University of Minnesota

Thomas Richard Chase

Nathan Paul Hagstrom

Perry Yan-Ho Li

Michael B Rannow

James Donald Van De Ven

Jane Holloway Davidson

Perry Y Li

Wojciech Lipinski

Nebiyu Fikru

Grey C Boyce-Erickson

Alexander M Hargus

Matthew L Gallagher

A partial stroke pump or motor includes a piston coupled to a rotating shaft to evacuate a fluid within a cylinder during an upstroke. A latching check valve includes an actuator piston that is displaceable within a center cavity to bypass a blocking member in a bypass state. The actuator piston is driven by a latch supply line. A spool of a rotary valve selectively couples one of the low and pilot pressure supplies to the latch supply line over different timing angle ranges of the rotating shaft. Coupling of the pilot pressure to the latch supply line causes the bypass state. When operating as a pump, the bypass state causes the pressure in the cylinder to fall below the high pressure during part of the upstroke. When operating as a motor, the bypass state allows the fluid to be evacuated from the cylinder during the upstroke.

Partial stroke fluidic pump-motor with high mechanical efficiency

A valve includes an orifice plate including at least one orifice surrounded by an orifice plate seal surface, a seal plate, and an actuator. The seal plate includes a seal boss having a seal boss surface that faces the orifice plate, and a pocket that overlays the at least one orifice. The pocket includes a recessed surface that is surrounded by the seal boss surface and is displaced from the seal boss surface along an axis. The actuator is configured to move the seal plate relative to the orifice plate along the axis to transition the valve between open and closed states. The seal boss surface engages the orifice plate seal surface, surrounds the at least one orifice, and blocks a flow of fluid through the at least one orifice when the valve is in the closed state.

Fluidic control valve

A hydraulic pump-motor includes a cylinder block including a plurality of fluid chambers, a piston in each of the fluid chambers, a cam, a fixed valve area profile, and a timing adjustment actuator. The cam includes a cam surface that engages the pistons and drives movement of the pistons relative to the fluid chambers in response to relative rotation between the cam and the fluid chambers. The fixed valve area profile is configured to control fluid flows between the fluid chambers and first and second ports. The timing adjustment actuator is configured to adjust an angular orientation of the fixed valve area profile relative to an angular orientation of the cam based on a pressure differential between a pressure at the first port and a pressure at the second port.

Pressure shifted valve timing

A fluidic control valve configured to control a flow of fluid through a conduit includes a piezostack actuator, a seal plate having a sealing face, an orifice plate including a plurality of orifices, and a suspension connected to the seal plate. The piezostack actuator is configured to displace the seal plate along a longitudinal axis of the conduit between a closed position, in which the sealing face engages the orifice plate, seals the orifices of the orifice plate and closes the valve, and an open position, in which the seal plate is displaced from the orifice plate to open the valve. The suspension is configured to flex and adjust an orientation of the sealing face relative to the orifice plate during movement of the seal plate from the open position to the closed position.

Fluidic control valve with small displacement actuators

A variable displacement pump-motor includes a pump-motor having a plurality of cylinders and pistons, and further including a main shaft rotatable relative to the system body. A hydro mechanical control system includes a plurality of main stage valves in communication with the plurality of cylinders. Each of the main stage valves is configured to open and close a cylinder of the plurality of cylinders to one or more of high or low pressure fluid sources. A pilot spool valve is in selective communication with each of the main stage valves. The pilot spool rotates with the main shaft. The pilot spool includes coding configured to operate each of the main stage valves to open and close the respective cylinders to the one or more high and low pressure fluid sources according to a translational position of the pilot spool and rotation of the pilot spool by the main shaft.

Variable displacement pump-motor

A fluidic control valve includes a piezostack actuator, a seal plate, and an orifice plate including a plurality of orifices. The piezostack actuator is configured to move the seal plate along a longitudinal axis between a closed position, in which the seal plate seals the orifices of the orifice plate and closes the valve, and an open position, in which the seal plate is displaced from the orifice plate to open the valve.

Thermochemical reactor systems that may be used to produce a fuel, and methods of using the thermochemical reactor systems, utilizing a reactive cylindrical element, an optional energy transfer cylindrical element, an inlet gas management system, and an outlet gas management system.

Thermochemical reactor systems and methods

A pulse width modulated fluidic valveincludes a cylinder () having an elongate bore, a length, and first () and second () ports which extend from outside the cylinder () into the bore. A rotatable spool () is carried in the bore and movable in a direction of the length of cylinder (). The spool () has a variable blocking feature () which blocks passage of fluid' between the first () and second () ports as a function of angular position relative to the first () and second () ports and as a function of linear position along the length of the cylinder ().

Growing community of inventors

Minneapolis, MN, United States of America

Thomas Richard Chase