Palo Alto Research Center Inc.

Xerox Corporation

Other

Google Inc.

Tesla Motors, Inc.

Solfocus, Inc.

David G Duff

David Kalman Biegelsen

Mark H Yim

Craig Eldershaw

Lars-Erik Swartz

Kimon D Roufas

Ashish V Pattekar

John W Suh

Samuel B Homans

David Kirtland Fork

Raj B Apte

Jeng Ping Lu

John Stuart Fitch

Scott Eugene Solberg

Stephen David White

Kenneth Ryan Loo

Christian G Van De Walle

Michael C Weisberg

Alberto Salleo

Gregory B Arcenio

Jeffrey Weintraub

Robert Kim

Hing Wah Chan

Harold Ackler

Erik L Swartz

Ying Di Zhang

Anthony C Bonora

Meng H Lean

Karl Anthony Littau

Leslie Ann Field

Gregory Paul Schmitz

Baomin Xu

Markus P J Fromherz

Shu Chang

Bryan Thomas Preas

Lars Erik Swartz

Susan J Strehlow

Kimberly M Wiefling

Lee Ackerson

Hing-Wah Chan

Embodiments generally relate to methods and apparatuses for generating ice. In one embodiment, a material is introduced to water, and the temperature of the combination of the water and the material is lowered until ice forms, the formed ice having a higher albedo than it would have had if the step of lowering the temperature had been carried out on the water without first carrying out the step of introducing the material. In one embodiment, the material is selected such that an aqueous solution of the material is alkaline. In another embodiment, a material is introduced to water, and the temperature of the combination of the water and the material is lowered until ice forms, the ice forming at a faster rate than the rate at which it would have formed if the material had not been introduced to the water.

Generation and deployment of ice with modified optical and/or thermal properties

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to an apparatus providing a first component having a circular opening with an interior chamfered edge and a second component positioned within the circular opening. The apparatus also provides a magnetic feature at a circular bottom surface of the first component, where the magnetic feature provides a magnetic pull force in a first direction to secure the second component within the circular opening. The second component is configured to break away from the circular opening when a contact force to the breakaway component causes a force in a second direction opposite of the first direction and greater than the magnetic pull force.

Variable magnetic break-away mounting mechanism

An electricity generation system (EGS) is provided that can be deployed at a point-of-use site (e.g. residence, business, etc.). In one implementation, the EGS includes a generator for generating electricity (where the generator includes a Stirling engine that uses gaseous fuel for a combustion fuel source), an interface for interfacing with an electrical infrastructure of the site as well as a power grid, and a controller for controlling the operation of the EGS. The EGS may be used in conjunction with the power grid, and may selectively provide electricity to the electrical infrastructure based upon instructions from a utility provider that manages the power grid, based upon an electrical load imposed on the electrical infrastructure, based upon the electrical capacity provided by the power grid, based upon cost considerations, etc. By taking some or all of these considerations into account, the EGS can adapt its behavior to fit changing conditions.

Point-of-use electricity generation system

A tactical smart grid system and method includes a plurality of energy generators and a plurality of loads, where the loads require energy from at least some of the energy generators. A plurality of interface units are provided, where each energy generator and load are connected to one of the plurality of interface units. Each of the interface units including a controller to thereby provide distributed intelligence and distributed system control, thereby removing the requirement of a centrally controlled system.

Tactical smart grids

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to an apparatus providing a first component having a circular opening with an interior chaffered edge and a second component positioned within the circular opening. The apparatus also provides a magnetic feature at a circular bottom surface of the first component, where the magnetic feature provides a magnetic pull force in a first direction to secure the second component within the circular opening. The second component is configured to break away from the circular opening when a contact force to the breakaway component causes a force in a second direction opposite of the first direction and greater than the magnetic pull force.

A battery pack dehumidifier system for controlling the relative humidity within a battery pack enclosure is provided, the dehumidifier system including a desiccant that absorbs/adsorbs water vapor from the battery pack enclosure. The system heats and reactivates the desiccant at predetermined time intervals or when the humidity within the system reaches a preset level, thereby allowing the desiccant to regain its potential for absorbing/adsorbing water vapor.

Battery pack dehumidifier with active reactivation system

A solar cell extrusion printing system includes a printhead assembly having one or more elongated valve structures that are adjustably disposed adjacent to the outlet orifices of selected nozzle channels, and a valve control device for controlling the position of the valve structures to facilitate controllable ink flow through selected nozzle channels of the printhead assembly during the gridline printing process. The printhead assembly defines an elongated opening (e.g., a slot or hole) that that intersects (i.e., passes through) each of the selected nozzle channels, and an elongated member is movably disposed in the slot and is selectively movable between a first (opened) position, in which the valve structure extrusion material is passed by the valve structure through the nozzle channel and out of the printhead, and a closed position, in which the extrusion material is blocked by the valve structure and prevented from passing through the nozzle channel.

Micro-extrusion printhead with nozzle valves

A system may include an optical element including a surface defining a recess, conductive material disposed within the recess, and a solder mask disposed over a portion of the conductive material. The solder mask may define an aperture through which light from the optical element may pass. Some aspects provide creation of an optical element including a surface defining a recess, deposition of conductive material on the surface such that a portion of the deposited conductive material is disposed within the recess, and substantial planarization of the surface to expose the portion of the conductive material disposed within the recess.

Metal trace fabrication for optical element

A transport system for cut sheet media has a first and second cylinder to form a nip, a support subsystem to transport edges of cut sheets having at least one image into and out of the nip, and an array of contact points on each cylinder to make contact with the cut sheets without marking the image. A wheel for a print medium transport system has an outer rim having a series of contact points, an inner hub supporting a means to accommodate a drive shaft, and an internal spring connecting the outer rim to the inner hub. A method of transporting cut sheets in a printing system forms a nip between at least one pair of cylinders, each cylinder having an array of contact points, guides a first edge of a cut sheet into the nip, and uses the arrays of contact points to transport the cut sheets through one of either a fusing or drying process.

Transport for printing systems

A method for controlling the relative humidity within a battery pack enclosure is provided in which the volume of air within the battery pack is exposed to a volume of desiccant contained within a desiccant enclosure. The system is configured to heat and reactivate the desiccant at predetermined time intervals or when the humidity within the system reaches a preset level, thereby allowing the desiccant to regain its potential for absorbing/adsorbing water vapor.

Method of controlling battery pack humidity utilizing an active reactivation system

A marking apparatus including a traveling wave grid toner transport circuit structure for transporting powdered toner along a transport surface, and electromechanical elements for selectively enabling toner patches to be projected to an output medium by a projecting electric field.

Powdered toner direct marking apparatus

A solar cell production system utilizes self-contained vacuum chucks that hold and cool solar cell wafers during transport on a conveyor between processing stations during a fabrication process. Each self-contained vacuum chuck includes its own local vacuum pump and a closed-loop cooling system. After each wafer is processed, it is removed from its vacuum chuck, and the vacuum chuck is returned to the start of the production line by a second conveyor belt. In one embodiment, each vacuum chuck includes an inductive power supply that is inductively coupled to an external source to drive that vacuum chuck's vacuum pump and cooling system. An optional battery is recharged by the inductive power supply, and is used to power the vacuum pump and cooling system during hand-off between adjacent processing stations.

Wiring-free, plumbing-free, cooled, vacuum chuck

Growing community of inventors

Woodside, CA, United States of America

David G Duff