...that several people are credited with the invention of the flush toilet? Most people have heard of Thomas Crapper (1837-1910), the sanitary engineer who invented the valve-and-siphon arrangement that made the modern toilet possible. Another claimant to "the throne" was British inventor Alexander Cumming who patented a toilet in 1775. Then there's a nameless Minoan (a native of ancient Crete) who lived 4,000 years ago who supposedly was ahead of his time and created the first flush toilet!
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8122873 | Exhaust gas recirculation system An actuator includes an electric motor and a drive force transmitting mechanism. The drive force transmitting mechanism includes a rotary gear and a rotary cam. The rotary gear transmits a drive force of the electric motor to an EGR valve to drive the same. The rota... | 02/28/2012 |
| 7775197 | Engine sub-system actuators having variable ratio drive mechanisms An EGR valve (20) comprises three gear parts (40, 42, 44) that provide a variable ratio drive system through which an electric actuator (34) operates a movable valve element (26). Each of the gear parts (40, 42, 44) is a single uni... | 08/17/2010 |
| 7591256 | Exhaust gas recirculation apparatus for an internal combustion engine and the respective operating method An exhaust gas recirculation apparatus (5) for an internal combustion engine (1), in particular in a motor vehicle, has an exhaust gas recirculation line (9) which can be connected at the inlet end to an exhaust gas system (4) of the inte... | 09/22/2009 |
| 7533659 | Exhaust-gas recirculation valve An exhaust-gas recirculation (EGR) valve includes a rotary drive. The rotary drive includes a cam member that has a cam profile. The rotary drive permits operation of a valve member that can be rotated around a rotational shaft. During the course of a closing moveme... | 05/19/2009 |
| 7358632 | Motor which performs a rotational-to-linear motion conversion A sliding hole is formed so that a screw portion can pass therethrough. Also, a seal member is provided at a portion, through which the screw portion placed in the sliding hole can pass and in which a sliding portion does not slide. ... | 04/15/2008 |
| 7308904 | Electric gear motor drive for switching valve Electric drive for a switching valve, the switching valve having such a drive, and a regenerative thermal oxidizer including the switching valve and drive system. The electric drive system allows for the starting and stopping of the rotation of a rotary valve with a... | 12/18/2007 |
| 7302940 | Variable reluctance position sensor A position sensor is disclosed having a transducer formed by a Hall-effect device and permanent magnet secured within a housing on either side of a low permeability gap. A target secured to an active member, such as an EGR valve plunger moves within the gap. The tar... | 12/04/2007 |
| 7274122 | Motor which performs a rotational-to-linear motion conversion A sliding hole is formed so that a screw portion can pass therethrough. Also, a seal member is provided at a portion, through which the screw portion placed in the sliding hole can pass and in which a sliding portion does not slide. ... | 09/25/2007 |
| 7267139 | Valve device The invention relates to a valve device comprising a valve housing (2) with a first and a second flow channel (3a, 3b), and a first and second damper shaft (8a, 8b), which are rotatable relative to the v... | 09/11/2007 |
| 7252618 | Rack and pinion transmission for a pintle valve A rack and pinion gear train actuator for a pintle valve. A motor shaft has a pinion gear that engages a large reduction gear having an integral hub gear. The hub gear is a planet gear for a ring gear segment that pivots on a shaft and includes a pinion gear segment... | 08/07/2007 |
| 7240691 | Rotary bleed valve assembly A rotary bleed valve (10) for a gas turbine engine comprises a passage (11) connecting high pressure gases from a compressor to an exhaust and a valve member (12), the valve member (12) may be rotated within the passage (11)so as t... | 07/10/2007 |
| 7239108 | Method for stepper motor position referencing A method for referencing a polyphase stepper motor by monitoring the current step response in at least one driven phase is presented. The coil current step response is compared to past step responses in order to determine when an increase in or maximum load is prese... | 07/03/2007 |
| 7235116 | High temperature corrosion and oxidation resistant valve guide for engine application A powder metal component particularly suited for use as a valve guide in high temperature applications. The powder metal component according to a first embodiment has a chemical composition on a weight percent basis of about 0.1-2.0% C; about 8.0-18.0% Cr; about 1.0... | 06/26/2007 |
| 7213587 | Adjustable two-way valve device for a combustion engine An adjustable two-way valve device is described that is embodied as a rotary valve. According to the invention the use of the rotary valve as a two-way valve is achieved by the skillful arrangement of passage openings of a valve plate with respect to control opening... | 05/08/2007 |
| 7213613 | High-flow dual poppet valve having equalized closing forces A dual-poppet valve comprising a valve body having spaced-apart coaxial valve seats and being arranged such that first and second poppets both open into the primary chamber. A first pintle shaft engages the first poppet, and a second pintle shaft engages the second ... | 05/08/2007 |
| 7205690 | Motor for rotational-to-linear conversion with shaft seal A sliding hole is formed so that a screw portion can pass therethrough. Also, a seal member is provided at a portion, through which the screw portion placed in the sliding hole can pass and in which a sliding portion does not slide. ... | 04/17/2007 |
| 7201159 | Electric actuator assembly and method for controlling an exhaust gas recirculation assembly A exhaust gas recirculation assembly for an engine having an intake manifold and an exhaust manifold, the exhaust gas recirculation assembly including a flow control body, a closing member, an electric motor coupled to the closing member, and an electronic controlle... | 04/10/2007 |
| 7165755 | Motor-operated valve A motor-operated valve comprising a valve stem having a valve plug; a valve body having a valve seat with which the valve plug is enabled to removably contact; a can fixed to the valve body; a rotor disposed coaxially in the can; a stator disposed around an outer ci... | 01/23/2007 |
| 7143993 | Exhaust gas recirculation valve having a rotary motor An exhaust gas recirculation valve is provided. The exhaust gas recirculation valve has a base, a spring biasing the valve closed, and an actuator including a rotary motor and a linearly displaceable shaft that is coupled to the motor's rotor. The valve includes a v... | 12/05/2006 |
| 7124750 | Relative position sensing for an exhaust gas recirculation valve An exhaust gas recirculating valve includes a body, a closure member, a magnet, and a magneto-resistive sensor. The body defines a passage through which exhaust gas flows. The body includes a seat and the passage includes an aperture defined by the seat. The closure... | 10/24/2006 |
| 7114486 | Subunit of a throttle valve housing The dividing unit comprises a metal throttle valve shaft and of a plastic throttle valve. The throttle valve shaft is mounted so that it centrally passes through the throttle valve and the maximum acute angle alpha between the longitudinal axis of the throttle valve... | 10/03/2006 |
| 7100568 | Direct electromagnetic drive for a throttle valve shaft in a throttle valve connector The direct drive for a throttle valve shaft in a throttle valve manifold comprises a coil and a rotor arranged directly adjacent to the coil. The rotor is made from a steel ring inside which a first inner magnetic shell and a second inner magnetic shell lie opposite... | 09/05/2006 |
| 7096110 | Electronic control apparatus for vehicle and control method for vehicle In the case where it is diagnosed whether or not the leakage occurs in a fuel vapor purge system from a standby time has elapsed after an engine operation was stopped, the power supply to processing circuits unnecessary for the leakage diagnosis is shut off, thereby... | 08/22/2006 |
| 7086636 | Gaseous fluid metering valve The present invention is directed to an exhaust gas recirculation valve incorporating a DC motor and a dual poppet valve assembly. A motor is contained inside of the actuator housing. The motor has a rotatable motor shaft with a first gear connected to the end of th... | 08/08/2006 |
| 7076953 | Method for controlling an engine with VGT and EGR systems A method for controlling an internal combustion engine is provided. The engine includes a variable geometry turbocharger (VGT) system and an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system. In a boost mode, the VGT system is controlled with a closed loop based on boost press... | 07/18/2006 |
| 7059310 | Exhaust gas recirculation In an internal combustion engine comprising a cylinder-head with at least one combustion chamber in the cylinder head and the cylinder head has at least one intake passage and one exhaust passage, and an external exhaust gas recirculation line which branches off fro... | 06/13/2006 |
| 7055799 | Electromagnetic apparatus for automatically and selectively supplying and shutting off fluid Disclosed herein is an electromagnetic apparatus for automatically and selectively supplying and shutting off fluid. The electromagnetic apparatus includes a frame unit, a through unit, a coil unit, a rotor, a casing, a shaft and a casing. The frame unit is coaxiall... | 06/06/2006 |
| 7032877 | Actuator for reversibly displacing a valve flap of a valve An actuator has a drive shaft connected to a valve flap. A toothed quadrant is mounted to be rotatable about the first axis of rotation of the drive shaft. A further quadrant is arranged in parallel with the toothed quadrant and is fixedly connected to the drive sha... | 04/25/2006 |
| 7017884 | Fluid metering valve A fluid metering valve includes a gear rack which is slidable on a valve stem in which a spring counteracts the force of an actuator to maintain a constant load on the gear mechanism to prevent backlash. Corresponding stop mechanisms between the gear and the shaft o... | 03/28/2006 |
| 7017560 | Method and device for an EGR-system and a valve as well as a regulation method and device The invention is related to a method and a device for recirculation of a part of exhaust gases from an exhaust pipe (6, 9) of a diesel engine (1) to the inlet of the engine, the exhaust gases being diverted from the exhaust pipe (6, 9) and direc... | 03/28/2006 |
| 7006911 | Actuator control system A system is disclosed for controlling the current used by an actuator to control actuator position. A control circuit is configured to control the actuator current to a value at or near the minimum current required to sustain the actuator in a desired position in or... | 02/28/2006 |
| 6997169 | Fluid valve assembly To protect a drive unit in a fluid valve assembly from impurities over a long term by preventing entrance of such impurities to the drive unit, a seal structure the sealing performance of which is hardly reduced is adopted around a moving part of the fluid valve ass... | 02/14/2006 |
| 6966303 | EGR control apparatus for diesel engine An EGR control apparatus for a diesel engine which can stop EGR in advance of increase of a fuel injection quantity when acceleration of the engine comprises: EGR means (4) to adjust an EGR volume which is recirculated from an exhaust pipe (2) to an in... | 11/22/2005 |
| 6948483 | Exhaust gas recirculation system An exhaust gas recirculation system including an intake passage, an exhaust passage joining the intake passage at a junction and in fluid communication with the intake passage, and a closing member having a first position and a second position. When in the first pos... | 09/27/2005 |
| 6928994 | Modular exhaust gas recirculation assembly A modular exhaust gas recirculation assembly includes a flow control body, a closing member movably mounted in the manifold conduit between a first position and a second position, and an actuator assembly coupled to the closing member and driving the closing member ... | 08/16/2005 |
| 6925992 | Method and device for an EGR-system and a valve as well as a regulation method and device The invention is related to a method and a device for recirculation of a part of exhaust gases from an exhaust pipe (6, 9) of a diesel engine (1) to the inlet of the engine, the exhaust gases being diverted from the exhaust pipe (6, 9) and direc... | 08/09/2005 |
| 6907868 | Modular exhaust gas recirculation assembly A modular exhaust gas recirculation assembly includes a flow control body, a closing member movably mounted in the manifold conduit between a first position and a second position, and an actuator assembly coupled to the closing member and driving the closing member ... | 06/21/2005 |
| 6904897 | Bearing porosity control in an exhaust gas recirculation valve A powdered metal bearing (40) that guides a pintle (42) in an EGR valve (20) is sealed against infiltration of exhaust gases by mechanical processing or by applying a sealant. ... | 06/14/2005 |
| 6886544 | Exhaust gas venturi injector for an exhaust gas recirculation system A system of operating an internal combustion engine is disclosed. The engine includes an engine block, an exhaust air system in fluid communication with the engine block, the exhaust air system having an exhaust air conduit, an intake air system in fluid communicati... | 05/03/2005 |
| 6868329 | Control method of EGR system of engine A control method of an EGR system of an engine capable of effectively performing an EGR control at a time of rapid acceleration. For this purpose, an intake air flow rate of the engine is obtained, and from a target EGR valve opening degree and a difference in press... | 03/15/2005 |