Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100116460 | SPATIALLY DISTRIBUTED VENTILATION BOUNDARY USING ELECTROHYDRODYNAMIC FLUID ACCELERATORS - In thermal management systems that employ EHD devices to motivate flow of air through an enclosure, spatial distribution of a ventilation boundary may facilitate reductions in flow resistance by reducing average transit distance for cooling air from an inlet portion of the ventilation boundary to an outlet portion. Some thermal management systems described herein distribute a ventilation boundary over opposing surfaces, adjacent surfaces or even a single surface of an enclosure while providing a short, “U” shaped, “L” shaped or generally straight through flow path. In some cases, spatial distributions of the ventilation boundary facilitate or enable enclosure geometries for which conventional fan or blower ventilation would be impractical. In some cases, provision of multiple portions of the ventilation boundary may allow the thermal management system to tolerate blockage or occlusion of a subset of the inlet and/or outlet portions and, when at least some of such portions are non-contiguous spatially-distributed, tolerance to a single cause of blockage or occlusion is enhanced. | 05-13-2010 |
20100116464 | REVERSIBLE FLOW ELECTROHYDRODYNAMIC FLUID ACCELERATOR - Reversible flow may be provided in certain EHD device configurations that selectively energize corona discharge electrodes arranged to motivate flows in generally opposing directions. In some embodiments, a first set of one or more corona discharge electrodes is positioned, relative to a first array of collector electrode surfaces, to when energized, motivate flow in a first direction, while second set of one or more corona discharge electrodes is positioned, relative to a second array of collector electrode surfaces, to when energized, motivate flow in a second direction that opposes the first. In some embodiments, the first and second arrays of collector electrode surfaces are opposing surfaces of individual collector electrodes. In some embodiments, the first and second arrays of collector electrode surfaces are opposing surfaces of respective collector electrodes. | 05-13-2010 |
20100116469 | ELECTROHYDRODYNAMIC FLUID ACCELERATOR WITH HEAT TRANSFER SURFACES OPERABLE AS COLLECTOR ELECTRODE - In thermal management systems that employ EHD devices to motivate flow of air between ventilated boundary portions of an enclosure, it can be desirable to have some heat transfer surfaces participate in electrohydrodynamic acceleration of fluid flow while providing additional heat transfer surfaces that may not. In some embodiments, both collector electrodes and additional heat transfer surfaces are thermally coupled into a heat transfer path. Collector electrodes then contribute both to flow of cooling air and to heat transfer to the air flow so motivated. The collector electrodes and additional heat transfer surfaces may be parts of a unitary, or thermally coupled, structure that is introduced into a flow path at multiple positions therealong. In some embodiments, the collector electrodes and additional heat transfer surfaces may be proximate each other along the flow path. In some embodiments, the collector electrodes and additional heat transfer surfaces may be separate structures. | 05-13-2010 |
20100155025 | COLLECTOR ELECTRODES AND ION COLLECTING SURFACES FOR ELECTROHYDRODYNAMIC FLUID ACCELERATORS - Embodiments of electrohydrodynamic (EHD) fluid accelerator devices utilize collector electrode structures that promote efficient fluid flow and reduce the probability of arcing by managing the strength of the electric field produced at the forward edges of the collector electrodes. In one application, the EHD devices dissipate heat generated by a thermal source in a thermal management system. | 06-24-2010 |
20110139408 | COLLECTOR-RADIATOR STRUCTURE FOR AN ELECTROHYDRODYNAMIC COOLING SYSTEM - An electrohydrodynamic fluid accelerator includes an emitter electrode and leading surfaces of a collector electrode that are substantially exposed to ion bombardment. Heat transfer surfaces downstream of the emitter electrode along a fluid flow path include a first portion not substantially exposed to the ion bombardment that is conditioned with a first ozone reducing material. The leading surfaces of the collector electrode are not conditioned with the first ozone reducing material, but may include a different surface conditioning. The downstream heat transfer surfaces and the leading surfaces can be separately formed and joined to form the unitary structure or can be integrally formed. The electrohydrodynamic fluid accelerator can be used in a thermal management assembly of an electronic device with a heat dissipating device thermally coupled to the conditioned heat transfer surfaces. | 06-16-2011 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100052540 | ELECTROHYDRODYNAMIC FLUID ACCELERATOR DEVICE WITH COLLECTOR ELECTRODE EXHIBITING CURVED LEADING EDGE PROFILE - Performance of an electrohydrodynamic fluid accelerator device may be improved and adverse events such as sparking or arcing may be reduced based, amongst other things, on electrode geometries and/or positional interrelationships of the electrodes. For example, in a class of EHD devices that employ a longitudinally elongated corona discharge electrode (often, but not necessarily, a wire), a plurality of generally planar, collector electrodes may be positioned so as to present respective leading surfaces toward the corona discharge electrode. The generally planar collector electrodes may be oriented so that their major surfaces are generally orthogonal to the longitudinal extent of the corona discharge electrode. In such EHD devices, a high intensity electric field can be established in the “gap” between the corona discharge electrode and leading surfaces of the collector electrodes. | 03-04-2010 |
20110308768 | CLEANING MECHANISM WITH TANDEM MOVEMENT OVER EMITTER AND COLLECTOR SURFACES - An apparatus for tandem cleaning of an emitter electrode and collector electrode in electrohydrodynamic fluid accelerator and precipitator devices via movement of a cleaning mechanism including respective cleaning surfaces positioned to frictionally engage the emitter electrode and collector electrode. The cleaning mechanism causes the respective cleaning surfaces to travel along a longitudinal extent of the emitter electrode and, in tandem, over a major dimension of the collector electrode to remove detrimental material from respective electrode surfaces. Alternatively, the electrodes can be transited in tandem in frictional engagement with a fixed cleaning mechanism in the same or opposite directions. A conditioning material is optionally deposited on an electrode to at least partially mitigate ozone, erosion, corrosion, oxidation, or dendrite formation on the electrodes. The conditioning material can include an ozone reducer. | 12-22-2011 |
20120000486 | EMITTER WIRE CLEANING DEVICE WITH WEAR-TOLERANT PROFILE - An apparatus for cleaning an emitter electrode in electrohydrodynamic fluid accelerator and precipitator devices via movement of a cleaning device including complementary contoured cleaning surfaces positioned to frictionally engage and elastically deform the emitter electrode. The opposing cleaning surfaces laterally distort an otherwise linear longitudinal extent of the electrode under tension. The opposing cleaning surfaces are subject to wear, but maintain frictional engagement despite wear depths that exceed a radius of the electrode due at least in part to the at least partially complementary surface contours engaging the electrode under tension. The cleaning device causes respective cleaning surfaces to travel along a longitudinal extent of the emitter electrode to remove detrimental material and optionally to condition the electrode to at least partially mitigate ozone, erosion, corrosion, oxidation, or dendrite formation on the electrode. | 01-05-2012 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20120113590 | ELECTRONIC SYSTEM WITH EHD AIR MOVER VENTILATION PATH ISOLATED FROM INTERNAL AIR PLENUM - An electronic system including an enclosure and an internal air plenum within the enclosure. At least one component of the electronic system within the enclosure evolves heat and has a surface exposed to the internal air plenum. The enclosure has inlet and outlet ventilation boundaries together with an EHD air mover disposed therein to motivate airflow along a flow path between the inlet and outlet ventilation boundaries, wherein the flow path is substantially excluded from the internal air plenum by a barrier. | 05-10-2012 |
20120120543 | ION PROTECTION TECHNIQUE FOR ELECTRONIC SYSTEM WITH FLOW BETWEEN INTERNAL AIR PLENUM AND AN EHD DEVICE - Techniques are described for integration of EHD-type air movers with electronic systems, and in particular, for limiting infiltration of ions and/or charged particulates into an internal air plenum. In some designs, it may be desirable to allow or even encourage EHD motivated air flow (whether drawn or forced) through the internal air plenum while providing a barrier to transit of ions and/or charged particulates that may be generated during EHD operation. Such a barrier may employ electrostatic forces to impede transit of ions and/or charged particulate across a vent positioned to allow air flow from or into the internal air plenum. In some cases, an electrostatic barrier may include a fluid permeable mesh or grill that spans a substantial cross-section of the vent. | 05-17-2012 |
20130021715 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR IN-SITU CONDITIONING OF EMITTER ELECTRODE WITH SILVER - Cleaning and/or conditioning electrode surfaces can provide significant performance and operational benefits in EHD devices. In particular, conditioning of emitter electrode surfaces with silver (Ag), silver compositions or silver preparations applied in situ at successive times throughout the operating lifetime of an EHD air mover has been found to significantly reduce ozone production. Structures and techniques are described for in situ conditioning electrode surfaces and, in particular, emitter electrode surfaces of an EHD device such as an air mover or precipitator, with a conditioning material that includes silver. | 01-24-2013 |
20140003964 | ELECTROHYDRODYNAMIC (EHD) FLUID MOVER WITH FIELD BLUNTING STRUCTURES IN FLOW CHANNEL FOR SPATIALLY SELECTIVE SUPPRESSION OF ION GENERATION | 01-02-2014 |
20140097722 | ELECTROHYDRODYNAMIC (EHD) FLUID MOVER WITH COLLECTOR ELECTRODE LEADING SURFACE SHAPING FOR SPATIALLY SELECTIVE FIELD REDUCTION - In various electrohydrodynamic (EHD) fluid mover designs disclosed herein, electric field strength may be locally reduced in peripheral regions of an emitter-to-collector electrode gap. As a result, detrimental accumulations of silica, dust and other airborne contaminants can be reduced on surfaces in such peripheral regions, which may otherwise be susceptible to accumulations and/or difficult to clean or condition. In some cases, localized reduction in electric field near sidewall surfaces can provide desirable localized reductions in susceptibility to contaminant related spark or shunting current paths. In some cases, such as when a field blunting structure is employed and (as a result) a generally more uniform electric field pattern is provided locally, an engineered or purposeful local reduction both electric field strength and ion generation in peripheral regions of an emitter-to-collector electrode gap may be quite desirable. | 04-10-2014 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20150104763 | TEACHING STUDENTS TO RECOGNIZE AND CORRECT SENTENCE FRAGMENTS - A method is provided for teaching students to recognize and correct incomplete sentences (also referred to herein as “sentence fragments”). A user is presented with one or more user interfaces that teach a user to determine whether a sentence is a complete sentence or an incomplete sentence. The interface may present an explanation as to why the sentence is a complete sentence or an incomplete sentence. To help a user deduce whether a sentence is a complete sentence or an incomplete sentence, one or more interfaces may present a user with one or more detailed questions about the sentence. The one or more detailed questions may ask the user to identify one or more particular features and/or words in the sentence. A user may be presented with one or more user interfaces that teach the user how to produce a complete sentence from a sentence fragment. | 04-16-2015 |
20150104764 | ADAPTIVE GRAMMAR INSTRUCTION FOR COMMAS - Techniques are described for an automated grammar teaching system that displays sentences and allows a user to identify comma errors within the sentences, if any. The sentences may be presented as a set of sentences or a paragraph. When presented as a set, the sentences may employ similar or contrasting sentence structures to emphasize the application of the comma rules. The user may be asked to determine whether the sentences are correct or incorrect, to identify the locations of missing or extraneous commas, and in a sentence with a coordinating conjunction, to determine whether the conjunction joins two independent clauses. To guide the user, multi-level hints may be provided on request, and an incorrect user response may trigger the display of remediation information or a just-in-time hint. New sentences in the teaching system may be selected based on historical data maintained for the user. | 04-16-2015 |
20150106703 | ADAPTIVE GRAMMAR INSTRUCTION FOR PREPOSITIONS - Techniques are described for an automated grammar teaching system that displays sentences and allows a user to identify preposition errors within the sentences, if any. The sentences may be presented as single sentences or as part of a paragraph. The user may be asked to determine whether the sentences are correct or incorrect, to identify the locations of missing or incorrect prepositions, to provide a new correct preposition, and to identify a correct preposition usage category for the new preposition. To guide the user, an incorrect user response may trigger the display of remediation information, which may include identifying one or more grammar elements of the sentences that are relevant to identifying the preposition errors. New sentences in the teaching system may be selected based on historical data maintained for the user. | 04-16-2015 |