Patents by Inventor Bart Dean Hibbs

Bart Dean Hibbs 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).

  • Patent number: 11942842
    Abstract: In one possible embodiment, a motor winding is provided having a high density multi-conductor wire bundle with a compacted Litz wire bundle. The compacted Litz wire bundle has a serpentine configuration with a central portion having compacted Litz wire and end turns having non-compacted Litz wire.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: AeroVironment, Inc.
    Inventors: Wally Ewald Rippel, Zaher Abdallah Daboussi, Bradford M. Hori, Scott Garret Berman, Bart Dean Hibbs
  • Patent number: 11868143
    Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods including: at least one unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV); at least one battery pack comprising at least one battery; and at least one motor of the at least one UAV, where the at least one battery is configured to transfer energy to the at least one motor; where power from the at least one motor is configured to ascend the at least one UAV to a second altitude when the at least one battery is at or near capacity, and where the second altitude is higher than the first altitude; and where power from the at least one motor is configured to descend the at least one UAV to the first altitude after the Sun has set to conserve energy stored in the at least one battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: AEROVIRONMENT, INC.
    Inventors: Derek Lisoski, Bart Dean Hibbs
  • Publication number: 20230331373
    Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods including an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV); one or more inner wing panels of the UAV; one or more outer wing panels of the UAV; at least one inboard propeller attached to at least one engine disposed on the one or more inner wing panels; at least one tip propeller attached to at least one engine disposed on the one or more outer wing panels; at least one microcontroller configured to: determine an angular position of the at least one inboard propeller; and send a signal to halt rotation of the at least one inboard propeller such that the at least one inboard propeller is held in an attitude that provides for clearance of the propeller blade to the ground upon landing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2023
    Publication date: October 19, 2023
    Inventor: Bart Dean Hibbs
  • Patent number: 11724793
    Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods including an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV); one or more inner wing panels of the UAV; one or more outer wing panels of the UAV; at least one inboard propeller attached to at least one engine disposed on the one or more inner wing panels; at least one tip propeller attached to at least one engine disposed on the one or more outer wing panels; at least one microcontroller configured to: determine an angular position of the at least one inboard propeller; and send a signal to halt rotation of the at least one inboard propeller such that the at least one inboard propeller is held in an attitude that provides for clearance of the propeller blade to the ground upon landing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: AEROVIRONMENT, INC.
    Inventor: Bart Dean Hibbs
  • Publication number: 20230170749
    Abstract: In one possible implementation, a motor is provided including a rotor and a stator. Front cooling fins are thermally coupled to a front of the stator, and rear cooling fins are thermally coupled to a rear portion of the stator. The winding is between the front and rear cooling fins.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2023
    Publication date: June 1, 2023
    Applicant: AeroVironment, Inc.
    Inventors: Zaher Abdallah DABOUSSI, Lindsay Aspinwall SHEPPARD, Bart Dean HIBBS, Wally Ewald RIPPEL
  • Patent number: 11581769
    Abstract: In one possible implementation, a motor is provided including a rotor and a stator. Front cooling fins are thermally coupled to a front of the stator, and rear cooling fins are thermally coupled to a rear portion of the stator. The winding is between the front and rear cooling fins.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: AeroVironment, Inc.
    Inventors: Zaher Abdallah Daboussi, Lindsay Aspinwall Sheppard, Bart Dean Hibbs, Wally Ewald Rippel
  • Publication number: 20230017339
    Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for: an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV); at least one sensorless motor of the UAV, the at least one sensorless motor comprising a set of windings and a rotor; at least one propeller connected to the at least one sensorless motor; a microcontroller in communication with the at least one sensorless motor, wherein the microcontroller is configured to: determine a rotation rate of the at least one propeller; determine a rotation direction of the at least one propeller; provide an output to stop the at least one propeller if at least one of: the determined rotation rate is not a desired rotation rate and the determined rotation direction is not a desired rotation direction; and provide an output to start the at least one propeller if the at least one propeller is stopped at the desired rotation rate and the desired rotation direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2020
    Publication date: January 19, 2023
    Inventor: Bart Dean Hibbs
  • Publication number: 20220321055
    Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods including at least one flight control computer (FCC) associated with at least one UAV, where the at least one FCC is configured to: determine a direction of travel of the at least one UAV relative to the Sun; adjust a UAV airspeed to a first airspeed if the determined direction of travel is towards the Sun; and adjust the UAV airspeed to a second airspeed if the determined direction of travel is away the Sun; where the first airspeed is greater than the second airspeed to maximize solar capture of a solar array covering at least a portion of the UAV.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2020
    Publication date: October 6, 2022
    Inventors: Derek Lisoski, Bart Dean Hibbs
  • Publication number: 20220212789
    Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods including: at least one unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV); at least one flight control computer (FCC) associated with each UAV, where the FCC controls movement of each UAV; at least one computing device associated with a ground control station; where the at least one FCC maintains a first flight pattern of a respective UAV of the at least one UAV above the ground control station; where the at least one computing device is configured to transmit a transition signal to the at least one FCC to transition the respective UAV of the at least one UAV from the first flight pattern to a second flight pattern in response to a wind speed exceeding a set threshold relative to a flight speed of the respective UAV of the at least one UAV.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2020
    Publication date: July 7, 2022
    Inventors: Derek Lisoski, Bart Dean Hibbs
  • Publication number: 20220215766
    Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods including at least one computing device associated with a ground control station, the at least one computing device configured to: determine a starting position for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) descent based on one or more local weather conditions; determine a flight pattern for landing the UAV based on the determined starting position for the UAV; and modify the determined flight pattern based on a change in the one or more local weather conditions and a current position of the UAV.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2020
    Publication date: July 7, 2022
    Inventors: Derek Lisoski, Bart Dean Hibbs
  • Publication number: 20220197311
    Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for a fleet of three or more unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), where each UAV of the fleet of UAVs comprise a respective flight control computer (FCC); at least one computing device at a ground control station, where each computing device is in communication with each FCC, and where each computing device is associated with at least one operator; where the fleet of UAVs above the threshold altitude are in communication with the first computing device monitored by at least one operator such that a ratio of operators to UAVs above the threshold altitude exceeds a 1:1 ratio; and where the first UAV below the threshold altitude is in communication with the second computing device monitored by at least one operator such that a ratio of operators to UAVs below the threshold altitude does not exceed the 1:1 ratio.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2020
    Publication date: June 23, 2022
    Inventors: Derek Lisoski, Bart Dean Hibbs
  • Publication number: 20220177113
    Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods including an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV); one or more inner wing panels of the UAV; one or more outer wing panels of the UAV; at least one inboard propeller attached to at least one engine disposed on the one or more inner wing panels; at least one tip propeller attached to at least one engine disposed on the one or more outer wing panels; at least one microcontroller configured to: determine an angular position of the at least one inboard propeller; and send a signal to halt rotation of the at least one inboard propeller such that the at least one inboard propeller is held in an attitude that provides for clearance of the propeller blade to the ground upon landing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2022
    Publication date: June 9, 2022
    Inventor: Bart Dean Hibbs
  • Publication number: 20220121223
    Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods including: at least one unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV); at least one battery pack comprising at least one battery; and at least one motor of the at least one UAV, where the at least one battery is configured to transfer energy to the at least one motor; where power from the at least one motor is configured to ascend the at least one UAV to a second altitude when the at least one battery is at or near capacity, and where the second altitude is higher than the first altitude; and where power from the at least one motor is configured to descend the at least one UAV to the first altitude after the Sun has set to conserve energy stored in the at least one battery.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2020
    Publication date: April 21, 2022
    Inventors: Derek Lisoski, Bart Dean Hibbs
  • Patent number: 11292583
    Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods including an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV); one or more inner wing panels of the UAV; one or more outer wing panels of the UAV; at least one inboard propeller attached to at least one engine disposed on the one or more inner wing panels; at least one tip propeller attached to at least one engine disposed on the one or more outer wing panels; at least one microcontroller configured to: determine an angular position of the at least one inboard propeller; and send a signal to halt rotation of the at least one inboard propeller such that the at least one inboard propeller is held in an attitude that provides for clearance of the propeller blade to the ground upon landing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: AEROVIRONMENT, INC.
    Inventor: Bart Dean Hibbs
  • Publication number: 20220073186
    Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods including an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV); one or more inner wing panels of the UAV; one or more outer wing panels of the UAV; at least one inboard propeller attached to at least one engine disposed on the one or more inner wing panels; at least one tip propeller attached to at least one engine disposed on the one or more outer wing panels; at least one microcontroller configured to: determine an angular position of the at least one inboard propeller; and send a signal to halt rotation of the at least one inboard propeller such that the at least one inboard propeller is held in an attitude that provides for clearance of the propeller blade to the ground upon landing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2020
    Publication date: March 10, 2022
    Inventor: Bart Dean Hibbs
  • Publication number: 20220069653
    Abstract: In one possible embodiment, a motor winding is provided having a high density multi-conductor wire bundle with a compacted Litz wire bundle. The compacted Litz wire bundle has a serpentine configuration with a central portion having compacted Litz wire and end turns having non-compacted Litz wire.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 8, 2021
    Publication date: March 3, 2022
    Applicant: AeroVironment, Inc.
    Inventors: Wally Ewald Rippel, Zaher Abdallah Daboussi, Bradford M. Hori, Scott Garret Berman, Bart Dean Hibbs
  • Patent number: 11171528
    Abstract: In one possible embodiment, a motor winding is provided having a high density multi-conductor wire bundle with a compacted Litz wire bundle. The compacted Litz wire bundle has a serpentine configuration with a central portion having compacted Litz wire and end turns having non-compacted Litz wire.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: AeroVironment, Inc.
    Inventors: Wally Ewald Rippel, Zaher Abdallah Daboussi, Bradford M. Hori, Scott Garret Berman, Bart Dean Hibbs
  • Patent number: 10919623
    Abstract: Heavier-than-air, aircraft having flapping wings, e.g., ornithopters, where angular orientation control is effected by variable differential sweep angles of deflection of the flappable wings in the course of sweep angles of travel and/or the control of variable wing membrane tension.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: AEROVIRONMENT, INC.
    Inventors: Matthew Todd Keennon, Karl Robert Klingebiel, Alexander Andryukov, Bart Dean Hibbs, John Peter Zwaan
  • Patent number: 10873229
    Abstract: In one possible embodiment, an aircraft electric motor cooling system is provided having an airflow path through a spinner which includes a first airflow path between an inner rotor and a stator, a second airflow path between an outer rotor the stator and a third airflow path along an outer surface of the outer rotor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2020
    Assignee: AeroVironment, Inc.
    Inventors: Lindsay Aspinwall Sheppard, Bart Dean Hibbs
  • Publication number: 20200395797
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a magnet array and ironless winding for a motor is provided which has an array of permanent magnets being arranged such that flux from the permanent magnets reinforce on one side of the array and substantially cancel on an opposite side of the array, the array further includes flux concentrators forming poles on the reinforcing side of the array, and such that a magnetic moment at the poles is oriented generally perpendicular to the reinforcing side of the array, the winding being adjacent to the array and comprising conductor bundles having a generally rectangular cross-section arranged such that a long side of the generally rectangular cross-section is transverse to a direction of magnetic field lines at the poles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2020
    Publication date: December 17, 2020
    Applicant: AEROVIRONMENT, INC.
    Inventors: Bart Dean HIBBS, Bang Xuan PHAN