Did You Know...
...that power steering was invented by independent inventor Francis W. Davis? As chief engineer in the 1920s of the truck division of the Pierce Arrow Motor Car Company, he saw how hard it was to steer heavy vehicles. So that he would be able to keep the profits from his future invention, Davis left his job, rented a small engineering shop in Waltham, Mass., and developed a hydraulic power steering system that led to power steering.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8181460 | Thermoacoustic driven compressor The present disclosure details a thermoacoustic driven compressor having a pressurized housing, which contains within a thermoacoustic engine and a working gas, coupled to a positive displacement reciprocating compressor. The thermoacoustic driven compressor generat... | 05/22/2012 |
| 8056334 | Energy recovery method for plastic pipe manufacturing systems An energy recovery system for a pipe manufacturing process is shown. A compression or injection molding operation is used to form a sealing gasket which is used in the subsequent pipe manufacturing operation. A Stirling engine cycle is used to recover heat during th... | 11/15/2011 |
| 8051655 | Method and system for electrical and mechanical power generation using stirling engine principles A heat engine enclosed in a housing has two chambers maintained at different temperatures. The first chamber (“hot chamber”) receives heat energy from an external power source. The second chamber (“cold chamber”) is connected to the hot chamber by two condui... | 11/08/2011 |
| 7908855 | Fluidic oscillator The invention relates to fluidic oscillators including compressed gas driven pumps and liquid piston and thermoacoustic heat engines and heat pumps in which the intention is to generate large amplitude oscillations by eliminating the dependence of the oscillations o... | 03/22/2011 |
| 7624574 | Piston apparatus, stirling engine, external combustion engine, and fluid device A piston apparatus which configures an air bearing by introducing a compressed working media into an inside of a piston, and ejecting the working media from plural holes arranged on a circumferential portion of the piston into a clearance between the piston and the ... | 12/01/2009 |
| 7360511 | Opposed piston engine A two-cycle, opposed piston engine with side-mounted crankshafts and cylinders isolated from mechanical stresses of the engine includes tailored cooling of cylinders and symmetrical cooling of the interior surfaces of piston crowns. Each opposed piston includes a co... | 04/22/2008 |
| 7318489 | Hydraulic motor arrangement and method of operating a hydraulic motor A hydraulic motor for use in subterranean drilling operations in which a drive fluid within a first reservoir is forced through the motor by a high pressure working fluid, such as drilling mud, the drive fluid entering a second reservoir upon exiting the motor. Upon... | 01/15/2008 |
| 7302970 | Liquid delivery device A micro liquid delivery device includes a flow channel for flowing a liquid, at least two pressure-generators for generating pressures provided in the flow channel, and a variable member placed between the pressure-generators and capable of transforming between a fi... | 12/04/2007 |
| 7156056 | Two-cycle, opposed-piston internal combustion engine In a two-cycle, opposed-piston internal combustion engine with optimized cooling and no engine block, the opposed pistons are coupled to a pair of crankshafts by connecting rods that are subject to substantially tensile forces acting between the pistons and the cran... | 01/02/2007 |
| 7140182 | Energy storing engine The Energy Storing Engine is the mechanization of a hot air engine cycle. Constant temperature compression is achieved by using a multi-stage-intercooled compressor. Energy is stored in a compressed air tank. Heat is added at constant pressure by an exhaust gas to c... | 11/28/2006 |
| 7104055 | Pressure vibration generator In the pressure oscillation generator 1, self-excited vibration is generated in a work transfer tube 30 by heating a heat input section 22 and also a resonator 50 is resonated, and when a work is inputted into a heat exchanger 20, ... | 09/12/2006 |
| 7081699 | Thermoacoustic piezoelectric generator A thermoacoustic generator includes a housing with a thermoacoustic core supported in the housing. The core is operable to introduce acoustical power into the housing to thereby oscillate the pressure of the gas in the housing at a frequency. A piezoelectric alterna... | 07/25/2006 |
| 7055321 | Suspension mechanism for stirling cycle engine A suspension mechanism capable of absorbing vibrations in all directions of a Stirling cycle engine 10. The suspension mechanism comprises the Stirling cycle engine 10 including nut members 30 on an outer surface of a casing 28, a holding... | 06/06/2006 |
| 7025323 | Low power integrated pumping and valving arrays for microfluidic systems Low power integrated pumping and valving arrays which provide a revolutionary approach for performing pumping and valving approach for performing pumping and valving operations in microfabricated fluidic systems for applications such as medical diagnostic microchips... | 04/11/2006 |
| 7019415 | Electrical power generation system and method for mitigating corona discharge A power generation system including a housing defining a cavity and having an inlet for receiving a fluid that is used to cool and pressurize the cavity and an outlet for removing the fluid from the cavity. The system also may include a rotor having a first end posi... | 03/28/2006 |
| 7013633 | External combustion thermal engine An engine block has one or more cylinders with associated pistons connected to turn a crankshaft. A distributor housing mounted on the block has a base with one or more first ports that open into corresponding cylinders. A hollow cylindrical distributor mounted for ... | 03/21/2006 |
| 7015458 | High density fiber optic output interface and system A fiber optic control system for controlling remotely located devices. The control system includes an illumination source for producing a light beam and a plurality of optical fibers. Each fiber is arranged to receive a respective portion of a light beam at a coupli... | 03/21/2006 |
| 6968688 | Two-cycle hot-gas engine A two-cycle hot-gas engine comprising an expansion piston in a heatable cylinder member and a compression piston in a coolable cylinder member. The expansion piston and the compression piston are disposed along a common axis. ... | 11/29/2005 |
| 6935355 | Small scale actuators and methods for their formation and use An actuator assembly and method for making and using an actuator assembly. In one embodiment, the assembly includes an actuator body having an actuator channel with a first region and a second region. An actuator is disposed in the actuator channel and is movable wh... | 08/30/2005 |
| 6931852 | Steam engine A steam engine increases efficiency and prevents corrosion, abrasion, and the like in a part receiving steam pressure. A heater and a cooler are provided on one side of a U-shaped fluid container, and a piston for output is provided on its other side. The heater hea... | 08/23/2005 |
| 6708945 | Flow rate control valve A flow rate control valve includes a second substrate having a flexible thin film and interposed between a first substrate having a heating mechanism and a third substrate having a sealing section. The first substrate and the second substrate close an internal space... | 03/23/2004 |
| 6666024 | Method and apparatus for generating energy using pressure from a large mass A fluid, for example, air, is subjected to a high pressure while in a high pressure inducing vessel (101). The high pressure is due to a large mass, such as the ocean. The fluid is then cooled and directed into a depressurized vessel (107), such as a pres... | 12/23/2003 |
| 6644028 | Method and apparatus for rapid stopping and starting of a thermoacoustic engine A thermoacoustic engine-driven system with a hot heat exchanger, a regenerator or stack, and an ambient heat exchanger includes a side branch load for rapid stopping and starting, the side branch load being attached to a location in the thermoacoustic sys... | 11/11/2003 |
| 6564551 | Gas expansion apparatus for a system for the conversion of thermal energy into motive energy, in particular for a hot-water motor The invention relates to a gas expansion apparatus which is part of a system for the conversion of thermal energy into motor energy, especially for a hot-water motor.... | 05/20/2003 |
| 6484498 | Apparatus and method for converting thermal to electrical energy A cycle engine. converting thermal energy to electricity includes a cylinder housing having a piston having two oppositely disposed heads and mounted for reciprocating inside the cylinder. The cylinder is disposed between a hot zone to supply hot gas to o... | 11/26/2002 |
| 6396382 | Thermally actuated control device A micro miniature solid state mechanical switch device operated by thermal energy for the control of thermal and electrical energy is shown. A gap in an energy path is bridged by an energy conductor that is mechanically moved into and out of operative pos... | 05/28/2002 |
| 6374607 | Driving apparatus utilizing thermal expansion and contraction A driving apparatus utilizing thermal expansions and contractions including a high-temperature section (1), a low-temperature section (3) facing to the high-temperature section (1) with a certain gap of the gap section (2) there-between, a bimetal section... | 04/23/2002 |
| 6112522 | Total flow liquid piston engine This invention uses a body force to trap the liquid component of a fluid in local potential minimums in a continuous cavity in an expander. Shaping of the cavity traps the vapor components of the fluid between these "liquid pistons". In the external combu... | 09/05/2000 |
| 5899067 | Hydraulic engine powered by introduction and removal of heat from a working fluid A thermal hydraulic engine including a frame. A working fluid changes volume with changes in temperature. A working fluid container houses the working fluid. A cylinder secured to the frame includes an interior space. The cylinder also includes a passage ... | 05/04/1999 |
| 5865086 | Thermo-hydro-dynamic system Description of a system of a thermodynamic steam pump for water propulsion, its heating, disinfection and sterilization, or propulsion of other liquids, characterized by use of water steam pressure as the propelling media of a liquid mass directly, withou... | 02/02/1999 |
| 5809784 | Method and apparatus for converting radiation power into mechanical power A method and apparatus for converting radiation power, especially solar radiation, into mechanical power. A piston is provided that is movable in a cylinder accompanied by the formation of a variable-sized working chamber. During a compression stroke, the... | 09/22/1998 |
| 5771694 | Crosshead system for stirling engine A crosshead system for a swashplate engine such as a Stirling cycle type. A plurality of crossheads are constrained to move in a reciprocating fashion by travelling along a pair of parallel guide rods. The crosshead system further includes a mechanism for... | 06/30/1998 |
| 5694773 | Closed cycle gas turbine engine and mechanical system driven thereby A closed cycle gas turbine engine has sealed therein a working medium, within a working chamber, a closed exhaust manifold, a gas recirculating path, and a plasma gas generator, with a turbine rotor rotating within the working chamber. High voltage pulses... | 12/09/1997 |
| 5671905 | Electrochemical actuator and method of making same A new and improved electrochemical actuator and method of using it enables a reversible electrochemical generation of gases for inducing a phase/volume change that can produce high actuation forces, long actuation distances, and remain at the last pressur... | 09/30/1997 |
| 5649423 | Micromechanism linear actuator with capillary force sealing A class of micromachine linear actuators whose function is based on gas driven pistons in which capillary forces are used to seal the gas behind the piston. The capillary forces also increase the amount of force transmitted from the gas pressure to the pi... | 07/22/1997 |
| 5598704 | Heat engine and a method of operating a heat engine A heat engine (H) has a heat input means (10) and a work output means (20). A property of a first working substance is cyclically changed in a first subsystem forming a property modulator (1). The property modulator is provided with a work transfer input ... | 02/04/1997 |
| 5442914 | Shape memory alloy heat engine The SMA-CDS engine uses shape-memory-alloy (SMA) means which include at least one stack of conical-disc-springs (CDSs) mounted on a perforated tube. Each CDS has a zero axis, a martensite mode, and an austenite mode. A support structure mounts the CDSs on... | 08/22/1995 |
| 5414997 | Thermal lag machine A thermal lag engine has a cooled cylinder and piston connected to a heated chamber. A working fluid in the cooled cylinder and heated chamber is alternately compressed and expanded by the piston. Since there is a thermal lag or time interval before the w... | 05/16/1995 |
| 5396770 | Electrothermal actuator with latch mechanism An electrothermal actuator includes a housing containing a working fluid and a heater disposed in the fluid within the housing. A piston is slidably disposed in the housing for movement in response to heating and cooling of the working fluid. An output me... | 03/14/1995 |
| 5367878 | Transient energy release microdevices and methods A microdevice in the form of an electrical switch. A microdevice for providing switching at a high repetition rate, including a cell divided into two chambers by a bistable movable membrane. A charge of gas in the cell and a source for directly heating th... | 11/29/1994 |
