Patents by Inventor John Bair
John Bair 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).
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PARTICLE MANIPULATION SYSTEM WITH CYTOMETRIC CAPABILITY AND FEEDBACK LOOP AND VARIABLE GAIN DETECTOR
Publication number: 20240067920Abstract: A MEMS-based particle manipulation system which uses a particle manipulation stage and a plurality of laser interrogation regions. The laser interrogation regions may be used to assess the effectiveness or accuracy of the particle manipulation stage. In one exemplary embodiment, the particle manipulation stage is a microfabricated, flap-type fluid valve, which sorts a target particle from non-target particles in a fluid stream. The laser interrogation stages are disposed in the microfabricated fluid channels at the input and output of the flap-type sorting valve. The laser interrogation regions may be used to assess the effectiveness or accuracy of the sorting, and to control or adjust sort parameters during the sorting process. One or more feedback loops may be used to improve the particle manipulation process, based on data acquired during the first interrogation and/or during a downstream confirmation. Artificial intelligence techniques may be used to good effect.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 28, 2023Publication date: February 29, 2024Applicant: Owl biomedical, Inc.Inventors: Paul Hing, Nathaniel BAIR, Daryl GRUMMITT, John Harley, Mark NAIVAR, Matthew DICKERSON -
Patent number: 11585709Abstract: A sensing system and method utilizes measured flywheel speed variations to determine engine torque. The measured engine torque can be used to control vehicle transmissions, clutches, and other vehicle components and systems.Type: GrantFiled: March 3, 2020Date of Patent: February 21, 2023Assignee: The Board of Trustees of Western Michigan UniversityInventors: Muralidhar Ghantasala, John Bair, Vivek Sri Charan Iddum
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Publication number: 20200200630Abstract: A sensing system and method utilizes measured flywheel speed variations to determine engine torque. The measured engine torque can be used to control vehicle transmissions, clutches, and other vehicle components and systems.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 3, 2020Publication date: June 25, 2020Applicant: The Board of Trustees of Western Michigan UniversityInventors: Muralidhar Ghantasala, John Bair, Vivek Sri Charan Iddum
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Patent number: 8668381Abstract: A system for monitoring performance parameters of an apparatus operating at an elevated temperature, such as a gas turbine engine. The system includes sensors for sensing the performance parameters and generating analog sensor outputs, at least one hub unit mounted sufficiently close to the apparatus so as to be subjected to a first temperature in excess of 125° C., a collector unit subjected to a second temperature of less than the first temperature, and a distributor computer unit subjected to a third temperature of less than the second temperature. The hub unit has control and signal conditioning circuit boards that operate together to condition the analog sensor outputs of the sensors and produce corresponding digital data. The collector unit transmits the digital data from the hub unit to the distributor computer unit, which processes the digital data to assess the performance parameters of the apparatus.Type: GrantFiled: December 23, 2010Date of Patent: March 11, 2014Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: John David Weickert, Eric John Bair, Gregory Keelen Griffin
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Patent number: 8661881Abstract: A hub unit adapted for use in a monitoring system that monitors engine performance parameters of a gas turbine engine. The hub unit includes a housing, at least one signal conditioning circuit board within the housing and adapted to receive the analog sensor outputs from the sensors, and a control circuit board within the housing, connected to the signal conditioning circuit board, and adapted to produce digital data corresponding to analog sensor outputs. The control circuit board and the signal conditioning circuit board each comprise electrical circuit components that define an analog signal processing path and have accuracy and precision characteristics that drift in response to component aging and to changes in the temperature to which the hub unit is subjected. The hub unit performs a continuous calibration scheme to determine and remove errors in the analog signal processing path resulting from the drifts of the electrical circuit components.Type: GrantFiled: December 23, 2010Date of Patent: March 4, 2014Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Gregory Keelen Griffin, John David Weickert, Eric John Bair
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Patent number: 8600642Abstract: A hub unit adapted for use in a monitoring system that monitors engine performance parameters of a gas turbine engine. The hub unit includes a housing, at least one signal conditioning circuit board within the housing and adapted to receive the analog sensor outputs from the sensors, and a control circuit board within the housing, connected to the signal conditioning circuit board, and adapted to produce digital data corresponding to analog sensor outputs. The signal conditioning circuit board multiplexes a plurality of the analog sensor outputs generated by the sensors to produce an individual multiplexed analog output, and has at least one amplifier with adjustable gain for scaling the analog sensor outputs of the individual multiplexed analog output to produce an individual conditioned multiplexed analog output from which the corresponding digital data are produced. The amplifier and the adjustable gain thereof are controlled by the control circuit board.Type: GrantFiled: December 23, 2010Date of Patent: December 3, 2013Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Eric John Bair, John David Weickert, Gregory Keelen Griffin
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Publication number: 20120166061Abstract: A hub unit adapted for use in a monitoring system that monitors engine performance parameters of a gas turbine engine. The hub unit includes a housing, at least one signal conditioning circuit board within the housing and adapted to receive the analog sensor outputs from the sensors, and a control circuit board within the housing, connected to the signal conditioning circuit board, and adapted to produce digital data corresponding to analog sensor outputs. The signal conditioning circuit board multiplexes a plurality of the analog sensor outputs generated by the sensors to produce an individual multiplexed analog output, and has at least one amplifier with adjustable gain for scaling the analog sensor outputs of the individual multiplexed analog output to produce an individual conditioned multiplexed analog output from which the corresponding digital data are produced. The amplifier and the adjustable gain thereof are controlled by the control circuit board.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 23, 2010Publication date: June 28, 2012Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANYInventors: Eric John Bair, John David Weickert, Gregory Keelen Griffin
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Publication number: 20120163408Abstract: A system for monitoring performance parameters of an apparatus operating at an elevated temperature, such as a gas turbine engine. The system includes sensors for sensing the performance parameters and generating analog sensor outputs, at least one hub unit mounted sufficiently close to the apparatus so as to be subjected to a first temperature in excess of 125° C., a collector unit subjected to a second temperature of less than the first temperature, and a distributor computer unit subjected to a third temperature of less than the second temperature. The hub unit has control and signal conditioning circuit boards that operate together to condition the analog sensor outputs of the sensors and produce corresponding digital data. The collector unit transmits the digital data from the hub unit to the distributor computer unit, which processes the digital data to assess the performance parameters of the apparatus.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 23, 2010Publication date: June 28, 2012Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANYInventors: John David Weickert, Eric John Bair, Gregory Keelen Griffin
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Publication number: 20120163958Abstract: A hub unit adapted for use in a monitoring system that monitors engine performance parameters of a gas turbine engine. The hub unit includes a housing, at least one signal conditioning circuit board within the housing and adapted to receive the analog sensor outputs from the sensors, and a control circuit board within the housing, connected to the signal conditioning circuit board, and adapted to produce digital data corresponding to analog sensor outputs. The control circuit board and the signal conditioning circuit board each comprise electrical circuit components that define an analog signal processing path and have accuracy and precision characteristics that drift in response to component aging and to changes in the temperature to which the hub unit is subjected. The hub unit performs a continuous calibration scheme to determine and remove errors in the analog signal processing path resulting from the drifts of the electrical circuit components.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 23, 2010Publication date: June 28, 2012Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANYInventors: Gregory Keelen Griffin, John David Weickert, Eric John Bair
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Patent number: 8161806Abstract: A method of monitoring engine performance parameters of a gas turbine engine during its operation. The method includes sensing the performance parameters and generating analog sensor outputs, producing digital data by conditioning the analog sensor outputs with at least one hub unit that is mounted sufficiently close to the engine to be subjected to a first temperature in excess of 125° C., receiving the digital data from the hub unit with a collector unit subjected to a second temperature of less than the first temperature, receiving the digital data from the collector unit with a distributor computer unit subjected to a third temperature of less than the second temperature, and processing the digital data with the distributor computer unit to assess the engine performance parameters of the engine. The conditioning step is performed with a control circuit board and at least one signal conditioning circuit board within the hub unit.Type: GrantFiled: December 23, 2010Date of Patent: April 24, 2012Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: John David Weickert, Eric John Bair, Gregory Keelen Griffin
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Patent number: 6442543Abstract: A method and apparatus accepts a query to update or delete rows in a temporal table of a database. The query may describe which rows are to be updated, a calculation for the value to be used to update each row of the table, and a period of validity, during which the changes are to take place. The method and apparatus creates a sequence of queries and SQL program elements that together can make up an SQL program that will execute the query received. The SQL program can split any row of the table to be updated into multiple rows so that each of the multiple rows of the table to be changed have an effective period during which no changes occur in the table to be changed or any other tables referenced in the query received and no effective periods span the beginning or the end of the period of validity. The specified change may then be made to the resulting rows, and rows that are adjacent in time with identical values may be collapsed into a single row.Type: GrantFiled: December 18, 2000Date of Patent: August 27, 2002Assignee: Amazon.com, Inc.Inventors: Richard T Snodgrass, John Bair
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Patent number: 6324535Abstract: A method and apparatus converts an original query into a sequenced query that takes into account a range of values of a variable defined by a start and end point in performing the query. The start or end points are calculated if necessary and a query to collect all of the start and end points may be generated, and a query is generated that produces a constant set of start and end points defining consecutive periods, such that all the data in the tables related to the original query is constant over each of these periods. These two queries are merged into the original query to produce a sequenced query capable of execution on various database software and capable of taking into account the range of values of the variable in performing the original query.Type: GrantFiled: December 2, 1999Date of Patent: November 27, 2001Assignee: Amazon.com, Inc.Inventors: John Bair, Richard T Snodgrass
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Patent number: 6233573Abstract: A system and method selects rows from a fact table in a dimensional database containing a fact table, a time dimension table and other dimension tables. The other dimension tables each contain rows containing a time invariant attribute to identify an item described by the row, an effective time attribute for the row, and other attributes. If an attribute for an item changes, a new row is added to the dimension table containing the time-invariant attribute for the item and current attributes for the item, without deleting or overwriting any existing rows for that item. Such dimension tables can be selected or used to create other tables using one or more time attributes of the dimension tables. The tables created can be selected or used to create still other tables using one or more time attributes of those tables.Type: GrantFiled: December 13, 1999Date of Patent: May 15, 2001Assignee: Amazon.com, Inc.Inventors: John Bair, Charles M Bender
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Patent number: 6185556Abstract: A method and apparatus accepts a query to update or delete rows in a temporal table of a database. The query may describe which rows are to be updated, a calculation for the value to be used to update each row of the table, and a period of validity, during which the changes are to take place. The method and apparatus creates a sequence of queries and SQL program elements that together can make up an SQL program that will execute the query received. The SQL program can split any row of the table to be updated into multiple rows so that each of the multiple rows of the table to be changed have an effective period during which no changes occur in the table to be changed or any other tables referenced in the query received and no effective periods span the beginning or the end of the period of validity. The specified change may then be made to the resulting rows, and rows that are adjacent in time with identical values may be collapsed into a single row.Type: GrantFiled: May 4, 1999Date of Patent: February 6, 2001Assignee: Amazon.com, Inc.Inventors: Richard T Snodgrass, John Bair
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Patent number: 6003024Abstract: A system and method selects rows from a fact table in a dimensional database containing a fact table, a time dimension table and other dimension tables. The other dimension tables each contain rows containing a time invariant attribute to identify an item described by the row, an effective time attribute for the row, and other attributes. If an attribute for an item changes, a new row is added to the dimension table containing the time-invariant attribute for the item and current attributes for the item, without deleting or overwriting any existing rows for that item. Such dimension tables can be selected or used to create other tables using one or more time attributes of the dimension tables. The tables created can be selected or used to create still other tables using one or more time attributes of those tables.Type: GrantFiled: November 5, 1997Date of Patent: December 14, 1999Assignee: Amazon. comInventors: John Bair, Charles M Bender
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Patent number: 5999924Abstract: A method and apparatus converts an original query into a sequenced query that takes into account a range of values of a variable defined by a start and end point in performing the query. The start or end points are calculated if necessary and a query to collect all of the start and end points may be generated, and a query is generated that produces a constant set of start and end points defining consecutive periods, such that all the data in the tables related to the original query is constant over each of these periods. These two queries are merged into the original query to produce a sequenced query capable of execution on various database software and capable of taking into account the range of values of the variable in performing the original query.Type: GrantFiled: July 25, 1997Date of Patent: December 7, 1999Assignee: Amazon.com, Inc.Inventors: John Bair, Richard T Snodgrass