Patents by Inventor John T. Vachon

John T. Vachon 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: 8069835
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides an internal combustion engine having an engine housing with at least one cylinder that has diameter less than about 3 inches. A fuel injector is provided and disposed at least partially within the at least one cylinder, and includes a plurality of outlet orifices having a diameter between about 50 microns and about 125 microns, or about 0.05 millimeters and about 0.125 millimeters. The injector may include more than one set of separately controllable fuel outlet orifices, at least one of which could have an average diameter between about 0.05 millimeters and about 0.125 millimeters. The disclosure further provides a method of operating an internal combustion engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Carl-Anders Hergart, John T. Vachon, Kevin P. Duffy
  • Publication number: 20100269783
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides an internal combustion engine having an engine housing with at least one cylinder that has diameter less than about 3 inches. A fuel injector is provided and disposed at least partially within the at least one cylinder, and includes a plurality of outlet orifices having a diameter between about 50 microns and about 125 microns, or about 0.05 millimeters and about 0.125 millimeters. The injector may include more than one set of separately controllable fuel outlet orifices, at least one of which could have an average diameter between about 0.05 millimeters and about 0.125 millimeters. The disclosure further provides a method of operating an internal combustion engine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2007
    Publication date: October 28, 2010
    Inventors: Carl-Anders Hergart, John T. Vachon, Kevin P. Duffy
  • Patent number: 7739994
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine that includes a block, a cylinder head having an intake valve port and exhaust valve port formed therein, a piston, and a combustion chamber defined by the block, the piston, and the head. At least one thermoelectric device is positioned within either or both the intake valve port and the exhaust valve port. Each of the valves is configured to move within a respective intake and exhaust valve port thereby causing said valves to engage the thermoelectric devices resulting in heat transfer from the valves to the thermoelectric devices. The intake valve port and exhaust valve port are configured to fluidly direct intake air and exhaust gas, respectively, into the combustion chamber and the thermoelectric device is positioned within the intake valve port, and exhaust valve port, such that the thermoelectric device is in contact with the intake air and exhaust gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2010
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew N. Mcgilvray, John T. Vachon, William E. Moser
  • Patent number: 7597084
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides an engine operating method and high power density internal combustion engine, including an engine housing with a plurality of cylinders. Fuel injectors are provided and disposed at least partially within each cylinder, and configured to inject fuel such as diesel, JP8 or another fuel therein for compression ignition. The engine is configured to burn a quantity of injected fuel to yield at least about 150 horsepower per liter of engine displacement at a smoke output of less than about 0.4 grams, and in some cases less than about 0.75 grams, smoke per horsepower-hour, at a fuel consumption of less than about 250 grams fuel per kilowatt-hour output of the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2009
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: John T. Vachon, Carl-Anders Hergart
  • Patent number: 7201135
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides an internal combustion engine having an engine housing with at least one cylinder that has diameter less than about 3 inches. A fuel injector is provided and disposed at least partially within the at least one cylinder, and includes a plurality of outlet orifices having a diameter between about 50 microns and about 110 microns. The disclosure further provides a method of operating an internal combustion engine. The method includes the steps of rotating an engine crank shaft of the engine at a speed greater than about 5000 revolutions per minute, injecting a quantity of fuel into each of the cylinders, and burning at least every fourth piston stroke a sufficient quantity of the injected fuel to yield a brake mean effective pressure of at least about 200 lbs. per square inch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2007
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc
    Inventor: John T. Vachon
  • Patent number: 6067973
    Abstract: A method and system for late cycle injection of oxygen enriched air into the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine is disclosed. The late cycle oxygen injection system is part of an airflow management system that effectively controls the use of oxygen and nitrogen available in the intake air. The preferred system comprises an intake air separation device adapted for separating a prescribed portion of intake air into a flow of oxygen enriched air and a flow of nitrogen enriched air. The system includes an oxygen enriched air flow circuit extending from the intake air separating device to one or more combustion chambers and a control device adapted for controlling the introduction of the oxygen enriched air into the combustion chambers late in a combustion cycle in response to selected engine operating conditions such as engine speed or engine load or both.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2000
    Assignee: Caterpillar, Inc.
    Inventors: Ashok A. Chanda, Randall R. Richards, John T. Vachon
  • Patent number: 5694541
    Abstract: A console terminal arrangement is disclosed for use in connection with a fault-tolerant computer system including a plurality of processing modules, at least some of the processing modules including an operator input/output interface for receiving operator input from an operator input device and operator display output on an operator display device. The console terminal arrangement facilitates management of all of the processing modules by a single operator from a single location. The arrangement includes a console terminal and a plurality of processing module interfaces interconnected by a network. The console terminal includes an operator input device and an operator display device, and generates operator input messages including processing module management information generated by the operator input device in response to inputs provided by an operator and an address identifying one of the processing modules to be managed by the console terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 2, 1997
    Assignee: Stratus Computer, Inc.
    Inventors: John D. Service, Walter A. Jones, Jr., Richard Urmston, Arthur J. Beaverson, Charles J. Horvath, Matthew A. Trask, John T. Vachon, Jeffrey D. Carter