Patents by Inventor Benjamin Jorns

Benjamin Jorns 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).

  • Targeted-current-density hall thruster
    Patent number: 12601330
    Abstract: A thruster includes a current loop, a magnetic circuit within the current loop, a channel, a propellant reservoir and an ejection outlet. The channel forms an ejection path from an output of the propellant reservoir to the ejection outlet. The current loop is driven by a tuned current density based on at least a selected propellant. The selected propellant is ejected down the channel due to an applied electric field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2024
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2026
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of Michigan
    Inventors: Benjamin Jorns, Eric Viges, Madison Allen, Thomas Marks, Christopher Sercel, William Hurley, Parker Roberts, Leanne Su, Tate Gill
  • ELECTROSPRAY THRUSTER SELF-PRESERVATION
    Publication number: 20250376976
    Abstract: An electrospray thruster includes an emitter including an array of tips, each tip of the array of tips being configured to emit ionic liquid, and an extractor electrode spaced from the emitter and comprising a conductive film, the conductive film having a plurality of apertures, the plurality of apertures being aligned with the array of tips of the emitter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 19, 2023
    Publication date: December 11, 2025
    Inventors: Benjamin Jorns, Collin B. Whittaker, Henry Sodano
  • BACKSPUTTER MITIGATION IN ELECTRIC PROPULSION TESTING
    Publication number: 20250224308
    Abstract: A system for mitigating backsputter to a thruster in a propulsion test facility includes a plate disposed in an output plume of the thruster and a magnetic field generator disposed about or at the plate and configured to generate a magnetic field between the thruster and the plate. The magnetic field generator is oriented such that a magnetic field is generated transverse to the output plume.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 8, 2025
    Publication date: July 10, 2025
    Inventors: Seth Thompson, John Williams, Christopher May, William Hurley, Collin Whittaker, Benjamin Jorns