Patents Examined by Justin M Benedik
  • Patent number: 12221205
    Abstract: An inspection system is disclosed herein. The inspection system includes a control system and a hub assembly. The control system includes a base having a top surface and configured to move horizontally forward and backward, an upright member extending orthogonally from the top surface of the base and configured to move vertically up and down, the upright member having a top surface, and an elongated member extending orthogonal to the upright member having a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end connected to the top of the upright member, wherein the elongated member is configured to rotate. The hub assembly is connected to the distal end of the elongated member. The hub assembly includes a spring-loaded arm extending orthogonally from the hub assembly and a sensor connected to a distal end of the spring-loaded arm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2025
    Assignee: GOODRICH CORPORATION
    Inventor: Seokwon Lee
  • Patent number: 12214897
    Abstract: An illumination element marks escape routes in vehicles. The illumination element includes a planar substrate, which has: a base surface configured for fastening on a first side; and at least one planar electrical lighting element on a second side. A ratio of a surface area of the base surface to a thickness of the illumination element is greater than 500 mm, and a ratio of the surface area of the base surface to a mass of the illumination element is greater than 100 mm2/g.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2025
    Assignee: LUFTHANSA TECHNIK AG
    Inventor: Wolfgang Sutter
  • Patent number: 12214856
    Abstract: The system can include: a vehicle 100 and a stabilizer 200. However, the system can additionally or alternatively include any other suitable set of components. The system functions to facilitate vehicular transport (e.g., via a cabin). Additionally, the system can provide impact attenuation and/or mitigate rebound of the vehicle during a water landing. Additionally or alternatively, the system can function to provide aquatic stabilization of the vehicle and/or cabin thereof. However, the system 100 can provide any other suitable functionalities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2024
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2025
    Assignee: Space Perspective Inc.
    Inventors: Royce Fernandes, John Zaniel Maccagnano, Taber MacCallum, Ryon Warren, Daniel James Window, Rodger Farley
  • Patent number: 12209848
    Abstract: A guided projectile having a nose portion, a body portion, a tail portion, and a central axis. In various embodiments the projectile includes a control support portion and a collar assembly pivotally mounted to the control support portion. In various embodiments the collar assembly includes a collar having an exterior sidewall with a plurality of fixed aerodynamic surfaces thereon for spinning the collar and a plurality of variable sweep wings for directional control of the projectile. In various embodiments the plurality of variable sweep wings each have a first end coupled to a wing actuator configured to rotate a second end portion between and including a first position, where the wings are oriented generally parallel to the central axis of the projectile to a second position, where the lengthwise wing axis of the plurality of wings are oriented generally perpendicular to the central axis of the projectile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2025
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation
    Inventor: Michael J. Wilson
  • Patent number: 12179902
    Abstract: An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) including a fuselage body having a cavity that forms a cargo bay for transporting a payload, and a lower access opening for lowering the payload from the cargo bay, the lower access opening including a cargo bay door; a winch system positioned in the cargo bay configured to suspend a payload within the cargo bay; and a cargo bay door monitor which is configured to detect when the payload is applying a weight to the cargo bay door.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2024
    Assignee: Wing Aviation LLC
    Inventors: Jesse Blake, Andre Prager, Evan Twyford, Ivan Qiu, Jasper Lewin
  • Patent number: 12174149
    Abstract: A probe head of a magnetostrictive oscillator includes a base and a plurality of hollow protrusions extending from the base. Each protrusion of the plurality of hollow protrusions includes a first end and a second end opposite the first end. The second end is connected to the base. Each protrusion also includes an inner side and an outer side opposite the inner side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2024
    Assignee: Rosemount Aerospace Inc.
    Inventors: Jamison K. Roman, Marc Regan, Jeremiah Schweitzer
  • Patent number: 12172743
    Abstract: An intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance system is disclosed including a ground station and one or more aerial vehicles. The aerial vehicles are autonomous systems capable of communicating intelligence data to the ground station and be used as part of a missile delivery package. A plurality of aerial vehicles can be configured to cast a wide net of reconnaissance over a large area on the ground including smaller overlapping reconnaissance areas provided by each of the plurality of the aerial vehicles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2024
    Assignee: Silicis Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael J. Stigler, Nicholas James Setar
  • Patent number: 12168531
    Abstract: A rocket landing stabilization system can include one or more upright support structures such as posts, columns, or walls, from which one or more stabilizing elements can be supported. The stabilizing elements can be used to stabilize a rocket as it lands at a landing site. The rocket landing stabilization system can also include a cradle, funnel, or cone to catch or otherwise support a rocket as it lands at the landing site. The rocket landing stabilization system can be located on land or at sea.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2024
    Inventors: N. Eric Knudsen, Matthew Niels Knudsen, Andrew Niels Knudsen, Jacob Niels Knudsen
  • Patent number: 12168526
    Abstract: An aircraft assist system described herein includes an aircraft coupling counterpart attached to a strut of a landing gear of an aircraft, and an assist vehicle. The assist vehicle includes a frame, ground-engaging wheels mounted to the frame, a power source for driving one or more of the ground-engaging wheels, and a vehicle coupling counterpart for engagement with the aircraft coupling counterpart. The aircraft coupling counterpart and the vehicle coupling counterpart define a swivel connection for transferring a propulsive force from the takeoff assist vehicle to the aircraft. The aircraft coupling counterpart is disengageable from the vehicle coupling counterpart by upward movement of the aircraft coupling counterpart relative to the vehicle coupling counterpart.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2024
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventor: Daniel Alecu
  • Patent number: 12162586
    Abstract: An aircraft may include a control lever movable along a lever path and configured to control a system of the aircraft, and a selectively engageable detent feature configured to inhibit travel of the control lever and operable in a disengaged configuration in which the control lever is movable along the lever path without restriction by the selectively engageable detent feature, and an engaged configuration in which the selectively engageable detent feature inhibits travel of the control lever at a particular location along the lever path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2024
    Assignee: RELIABLE ROBOTICS CORPORATION
    Inventor: David DeHaan
  • Patent number: 12157584
    Abstract: Pointing interfaces that can be used to assemble/disassemble instruments/payloads from a spacecraft/host are disclosed. The disclosed interfaces provide structural, communications, power, and fluid connections (for thermal control). Such interfaces also provide active and passive vibration isolation capability for precision pointing. They can further act as an interface to the launch vehicle for secondary delivery of the instrument/payload to the spacecraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2024
    Assignee: CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Spencer Backus, Gregory S. Agnes, Russell G. Smith, Eric T. Sunada, Blair J. Emanuel, Rudranarayan M. Mukherjee, Samantha H. Glassner, Timothy P. Setterfield
  • Patent number: 12152865
    Abstract: A cartridge is disclosed with a casing and a projectile, wherein external ballistic stability is provided by a center of pressure of the projectile being rearward of a center of mass of the projectile. The projectile includes flight control surfaces that cooperate with the bore of a barrel without requiring rifling or sabots. The projectile can include fin configurations that cooperate with the bore to form a bearing surface with the bore.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2024
    Assignee: Crossbullet, LLC
    Inventors: Paul K. Maurer, Brett E. Maurer, Todd F. Maurer, Paul Della Torre, Robert Tuchrelo, Nathan E. Smith, Richard T. Aab
  • Patent number: 12151807
    Abstract: A manned or unmanned aircraft has an upper body and a lower body. The aircraft has a circular shape and a circular outer periphery. One or more rotor blades extend substantially horizontally outward from the main body at or about the circular outer periphery. In addition, one or more retractable control flaps are coupled to the lower body and are moved between a retracted position recessed from the outer periphery and an extended position outward of the outer periphery to engage lift blade thrust.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2024
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2024
    Assignee: Dronexus Aero LLC
    Inventors: Jeffrey D. Kaiser, James Kaiser
  • Patent number: 12139274
    Abstract: An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) launch tube that comprises at least one inner layer of prepreg substrate disposed about a right parallelepiped aperture, at least one outer layer of prepreg substrate disposed about the right parallelepiped aperture, and one or more structural panels disposed between the at least one inner layer of prepreg substrate and the at least one outer layer of prepreg substrate. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) launch tube that comprises a tethered sabot configured to engage a UAV within a launcher volume defined by an inner wall, the tethered sabot dimensioned to provide a pressure seal at the inner wall and tethered to the inner wall, and wherein the tethered sabot is hollow having an open end oriented toward a high pressure volume and a tether attached within a hollow of the sabot and attached to the inner wall retaining the high pressure volume or attach to the inner base wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2023
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2024
    Assignee: AEROVIRONMENT, INC.
    Inventors: Carlos Thomas Miralles, Guan H Su, Alexander Andryukov, John McNeil
  • Patent number: 12129019
    Abstract: An aircraft and flow guide system including a flow guide structure are provided. The aircraft has an airflow generator, and a duct extending from the airflow generator to an outlet through which an airflow generated by the airflow generator is expelled. The flow guide structure is positioned towards the outlet, and has a set of flow guide surfaces defining a plurality of channels. At least some of the flow guide surfaces divert at least some of the airflow from a first direction in which the airflow travels immediately upstream of the flow guide structure towards a second direction that is orthogonal to the first direction. The flow guide structure is reorientable to cause the at least some of the flow guide surfaces to divert at least some of the airflow towards a third direction that is orthogonal to the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2023
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2024
    Assignee: ROBINSON AIRCRAFT ULC
    Inventors: Eric Brian Robinson, Eric Brandon Robinson, G. Kirk Creelman
  • Patent number: 12123687
    Abstract: There is provided a projectile, a system and a related method of operation of a projectile comprising: a front ogive section; an aft section; and a control module; wherein the front ogive section is rotatably connected to the aft section by a coupling device, the front ogive section further comprising an asymmetric surface such that the asymmetric surface exerts an imbalance upon the projectile, where in use, the angular rotation of the front ogive section can be selectively adjusted relative to the aft section by commands from the control module to the coupling device influencing a helical trajectory of the projectile in flight thereby causing a change in direction thereby steering the projectile towards a target.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2024
    Assignee: BAE SYSTEMS PLC
    Inventor: James Joshua Norris
  • Patent number: 12116120
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a blade-stator system and the vertical take-off and landing flight apparatus comprising the blade-stator system, the blade-stator system including a duct disposed inside a flight body, upper and lower sides of the duct being open, and an inside of the duct being hollow; a blade assembly installed rotatably inside the duct and including a blade body of which an angle is changeable; a stator assembly connected to the blade assembly and the duct, supporting the blade assembly, and rotatable by a predetermined angle; a controller electrically connected to the blade assembly and the stator assembly and configured to control driving of the blade body and the stator assembly, wherein the angle of the stator assembly is changed in response to receiving an electrical signal from the controller so as to be interlocked with a change of the angle of the blade body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2024
    Assignee: HANWHA AEROSPACE CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Jae Ho Choi, Semi Kim
  • Patent number: 12110716
    Abstract: An aircraft seat module having a flight passenger seating area has a door unit which in at least one operating state is configured at least to close a passage region to the flight passenger seating area, and has a locking device for the door unit, which is configured to lock the door unit in an open position, in particular a maximally open stowage position, and to this end comprises at least one actuator device which has at least two movably supported locking elements, which are in each case adjustable between a locking position and an unlocking position, wherein that the locking device has a locking state indication unit which at least in the maximally open position of the door unit is configured to detect and indicate incomplete locking of at least one of the two locking elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2024
    Assignee: RECARO Aircraft Seating GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Alexander Rechlin
  • Patent number: 12111140
    Abstract: A cartridge is disclosed with a casing and a projectile, wherein external ballistic stability is provided by a center of pressure of the projectile being rearward of a center of mass of the projectile. The projectile includes flight control surfaces that cooperate with the bore of a barrel without requiring rifling or sabots. The projectile can include fin configurations that cooperate with the bore to form a gas check.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2024
    Inventors: Paul K. Maurer, Brett E. Maurer, Todd F. Maurer, Paul Della Torre, Robert Tuchrelo, Nathan E. Smith, Richard T. Aab
  • Patent number: 12110131
    Abstract: A method for autonomously assembling a plurality of tiles is performed in a microgravity environment. Each tile includes a shell having a first geometrical shape and an arrangement of first magnets and a controller that are supported by the shell. The controller controls operation of the arrangement of first magnets to self-assemble the shell with another tile. The first magnets are controlled to mate with a complementary arrangement of second magnets on the other tile when the complementary arrangement of second magnets floats to within a range of magnetic attractive force of the arrangement of first magnets, with or without the aid of propulsion. The controllers in the tiles detect the status of the magnetic bonds to determine whether each pair of tiles is properly bonded or has a magnetic bond error. When an error is detected, the tiles are controlled to disassemble and reassemble to correct the error.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2024
    Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Ariel Ekblaw, Joseph A. Paradiso