| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|
| 20100243750 | METHODS AND DEVICES COMPRISING FLEXIBLE SEALS, FLEXIBLE MICROCHANNELS, OR BOTH FOR MODULATING OR CONTROLLING FLOW AND HEAT - Disclosed herein are devices comprising at least one flexible seal, at least one flexible complex seal having at least one closed cavity containing a fluid, or a combination thereof. The devices may comprise at least one immobile and inflexible substrate and at least one mobile and inflexible substrate capable of movement due to the flexible seal, the flexible complex seal, or both. The flexible complex seals comprise at least one closed cavity comprising a fluid, such as a gas or a liquid. As disclosed, the presence or absence of heat will cause the mobile and inflexible substrate to move. The movement will increase or decrease the fluid amount or fluid flow rate in the primary fluid layer. Also disclosed are methods for enhancing the insulating properties of insulating assemblies. | 09-30-2010 |
| 20110155364 | SMART PASSIVE THERMAL DEVICES AND METHODS - Devices and methods for increasing and decreasing cooling capacity as thermal load increases by utilizing bimaterial. For increasing the cooling capacity, the upper plate of a thin film microchannel can be configured from a bimaterial, such that the upper layer possesses a higher linear thermal expansion coefficient than that of the lower layer material. Excessive heating causes the coolant temperature to increase which in turn heats the upper plate. As such, the upper plate bends outward allowing for more coolant to flow within the thin film. For decreasing the cooling capacity, the upper plate can be configured from a bimaterial such that its lower layer has a higher linear thermal expansion coefficient than that of the upper layer material. Excessive heating can cause the coolant temperature to increase, which in turn heats the upper plate. As such, the upper plate can bend inward resulting in less coolant flow within the thin film. | 06-30-2011 |
| 20110165369 | CONTROL OF FLOW RATE AND THERMAL CONDITIONS USING TWO-LAYERED THIN FILMS SEPARATED BY FLEXIBLE SEALS AND ROTATABLE PIVOT - Devices for the control of flow rate and thermal conditions using two-layered thin films separated by flexible complex seals. The plates of an upper thin film are separated by a sealing assembly. The sealing assembly is composed of an elastic soft seal separating closed voids of stagnant fluid and in contact with the upper plate of the device as it is the heated plate. The lower and the upper plates of the lower thin film can be separated by an elastic soft seal. The lower and upper thin films are named as main and secondary layers, respectively. Both the upper plate of the secondary layer and the lower plate of the main layer are fixed while the intermediate plate and is free to move in the vertical direction. When the pressure or the working temperature in the secondary layer increases, the secondary layer expands causing the main layer thickness to shrink. This reduces the main layer flow rate and temperature gradients within the main layer. | 07-07-2011 |
| 20110174390 | ENHANCING INSULATING PROPERTIES AT HIGHER TEMPERATURE UTILIZING SOFT SEALS - Devices utilized to enhance insulating properties at high temperatures. Such devices can include two gas compartments. A main gas compartment can function as a main layer and generally contains a layer of a gas (e.g., Xenon) having a relatively small thermal conductivity. The plates of the main gas layer can be separated by a soft seal, so that the main gas does not leak and the main layer expands easily. A second gas compartment can be configured as a vented compartment filled with air. At high temperatures, the main gas expands while the secondary gas volume shrinks. Since the main gas possesses a lower thermal conductivity, the effective resistance of the device increases, causing an enhancement in the insulating properties at large operating temperatures. A series of gas compartments can be utilized for additional enhancement in insulating properties. | 07-21-2011 |
| 20110197684 | EPSILON-SHAPED MICROCANTILEVER ASSEMBLY WITH ENHANCED DEFLECTIONS FOR SENSING, COOLING, AND MICROFLUIDIC APPLICATIONS - An assembly of microcantilever-based sensors with enhanced deflections. A deflection profile of an ε-assembly can be compared with that of a rectangular microcantilever and a modified triangular microcantilever. Various force-loading conditions can also be considered. A theorem of linear elasticity for thin beams is utilized to obtain the deflections. The obtained defections can be validated against an accurate numerical solution utilizing a finite element method with a maximum deviation of less than 10 percent. The ε-assembly produces larger deflections than the rectangular microcantilever under the same base surface stress and same extension length. Also, the ε-microcantilever assembly produces a larger deflection than a modified triangular microcantilever. The deflection enhancement increases as the ε-assembly's free length decreases for various types of force loading conditions. The ε-microcantilever can be utilized in microsensing applications to provide a favorable high detection capability with a reduced susceptibility to external noises. | 08-18-2011 |
| 20110198816 | MINIMIZING FLOW DISTURBANCES IN FLUIDIC CELLS UTILIZING SOFT SEALS - Devices comprising multi-compartment fluidic cell with multiple inlets. Compartments can be separated from one another using soft seals. The main cell can be located between two adjacent secondary cells. The main cell carries the main flow while the secondary cells can carry either the main flow or any auxiliary flows. The flow in the multi-compartment cells minimizes fluid leakage and causes reduced pressure difference between the main cell and the two secondary cells especially under similar flow conditions. | 08-18-2011 |
