Caterpillar Inc.

University of Missouri

Bryan Edward Nelson

Jeremy Todd Peterson

Jeffrey Lee Kuehn

Dana Ray Coldren

Viral S Mehta

Kirat Shah

Cory Andrew Brown

Sana Mahmood

Alan Ray Stockner

Stephen Robert Lewis

Pengfei Ma

Hoisan Kim

Jiao Zhang

Haoran Hu

David Elliot Hackett

Joshua W Steffen

Tonglin Shang

Robert Michael Campion

Hongliu Du

Dayao Chen

Paul Anthony Dvorak

Kevin Lloyd Dea

Gregory J Speckhart

Noah D Manring

Daniel L Mikrut

Daniel Raymond Baldwin

Jeffrey Michael Thate

Gang Victor Wen

Joshua C Ruedin

Brian Michael Cole

Amy Marie Hess

Timur T Trubnikov

Eric S Keyster

Michael Edward Pickell

Larry R Mitzelfelt, Jr

Issac Dandan

Nikhil M Arya

Satyasai C Avasarala

Craig A Bettenhausen

Andrew J Menssen

An alternative fuel management system may include a base configured for arrangement on a supporting floor or other framework of a vessel and configured to support alternative fuel supply equipment. The system may also include a sealed enclosure sealingly coupled to the base and configured to surround the alternative fuel supply equipment. The system may also include the alternative fuel supply equipment and it may be arranged within the sealed enclosure. The alternative fuel supply equipment may include a high-pressure pump, a fuel filter, a transfer pump, and a high-pressure fuel delivery line extending across the sealed enclosure and configured to provide alternative fuel from the high-pressure pump to a combustion engine. The alternative fuel management system may also include a purge fluid system configured to deliver purge fluid to the combustion engine from a source of purge fluid.

Containerized alternative fuel control unit

A valve assembly for a pump includes an electrical actuator having a stator and an armature. The stator includes an annular outer stator portion and an annular inner stator portion, and an annular channel formed radially between the outer stator portion and the inner stator portion. A first radial channel extending through the annular outer stator portion between an outer surface of the outer stator portion and the annular channel, and at least one second opening in the annular outer stator portion results in magnetic symmetry of the stator. Upon activating the electrical actuator, the attraction of the armature towards the stator is uniform thus displacing fluid between the stator and armature in a uniform manner and to avoid high velocity, potentially damaging fluid flow.

Valve assembly having electrical actuator with balanced stator

A valve assembly for a pump includes an electrical actuator having a stator and an armature, where the armature includes a top armature surface facing the stator and having an inwardly stepped-up profile that forms a raised surface at a radially inward location, and a lower, gap-forming surface at a radially outward location that forms a gap between the armature and the stator when the electrical actuator is activated to facilitate displacing fluid and avoiding production of high velocity, potentially damaging fluid flows.

Valve assembly having electrical actuator with stepped armature

A hydraulic system is disclosed for use with a machine. The hydraulic system may have a closed-loop, meterless hydraulic circuit with a first pump fluidly connected to a first actuator. The hydraulic system may also have a closed-loop, metered hydraulic circuit with a second pump fluidly connected to a second actuator. The hydraulic system may further have a combiner valve configured to selectively direct fluid from the closed-loop metered hydraulic circuit to the closed-loop meterless hydraulic circuit.

System having combinable transmission and implement circuits

A bearing arrangement for a wobble plate piston pump includes first, second, third, and fourth bearing assemblies. The first and second bearing assemblies support the drive shaft portion for rotation within the housing about the central longitudinal axis, while the third and fourth bearing assemblies support the load plate for rotation relative to the offset shaft portion of the shaft. The second bearing assembly is distally disposed from the first, the third disposed distally to second, and the fourth disposed distally to third. The fourth bearing assembly is the most distally disposed bearing assembly along the shaft.

Bearing arrangement for cryogenic pump

A cryogenic pump comprising a shaft disposed in a bearing. The shaft rotates with respect to the bearing housing, and the shaft includes an end with an angled face. The pump includes a drive at one end of the bearing housing. A tappet passage is formed through the drive housing. A pushrod housing connects to the drive housing. The pump includes a piston and a tappet sliding within the tappet passage. The tappet has a base end disposed within the tappet passage and a rod end extending below the tappet end of the drive housing. A fluid cavity is in the tappet passage between the piston and the tappet. The pump includes a pushrod connected to the tappet. The angled face of the shaft rotates and drives the piston toward the drive housing, pushing fluid within the fluid cavity against the tappet, driving the pushrod away from the drive housing.

Pump drive system with hydraulic tappets

A shaft arrangement for an axial piston pump assembly to couple to a rotatable member such as a gear therewith. A shaft extends at least partially through a housing chamber of the pump about a longitudinal axis. Reciprocating pistons are disposed within the chamber radially about the shaft. A cam unit is fitted over the shaft and provides an angled camming surface to engage the pistons. Bearing assemblies are fitted over the cam unit. An adapter can be fitted over the proximal end of the cam unit. The adapter has a distal surface which may abut the bearing assembly and be axially spaced from the cam unit, and an outer radial surface to engage the rotatable member. A clamping device provides a desired clamp load path between the rotatable member, the adapter, the cam unit, the bearing assemblies and the shaft.

Shaft arrangement for an axial piston pump assembly

A hydraulic system includes a hydraulic actuator, a pump configured to supply fluid to the hydraulic actuator, and a first accumulator fluidly connected to the hydraulic actuator. The first accumulator is configured to store fluid received from the hydraulic actuator. The hydraulic system also includes a motor drivingly connected to the pump and fluidly connected to the first accumulator. The motor is configured to receive the stored fluid from the first accumulator to drive the pump. The hydraulic system further includes a first discharge valve fluidly connected between the first accumulator and the hydraulic actuator. The first discharge valve is configured to supply the stored fluid from the first accumulator to the hydraulic actuator without the stored fluid from the first accumulator circulating through the pump.

Electro-hydraulic system for recovering and reusing potential energy

A method is provided for controlling a hydraulic system having at least an implement pump, a fan-steering-braking (FSB) pump, a valve assembly, a fan drive system and one or more accumulators. The method may determine an operational state of a power source associated with the hydraulic system, actuate one or more valves of the valve assembly such that the FSB pump charges the accumulators and operates at least the fan drive system if the power source is operating at less than maximum power, and actuate one or more valves of the valve assembly such that the accumulators operate at least the fan drive system and such that the FSB pump supplements the implement pump as needed if the power source is operating at maximum power.

Reduced parasitic hydraulic fan system with reversing capability

A reductant dosing system for an engine is disclosed. The disclosed reductant dosing system includes a reservoir of reductant fluid that is connected to an inlet of a reductant pump. The pump has an outlet that is fluidly connected to the reservoir, an inlet of a pressure regulator and an inlet of an injector. The pressure regulator includes a reductant pressure control valve that fluidly connects the outlet of the reductant pump to the reservoir when the reductant pressure control valve is in an open position. A compressed gas source is fluidly connected to an air supply control valve that fluidly connects the compressed gas source to the reservoir when the air supply control valve is in an open position. The air supply control valve also has a closed position and is shifted between the open and closed positions by a controller.

Reductant dosing system

A hydraulic circuit is provided. The hydraulic circuit includes a primary pump, a displacement actuator, a charge pump, a direction control valve, and a pressure control valve. The displacement actuator is associated with the primary pump. The charge pump is configured to generate a flow of a pilot fluid. The direction control valve is configured to control the flow of the pilot fluid to the displacement actuator to affect a movement direction of the displacement actuator. The pressure control valve is configured to control a pressure of the pilot fluid to affect a movement amount of the displacement actuator. Further, the hydraulic circuit includes a controller. The controller is configured to control the direction and the pressure control valves to adjust a displacement of the primary pump based at least on one of a sensed engine parameter or a mode of operation of the primary pump.

Hydraulic circuit control

A hydraulic fan circuit is disclosed. The hydraulic fan circuit may have a primary pump, a motor, a fan connected to and driven by the motor, and a flywheel connected to and driven by one of the motor and the fan. The hydraulic fan circuit may also have a supply passage extending from the primary pump to the motor, a return passage extending from the motor to the primary pump, and a diverter valve configured to selectively connect the supply passage to a low-pressure sump.

Hydraulic fan circuit having energy recovery

A method for estimating a fluid charge of a hydraulic accumulator includes determining a first accumulator pressure at a first time with a pressure sensor, the first time during accumulator charging; determining a second accumulator pressure at a second time with the pressure sensor, the second time during accumulator charging; determining a first fan speed at the first time; determining a second fan speed at the second time; and estimating the fluid charge of the hydraulic accumulator as a function of the first accumulator pressure, the second accumulator pressure, the first fan speed, and the second fan speed.

Hydraulic accumulator fluid charge estimation system and method

A hydraulic circuit is disclosed. The hydraulic circuit may have a pump, a motor, a tank, and an accumulator. The hydraulic circuit may also have a valve movable between a first position at which an output of the pump is fluidly connected to the tank and the accumulator is fluidly connected to the motor, and a second position at which the output of the pump is fluidly connected to the motor.

Hydraulic circuit having energy storage and reuse

A hydraulic fan circuit includes a primary pump, a motor fluidly connected to the primary pump, and a fan operably connected to and driven by the motor. The circuit also includes a supply passage extending from the primary pump to the motor, a return passage extending from the motor to the primary pump, and a pressure limiting valve configured to selectively reduce pressure of a flow of pilot fluid directed to the primary pump. The circuit further includes an override valve configured to selectively connect the supply passage to the pressure limiting valve.

Growing community of inventors

Lacon, IL, United States of America

Bryan Edward Nelson