Patents by Inventor Alan Hisashi Steinert
Alan Hisashi Steinert 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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Patent number: 11939077Abstract: Systems and methods include providing an aircraft with a fuselage and a convertible engine disposed within the fuselage. The convertible engine is operable as a turbofan engine in a thrust mode and a turboshaft engine in a shaft power mode. The convertible engine includes a housing, an engine core having a low pressure turbine shaft, and a bypass fan system. The bypass fan system includes a bypass fan having a fan clutch. The fan clutch selectively couples at least a portion of the bypass fan to the low pressure turbine shaft when the convertible engine is operated in the thrust mode and decouples at least a portion of the bypass fan from the low pressure turbine shaft when the convertible engine is operated in the shaft power mode.Type: GrantFiled: March 3, 2022Date of Patent: March 26, 2024Assignee: Textron Innovations Inc.Inventors: Alan Hisashi Steinert, Thomas Dewey Parsons, Troy Cyril Schank
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Patent number: 11814164Abstract: A method of verifying operation of an aircraft in a pre-defined flight mode includes operating the aircraft in a first flight mode, commanding the aircraft to transition to a second flight mode, evaluating a plurality of motor performance parameters, and based on values of the plurality of motor performance parameters, determining whether the aircraft has successfully transitioned to the second flight mode.Type: GrantFiled: April 26, 2022Date of Patent: November 14, 2023Assignee: Textron Innovations Inc.Inventors: John Robert Wittmaak, Alan Hisashi Steinert
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Publication number: 20230339607Abstract: A method of verifying operation of an aircraft in a pre-defined flight mode includes operating the aircraft in a first flight mode, commanding the aircraft to transition to a second flight mode, evaluating a plurality of motor performance parameters, and based on values of the plurality of motor performance parameters, determining whether the aircraft has successfully transitioned to the second flight mode.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 26, 2022Publication date: October 26, 2023Applicant: Textron Innovations Inc.Inventors: John Robert WITTMAAK, Alan Hisashi STEINERT
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Patent number: 11702189Abstract: A blade-pitch change mechanism includes a motor comprising a rotating motor shaft and a housing, a solenoid coupled to a first end of the rotating motor shaft and to the housing, and a hub coupled with a second end of the rotating motor shaft. The hub includes a cylindrical puck having formed therein a gated castellated groove and connected to the second end of the rotating motor shaft and a cylindrical blade-pitch hub selectively couplable with the cylindrical puck via a plurality of drive pins and having formed therein a blade-pitch adjustment groove.Type: GrantFiled: August 17, 2022Date of Patent: July 18, 2023Assignee: Textron Innovations Inc.Inventors: John Robert Wittmaak, Alan Hisashi Steinert
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Patent number: 11585283Abstract: An exemplary aircraft includes a turbine engine having a gas generator spool and a power spool, the power spool operational to drive a rotor, a first generator coupled to the gas generator spool, and a controller operable to increase a load on the gas generator spool when the gas generator spool is on a speed limit thereby increasing a speed limit margin in order to increase power available from the turbine engine.Type: GrantFiled: November 10, 2020Date of Patent: February 21, 2023Assignee: Textron Innovations Inc.Inventor: Alan Hisashi Steinert
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Publication number: 20220194619Abstract: Systems and methods include providing an aircraft with a fuselage and a convertible engine disposed within the fuselage. The convertible engine is operable as a turbofan engine in a thrust mode and a turboshaft engine in a shaft power mode. The convertible engine includes a housing, an engine core having a low pressure turbine shaft, and a bypass fan system. The bypass fan system includes a bypass fan having a fan clutch. The fan clutch selectively couples at least a portion of the bypass fan to the low pressure turbine shaft when the convertible engine is operated in the thrust mode and decouples at least a portion of the bypass fan from the low pressure turbine shaft when the convertible engine is operated in the shaft power mode.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 3, 2022Publication date: June 23, 2022Applicant: Textron Innovations Inc.Inventors: Alan Hisashi Steinert, Thomas Dewey Parsons, Troy Cyril Schank
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Publication number: 20220145810Abstract: An exemplary aircraft includes a turbine engine having a gas generator spool and a power spool, the power spool operational to drive a rotor, a first generator coupled to the gas generator spool, and a controller operable to increase a load on the gas generator spool when the gas generator spool is on a speed limit thereby increasing a speed limit margin in order to increase power available from the turbine engine.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 10, 2020Publication date: May 12, 2022Applicant: Bell Textron Inc.Inventor: Alan Hisashi STEINERT
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Publication number: 20210403168Abstract: A hybrid propulsion system for a tiltrotor aircraft comprises one or more engines that provide thrust whenever the tiltrotor aircraft is in a first forward flight mode, one or more electrical or hydraulic power sources, and two or more pylon assemblies. Each pylon assembly houses one or more electric or hydraulic motors connected to the one or more electrical or hydraulic power sources and a proprotor. All or part of each pylon assembly is rotatable. The proprotors provide lift whenever the tiltrotor aircraft is in a vertical takeoff and landing mode and a hover mode, and provide thrust whenever the tiltrotor aircraft is in a second forward flight mode.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 29, 2020Publication date: December 30, 2021Inventors: Thomas Dewey Parsons, James E. Sobel, Alan Hisashi Steinert, David Henderson Loe
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Publication number: 20210114723Abstract: A modular tandem tiltrotor aircraft in which the tiltrotor assemblies are operably coupled at the forward and aft ends of the fuselage of the aircraft is disclosed. The modular tandem tiltrotor assemblies are capable of rotating between a vertical lift position and a horizontal flight position. The modular tandem tiltrotor aircraft can be structurally more efficient and lower drag than a conventional tiltrotor, has better control authority and lifting capacity than hybrid-quads and tail-sitters, and has more range than a helicopter or multi-rotor. The modular tandem tiltrotor aircraft can orbit and search over a broad area, or can hover for long periods, depending on the application. Instead of providing a multi-function tandem tiltrotor aircraft that is generally suited for all applications, but not optimized for any, the modular tandem tiltrotor aircraft allows for customized configuration to optimize the aircraft for a particular application.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 27, 2020Publication date: April 22, 2021Applicant: Bell Textron Inc.Inventors: John Robert Wittmaak, JR., Steven M. Loveland, Joshua Allan Edler, Alan Hisashi Steinert, Stephen Yibum Chung, Matthew Edward Louis
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Publication number: 20200231293Abstract: An exemplary convertible engine includes an engine housing forming a fan duct extending from a fan inlet to an exhaust; a fan positioned in the fan duct proximate the fan inlet; an engine core located in the fan duct aft of the fan, the engine core coupled to the fan by a fan shaft; a drive shaft mechanically coupled to the engine core and extending exterior of the engine housing; and a dedicated core inflow duct coupled to the core and having a core inlet to capture and direct air into the engine core. An inlet barrier filter may be located in the dedicated core inflow duct. The core inlet may be located inside of the fan duct or exterior to the fan duct. A gearbox may be operationally connected to the fan shaft and may be located inside of the fan duct.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 18, 2019Publication date: July 23, 2020Applicant: Bell Helicopter Textron Inc.Inventors: Thomas Dewey PARSONS, Alan Hisashi STEINERT
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Publication number: 20200017229Abstract: Systems and methods include providing an aircraft with a fuselage and a convertible engine disposed within the fuselage. The convertible engine is operable as a turbofan engine in a thrust mode and a turboshaft engine in a shaft power mode. The convertible engine includes a housing, an engine core having a low pressure turbine shaft, and a bypass fan system. The bypass fan system includes a bypass fan having a fan clutch. The fan clutch selectively couples at least a portion of the bypass fan to the low pressure turbine shaft when the convertible engine is operated in the thrust mode and decouples at least a portion of the bypass fan from the low pressure turbine shaft when the convertible engine is operated in the shaft power mode.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 13, 2018Publication date: January 16, 2020Applicant: Bell Helicopter Textron Inc.Inventors: Alan Hisashi Steinert, Thomas Dewey Parsons, Troy Cyril Schank