Jeffrey Todd Gardner
Engineers at Vis Gln Ct, Woodland Park, CO

7185634, Mar 6, 2007

Mar 24, 2005

11/088582

Jeffrey T. Gardner - Woodland Park CO, US
Guy Robert Babbitt - Colorado Springs CO, US
Jeffrey A. Rogers - Woodland Park CO, US
Gary Mansouri - Bothell WA, US
Jonathan J. Lorenzen - Colorado Springs CO, US
Oded Eddie Sturman - Woodland Park CO, US

Sturman Industries, Inc. - Woodland Park CO

F02M 37/04

123446, 123467

High efficiency, high pressure fixed displacement pump systems and methods of control. A typical application is for engine driven high pressure pumps for powering loads such as fuel injectors and/or hydraulic engine valve actuators. The pump systems include a control valve controllably coupling the pump output back to the pump input to stop the pumping when the desired pressure of the output is reached. Reinitiating pumping an increment in crankshaft angle before a load event based in the increment in pressure needed to reach the desired pressure at the crankshaft angle of the load event provides a simple control algorithm assuring accurate repeatability in the pressure at the beginning of a load event. Pumping throughout the load event minimizes the decrease in pressure during the load event. Providing underlap in the control valve minimizes pressure peaks and maximizes efficiently when starting and stopping the pumping action.

8505287, Aug 13, 2013

Feb 27, 2009

12/395040

Guy Robert Babbitt - Colorado Springs CO, US
Jeffrey Allen Rogers - Woodland Park CO, US
Miguel Angelo Raimao - Manitou Springs CO, US
Jeffrey T. Gardner - Woodland Park CO, US

Sturman Industries, Inc. - Woodland Park CO

F16D 39/00

60327, 60416

Micro-hydraulic supply and storage units capable of recovering waste energy and storing energy for later use, such as for operating hydraulic valve actuation and high pressure fuel injection systems. The system includes a sump, a pump motor, an accumulator and a supply rail. Valving is provided to couple the outlet of the pump motor to the accumulator to fill the accumulator with what otherwise would be waste energy, such as when a vehicle is using its engine for braking, directing the output of the pump motor to a supply rail to maintain the pressure in the supply rail, and directing the output of the pump to a sump. The valving also allows directing an outlet of the accumulator to an inlet of the pump motor for recover of the energy in the accumulator. Other aspects of the invention are disclosed.

8636120, Jan 28, 2014

Aug 11, 2011

13/207791

Jeffrey Allen Rogers - Woodland Park CO, US
Jeffrey T. Gardner - Woodland Park CO, US

Sturman Industries, Inc. - Woodland Park CO

F16F 9/00

188318, 280 5515, 280124157

A ride control system includes a shock absorber having a movable piston that divides the shock absorber into a lower and an upper volume and a center check valve that allows fluid to flow from the upper to the lower volume. A back pressure actuator provides a selectable back pressure to the lower volume. Three two way valves and a check valve allow the lower and upper volumes to be selectively coupled to either the selectable back pressure or a shock absorber fluid reservoir to provide passive, semi-active, or active ride control. The back pressure actuator pressurizes a hydraulic accumulator when shock absorber fluid flows into the back pressure actuator to provide energy recovery.

2007025, Nov 1, 2007

Apr 12, 2007

11/734396

Jeffrey T. Gardner - Woodland Park CO, US
Oded Eddie Sturman - Woodland Park CO, US
Timothy P. Kranz - Woodland Park CO, US

STURMAN DIGITAL SYSTEMS, LLC - Woodland Park CO

G05D 23/13

236 1215, 236 121

A device for controlling a temperature of a fluid includes a plurality of valve assemblies, each coupled to a cold fluid supply, a hot fluid supply, and an outlet line. An orifice is coupled to each outlet line and to a combined outlet line that is common to all orifices. Each of the orifices has a proportionally different flow area. Hot and cold fluid supply temperature sensing elements are coupled to supplies. A controller is coupled to the hot and cold fluid supply temperature sensing elements and the plurality of valve assemblies. The controller selectively couples one of the cold fluid supply or the hot fluid supply to the outlet line for each of the plurality of valve assemblies responsive to the cold fluid supply temperature sensing element, the hot fluid supply temperature sensing element, and a desired temperature in the combined outlet line.

8616351, Dec 31, 2013

Oct 6, 2009

12/573911

Matthew L. Roessle - Temperance MI, US
Karl C. Kazmirski - Temperance MI, US
Jeroen K. Paenhuysen - Ann Arbor MI, US
Darrell G. Breese - Ypsilanti MI, US
Daniel T. Keil - Temperance MI, US
Thomas P. Mallin - Temperance MI, US
Jeffrey T. Gardner - Woodland Park CO, US

Tenneco Automotive Operating Company Inc. - Lake Forest IL

F16F 9/50

1882824, 18832214, 18832213, 1882665, 188315

A shock absorber has a compression valve assembly that provides a high damping load during a compression stroke and an extension valve assembly that provides a high damping load during an extension stroke. One or more digital valve assemblies is positioned to work in parallel with the compression valve assembly and the extension valve assembly to provide a lower damping load. The lowering of the damping load is based upon the cross sectional area of flow passages provided by the one or more digital valve assemblies.

8561752, Oct 22, 2013

Nov 19, 2012

13/681024

Jeffrey Allen Rogers - Woodland Park CO, US
Miguel Angelo Raimao - Colorado Springs CO, US
Jeffrey T. Gardner - Woodland Park CO, US

Sturman Industries, Inc. - Woodland Park CO

B62D 5/06

180421, 180422, 180428, 180441

Power steering systems and methods to improve efficiency and performance of vehicle power steering systems. In one embodiment, there is provided an engine driven positive displacement hydraulic pump, a rotary valve coupled to a steering shaft for receiving hydraulic fluid under pressure in a rotary valve inlet and providing a differential pressure to a steering rack piston for a steering boost responsive to a torque exerted on the steering shaft, valving coupled between an output of the hydraulic pump, the rotary valve inlet and the hydraulic pump input for controllably coupling the output of the hydraulic pump to the rotary valve inlet or an input of the hydraulic pump, and a controller coupled to valving to maintain a flow rate of hydraulic fluid coupled to the rotary valve responsive to a pressure sensor output. Other embodiments are disclosed.

2007007, Mar 29, 2007

Sep 15, 2006

11/521889

Jeffrey Gardner - Woodland Park CO, US

F04B 49/00

417038000

A pump system for coupling a positive displacement pump capable of supplying flow sequentially to a number of different volumes at different pressures. In some embodiments the pump output is coupled to multiple volumes that may be at the same or different pressures. The output of the pump is cycled between each such volume by on-off valves to maintain the required pressure in each volume, with the output of the pump being returned to its input when necessary to vent excess flow capacity. A controller may be used to control the on-off valves responsive to pressure sensors for each volume. In other embodiments the output of the pump is through on-off valves coupled to actuators as well as to a by-pass valve, and the valves are operated at high speed and with a duty cycle to provide controlled actuator velocities. Various embodiments are disclosed.

8312958, Nov 20, 2012

Dec 4, 2009

12/631552

Jeffrey Allen Rogers - Woodland Park CO, US
Miguel Angelo Raimao - Manitou Springs CO, US
Jeffrey T. Gardner - Woodland Park CO, US

Sturman Industries, Inc. - Woodland Park CO

B62D 5/06

180428, 180421, 180422

Power steering systems and methods to improve efficiency and performance of vehicle power steering systems. In one embodiment, there is provided an engine driven positive displacement hydraulic pump, a rotary valve coupled to a steering shaft for receiving hydraulic fluid under pressure in a rotary valve inlet and providing a differential pressure to a steering rack piston for a steering boost responsive to a torque exerted on the steering shaft, valving coupled between an output of the hydraulic pump, the rotary valve inlet and the hydraulic pump input for controllably coupling the output of the hydraulic pump to the rotary valve inlet or an input of the hydraulic pump, and a controller coupled to valving to maintain a flow rate of hydraulic fluid coupled to the rotary valve responsive to a pressure sensor output. Other embodiments are disclosed.

7431262, Oct 7, 2008

Oct 10, 2006

11/545934

Oded Eddie Sturman - Woodland Park CO, US
Jeffrey T. Gardner - Woodland Park CO, US
Timothy P. Kranz - Woodland Park CO, US

Sturman Industries, Inc. - Woodland Park CO

F16K 31/02

25112909, 25112916, 335299

Digital regulators using a plurality of latching solenoid actuators, each having a spring return, the springs being configured to provide a force on the valve member of a regulator, when the solenoid actuators are unlatched, in a binary progression. The solenoid actuators are selectively latched by an latching current pulse and retained in the latched condition by residual magnetism in a zero air gap magnetic circuit. Various embodiments are disclosed, including embodiments having the solenoid actuators side by side and in a stacked relationship, solenoid actuators having springs providing a spring force in a binary progression, solenoid actuators having equal springs and distributed in a binary progression from a hinge axis, and solenoid actuators not distributed in a binary progression from a hinge axis and not distributed in a binary progression from the hinge axis. Embodiments are also disclosed having the capability of interpolating between binary settings of the digital regulator.