The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 05, 2026
Filed:
Apr. 28, 2023
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc., Plano, TX (US);
Paul Gilmore, Ann Arbor, MI (US);
Umesh Gandhi, Farmington Hills, MI (US);
TOYOTA MOTOR ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING NORTH AMERICA, INC., Plano, TX (US);
TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Toyota, JP;
Abstract
An adaptive programmable pump includes a pump housing, a diaphragm comprising a variable stiffness element attached to the pump housing, a piezoelectric element operatively connected to the diaphragm, and a control element coupled to the variable stiffness element, where the control element is configured to control a stiffness of the variable stiffness element via a voltage applied to the control element. The pump can also include a controller configured to decrease the stiffness of the variable stiffness element responsive to a high flow rate condition for the pump and/or increase the stiffness of the variable stiffness element responsive to a high pressure condition for the pump. The variable stiffness element can include a thermoplastic material with stiffness controlled by applying heat, an amorphous metal alloy with stiffness controlled by applying a magnetic field, or an electroactive laminate with stiffness controlled by applying an electric field.