Intellectual Property

AEI supports many different types of intellectual property development programs.  Cooperative development programs are structured for customers who have anything from a concept to a prototype. Patents owned by AEI’s customers have resulted from many of these cooperative programs. These patents are not delineated.

Additionally, AEI has established ownership of a wide range of patents.  These patents are the result of internally funded and government funded programs that assigned ownership of inventions to AEI.

AEI’s business focus does not currently include any large scale manufacturing. Therefore, cooperative programs based on these technologies are offered to potential customers, for either direct licensing or for continued development programs to help companies up to the product manufacturing stage.

Shown below are issued patents that comprise part of AEI’s intellectual property portfolio.

6,820,417
Exhaust aftertreatment system and method for an internal combustion engine. 
An exhaust aftertreatment system for use with an internal combustion engine includes at least one leg having a multi-stage NOx adsorber, with each NOx adsorber stage corresponding to a different temperature range of NOx adsorption. In a multi-pass aftertreatment system, a manifold has at least one inlet and a plurality of outlets. A plurality of legs are connected with a respective manifold outlet. Each leg has a NOx adsorber therein. At least one valve is positioned in association with at least one leg for at least partially opening and closing the at least one leg.

6,668,663
Method and apparatus to determine flow rate with the introduction of ambient air 
A method of determining a rate of flow of a first gas in a pipe includes placing a flow-restricting device in the pipe such that the device and/or the pipe define a first channel section and a second channel section. The second channel section is disposed downstream from the first channel section. The first channel section has a first cross-sectional area. The second channel section having a second cross-sectional area less than the first cross-sectional area. A source of a second gas is provided in fluid communication with the second channel section. A low pressure in the second channel section is caused by an increased flow velocity and creates a flow of the second gas into the second channel section. A rate of a flow of the second gas into said second channel section is measured. A mathematical relationship between the rate of the flow of the second gas into the second channel section and the rate of flow of the first gas in the pipe is ascertained. The rate of flow of the first gas in the pipe is calculated based at least partially upon the rate of flow of the second gas into the second channel section and the ascertained mathematical relationship.

6,579,218
Centrifugal filter utilizing a partial vacuum condition to effect reduced air drag on the centrifuge rotor
A centrifuge filter for removing soot from engine oil. The centrifuge filter includes a rotor adapted to be rotated inside a centrifuge housing by an electric motor or other means. The rotor preferably includes a reusable aluminum support casing and a disposable plastic cartridge. The plastic cartridge includes a trap with partition walls to prevent wave formation in the rotating liquid contained in the trap. The cartridge includes an annular inlet through its top end, a winding flow path through the cartridge and an outlet at the bottom enc. The centrifuge housing includes an isolated sealed rotor chamber. Using the venturi effect, air is evacuated from the rotor chamber to provide a partial vacuum to reduce air drag on the rotor. Resilient rubber vibration isolators are used to reduce vibrations and engine induced shock loads from reaching the rotating element. A side oil inlet is provided in the cartridge to receive unfiltered oil at a location offset from the axis of rotation. Oil is feed in through the top of the centrifuge cartridge and discharged out the bottom. The rotor is carried by bearings on a stationary central support shaft. Maintenance is performed through a removable lid on the top end of the rotor. A restriction plug is used to control flow into the rotor.

6,517,475
Centrifugal filter for removing soot from engine oil

A centrifuge filter for removing soot from engine oil. The centrifuge filter includes a rotor adapted to be rotated inside a centrifuge housing by an electric motor or other means. The rotor preferably includes a reusable aluminum support casing and a disposable plastic cartridge. The plastic cartridge includes a trap with partition walls to prevent wave formation in the rotating liquid contained in the trap. The cartridge includes an annular inlet through its top end, a winding flow path through the cartridge and an outlet at the bottom. The centrifuge housing includes an isolated sealed rotor chamber. Using the venturi effect, air is evacuated from the rotor chamber to provide a partial vacuum to reduce air drag on the rotor. Resilient rubber vibration isolators are used to reduce vibrations and engine induced shock loads from reaching the rotating element. A side oil inlet is provided in the cartridge to receive unfiltered oil at a location offset from the axis of rotation. Oil is feed in through the top of the centrifuge cartridge and discharged out the bottom. The rotor is carried by bearings on a stationary central support shaft. Maintenance is performed through a removable lid on the top end of the rotor. A restriction plug is used to control flow into the rotor.

6,463,157
Bone conduction speaker and microphone

A bone conduction microphone and speaker mountable in contact with a user’s head or head area, each utilize a strategically mounted audio transducer that is preferably a piezoelectric ceramic bender. In the case of the speaker, the bender is coupled to an audio transformer which may or may not be potted with the bender within the same housing. Additionally, the speaker bender is mounted on a foam layer either with or without a supporting shelf depending on the desired application. The microphone bender is potted within the housing and includes a JFET and resistor mounted directly to the elements of the bender. The present microphone is designed to create the largest possible acoustic mismatch with air while nearly matching the acoustic impedance to the human skill structure. This attenuates the amount of ambient air noise coupled sound receivable into the microphone by greater than 80 dB. The speaker is designed with acoustic impedance matched for bone conduction sound.

6,213,929
Motor driven centrifugal filter

A centrifugal filter assembly for filtering particulates from engine oil includes a housing with a threaded connector. A filter disposed within the housing is rotatable relative to the housing about an axis of rotation. The filter has an inlet and an outlet for the oil. A filter head includes a mating threaded connector configured to mate with the housing threaded connector. The filter head includes a venturi section in communication with the outlet. The venturi section is configured to create a vacuum within the housing for drawing oil through the outlet. A brushless direct current motor carried by the filter head has a rotatable output shaft coupled with the filter for rotating the filter about the axis of rotation. A controller carried by the filter head controls operation of the motor. The controller includes a printed circuit board disposed within the filter head which carries the motor.

6,210,311
Turbine driven centrifugal filter

A centrifugal filter assembly for filtering particulates from a fluid includes a rotating filter disposed within a housing and rotatable relative to the housing about an axis of rotation. A turbine is attached to the filter and includes a plurality of turbine blades extending generally radially relative to the axis of rotation. A nozzle having an outlet is aligned relative to the turbine, whereby a pressurized fluid which is jetted from the nozzle impinges upon the turbine and causes the filter to rotate about the axis of rotation.