-converter connection terminals linkable to at least one of a load and a source and intra-converter connection terminals linkable, each intra-converter connection terminal linkable to at least one of a positive and a negative DC bus, first, second and third bus bars, each bus bar linked to the inter-converter connection terminals of at least first and second pairs of the power switching devices where the at least first and second pairs of power switching devices linked to specific ones of the bus bars are from different switching device modules and a linkage assembly including a pluralit
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2005
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: David W. Pfeifer, John M. Kasunich, Richard Sheppard
  • Patent number: 6822850
    Abstract: An apparatus for linking together power switching devices having intra-converter connection terminals to form a power conversion assembly, the apparatus comprising a planar bus bar including positive and negative DC bus layers and insulating layers that insulate each of the DC bus layers, the bar also including at least a first external insulating layer that forms a first external surface of the bar, the bar also forming at least first and second linking edges and first and second pluralities of linkages formed along the first and second linking edges, respectively, each linkage linked to one of the positive and negative DC bus layers and configured to be linkable to at least one of the power switching device intra-converter connection terminals, in some cases positive and negative DC bus linkages are also provided to render the conversion assembly extremely versatile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2004
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: David W. Pfeifer, John M. Kasunich, Richard Sheppard
  • Patent number: 6721181
    Abstract: An apparatus for sinking heat away from a plurality of power switching devices where each power switching device includes a heat dissipating surface having a dissipating width dimension and having a device length dimension perpendicular to the dissipating width dimension, the apparatus comprising a heat sink member having a sink length dimension between inlet and outlet ends, forming an internal channel that extends substantially along the entire sink length dimension and also forming inlet and outlet ports that open into the channel at the inlet and outlet ends, respectively, the sink including first and second oppositely facing surfaces, the second surface for receiving the heat dissipating surfaces of the power switching devices, the second surface having a receiving width dimension that is substantially perpendicular to the sink length dimension and that is less than twice the device dissipating width dimension.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2004
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: David W. Pfeifer, John M. Kasunich
  • Publication number: 20040062006
    Abstract: An apparatus for linking together power switching devices having intra-converter connection terminals to form a power conversion assembly, the apparatus comprising a planar bus bar including positive and negative DC bus layers and insulating layers that insulate each of the DC bus layers, the bar also including at least a first external insulating layer that forms a first external surface of the bar, the bar also forming at least first and second linking edges and first and second pluralities of linkages formed along the first and second linking edges, respectively, each linkage linked to one of the positive and negative DC bus layers and configured to be linkable to at least one of the power switching device intra-converter connection terminals, in some cases positive and negative DC bus linkages are also provided to render the conversion assembly extremely versatile.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2003
    Publication date: April 1, 2004
    Inventors: David W. Pfeifer, John M. Kasunich, Richard Sheppard
  • Publication number: 20040060692
    Abstract: An apparatus for sinking heat away from a plurality of power switching devices where each power switching device includes a heat dissipating surface having a dissipating width dimension and having a device length dimension perpendicular to the dissipating width dimension, the apparatus comprising a heat sink member having a sink length dimension between inlet and outlet ends, forming an internal channel that extends substantially along the entire sink length dimension and also forming inlet and outlet ports that open into the channel at the inlet and outlet ends, respectively, the sink including first and second oppositely facing surfaces, the second surface for receiving the heat dissipating surfaces of the power switching devices, the second surface having a receiving width dimension that is substantially perpendicular to the sink length dimension and that is less than twice the device dissipating width dimension.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2002
    Publication date: April 1, 2004
    Inventors: David W. Pfeifer, John M. Kasunich
  • Publication number: 20040060689
    Abstract: A heat sink apparatus for use with a liquid refrigerant that tends to generate gas during the cooling process wherein at least some of the gas tends to accumulate on the internal surfaces of heat sink liquid channels forming gaseous pockets that in turn cause surface hot spots, the apparatus for minimizing the surface host spots and comprising a first sink member having first and second substantially oppositely facing surfaces, the second surface for receiving at least one heat generating component, a second sink member having at least a first surface, the first surface of the second sink member secured to the first surface of the first sink member, the first surface of one of the sink members forming a cavity extending between first and second cavity ends and including a cavity surface, the first side of the other of the sink members including a cover surface that substantially covers the cavity and substantially oppositely faces the cavity surface so as to form a channel, at least one of the cavity surface
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2002
    Publication date: April 1, 2004
    Inventors: David W. Pfeifer, John Kasunich
  • Publication number: 20040062004
    Abstract: An electronic converter assembly comprising a first heat sink member having at least a first mounting surface and a length dimension, a plurality of power switching device modules wherein each module includes at least four separate power switching devices, the modules mounted to the first sink mounting surface such that the switching devices are aligned along the length of the sink member, each switching device including inter-converter connection terminals linkable to at least one of a load and a source and intra-converter connection terminals linkable, each intra-converter connection terminal linkable to at least one of a positive and a negative DC bus, first, second and third bus bars, each bus bar linked to the inter-converter connection terminals of at least first and second pairs of the power switching devices where the at least first and second pairs of power switching devices linked to specific ones of the bus bars are from different switching device modules and a linkage assembly including a pluralit
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2003
    Publication date: April 1, 2004
    Inventors: David W. Pfeifer, John M. Kasunich, Richard Sheppard
  • Publication number: 20040062005
    Abstract: An electronic converter assembly comprising first and second liquid cooled heat sink members, each sink member having at least one sink mounting surface, first and second pluralities of power switching devices, each switching device including connection terminals, the first and second pluralities of switching devices mounted to the first and second sink mounting surfaces, respectively and a planar laminated bus bar including a plurality of conductors that link the power switching device connection terminals to form a power conversion topology.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2003
    Publication date: April 1, 2004
    Inventors: David W. Pfeifer, John M. Kasunich, Richard Sheppard