Patents Represented by Attorney Penny A. Clarke
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Patent number: 7741576Abstract: An apparatus and method for hybrid machining a workpiece is disclosed. The apparatus includes a mandrel for supporting the workpiece adjacent a cutter mounted on an arbor. A workpiece is powered as an anode and the cutter is powered as a cathode, and a cutting fluid or coolant is circulated therebetween. The cutter is made of a conductive material and a non-conductive abrasive material to maximize the amount of material removed from the workpiece. The coolant includes one or more additives to enhance the electrical discharge between the cutter and the workpiece. The cutter is moved relative to the workpiece to remove material from the workpiece at a predetermined depth of cut using an enhanced high-speed electro-erosion (HSEE) process in which both HSEE and abrasive machining processes are used. The workpiece may then be finish machined to a final shape of the titanium article, such as a dovetail of a turbine blade.Type: GrantFiled: May 11, 2007Date of Patent: June 22, 2010Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Andrew Lee Trimmer, Bin Wei, Michael Scott Lamphere
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Patent number: 7739867Abstract: A system for efficiently creating cyclic detonations is provided. The system includes at least a first initiator chamber configured to generate an initial wave, at least one main chamber coupled to the first initiator chamber. The main chamber is configured to generate a main wave and to output products of supersonic combustion. The products are generated within the main chamber. The main chamber is configured to enable the main wave to travel upstream and downstream within the main chamber when the first initiator chamber is located outside the main chamber. The system further includes an initial connection section located between the first initiator chamber and the main chamber that enhances a combustion process via shock focusing and shock reflection.Type: GrantFiled: February 3, 2006Date of Patent: June 22, 2010Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Ross Hartley Kenyon, Venkat Eswarlu Tangirala, Kevin Michael Hinckley, Anthony John Dean, Stephen Daniel Myers
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Patent number: 7732966Abstract: A portable power system has a turbine engine generating mechanical energy. A homopolar electrical machine receives this energy. The homopolar electrical machine has a single stationary superconducting field coil configured to create a magnetic field. A homopolar rotor is configured to rotate within the magnetic field such that a rotating magnetic field is created in a stationary winding by interaction of the rotating permeance wave produced by the homopolar rotor and the magnetic field produced by the single stationary field coil. The homopolar electrical machine is configured as a generator and produces electrical power for the portable power system.Type: GrantFiled: October 19, 2005Date of Patent: June 8, 2010Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Kirubaharan Sivasubramaniam, Evangelos Trifon Laskaris, James William Bray, James Michael Fogarty
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Patent number: 7727631Abstract: A method for manufacturing a multi-resin composite article is provided. The method comprises providing at least one fiber preform in a mold; injecting a plurality of resins into the at least one fiber preform at a plurality of locations on the at least one fiber preform; and forming at least one transition region along a mutual contact surface between the resins. Each of the at least one transition regions is defined by a gradual transition in composition from one of the resins to another of the resins. A multi-resin composite article is also provided. The article comprises: at least one fiber preform; a plurality of resins, wherein the at least one fiber preform is infused with the resins; and at least one transition region extending along a mutual contact surface between respective ones of the resins. A system for manufacturing such a multi-resin composite article is also provided.Type: GrantFiled: June 7, 2007Date of Patent: June 1, 2010Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Xiaomei Fang, Wendy Wen-Ling Lin, Ming Xie, Scott Roger Finn
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Patent number: 7721523Abstract: A ground based power generation system contains at least two compressor stages, a combustion stage and a turbine stage. An intercooler is positioned between the two compressor stages and a regenerator is positioned between the compressor stages and the combustion stage. The combustion stage contains at least one of a pulse detonation combustor and constant volume combustor. Downstream of the combustion stage is the turbine stage. Heat for the regenerator is supplied from the turbine stage. Further, a bypass flow device is included which re-directs flow upstream of the combustion stage to downstream of the combustion stage and upstream of the turbine stage.Type: GrantFiled: April 1, 2008Date of Patent: May 25, 2010Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Venkat Eswarlu Tangirala, Adam Rasheed, Narendra Digamber Joshi, Anthony John Dean
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Patent number: 7713021Abstract: A fan containment casing includes a core comprising a number of tows. The core has a central region and two end regions. The tows are grouped into a number of bands and form a number of filament-wound radially disposed layers. The bands of tows are interleaved as a number of direct bands and indirect bands along at least a portion of one or more of the layers. A method of forming a fan containment casing includes winding a number of tows on a liner to form a number of radially disposed layers, where each of the layers is continuously connected to at least one adjacent one of the layers across one of the end regions via at least one of the tows.Type: GrantFiled: December 13, 2006Date of Patent: May 11, 2010Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Scott Roger Finn, Craig Douglas Young, Peter Michael Finnigan
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Patent number: 7691711Abstract: A method of forming a vertical MOSFET device includes forming a first trench within a semiconductor layer of a first polarity, the first trench generally defining a well region of a second polarity opposite the first polarity; growing a first epitaxial well layer of the second polarity over the original semiconductor layer; growing a second epitaxial source contact layer of the first polarity over the well layer; forming a second trench through the source contact layer and at least a portion of the well layer; growing a third epitaxial layer of the second polarity over the source contact layer; and planarizing at least the first and second epitaxial layers so as to expose an upper surface of the original semiconductor layer, wherein a top surface of the third epitaxial layer is substantially coplanar with a top surface of the source contact layer prior to ohmic contact formation.Type: GrantFiled: January 31, 2008Date of Patent: April 6, 2010Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Zachary Matthew Stum, Kevin Sean Matocha, Jody Alan Fronheiser, Ljubisa Dragoljub Stevanovic
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Patent number: 7685806Abstract: An aircraft engine is provided with at least one pulse detonation device connected to an engine exhaust nozzle portion with a plurality of supersonic injectors. The flow from the pulse detonation device is passed through the supersonic injectors into the primary engine flow path. The injector flow is injected at a velocity such that the injected flow penetrates into the primary flow path. This injected flow creates a virtual obstacle for the primary flow, and their interaction creates a virtual surface or an aero-lobe, thus controlling the nozzle exit area to reduce engine noise.Type: GrantFiled: December 29, 2005Date of Patent: March 30, 2010Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Anurag Gupta, Seyed Saddoughi
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Patent number: 7679941Abstract: A power conversion system has a three-phase AC input, where each AC input phase is linked to a string of cascaded single-phase AC-DC converters placed in series with a three-phase AC-DC converter. Each single-phase AC-DC converter in one embodiment includes a silicon carbide (SiC) pulse width modulated MOSFET H-bridge that placed in series with the three-phase AC-DC converter that includes a silicon (Si) SCR bridge. The single-phase AC-DC converters and the three-phase AC-DC converter together in one embodiment include a mixed silicon-carbide (SiC) and silicon (Si) device topology.Type: GrantFiled: June 6, 2007Date of Patent: March 16, 2010Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Ravisekhar Nadimpal Raju, Richard S. Zhang, Rajib Datta, Allen Michael Ritter, Ljubisa Dragoljub Stevanovic
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Patent number: 7669435Abstract: In an aspect of the invention, an apparatus for providing chilling in a localized area comprises a chiller compartment and an independent cooling source thermally coupled to the chiller compartment by a thermally conductive interface. The cooling source provides a separate controllable temperature to the chiller compartment, which is adapted to be removably positioned in a selected temperature controlled environment. In another aspect a refrigerator comprises a freezer unit, a fresh food unit and a chiller compartment adapted to be removably positioned in either the freezer unit or the fresh food unit as a secondary chilling compartment. In another aspect a method of chilling comprises cooling a modular chiller compartment using an independent cooling source, chiller compartment being removably positioned within a temperature controlled environment and the cooling source and the chiller compartment being thermally coupled.Type: GrantFiled: April 12, 2007Date of Patent: March 2, 2010Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventor: Anand Ganesh Joshi
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Patent number: 7669406Abstract: A supersonic propulsion system is provided. The supersonic propulsion system includes a plurality of systems for efficiently creating cyclic detonations and at least one rocket booster device. Each of the systems include at least a first initiator chamber configured to generate an initial wave, at least one main chamber coupled to the first initiator chamber. The main chamber is configured to generate a main wave and to output products of supersonic combustion. The products are generated within the main chamber. The main chamber is configured to enable the main wave to travel upstream and downstream within the main chamber when the first initiator chamber is located outside the main chamber. The system further includes an initial connection section located between the first initiator chamber and the main chamber that enhances a combustion process via shock focusing and shock reflection.Type: GrantFiled: October 31, 2006Date of Patent: March 2, 2010Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Venkat Eswarlu Tangirala, Jonathan Sebastian Janssen, Anthony John Dean
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Patent number: 7667157Abstract: A laser forming system includes a motion system. A mounting fixture is affixed to the motion system for supporting a workpiece. A plenum is affixed to the fixture for surrounding the workpiece. A gas supply is joined in flow communication with the plenum for channeling thereto an inert gas under pressure to fill the plenum. A laser is aligned with the plenum for projecting a laser beam at the workpiece for laser forming thereof inside the plenum.Type: GrantFiled: March 24, 2005Date of Patent: February 23, 2010Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Wenwu Zhang, Marshall Gordon Jones, Brian Harlow Farrell
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Patent number: 7653175Abstract: A system is provided for radiographic inspection of an object comprising multiple having different material properties. The system comprises a radiation source configured to generate radiation, a display unit for generating a graphical user interface (GUI) including multiple fields. A user enters input data via the fields in the GUI. The input data relates to one or more material properties for each of the regions. A processor is configured to compute a plurality of exposure parameters based on the input data.Type: GrantFiled: September 28, 2007Date of Patent: January 26, 2010Assignees: General Electric Company, The Boeing CompanyInventors: Clarence L. Gordon, III, Manoharan Venugopal, Debasish Mishra, Raghu Chatanathodi, Richard Henry Bossi, Michael Craig Hutchinson
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Patent number: 7652404Abstract: A synchronous reluctance machine is provided. The synchronous reluctance machine includes a stator having a stator core, the stator core including a number of fractional-slot concentrated windings wound around multiple stator teeth. The synchronous reluctance machine also includes a rotor having a rotor core and disposed with an air gap inside and concentric with the stator, wherein the rotor core includes a number of laminated sheets, wherein each of the laminated sheets is axially skewed with respect to neighboring ones of the laminated sheets, and wherein each of the laminated sheets includes multiple ferromagnetic regions and multiple non-ferromagnetic regions formed of a single material.Type: GrantFiled: May 31, 2007Date of Patent: January 26, 2010Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Ayman Mohamed Fawzi El-Refaie, John Michael Kern, Manoj Ramprasad Shah
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Patent number: 7634904Abstract: A turbine disk assembly including a rotatable cylindrical member rotatably coupled to a shaft and a plurality of turbine blades extend circumferentially outward from said cylindrical member. The turbine blades include at least two different geometrical shapes, a first of the geometrical shapes is configured to facilitate extracting power from a first pulsed detonation combustor product stream. A second of said geometrical shapes is configured to facilitate extracting power from a second pulsed detonation combustor product stream that is different from the first pulsed detonation combustor product stream.Type: GrantFiled: January 9, 2006Date of Patent: December 22, 2009Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Adam Rasheed, Anthony John Dean, Venkat Eswarlu Tangirala, Pierre Francois Pinard, Christian Lee Vandervort
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Patent number: 7631483Abstract: In an aspect, a method is provided for attenuating jet engine noise. Air velocity, adjacent to an inlet fan duct outer wall, is increased to a greater rate than typical velocity of an operational engine ambient inlet airflow, adjacent to the inlet fan duct outer wall. Boundary layer and associated turbulence is reduced or eliminated. Refraction and absorption of inlet sound into an acoustic liner is optimized. In an aspect, air velocity is increased by injecting air. In an aspect, air velocity is increased by exerting a suction force. In an aspect, a system is provided to attenuate jet engine noise. In an aspect, a fluid duct is provided opening to an inlet fan duct outer wall and to aft of a fan rotor.Type: GrantFiled: September 22, 2003Date of Patent: December 15, 2009Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Ramani Mani, Paolo Graziosi
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Patent number: 7633066Abstract: A thermal measurement system includes a number of detectors configured to receive radiation within respective wavelength ranges. The system also includes a mirror configured to selectively direct the radiation from an object to each of the detectors. The system further includes an actuator mechanically coupled to the mirror and configured to rotate the mirror through a number of angles. The system also includes an optical and probe subsystem disposed between the object and the mirror to focus the radiation on to the mirror.Type: GrantFiled: May 22, 2006Date of Patent: December 15, 2009Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: William Joseph Antel, Jr., Nirm Velumylum Nirmalan, Jason Randolph Allen, Jeffrey Lawrence Williams
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Patent number: 7633667Abstract: An integrated electro-optical module apparatus includes in one embodiment an optical modulator configured to modulate an input optical signal coupled thereto; and a control circuit assembly configured to provide electrical control signals to the optical modulator to modulate the input optical signal; wherein the control circuit assembly is attached to the optical modulator in a stacked arrangement.Type: GrantFiled: October 22, 2007Date of Patent: December 15, 2009Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Glen Peter Koste, Christopher James Kapusta, Joseph Alfred Iannotti
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Patent number: 7626801Abstract: An integrated inductor and capacitor component is provided and includes a number of tapered conductors. Neighboring ones of the tapered conductors are separated by a gap extending along a length of the component. A first one of the tapered conductors is characterized by a first width w1 that is larger at a first end of the component and tapers along the length of the component toward a second end of the component, and a second one of the tapered conductors is characterized by a second width w2 that is larger at the second end of the component and tapers toward the first end of the component.Type: GrantFiled: May 16, 2007Date of Patent: December 1, 2009Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: John Stanley Glaser, Michael Andrew de Rooij
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Patent number: 7624787Abstract: A method of forming an integral casting core includes adding a disposable insert to a metal core die and disposing a slurry into the metal core die. The slurry includes ceramic particles. The method further includes firing the slurry to form a integral casting core and removing the disposable insert from the integral casting core.Type: GrantFiled: December 6, 2006Date of Patent: December 1, 2009Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Ching-Pang Lee, Hsin-Pang Wang, Ram Kumar Upadhyay, Paul Richard Myers, Marc Thomas Edgar