Caterpillar Inc.

Iot Controls LLC

Williams International Co., L.l.c.

Eric D Reinhart

Richard E Annati

Daniel Singer

Dean S Musgrave

A motor-actuated actuated-vent-valve is configured to operatively couple to a vent port of a solid-fueled cooker. The vent port is in series with both a flow of air into a combustion region of the cooker, and a flow of resulting combustion gases from the cooker, the flow of air being responsive to a position of the actuated-vent-valve. A first controller adapted to receive a sensed-temperature signal responsive to a temperature within a cooking region of the cooker, and operatively coupled to an externally-located actuator motor of the motor-actuated actuated-vent-valve, provides for automatically electronically controlling the position of the actuated-vent-valve to a continuum of positions within a range of the positions, thereby substantially regulating the first temperature within the cooking region of the solid-fueled cooker to a user-defined temperature level responsive to the sensed-temperature signal by controlling an exclusively-naturally-occurring flow of air into the combustion region of the cooker.

Automated temperature control system for a solid-fueled cooker

An actuated vent valve external of, and in series with a vent port of, a solid-fueled cooker is automatically controlled by controlling a flow of air into a combustion region of the solid-fueled cooker so as to substantially regulate a first temperature within a cooking region of a solid-fueled cooker to a user-defined temperature level responsive to a first temperature signal measured within the cooking region of the solid-fueled cooker.

Automated temperature control method for a solid-fueled cooker

A diffuser () comprises first () and second () annular portions bounded by forward () and aft () annular walls, wherein the first annular portion () is vaneless and radially within the second annular portion (), and the second annular portion () is radially relatively compact and incorporates a plurality of vanes () with relatively high solidity, wherein the forward () or/and aft () annular walls is/are sloped so as to provide for meridional divergence within the second annular portion () of the diffuser (), and the vanes () are shaped so as to substantially conform to the flow field within the second annular portion ().

Turbomachine diffuser

A compressor wheel for a turbocharger includes first, second and third pluralities of blades formed around a central hub. Each of the second plurality of blades is disposed between adjacent blades from the first plurality of blades and extend a shorter distance than the first plurality of blades along the centerline of the central hub. Each of the third plurality of blades is disposed between adjacent blades from the first and second pluralities of blades, and extends a shorter distance than the second plurality of blades along the centerline of the central hub. Together, the blades are separated in sets, each set including a blade from each of the first, second and third pluralities in order with respect to any radial location around the compressor wheel as the compressor wheel rotates.

Turbocharger compressor and method

A compressor for a turbocharger for use with an internal combustion engine includes a compressor wheel having a central hub having a centerline, a root portion, and an end portion. A plurality of blades is formed around the central hub. The plurality of blades includes a group of full-blades extending from the root portion of the central hub up to a maximum distance from the root portion along the centerline, the maximum distance being adjacent the end portion of the central hub. The plurality of blades includes a group of half-blades, the half-blades extending from the root portion of the hub to an area along the centerline that is between 60% and 65% of the maximum distance along the centerline. The plurality of blades is organized in repeating sets of blades arranged around the compressor wheel, each repeating set including at least one full-blade and at least one half-blade.

A turbocharger for use with an internal combustion engine includes a compressor wheel having a central hub having a centerline, a root portion and an end portion. A plurality of blades is formed around the central hub. The plurality of blades includes a group of full-blades extending from the root portion of the central hub up to a maximum distance from the root portion along the centerline, the maximum distance being adjacent the end portion of the central hub. The plurality of blades further includes a group of partial-blades, the partial-blades extending from the root portion of the hub to an area along the centerline that is between 40% and 55% of the maximum distance along the centerline, and the plurality of blades is organized in repeating sets of blades arranged around the compressor wheel, each repeating set including at least one full-blade and at least one partial-blade.

A compressor in a turbocharger for an internal combustion engine includes a compressor wheel that includes a central hub having a centerline, a root portion and an end portion. A plurality of blades is formed around the central hub. The plurality of blades includes a group of full-blades extending from the root portion of the central hub up to a maximum distance from the root portion along the centerline, a group of partial-blades extending to an area along the centerline that is between 40% and 55% of the maximum distance along the centerline, and a group of half-blades extending to an area along the centerline that is between 55% and 70% of the maximum distance. The plurality of blades is organized in repeating sets of blades arranged around the compressor wheel, each repeating set including at least one full-blade, at least one half-blade and at least one partial-blade.

An automated temperature control system for a barbecue grill or other structure comprises an automated damper assembly coupled to a vent of said grill, which damper assembly opens and closes selectively to adjust the flow passage area of the grill's vent. The system further comprises an operating area temperature probe for communicating the temperature of the operating area of the grill to the automated damper assembly, such that the automated damper assembly may maintain a user-specified target operating temperature by way of affecting combustion rates within the grill. A remote control may also be provided to allow the user to input a desired temperature for the system to obtain and/or to change temperature information for the grill or other structure.

Growing community of inventors

West Bloomfield, MI, United States of America

Eric D Reinhart