Patents by Inventor Deborah Bumgardner

Deborah Bumgardner has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11932390
    Abstract: An aircraft can include a wing. A morphing member can be operatively connected to the wing. The morphing member can include a base and a shape memory material member operatively connected to the base. The base can be made of a flexible material. When the shape memory material member is activated, a shape of the morphing member can change. As a result, one or more aerodynamic characteristics of the aircraft can be changed. In some arrangements, the flexible material can be a fabric, and the shape memory material member can be a shape memory alloy wire.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignees: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc., Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Rikin Gupta, Shardul Singh Panwar, Taewoo Nam, Deborah Bumgardner, Yufei Zhu
  • Patent number: 11885428
    Abstract: A valve includes a substrate, a shape-memory wire, a conductive polymer, and a current source. The substrate defines an opening therethrough and includes at least one flap selectively extendable across the opening. The shape-memory wire is coupled to the at least one flap. The conductive polymer is coupled to the at least one flap. The current source is coupled to the shape-memory wire and the conductive polymer, such that electrical current from the current source selectively energizes the shape-memory wire and the conductive polymer thereby moving the at least one flap between a closed position and an open position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Shardul S. Panwar, Deborah Bumgardner, Ryohei Tsuruta
  • Publication number: 20230331372
    Abstract: An aircraft can include a wing. A morphing member can be operatively connected to the wing. The morphing member can include a base and a shape memory material member operatively connected to the base. The base can be made of a flexible material. When the shape memory material member is activated, a shape of the morphing member can change. As a result, one or more aerodynamic characteristics of the aircraft can be changed. In some arrangements, the flexible material can be a fabric, and the shape memory material member can be a shape memory alloy wire.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 15, 2022
    Publication date: October 19, 2023
    Applicants: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc., Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Rikin Gupta, Shardul Singh Panwar, Taewoo Nam, Deborah Bumgardner, Yufei Zhu
  • Publication number: 20220373095
    Abstract: A valve includes a substrate, a shape-memory wire, a conductive polymer, and a current source. The substrate defines an opening therethrough and includes at least one flap selectively extendable across the opening. The shape-memory wire is coupled to the at least one flap. The conductive polymer is coupled to the at least one flap. The current source is coupled to the shape-memory wire and the conductive polymer, such that electrical current from the current source selectively energizes the shape-memory wire and the conductive polymer thereby moving the at least one flap between a closed position and an open position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2021
    Publication date: November 24, 2022
    Applicant: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Shardul S. Panwar, Deborah Bumgardner, Ryohei Tsuruta
  • Patent number: 10933974
    Abstract: A body can be configured to be selectively morphable. The body can be at least partially hollow. The body can include a surface. A shape memory material member, such as a shape memory alloy wire, can extend along the surface. The shape memory material member can include a first region, a second region, and a central region located between the first region and the second region. The first and second regions of the shape memory material member can be constrained on the surface, such as by stitches. The central region of the shape memory material member can be unconstrained on the surface. When activated, the shape memory material member can contact, causing the body to bend in the central region due being constrained in the first and second regions. Thus, the body can be morphed into an activated configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Ryohei Tsuruta, Taewoo Nam, Eric Smith, Umesh N. Gandhi, Deborah Bumgardner
  • Publication number: 20200339242
    Abstract: A body can be configured to be selectively morphable. The body can be at least partially hollow. The body can include a surface. A shape memory material member, such as a shape memory alloy wire, can extend along the surface. The shape memory material member can include a first region, a second region, and a central region located between the first region and the second region. The first and second regions of the shape memory material member can be constrained on the surface, such as by stitches. The central region of the shape memory material member can be unconstrained on the surface. When activated, the shape memory material member can contact, causing the body to bend in the central region due being constrained in the first and second regions. Thus, the body can be morphed into an activated configuration.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 29, 2019
    Publication date: October 29, 2020
    Inventors: Ryohei Tsuruta, Taewoo Nam, Eric Smith, Umesh N. Gandhi, Deborah Bumgardner