Patents by Inventor Ravindra Brammajyosula

Ravindra Brammajyosula 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).

  • TUNABLE STIFFNESS ACTUATOR
    Publication number: 20130014501
    Abstract: An actuator configured for tunable stiffness control and method is provided. The actuator includes a plurality of stiffness elements, one or more of the stiffness elements including a shape memory alloy (SMA). At least one of the elements has a stiffness characteristic different from another of the stiffness elements. The stiffness elements are actuable individually or in combination to provide an intermediate actuation output, which may be provided by partially transforming the smart material of one or more stiffness elements during actuation. Two or more of the stiffness elements may be actuable in combination to provide a combined output which may be non-linear, or may be functionally substitutional for an individual output of another stiffness element. The actuator may be actuable to provide a first and second output for the substantially same input, or may be selectively actuable to offset degradation of one or more of the stiffness elements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2012
    Publication date: January 17, 2013
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Ravindra Brammajyosula, Vidyashankar R. Buravalla
  • Shape memory alloy cables
    Patent number: 8272214
    Abstract: A cable adapted for use as an actuator, adaptive structural member, or damper, includes a plurality of longitudinally inter-engaged and cooperatively functioning shape memory alloy wires.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2012
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Nilesh D. Mankame, John Andrew Shaw, Benjamin Reedlunn, Alan L. Browne, Xiujie Gao, Paul W. Alexander, Jan H. Aase, Nancy L. Johnson, Kenneth A. Strom, Sanjeev M. Naik, Chandra S. Namuduri, Robin Stevenson, William R. Rodgers, John C. Ulicny, Christopher P. Henry, Paul E. Krajewski, Ravindra Brammajyosula
  • MODEL BASED CONTROL OF SHAPE MEMORY ALLOY DEVICE
    Publication number: 20120065744
    Abstract: A method of modeling a Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) element to predict a response of the SMA element includes obtaining the resistivity of the SMA element over a range of a physical property of the SMA element; correlating variations in the obtained resistivity with respect to the physical property of the SMA element to identify behavioral differences in the resistivity for the different phases of the SMA element; calculating a rate of change of the resistivity of the SMA element over a period of time; calculating the derivative of the rate of change in the resistivity of the SMA element over the period of time; and comparing real time data of the physical property to the derivative of the rate of change to predict the response of the shape memory alloy element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2010
    Publication date: March 15, 2012
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS, INC.
    Inventors: Ravindra Brammajyosula, Vidyashankar R. Buravalla, Ashish Khandelwal
  • SHAPE MEMORY ALLOY CABLES
    Publication number: 20090226691
    Abstract: A cable adapted for use as an actuator, adaptive structural member, or damper, includes a plurality of longitudinally inter-engaged and cooperatively functioning shape memory alloy wires.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 4, 2009
    Publication date: September 10, 2009
    Applicants: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS, INC. THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
    Inventors: Nilesh D. Mankame, John Andrew Shaw, Benjamin Reedlunn, Alan L. Browne, Xiujie Gao, Paul W. Alexander, Jan H. Aase, Nancy L. Johnson, Kenneth A. Strom, Sanjeev M. Naik, Chandra S. Namuduri, Robin Stevenson, William R. Rodgers, John C. Ulicny, Christopher P. Henry, Paul E. Krajewski, Ravindra Brammajyosula