Patents by Inventor Robert Alan McDonald

Robert Alan McDonald 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).

  • Publication number: 20240078916
    Abstract: Aerial vehicles are assigned to routes within a transportation network based on a state of charge, state of power, and/or state of health for the aerial vehicle. Such aspects can be modeled based on one or more statistical models and/or machine-learned models, among other examples. As another example, an energy budget is used to ensure that the state of charge, state of power, and/or state of health of the aerial vehicle during and/or after traveling the route remains within the energy budget. A payload is assigned to a route and an associated aerial vehicle, thereby generating an itinerary. In examples, the itinerary is validated by the aerial vehicle to ensure that the aerial vehicle is capable of traveling the route with the payload. In examples where the aerial vehicle rejects the itinerary, the itinerary is assigned to another aerial vehicle and a new itinerary is identified for the aerial vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2023
    Publication date: March 7, 2024
    Inventors: Adam Thomas Chase, Ian Andreas Villa, Luke Asher Wilhelm, Jon Petersen, Robert Alan McDonald, Mark Douglass Moore, Celina Mikolajczak
  • Patent number: 11804141
    Abstract: Aerial vehicles are assigned to routes within a transportation network based on a state of charge, state of power, and/or state of health for the aerial vehicle. Such aspects can be modeled based on one or more statistical models and/or machine-learned models, among other examples. As another example, an energy budget is used to ensure that the state of charge, state of power, and/or state of health of the aerial vehicle during and/or after traveling the route remains within the energy budget. A payload is assigned to a route and an associated aerial vehicle, thereby generating an itinerary. In examples, the itinerary is validated by the aerial vehicle to ensure that the aerial vehicle is capable of traveling the route with the payload. In examples where the aerial vehicle rejects the itinerary, the itinerary is assigned to another aerial vehicle and a new itinerary is identified for the aerial vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2023
    Assignee: JOBY AERO, INC.
    Inventors: Adam Thomas Chase, Ian Andreas Villa, Luke Asher Wilhelm, Jon Petersen, Robert Alan McDonald, Mark Douglass Moore, Celina Mikolajczak
  • Patent number: 11465737
    Abstract: A vertical lift rotor propulsor assembly comprises a boom having a casing with a casing profile and a first propeller blade having a blade profile that corresponds substantially to at least a portion of the casing profile of the casing of the boom. A drive mechanism is at least partially housed within the boom and at the first propeller blade is rotatably mounted to the drive mechanism to be driven thereby. The drive mechanism is to operationally move the first propeller blade between a stowed position in which the first propeller blade is substantially flush with the casing of the boom, and a deployed position in which the first propeller blade is extended a determined distance from the casing of the boom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: Joby Aero, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert Alan McDonald
  • Patent number: 11345469
    Abstract: An aerial vehicle that uses motor pulsed-induced cyclic control is provided. In example embodiments, the aerial vehicle comprises a fuselage incorporating a battery system and a payload bay for operatively receiving and holding a payload and at least one mono-blade rotor coupled to an electric motor and an electric motor control system. The electric motor control system controls the electric motor using pulse-induced cyclic control. The aerial vehicle further includes at least one wing, at least one cruise propeller, and an avionics system. The avionic system is configured to transition the aerial vehicle between a vertical take-off and landing mode in which the at least one mono-blade rotor is primarily engaged to propel the aerial vehicle vertically and a cruising mode in which the at least one cruise propeller is primarily engaged to propel the aerial vehicle horizontally.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: Joby Aero, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Alan McDonald, Mark Moore, Ian Andreas Villa
  • Patent number: 11267570
    Abstract: A vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, configured to transport passengers and/or cargo, uses propellers during vertical flight and wings during forward flight to generate lift. The VTOL aircraft includes a front wing and a rear wing connected by inboard booms. The rear wing may include a wingtip boom attached to each free end of the wing. A propeller may be attached to each inboard boom and each wingtip boom. The propellers attached to the inboard booms may be stacked propellers including at least two co-rotating propellers. The aircraft can also include a cruise propeller attached to the tail region of the fuselage, where the cruise propeller is configured to rotate in a plane approximately perpendicular to the fuselage to generate thrust during forward flight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: Joby Aero, Inc.
    Inventors: Ian Andreas Villa, Mark Moore, Robert Alan McDonald, Henry Thome Won, Adam Chase, Alex Michael Gary, Cory Seubert
  • Publication number: 20210122466
    Abstract: Various examples are directed to an aerial vehicle comprising a fuselage, a first wing member, and a second wing member. The fuselage may have a nose end and a tail end. The first wing member may extend from the fuselage and comprise a first drive motor coupled to the first rotor. The second wing member may also extend from the fuselage substantially opposite the first wing member and may comprise a second drive motor coupled to a second rotor. A first motor may be coupled to rotate the first wing member and the first rotor about a first axis substantially perpendicular to a fuselage axis extending from the nose end to the tail end. A second motor may be coupled to rotate the second wing member and the second rotor about a second axis substantially perpendicular to the fuselage axis. A controller circuit may be configured to differentially actuate the first motor and the second motor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 28, 2020
    Publication date: April 29, 2021
    Inventors: Thomas Akers, Peter Kalogiannis, Mark Moore, Robert Alan McDonald, Ian Andrea Villa
  • Publication number: 20200388167
    Abstract: Aerial vehicles are assigned to routes within a transportation network based on a state of charge, state of power, and/or state of health for the aerial vehicle. Such aspects can be modeled based on one or more statistical models and/or machine-learned models, among other examples. As another example, an energy budget is used to ensure that the state of charge, state of power, and/or state of health of the aerial vehicle during and/or after traveling the route remains within the energy budget. A payload is assigned to a route and an associated aerial vehicle, thereby generating an itinerary. In examples, the itinerary is validated by the aerial vehicle to ensure that the aerial vehicle is capable of traveling the route with the payload. In examples where the aerial vehicle rejects the itinerary, the itinerary is assigned to another aerial vehicle and a new itinerary is identified for the aerial vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2020
    Publication date: December 10, 2020
    Applicant: Uber Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Adam Thomas Chase, Ian Andreas Villa, Luke Asher Wilhelm, Jon Petersen, Robert Alan McDonald, Mark Douglass Moore, Celina Mikolajczak
  • Publication number: 20200156778
    Abstract: An aerial vehicle that uses motor pulsed-induced cyclic control is provided. In example embodiments, the aerial vehicle comprises a fuselage incorporating a battery system and a payload bay for operatively receiving and holding a payload and at least one mono-blade rotor coupled to an electric motor and an electric motor control system. The electric motor control system controls the electric motor using pulse-induced cyclic control. The aerial vehicle further includes at least one wing, at least one cruise propeller, and an avionics system. The avionic system is configured to transition the aerial vehicle between a vertical take-off and landing mode in which the at least one mono-blade rotor is primarily engaged to propel the aerial vehicle vertically and a cruising mode in which the at least one cruise propeller is primarily engaged to propel the aerial vehicle horizontally.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2019
    Publication date: May 21, 2020
    Inventors: Robert Alan McDonald, Mark Moore, Ian Andreas Villa
  • Publication number: 20190337613
    Abstract: A vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, configured to transport passengers and/or cargo, uses propellers during vertical flight and wings during forward flight to generate lift. The VTOL aircraft includes a front wing and a rear wing connected by inboard booms. The rear wing may include a wingtip boom attached to each free end of the wing. A propeller may be attached to each inboard boom and each wingtip boom. The propellers attached to the inboard booms may be stacked propellers including at least two co-rotating propellers. The aircraft can also include a cruise propeller attached to the tail region of the fuselage, where the cruise propeller is configured to rotate in a plane approximately perpendicular to the fuselage to generate thrust during forward flight.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2019
    Publication date: November 7, 2019
    Inventors: Ian Andreas Villa, Mark Moore, Robert Alan McDonald, Henry Thome Won, Adam Chase, Alex Michael Gary, Cory Seubert