Eaton Corporation

The University of Chicago

Lyle O Hoppie

David H Scharnweber

Richard Chute

James A Benjamin

Steven R Schachameyer

John B Pardee

Kenneth P Waichunas

Donald R Haefner

Allan Roy Gale

Herman P Schutten

Donald Speranza

David Curtis Turner

Joseph H McNinch, Jr

Ramanujam R Sekar

Gregory C Nowell

A system for actuating an engine valve includes a linear machine having a coaxially aligned field assembly and armature assembly. In one embodiment, the field assembly reciprocates relative to the armature assembly to actuate the valve. One configuration has a field assembly with a number of axially oriented annular permanent magnets separated by a ferromagnetic material and mounted on a non-magnetic shaft. The ferromagnetic material is preferably a compressed powdered metal which is microencapsulated with insulating material to reduce the formation of eddy currents. The preferred construction provides a reluctance force which helps maintain the valve in an open or closed state without any current applied to the armature. The system may also include an inductor and/or a capacitor tuned to the natural frequency chosen to provide regenerative actuation at a predetermined natural frequency.

System and method for regenerative electromagnetic engine valve actuation

A lamination structure for an electromagnetic device such as a linear machine having a coaxially aligned field assembly and armature assembly. In one embodiment, the field assembly reciprocates relative to the armature assembly to actuate the valve. One configuration has a field assembly with a number of axially oriented annular permanent magnets separated by a ferromagnetic material comprised of a stack of relatively thin ferromagnetic discs which are oriented such that the geometric planes of the discs are generally perpendicular to the working magnetic field and mounted on a non-magnetic shaft. The discs are sized to optimize the conduction of the working magnetic flux while minimizing eddy currents. The housing for the device is comprised of a plurality of tubular laminations. The preferred construction provides a reluctance force which helps maintain the valve in an open or closed state without any current applied to the device.

Lamination structure for an electromagnetic device

A method of reducing oxides of nitrogen (NO.sub.X) in the exhaust of an internal combustion engine includes producing oxygen enriched air and nitrogen enriched air by an oxygen enrichment device. The oxygen enriched air may be provided to the intake of the internal combustion engine for mixing with fuel. In order to reduce the amount of NO.sub.X in the exhaust of the internal combustion engine, the molecular nitrogen in the nitrogen enriched air produced by the oxygen enrichment device is subjected to a corona or arc discharge so as to create a plasma and as a result, atomic nitrogen. The resulting atomic nitrogen then is injected into the exhaust of the internal combustion engine causing the oxides of nitrogen in the exhaust to be reduced into nitrogen and oxygen. In one embodiment of the present invention, the oxygen enrichment device that produces both the oxygen and nitrogen enriched air can include a selectively permeable membrane.

NO.sub.x reduction method

An electrode arrangement for establishing a sustained electrical arc with a low voltage in which a pair of electrodes are initially brought together and then separated while a current is applied. The sustained arc is adapted to activate fuel flowing past the arc, and the flow is vortical so that the arc is caused to migrate around an annular arc gap space. Several geometric configurations of the electrodes include opposing cylindrical shapes having endwise alligned cavities and a generally tapered portions of one electrode received in a generally tapered opening in the other electrode.

Electrode arrangement for establishing a sustained electrical arc

A torch ignitor for a lean burn internal combustion engine is disclosed in which a small quantity of gaseous fuel is activated by exposure to an electrical arc and injected into the main fuel air charge in the combustion chamber. The arc is established by causing a current to flow to a pair of electrodes which are separated by the application of the torch fuel under pressure to generate the arc. The arc is caused to migrate about the space between the electrodes by the impingement of the fuel flowing through the space.

Torch ignitor for lean burn engines

A system (20) for linearizing a non-linear transducer output signal (s.sub.2) which may be amplified to a non-linear output signal (s.sub.2) by suitable amplifier means (2) by providing signal (s.sub.2) to both a summing or linearization means (6) and an analog to digital converter which provides a signal (s.sub.3) to a storage means (4) which selectively provides a predetermined correction signal (s.sub.4) which is received by a digital to analog converter (5) to provide a signal (s.sub.5) to linearization means (6) for combination with signal (s.sub.2) to provide a linearized output signal (s.sub.6).

Transducer linearizing system

The present invention is a regenerative braking system useful in systems having variable kinetic energy such as vehicles. A DC machine having an independently energized field coil includes a rotor mechanically coupled for rotation at a speed proportional to the velocity of the load. During deceleration the armature is coupled to an inductor and rotational energy provided by the load is converted into magnetic energy stored in the magnetic field of the inductor. To store the energy a short is connected across the inductor, which is preferably operating under superconducting conditions. For acceleration this inductor current is applied to the DC machine to produce a torque for moving the load. The phase reversal required for proper direction of torque is preferably achieved by reversing the direction of field current. The rate of energy transfer and thus the rate of acceleration or deceleration is controlled by controlling the magnitude of the field coil current. A preferred embodiment includes a vehicle battery and motor control for powering the DC machine as the prime mover of the system. A control circuit responsive to vehicle speed, accelerator pedal position, brake pedal position, and the amount of current in the inductor controls switches for proper transfer of energy.

Magnetic regenerative braking system

Fuel is activated prior to combustion in an engine by an electrical arc established across an annular gap between two electrodes, and sustained for a significant portion of the injection cycle. The vaporized or gaseous fuel is directed through a spiral recess to be caused to flow vortically and cause the arc to migrate about the annular gap to reduce electrode erosion and increase exposure of the fuel to the activating effects of the arc. The arc is formed by separating contacting electrodes which applying a current to the electrodes. One of the electrodes is movable under the influence of the pressurized fuel to cause separation from the other fixed electrode, so that the arc is established as fuel begins flowing. The electrodes have opposing rimmed cavities, with fuel flow shifting the arc radially inwardly, migrating to extend between the inner wall of each cavities, and around which the arc rotates under the influence of the vortical fuel flow.

Method and apparatus for activating fuel prior to combustion

An arrangement and method is disclosed for enabling hypergolic combustion of a fuel mixture in the combustion chamber of a combustion device such as an internal combustion engine by irradiation of the fuel and/or of the fuel-air mixture with a beam of ultraviolet radiation to produce disassociation of a relatively high proportion of the fuel molecules to enable hypergolic combustion. Various arrangements are disclosed for accomplishing UV irradiation of the fuel in the context of an internal combustion piston engine, and a mercury vapor lamp or a laser are alternatively employed as a UV beam generator.

UV irradiation apparatus and method for fuel pretreatment enabling

A method and apparatus are disclosed for controlling the rate and timing of heat released during each combustion cycle of an internal combustion engine so as to maximize the net work output of the engine. Mathematical expressions of engine loss factors, such as friction and heat transfer, are used to establish a combustion chamber pressure versus crank angle function which is analyzed together with a combustion chamber pressure versus crank angle function in the absence of combustion. From this analysis, a derivation of optimized combustion chamber heat release rate and timing is enabled. The optimized combustion chamber heat release rate and timing are achieved by controlling the timing and rate of injection of fuel into the combustion chamber, which fuel has been activated by pretreatment so to enable 'hypergolic' or instantaneous combustion upon injection.

Method and apparatus for maximizing internal combustion engine work

A semiconductor processing technique is disclosed for forming a multi-layered semiconductor structure in a single chamber and with the same equipment, without removing the semiconductor wafer substrate or otherwise transferring it to another chamber. A gaseous mixture of different gases is provided in a chamber. Excimer pulsed ultraviolet laser radiation is introduced into the chamber at a first discrete wavelength to photolytically react with a first of the gases at a discrete excitation energy photochemically breaking bonds of the first gas to epitaxially deposit a first layer on the substrate, followed by radiation at a second discrete wavelength to photolytically react with a second gas to deposit a second layer on the first layer, and so on. The different gases may be introduced into the chamber collectively, or serially between radiations. Scavenging between layers is provided by photolytic removal of surface containments and the products of reaction.

Multi-layer semiconductor processing with scavenging between layers by

A method and apparatus are disclosed for pretreating fuel prior to its injection into a combustion chamber to a critical level of activation to enable negligible ignition delay and substantially instantaneous completion of the combustion process. Each quantity of fuel is treated in a plurality of phases to achieve the critical level of fuel activation by the combined effect of each, with fuel heating combined with one or more further activation treatment phases, including catalysis, UV irradiation, or passing each quantity of the fuel through an electrical discharge to thereby enable hypergolic combustion by a combination of the effects thereof.

Method and apparatus for multiphasic pretreatment of fuel to achieve

A semiconductor ion implantation processing technique is disclosed for implanting high purity, high flux density ions in a semiconductor wafer substrate. A reactant gas is irradiated with excimer pulsed ultraviolet laser radiation at a discrete designated pulsed wavelength corresponding to a discrete designated ionization excitation energy of the gas photochemically breaking bonds of the gas to nonthermally photolytically ionize the gas. The ions are then accelerated by an electric field for subsequent implantation into a surface.

Generating high purity ions by non-thermal excimer laser processing

An apparatus and method are disclosed for pretreatment of fuel prior to injection into the combustion chamber of a combustion device such as an internal combustion engine comprising heating of the fuel to a sufficiently high temperature to activate the fuel molecules to a critical degree enabling 'hypergolic' combustion, i.e., combustion without significant ignition or combustion delay. The fuel is circulated through a vessel passing through the combustion chamber which is insulated to reduce heat loss such as to regeneratively preheat the fuel to a temperature on the order of 1000.degree. F. Regenerative heating of the fuel is alternatively combined with a catalytic treatment of the heated fuel to partially activate the fuel molecules to reduce the heating necessary to achieve hypergolic combustion.

Growing community of inventors

Birmingham, MI, United States of America

Lyle O Hoppie