Patents Examined by Michael K. Reitz
  • Patent number: 12291321
    Abstract: A pitch change actuation system for varying a propeller blade pitch includes: an actuator body defining an interior volume; and a chamber separator located within the interior volume of the actuator body and dividing the interior volume into a first chamber and a second chamber, the two chambers being fluidly separated by the chamber separator. The first and second chambers are configured to receive hydraulic fluid. The actuator body is configured to translate relative to the chamber separator in response to a difference in hydraulic pressure between the first chamber and second chamber; and the translation of the actuator body is configured to effect a change in propeller blade pitch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2025
    Assignee: RATIER-FIGEAC SAS
    Inventors: Thibaut Marger, Romain Bouloc
  • Patent number: 12275514
    Abstract: An electrically actuated propeller pitch control system includes a propeller hub assembly, a propeller assembly, and a crosshead drive system. The propeller hub assembly rotates about the central axis during operation of watercraft. The propeller assembly is configured to selectively rotate a propeller blade. The crosshead drive system includes an electric motor, a transmission, and a lead screw that rotates about the central axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2025
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce Marine North America Inc.
    Inventors: Eric Maxeiner, Eric Davis, Donald Ricciuti, Anthony Youst, Michael Schwartz
  • Patent number: 12270307
    Abstract: A rotor of a turbine extending around a longitudinal axis includes a rotor disc bearing at its periphery one or more rotor blades, each blade including an airfoil provided at its radially outer end with a platform equipped with an upstream lip and a downstream lip, the platform having a front lateral edge and a back lateral edge with respect to the normal direction of rotation of the rotor about the longitudinal axis, and a suction face portion which extends from the front lateral edge to the suction face of the airfoil. The upstream lip and the downstream lip each includes sawtooth-shaped cut-outs such as to form a front tooth and a back tooth which are contiguous, in that the back tooth has a cutting edge and in that the front tooth of each lip is disposed on the suction face portion of the platform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2025
    Assignee: SAFRAN AIRCRAFT ENGINES
    Inventors: Julian Nicolas Girardeau, Benoit Guillaume Silet
  • Patent number: 12270345
    Abstract: A containment assembly is provided for an aircraft engine having a rotor with a set of blades. The containment assembly comprises a containment casing annularly surrounding the rotor radially outward of the set of blades. The containment casing is made of a material having a density less than that of steel. A layer of thermal insulation is disposed radially inward of the containment casing. The layer of thermal insulation is radially disposed between the containment casing and the set of blades.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2025
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventor: Christopher Gover
  • Patent number: 12269577
    Abstract: A propeller attaching device includes a coupler that rotates integrally with an output shaft of a motor, a movable body, and a resilient body. The coupler allows attachment/detachment of an attachment portion of the motor by rotation of the propeller in the circumferential direction and restricts the movement of the propeller in an axial direction. The movable body includes a second receiving portion, and is supported by the coupler so as to be movable in the axial direction. The attachment/detachment position is a position where attachment/detachment of the attachment portion to/from the first receiving portion is allowed. The restriction position is positioned in a first direction relative to the attachment/detachment position, the first direction extending from the other end to one end of the output shaft in the axial direction of the output shaft, and restricts the rotation of the propeller in the circumferential direction relative to the base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2025
    Assignee: SONY GROUP CORPORATION
    Inventor: Tatsuo Makii
  • Patent number: 12270403
    Abstract: A blower includes a cross flow fan, a mechanism configured to rotate the cross flow fan about a rotation axis, a front tongue part that is arranged in front of the cross flow fan, and a back tongue part that is arranged in back of the cross flow fan, wherein a front fan facing surface of the front tongue part faces the cross flow fan, and includes a plurality of front non-flat portions on which non-flatness is formed, and a plurality of front flat portions on which no non-flatness formed, a back fan facing surface of the back tongue part faces the cross flow fan, and includes a plurality of back non-flat portions on which non-flatness formed, and a plurality of back flat portions on which no non-flatness is formed, and the back non-flat portions respectively face the front flat portions and the back flat portions respectively face the front non-flat portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2025
    Assignee: FUJITSU GENERAL LIMITED
    Inventor: Hirotaka Sawada
  • Patent number: 12270309
    Abstract: A vane assembly includes a casing, vanes, and an actuator assembly. The vanes are arranged within the casing and are rotatably coupled to the casing for rotation relative thereto and configured to rotate about their pitch axes. The actuator assembly is arranged radially outward of the casing and includes an annular ring surrounding the casing and coupled to the vanes, a magnet arranged on the ring, and a stator spaced apart from the magnet. The ring is configured to rotate the vanes about their pitch axes in response to rotation of the ring about the central axis and the stator is configured to selectively rotate the magnet and ring about the central axis. The stator is configured to create a magnetic field which causes annular movement of the ring via interaction with the magnet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2025
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce North American Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy Unton, Andrew Eifert, Michael Moser
  • Patent number: 12270348
    Abstract: Discharge valve of an aircraft turbomachine, including a discharge gate intended to be mounted pivotably about an axis between a position for closing an air passage orifice and an open position of said orifice, the orifice being formed in an intermediate casing of the turbomachine, the discharge valve including a sealing device having a seal configured to be movably mounted on the intermediate casing and a movement system configured to move the seal between a first position in which the seal is intended to bear against the discharge gate when the gate is in a closure position, and a second position in which the seal is retracted with respect to the air passage orifice when the discharge gate is in an open position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2025
    Assignee: SAFRAN AIRCRAFT ENGINES
    Inventors: Azath Mohamed, Alexandre Branco, Thierry Georges Paul Papin, Virginie Martine Collin
  • Patent number: 12270302
    Abstract: A turbine includes: a rotor having a rotor body, and a plurality of rotor blades; a casing covering the rotor; and a plurality of stator blades, wherein the stator blades each include a stator blade body having formed on the surface thereof a suction part that extends in the radial direction and can suction at least a portion of working fluid, a nozzle inner peripheral member provided inward of the stator blade body in the radial direction, and a plurality of seal fins protruding inward in the radial direction from the inner peripheral surface of the nozzle inner peripheral member, and an ejection port for ejecting the working fluid guided from the suction part is formed in the nozzle inner peripheral member and in a portion of seal fins more on the other side than the seal fin most on one side in the axial line direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2025
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Atsushi Nakagawa, Eiji Konishi
  • Patent number: 12270310
    Abstract: A test rotor blade for an aircraft engine bladed rotor includes a blade body. The blade body extends between and to a leading edge and a trailing edge. The blade body forms a first side surface and a second side surface. The blade body forms a leading-edge pocket at the leading edge, a trailing-edge pocket at the trailing edge, and a hole extending through the blade body from the leading-edge pocket to the trailing edge pocket. The blade body includes a first side wall and a second side wall. The first side wall has a first wall thickness extending between and to the first side surface and the hole. The second side wall has a second wall thickness extending between and to the second side surface and the hole. The second wall thickness is 0.4 to 0.9 times the first wall thickness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2025
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventors: Dikran Mangardich, Paul Stone
  • Patent number: 12168981
    Abstract: Example embodiments relate to an air cooling system for an electronic spinning assembly. An example embodiment includes a plurality of vanes coupled to a static base. A vane cover is rotatably coupled to the static base. The vane cover includes at least one air inlet, at least one air duct extending from the vane cover, and at least one choke point disposed in the cover. The at least one choke point is configured to increase a pressure of the airflow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2024
    Assignee: Waymo LLC
    Inventors: Rutvik Acharya, Simon Ellgas, Benjamin Chen
  • Patent number: 12163578
    Abstract: A vehicle driving apparatus includes a rotating shaft driven by the power source, a fluid pump driven by the rotating shaft. The fluid pump includes a rotor rotated by the rotating shaft, and a case. The case includes a fluid discharge port provided on an inner peripheral surface of an insertion hole through which the rotating shaft is inserted. The rotating shaft includes an attachment portion fittable to a shaft hole, and an internal flow path. A supply groove communicating with the internal flow path is provided on an outer peripheral surface of the rotating shaft. The fluid pump is attached to the attachment portion of the rotating shaft such that positions of the discharge port and the supply groove in an axial direction of the rotating shaft overlap each other. The attachment portion is provided on each of both sides of the supply groove in the axial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2024
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Keiichi Ohiso
  • Patent number: 12158212
    Abstract: A hydraulic valve device includes a first inlet port (20) and a second inlet port (22) and a valve element (24) for selectively closing one of the first and the second inlet port. The valve element (24; 24?) is rotatable between two valve positions such that a surface of the valve element is moved in a direction parallel to openings of the inlet ports. The valve element includes two separate sealing portions (72, 74), a first sealing portion (72) for closing the first inlet port and a second sealing portion (74) for closing the second inlet port. The two sealing portions are arranged such that in a first valve position a first sealing portion closes the first inlet port and in a second valve position a second sealing portion closes the second inlet port. A centrifugal pump device includes such hydraulic valve device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2024
    Assignee: GRUNDFOS HOLDING A/S
    Inventors: Olav Jensen, Bent Døssing, Thomas Blad, Peter Mønster, Ole Hansen
  • Patent number: 12152506
    Abstract: An apparatus is provided for a gas turbine engine. This engine apparatus includes a shroud, and the shroud includes a wall and a bleed passage. The wall includes an interior surface and an exterior surface. The wall extends circumferentially about an axis. The wall extends depthwise between the interior surface and the exterior surface. The interior surface forms a peripheral boundary of a flowpath that extends along the shroud. The bleed passage includes an inlet orifice and an outlet orifice. The bleed passage extends through the shroud between the inlet orifice and the outlet orifice. The inlet orifice is disposed in the interior surface and fluidly couples the flowpath to the bleed passage. At least a downstream section of the bleed passage circumferentially tapers as the downstream section of the bleed passage extends within the wall towards the outlet orifice.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2024
    Assignee: RTX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Parag H. Mathuria, Lajos H. Horvath, Joshua R. Seyler, Malvin B. Cedeno-Jimenez, James Masloski, Jason P. Meert
  • Patent number: 12134972
    Abstract: A damper element for a vibration dampening system may be used in a body opening in a rotating blade in a turbine. The damper element includes a base member, and a spring-suspended bearing member having a disc spring fixedly coupled to the base member at a center of the disc spring, and a bearing member coupled to a first side of the disc spring at an outer portion thereof. The bearing member extends radially distal from the first side of the disc spring. With the disc spring in an elastically extended state under influence of a centrifugal force caused by rotation of the rotating blade at higher than a predefined rotational speed, the bearing member frictionally engages a first bearing surface to dampen vibration. The friction-based vibration dampening interface experiences a reduced impact of the centrifugal forces of the rotating blade by providing a counteracting force reduction using the spring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2023
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2024
    Assignee: GE Infrastructure Technology LLC
    Inventors: Zachary John Snider, Stephen Paul Wassynger
  • Patent number: 12123319
    Abstract: A turbomachine component includes a platform, a shank, and an airfoil. The platform includes a pressure side slash face and a suction side slash face. The shank extends radially inward from the platform. The airfoil extends radially outward from the platform. The airfoil includes a leading edge and a trailing edge. A cooling circuit is defined within the shank and the airfoil. The cooling circuit further includes a plurality of exit channels disposed along the trailing edge of the airfoil. The cooling circuit further includes at least one bypass conduit that extends from an inlet disposed in the cooling circuit to an outlet positioned on the pressure side slash face. The at least one bypass conduit being positioned radially inward of the plurality of exit channels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2024
    Assignee: GE Infrastructure Technology LLC
    Inventors: Brian Stephen Gray, Michael Anthony Wondrasek, Jan Emeric Agudo
  • Patent number: 12122504
    Abstract: Apparatus, systems, and methods for a propeller blade retention system. The retention system may include a hub including a socket formed by an inner surface of the hub, a blade extending into the socket and a retention sleeve having a first portion and a second portion. The retention system may include a filler sleeve disposed between the blade and the second portion of the retention sleeve, a first bearing disposed between the second portion of the retention sleeve and the inner surface of the hub, the first bearing having a first race, and a second bearing disposed between the first portion of the retention sleeve and the inner surface of the hub, the second bearing having a second race. The retention system may include a cap comprising a body portion and a flange portion. The retention system may include a shim carrier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2023
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2024
    Assignee: ARCHER AVIATION INC.
    Inventors: Eric S. Loos, Danny L. Ball, Jacob P. Virkler, Matthew J. Morgan
  • Patent number: 12055047
    Abstract: The invention relates to a seal carrier for a turbomachine, in particular a gas turbine, having a carrier base and at least one seal body, wherein the at least one seal body is connected to the carrier base, and wherein the at least one seal body is formed by a plurality of cavities arranged next to one another, in particular uniformly, in the peripheral direction and in the axial direction, wherein the cavities extend out from the carrier base in the radial direction and are delimited by a cavity wall. According to the invention, the seal body has a plurality of damping portions which are designed to locally damp or disrupt the flow of force in the seal body, wherein the carrier base is continuous in the region of the damping portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2024
    Assignee: MTU Aero Engines AG
    Inventor: Alexander Klötzer
  • Patent number: 12049906
    Abstract: A pump apparatus includes: a rotational shaft; a hub portion mounted to the rotational shaft; a centrifugal pump vane mounted to a circumferential surface of the hub portion; an annular disc portion mounted to a tip end of the centrifugal pump vane; and an axial turbine blade mounted to an outer circumferential surface of the annular disc portion. A liquid flow passage through which a liquid flowing from a first side toward a second side in an axis direction of the rotational shaft flows into the centrifugal pump vane is formed at a radially inner side of the annular disc portion, and a gas flow passage through which a gas flowing from the second side toward the first side passes through the axial turbine blade is formed at a radially outer side of the annular disc portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2024
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Ryo Takata, Masaharu Nakamura, Masamitsu Watanabe, Hiromichi Hiraki
  • Patent number: 12044133
    Abstract: An adjustable stator blade position maintaining structure for an aero-engine compressor, which keeps an adjustable stator blade at a preset position when a compressor works. The adjustable stator blade position maintaining structure includes a positioning section, a limiting section and a force transmission section The positioning section is mounted in a mounting hole in a casing; the limiting section is cone-shaped and thus fits into a conical hole in the top of a journal of the adjustable stator blade; and the force transmission section is connected between the positioning section and the limiting section so as to transmit a load from the limiting section to the positioning section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2024
    Assignees: AECC SHANGHAI COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT ENGINE MANUFACTURING CO., LTD., AECC COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT ENGINE CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Jiaguang Wang, Bin Zhu, Miaomiao Zhang, Haomai Gao, Chuanjun Cao