Patents by Inventor Alexander Nelson Brooks
Alexander Nelson Brooks 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: 11920512Abstract: A hydrogen fueled powerplant including an internal combustion engine that drives a motor-generator, and has a two-stage turbocharger, for an aircraft. A control system controls the operation of the motor-generator to maintain the engine at a speed selected based on controlling the engine equivalence ratio. The control system controls an afterburner, an intercooler and an aftercooler to maximize powerplant efficiency. The afterburner also adds power to the turbochargers during high-altitude restarts. The turbochargers also include motor-generators that extract excess power from the exhaust.Type: GrantFiled: May 31, 2021Date of Patent: March 5, 2024Assignee: Aero Vironment, Inc.Inventors: Alexander Nelson Brooks, James Gallagher Daley
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Publication number: 20230313733Abstract: A hydrogen fueled powerplant including an internal combustion engine that drives a motor-generator, and has a two-stage turbocharger, for an aircraft. A control system controls the operation of the motor-generator to maintain the engine at a speed selected based on controlling the engine equivalence ratio. The control system controls an afterburner, an intercooler and an aftercooler to maximize powerplant efficiency. The afterburner also adds power to the turbochargers during high-altitude restarts. The turbochargers also include motor-generators that extract excess power from the exhaust.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 31, 2021Publication date: October 5, 2023Applicant: AeroVironment, Inc.Inventors: Alexander Nelson Brooks, James Gallagher Daley
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Patent number: 11022030Abstract: A hydrogen fueled powerplant including an internal combustion engine that drives a motor-generator, and has a two-stage turbocharger, for an aircraft. A control system controls the operation of the motor-generator to maintain the engine at a speed selected based on controlling the engine equivalence ratio. The control system controls an afterburner, an intercooler and an aftercooler to maximize powerplant efficiency. The afterburner also adds power to the turbochargers during high-altitude restarts. The turbochargers also include motor-generators that extract excess power from the exhaust.Type: GrantFiled: November 26, 2018Date of Patent: June 1, 2021Assignee: AeroVironment, Inc.Inventors: Alexander Nelson Brooks, James Gallagher Daley
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Publication number: 20200173345Abstract: A hydrogen fueled powerplant including an internal combustion engine that drives a motor-generator, and has a two-stage turbocharger, for an aircraft. A control system controls the operation of the motor-generator to maintain the engine at a speed selected based on controlling the engine equivalence ratio. The control system controls an afterburner, an intercooler and an aftercooler to maximize powerplant efficiency. The afterburner also adds power to the turbochargers during high-altitude restarts. The turbochargers also include motor-generators that extract excess power from the exhaust.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 26, 2018Publication date: June 4, 2020Applicant: AeroVironment, Inc.Inventors: Alexander Nelson Brooks, James Gallagher Daley
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Patent number: 10138801Abstract: A hydrogen fueled powerplant including an internal combustion engine that drives a motor-generator, and has a two-stage turbocharger, for an aircraft. A control system controls the operation of the motor-generator to maintain the engine at a speed selected based on controlling the engine equivalence ratio. The control system controls an afterburner, an intercooler and an aftercooler to maximize powerplant efficiency. The afterburner also adds power to the turbochargers during high-altitude restarts. The turbochargers also include motor-generators that extract excess power from the exhaust.Type: GrantFiled: July 30, 2017Date of Patent: November 27, 2018Assignee: AeroVironment, Inc.Inventors: Alexander Nelson Brooks, James Gallagher Daley
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Publication number: 20180106186Abstract: A hydrogen fueled powerplant including an internal combustion engine that drives a motor-generator, and has a two-stage turbocharger, for an aircraft. A control system controls the operation of the motor-generator to maintain the engine at a speed selected based on controlling the engine equivalence ratio. The control system controls an afterburner, an intercooler and an aftercooler to maximize powerplant efficiency. The afterburner also adds power to the turbochargers during high-altitude restarts. The turbochargers also include motor-generators that extract excess power from the exhaust.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 30, 2017Publication date: April 19, 2018Applicant: AeroVironment, Inc.Inventors: Alexander Nelson Brooks, James Gallagher Daley
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Patent number: 9829155Abstract: A hydrogen storage tank for a hydrogen fueled aircraft. The tank has a wall made of layers of aerogel sections around a hard shell layer, sealed within a flexible outer layer, and having the air removed to form a vacuum. The periphery of each layer section abuts other sections of that layer, but only overlies the periphery of the sections of other layers at individual points. The wall is characterized by a thermal conductivity that is lower near its gravitational top than its gravitational bottom. The tank has two exit passageways, one being direct, and the other passing through a vapor shield that extends through the wall between two layers of aerogel. A control system controls the relative flow through the two passages to regulate the boil-off rate of the tank.Type: GrantFiled: June 26, 2012Date of Patent: November 28, 2017Assignee: AeroVironment, Inc.Inventors: Alexander Nelson Brooks, Bart Dean Hibbs, David Robert Thompson
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Patent number: 9719411Abstract: A hydrogen fueled powerplant including an internal combustion engine that drives a motor-generator, and has a two-stage turbocharger, for an aircraft. A control system controls the operation of the motor-generator to maintain the engine at a speed selected based on controlling the engine equivalence ratio. The control system controls an afterburner, an intercooler and an aftercooler to maximize powerplant efficiency. The afterburner also adds power to the turbochargers during high-altitude restarts. The turbochargers also include motor-generators that extract excess power from the exhaust.Type: GrantFiled: January 28, 2016Date of Patent: August 1, 2017Assignee: AeroVironment, Inc.Inventors: Alexander Nelson Brooks, James Gallagher Daley
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Patent number: 9511677Abstract: A system is described to enable charging of electric vehicles. A scheduler determines charging profiles for electric vehicles based on a time period within a day that is beneficial to an electric grid while still meeting the needs of drivers of the electric vehicles. A service provider charges the electric vehicles according to the charging profiles.Type: GrantFiled: December 1, 2011Date of Patent: December 6, 2016Assignee: Google Inc.Inventor: Alexander Nelson Brooks
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Patent number: 9479048Abstract: A method of driving an isolated converter includes opening a first bi-directional switch on an input side of a transformer, accepting current into a resonant capacitor connected across the first bi-directional switch to reduce voltage across the first bi-directional switch in response to said opening the first bi-directional switch, reversing current out of the resonant capacitor, and closing the first bi-directional switch as voltage across the first bi-directional switch is approximately zero volts.Type: GrantFiled: September 9, 2014Date of Patent: October 25, 2016Assignee: AEROVIRONMENT, INC.Inventors: Peter Erik Gabrielsson, Nader Michael Lotfy, Alexander Nelson Brooks
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Publication number: 20160153349Abstract: A hydrogen fueled powerplant including an internal combustion engine that drives a motor-generator, and has a two-stage turbocharger, for an aircraft. A control system controls the operation of the motor-generator to maintain the engine at a speed selected based on controlling the engine equivalence ratio. The control system controls an afterburner, an intercooler and an aftercooler to maximize powerplant efficiency. The afterburner also adds power to the turbochargers during high-altitude restarts. The turbochargers also include motor-generators that extract excess power from the exhaust.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 28, 2016Publication date: June 2, 2016Applicant: AeroVironment, Inc.Inventors: Alexander Nelson Brooks, James Gallagher Daley
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Patent number: 9267440Abstract: A hydrogen fueled powerplant including an internal combustion engine that drives a motor-generator, and has a two-stage turbocharger, for an aircraft. A control system controls the operation of the motor-generator to maintain the engine at a speed selected based on controlling the engine equivalence ratio. The control system controls an afterburner, an intercooler and an aftercooler to maximize powerplant efficiency. The afterburner also adds power to the turbochargers during high-altitude restarts. The turbochargers also include motor-generators that extract excess power from the exhaust.Type: GrantFiled: July 6, 2013Date of Patent: February 23, 2016Assignee: AeroVironment, Inc.Inventors: Alexander Nelson Brooks, James Gallagher Daley
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Patent number: 9234246Abstract: A decentralized load shedding device turns off a load in response to determining that an electric grid is approaching its maximum operating point. By turning off the load, demand on the electric grid is minimized thereby reducing the likelihood of blackouts. The device may be coupled to the load or may be incorporated into the load in one embodiment.Type: GrantFiled: April 11, 2012Date of Patent: January 12, 2016Assignee: Google Inc.Inventors: Benjamin Davis, Alexander Nelson Brooks
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Publication number: 20150131337Abstract: A method of driving an isolated converter includes opening a first bi-directional switch on an input side of a transformer, accepting current into a resonant capacitor connected across the first bi-directional switch to reduce voltage across the first bi-directional switch in response to said opening the first bi-directional switch, reversing current out of the resonant capacitor, and closing the first bi-directional switch as voltage across the first bi-directional switch is approximately zero volts.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 9, 2014Publication date: May 14, 2015Inventors: Peter Erik Gabrielsson, Nader Michael Lotfy, Alexander Nelson Brooks
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Patent number: 8960482Abstract: A hydrogen storage tank for a hydrogen fueled aircraft. The tank has a wall made of layers of aerogel sections around a hard shell layer, sealed within a flexible outer layer, and having the air removed to form a vacuum. The periphery of each layer section abuts other sections of that layer, but only overlies the periphery of the sections of other layers at individual points. The wall is characterized by a thermal conductivity that is lower near its gravitational top than its gravitational bottom. The tank has two exit passageways, one being direct, and the other passing through a vapor shield that extends through the wall between two layers of aerogel. A control system controls the relative flow through the two passages to regulate the boil-off rate of the tank.Type: GrantFiled: September 23, 2009Date of Patent: February 24, 2015Assignee: AeroVironment Inc.Inventors: Alexander Nelson Brooks, Bart Dean Hibbs, David Robert Thompson
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Publication number: 20150015213Abstract: In some embodiments, the present invention includes the use of one or more electric power supply system, or systems, and the electric vehicle, or vehicles, connected thereto, to provide load-based utility grid frequency regulation by varying the amount of power drawn by the vehicle or vehicles.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 28, 2013Publication date: January 15, 2015Applicant: AEROVIRONMENT, INC.Inventors: Alexander Nelson Brooks, Scott Garret Berman, Nicholas Hammervold
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Publication number: 20140130508Abstract: A hydrogen fueled powerplant including an internal combustion engine that drives a motor-generator, and has a two-stage turbocharger, for an aircraft. A control system controls the operation of the motor-generator to maintain the engine at a speed selected based on controlling the engine equivalence ratio. The control system controls an afterburner, an intercooler and an aftercooler to maximize powerplant efficiency. The afterburner also adds power to the turbochargers during high-altitude restarts. The turbochargers also include motor-generators that extract excess power from the exhaust.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 6, 2013Publication date: May 15, 2014Applicant: AeroVironment Inc.Inventors: Alexander Nelson Brooks, James Gallagher Daley
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Patent number: 8490917Abstract: A high-altitude aircraft powerplant including an engine, a two-stage turbocharger having an intercooler and an aftercooler, a cryogenic hydrogen fuel source, and a cooling system including a hydrogen heat exchanger. Aided by a ram-air cooler that cools a coolant to a near-ambient temperature, the heat exchanger is configured to heat the hydrogen using the coolant, and to cool the coolant to a temperature well below the ambient temperature during high-altitude flight. The intercooler and aftercooler use the sub-ambient temperature coolant, as does a separate sensor. The ram-air cooler includes a front portion and a rear portion. The cooling system includes three cooling loops which respectively incorporate only the front portion, only the rear portion, and both portions of the ram-air cooler.Type: GrantFiled: June 8, 2012Date of Patent: July 23, 2013Assignee: AeroVironment Inc.Inventors: Alexander Nelson Brooks, James Gallagher Daley, Bart Dean Hibbs
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Patent number: 8479718Abstract: A hydrogen fueled powerplant including an internal combustion engine that drives a motor-generator, and has a two-stage turbocharger, for an aircraft. A control system controls the operation of the motor-generator to maintain the engine at a speed selected based on controlling the engine equivalence ratio. The control system controls an afterburner, an intercooler and an aftercooler to maximize powerplant efficiency. The afterburner also adds power to the turbochargers during high-altitude restarts. The turbochargers also include motor-generators that extract excess power from the exhaust.Type: GrantFiled: May 31, 2012Date of Patent: July 9, 2013Assignee: AeroVironment Inc.Inventors: Alexander Nelson Brooks, James Gallagher Daley
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Publication number: 20130074812Abstract: A high-altitude aircraft powerplant including an engine, a two-stage turbocharger having an intercooler and an aftercooler, a cryogenic hydrogen fuel source, and a cooling system including a hydrogen heat exchanger. Aided by a ram-air cooler that cools a coolant to a near-ambient temperature, the heat exchanger is configured to heat the hydrogen using the coolant, and to cool the coolant to a temperature well below the ambient temperature during high-altitude flight. The intercooler and aftercooler use the sub-ambient temperature coolant, as does a separate sensor. The ram-air cooler includes a front portion and a rear portion. The cooling system includes three cooling loops which respectively incorporate only the front portion, only the rear portion, and both portions of the ram-air cooler.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 8, 2012Publication date: March 28, 2013Inventors: Alexander Nelson Brooks, James Gallagher Daley, Bart Dean Hibbs