Abstract: A leg mechanism includes an articulated leg system, a passive device and a cable. The articulated leg system has a leg portion. The passive device is coupled to the articulated leg system and is configured to apply a first force to a portion thereof. The cable is coupled to the articulated leg system and is configured to apply a second force, in opposition to the first force, to a portion thereof. When the cable is drawn away from the articulated leg system, the second force moves the leg portion in a first direction. When tension is released from the cable, the passive device exerts the first force so as to move the leg portion a second direction that is opposite the first direction.

Abstract: Provided, among other things, is a method of treating cerebral spinal fluid comprising: (a) utilizing a channel of a pump to draw CSF from a subject's subarachnoid space of the subject's brain or spinal column; (b) subjecting the drawn CSF to membrane dialysis against a dialysate fluid to reduce immune or inflammatory mediators; and (c) utilizing a second channel of the synchronized dual channel pump to return the dialyzed CSF to the subarachnoid space of the subject's brain or spinal column. For example, the pump can be a synchronized dual channel pump. In one embodiment, the method further comprises: (d) removing cellular matter from the CSF to produce reduced cell content CSF, wherein the reduced cell content CSF is subjected to membrane dialysis.

Abstract: An ignition-engine system for internal combustion engines having two-valves per cylinder (100) with a larger intake valve (103) and a smaller exhaust valve (104) in a longitudinal layout with a single camshaft (118) operating bucketed valve stems 103a and 104a that are vertical, with the valves making up essentially the roof of the combustion chamber and having a volume essentially under the intake valve of approximately 35% of the combustion chamber and a volume under the exhaust valve of approximately 65%, and two spark plugs per cylinder with plugs (102a) and (102b) located at the edge of two opposite squish-zones (105) of a compact combustion chamber, wherein the air-flow near TC is channeled between the two large squish-lands (101a) and (101b) wherein the cross-section of the channel is approximately constant of average width “W’, resulting in a relatively more compact combustion chamber having squish-lands take up approximately ? of the projected bore area of the cylinder and the more compact channel to

Abstract: A two-stroke internal combustion engine which has an Inverted Cross-Scavenged operation forming a 180° air and exhaust gas loop and having two overhead valves [46, 47] in the cylinder head and optimized coils [43, 44] per spark plug [41, 42], the spark plugs being halo-disc type plugs, a central fuel-injector means [45], and the combustion chamber forming a Perfect Miller Cycle with an effective CR of approximately 10.5 to 1 and ER equal to approximately 18 to 1, and the valves opening at near bottom center (BC) and closing at approximately 75° after BC, and a quick response super-charger or turbo-charger located at the intake.

Abstract: An ignition-engine system for internal combustion engines having two-valves per cylinder (100) with a larger intake valve (103) and a smaller exhaust valve (104) in a longitudinal layout with a single camshaft (118) operating bucketed valve stems 103a and 104a that are vertical, with the valves making up essentially the roof of the combustion chamber and having a volume essentially under the intake valve of approximately 35% of the combustion chamber and a volume under the exhaust valve of approximately 65%, and two spark plugs per cylinder with plugs (102a) and (102b) located at the edge of two opposite squish-zones (105) of a compact combustion chamber, wherein the air-flow near TC is channeled between the two large squish-lands (101a) and (101b) wherein the cross-section of the channel is approximately constant of average width “W’, resulting in a relatively more compact combustion chamber having squish-lands take up approximately ? of the projected bore area of the cylinder and the more compact channel to

Abstract: An ignition-engine system for internal combustion engines having two-valves [46, 47] in the cylinder head and an Optimized Coil [9] per plug [20], the optimized coil being a small coil of peak primary current Ip of approximately 20 amps, spark current Is of approximately 350 ma, spark energy Ep is about 160 mJ, a secondary turns Ns to primary turns Np ratio, where Nt=Ns/Np, is approximately 50, and a primary turns Np is approximately 90, and two biasing magnets at the open end of the coil of an open-E coil which are optimized and disclosed to produce the highest ignition coil energy density.

Abstract: An improved ignition-combustion system for internal combustion engines with preferably a 2-valve engine 17/18 with dual-ignition 14a,14b with squish-flow channels 12a, 12b, and cylindrical high energy density pencil coils with open ends including biasing magnets 42a to 42d, the spark being 300 to 450 ma peak secondary current Is, and the primary current being 20 to 25 amps Ip of 60 to 100 turns Np, or bifiler turns of 120 to 200 turns of wire, with turns ratio Ns/Np of 50 to 70, and coil switches being 600 volt IGBTs; and power convertor with energy storage capacitor storing many times the coil energy of 80 mJ to 160 mJ, of 20 to 60) volts power supply, the engine operating with a single ignition firing of 80 to 16 mJ, except when it is cold started or requires multi-firing for better performance, such as under lean burn or high EGR operation.

Abstract: A piston (10), a spring (15) operatively coupled to a piston, the spring being inside (21) or outside (41) the piston, and if the spring is inside the piston, the diameter of the spring is equal to 0.7 to 0.9, and if it is outside of the piston it is an external coil spring which is outside the cylinder which contains the piston and is able to provide a force of thousands of pounds per inch, and furthermore so that at light load the compression ratio (CR) is greater than 13 to 1 designated as CR0, at medium load has a compression ratio less then CR0 but greater than CReff, and at wide open throttle (WOT) has a CR equal to Creff, the CR is less than CR0 as would occur at medium or higher load which would lead to a flexing of the spring, and the cycle on the compression stroke is known as the HCX cycle where the pressure goes between Ppre and less than or equal to Pf.

Abstract: A high energy density and high efficiency inductive ignition coil for IC engine achieved by the use of biasing magnets (14/15) located at the end (16/17) of an open-E laminated core to raise the coil energy to five times typical, i.e. of approximately 150 mj and to double the coil efficiency including novel use of coil winding structure (12/13/20/21) with a primary winding turns (Np) of between 70 and 86 and primary inductance Lp of between 700 uH and 1,100 uH, and a low turns ratio (Nt) of 53 to 67 allowing for a short, efficient, cylindrical coil, with secondary turns (Ns) of 4,000 to 5,000 turns with current of approximately 330 ma which is predominantly in the high glow and low arc discharge mode, with a special ratio R defined as Np/Nt and equal to between 1.15 to 1.45, and the coil being small and light enough to be directly mounted on the spark plugs or near the plugs in a region of high squish flow in an engine.

Abstract: A high energy inductive coil-per-plug ignition system operating at a higher voltage Vc than battery voltage Vb by use of boost-type power converter (1), using high energy density low inductance coils Ti which are further improved by partial encapsulation of the coils and by use of biasing magnets (120) in the large air gaps in the core to increase coil energy density, the coils connected to capacitive type spark plugs, with improved halo-disc type firing ends, by means of improved suppression wire (78), the system operated and controlled by a micro-controller (8) to generate and control the coil charge time Tch, the sequencing the spark firing, and other control features including finding the firing cylinder by simultaneous ignition firing and sensing during engine cranking, to provide a highly controlled and versatile ignition system capable of producing high energy flow-coupling ignition sparks with relatively fewer and smaller parts.

Abstract: An improved ignition-engine system for internal combustion engines comprising a compact combustion chamber in the cylinder head and two main squish zones (101a, 101b) for producing high flow and turbulence, and at least one minor squish zone (105) at the end of the intake valve (104), the system using independently operated spark plugs (102a, 102b), placed asymmetrically at or near the edge of the high flow squish zones to handle both ultra-lean light load conditions and high load conditions without misfire or knocking, the engine leanness and high load operation and further improved by using variable compression ratio and/or direct fuel injection, including air-blast fuel injectors (181) and more centrally located air-blast-ignition fuel injector (193) more ideally suited for four valve engines and mild hybrid engines.

Abstract: Capacitive discharge system for ignitors of internal combustion engines with one ignition coil (T) per ignitor with one or more capacitors (6) and shunt switch means (5) associated with each such coil, together forming a coil primary ignition circuit of Type II topology and resonance oscillation capability, each switch means being a series combination of shunt diode (D) means and switch (SD) across the coils primary winding, with a voltage drop element (Vdb) across switch SD, the system constructed to produce capacitive ignition initial spark discharge of duration less than a quarter period of the resonance oscillation of the primary ignition circuit followed by an essentially triangular distribution decaying spark discharge of longer duration than the initial discharge, with switch SD to be turned off near or after spark circuit zero to divert residual primary discharge circuit through the voltage drop element.

Abstract: A high efficiency high voltage ignition coil with segmented high voltage bobbin (15) with the last few bays (16,17,18) having fewer secondary winding turns than the average and thicker flanges separating the bays, and further including an inductor (20) of inductance at least 0.5 mH with a core material which is lossy in the 100 KHz to 1 MHz range, the inductor located between the end of the high voltage winding and the spark gap (7b) so as to reduce the peak voltages across the last few high voltage bays immediately following the spark gap breakdown.

Abstract: An improved ignition-combustion system for internal combustion engines comprising a compact combustion chamber zone (4) in the engine cylinder head (6) mainly under the exhaust valve (8) and with large air-squish zones (124a, 124b) formed at the edge of the combustion zone which produce colliding squish flows (2, 2a, 3a, 3b) with high turbulence (3c) at the center of the combustion zone, with one or two spark plugs (12a/118, 12b/18a) located at the edge of the combustion zone within the high squish zones, resulting in a combined ignition and combustion system of colliding-flow-coupled-spark discharge (CFCSD), with the ignition employing high energy flow-resistant ignition sparks which move under the influence of the squish flow towards the central turbulence region as the piston nears engine top center, to produce rapid and complete burning of lean and high EGR mixtures for best engine efficiency and lowest emissions.

Abstract: A high power, high energy inductive ignition system with a parallel array of multiple ignition coils Ti (2a, 2b) and associated 600 volt unclamped IGBT power switches Si (8a, 8b), for use with an automotive 12 volt storage battery (1), the system having an internal voltage source (12) to generate a voltage Vc approximately three times the peal primary coil current with coils Ti of low primary inductance of about 0,5 millihenry and of open E-type core structure for spark energy in the range of 120 to 250 mj, the system using a lossless snubber and variable control inductor (6) to provide very high circuit and component efficiency and high coil energy density, in mj/gm, three times that of conventional inductive ignition systems, and high output voltage of 40 kilovolts with fast rise time of 10 microseconds.

Abstract: An improved high energy high efficiency hybrid capacitive/inductive ignition system with one or coils Ti for internal combustion engines employing one or more energy storage capacitor means (4) shunted by diode means (9), with high leakage inductor means (3a) of coils Ti with which have their primary (1a) and secondary (1b) windings wound side-by-side on a single segmented bobbin 72, unidirectional switches Si for each coil Ti which are preferably IGBTs, and high efficiency shunt diode/switch means SDi for each coil Ti shunting the primary winding of each coil Ti, so that, following production of an initial quarter cycle capacitive spark with peak current in the 0.2 to 3 amp arc discharge range, there is a decaying inductive unidirectional flow-resistant spark flowing through shunt switch means SDi.

Abstract: An improved anti-fouling controlled erosion long life spark plug (36) for high current arc type spark discharges with low heat absorbing large circular gap (31) electrode structure comprised of a conical section center electrode (26) and low mass ring ground electrode (21) supported by three legs (24) defining flow-through slots (25) behind the ring which extends into the combustion chamber and an insulator end (13a) recessed with respect to the flow-through slots to prevent its fouling, the plug end electrode structure minimizing flow obstruction, flame quenching, and heat absorption from the combusting air-fuel mixture.

Abstract: A high efficiency high power DC to DC power converter and controller system for a CD ignition system with a simple converter controller (8) for controlling a power switch (2) of a transformer (1) operated as a flyback which includes a lossless snubber (6) and simple current sensor (8a) for sensing and controlling the power converter current, and further including ignition trigger conditioner (9) and phase conditioner (10) for operating a trigger output circuit (11) based on an octal counter (67) for triggering ignition coil circuits of a preferred distributorless ignition circuit of the hybrid ignition system type.

Abstract: Lean burn, exhaust gas recirculating internal combustion engine system (10) and process of operation wherein a motor driven valve (16) governs tapping of exhaust gas via a conduit (11) to the high pressure side of a throttle (14) in an air intake region of the engine with control of the valve and lean burn to maintain a) lean operation with high exhaust dilution at light engine loads, b) high exhaust dilution and high overall dilution at medium to high engine loads and c) smooth transition between a) and b).

Abstract: An improved spark ignition engine system producing a large continuous, centrally directed, flow coupled ignition spark discharge through combustion chamber (1), piston (4), inlet system (28/29), spark plug (5), and ignition spark discharge (26) design, and through the location and orientation, with respect to the mixture flow field, of a special design firing end and gap (7/9) of a spark plug fired with a spark discharge of hundreds of watts of power for hundreds of microseconds without spark segmentation or spark break-up by the flow field of up to about 20 m/sec flow velocity, with bulk flow occurring at the spark plug site at most engine speeds including low speeds to produce a very large centrally directed spark-initial flame front kernel which allows for substantial dilution of the mixture and significant reduction in engine cycle-to-cycle variation under most operating conditions of the engine including low speed light load.