Patents by Inventor Bryan Christopher GilroySmith

Bryan Christopher GilroySmith 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).

  • Publication number: 20230278876
    Abstract: Techniques for providing carbon dioxide include generating thermal energy, an exhaust fluid, and electrical power from a power plant; providing the exhaust fluid and the generated electrical power to an exhaust fluid scrubbing system to separate components of the exhaust fluid; capturing heat from a source of heat of an industrial process in a heating fluid; transferring the heat of the industrial process captured in the heating fluid to a carbon dioxide source material of a direct air capture (DAC) system; providing the generated electrical power from the power plant to the DAC system; providing the thermal energy from the power plant to the DAC system; and separating, with the transferred portion of the heat of the industrial process and the provided thermal energy, carbon dioxide from the carbon dioxide source material of the DAC system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 12, 2023
    Publication date: September 7, 2023
    Inventors: Bryan Christopher GilroySmith, Jacques Gagne, Robert Nelson, Christopher Gregory Malone
  • Patent number: 11685658
    Abstract: Techniques for providing carbon dioxide include generating thermal energy, an exhaust fluid, and electrical power from a power plant; providing the exhaust fluid and the generated electrical power to an exhaust fluid scrubbing system to separate components of the exhaust fluid; capturing heat from a source of heat of an industrial process in a heating fluid; transferring the heat of the industrial process captured in the heating fluid to a carbon dioxide source material of a direct air capture (DAC) system; providing the generated electrical power from the power plant to the DAC system; providing the thermal energy from the power plant to the DAC system; and separating, with the transferred portion of the heat of the industrial process and the provided thermal energy, carbon dioxide from the carbon dioxide source material of the DAC system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: X Development LLC
    Inventors: Bryan Christopher GilroySmith, Jacques Gagne, Robert Nelson, Christopher Gregory Malone
  • Publication number: 20210300765
    Abstract: Techniques for providing carbon dioxide include generating thermal energy, an exhaust fluid, and electrical power from a power plant; providing the exhaust fluid and the generated electrical power to an exhaust fluid scrubbing system to separate components of the exhaust fluid; capturing heat from a source of heat of an industrial process in a heating fluid; transferring the heat of the industrial process captured in the heating fluid to a carbon dioxide source material of a direct air capture (DAC) system; providing the generated electrical power from the power plant to the DAC system; providing the thermal energy from the power plant to the DAC system; and separating, with the transferred portion of the heat of the industrial process and the provided thermal energy, carbon dioxide from the carbon dioxide source material of the DAC system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2021
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Inventors: Bryan Christopher GilroySmith, Jacques Gagne, Robert Nelson, Christopher Gregory Malone
  • Patent number: 10533537
    Abstract: An Airborne Wind Turbine (“AWT”) may be used to facilitate conversion of kinetic energy to electrical energy. An AWT may include an aerial vehicle that flies in a path to convert kinetic wind energy to electrical energy. The aerial vehicle may be tethered to a ground station with a tether that terminates at a tether termination mount. In one aspect, the tether has a core and at least one electrical conductor. The tether core may be terminated at a first location in a tether termination mount along an axis of the termination mount, and the at least one electrical conductor may be terminated at a second location in the tether termination mount along the same axis that the core is terminated. This termination configuration may focus tensile stress on the tether to the tether core, and minimize such stress on the at least one electrical conductor during aerial vehicle flight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2020
    Assignee: Makani Technologies LLC
    Inventors: Bryan Christopher GilroySmith, Brian Hachtmann, Elias Wolfgang Patten
  • Publication number: 20180127113
    Abstract: A system may include a tether, a slip ring, a tether gimbal assembly, a drive mechanism, a control system. The tether may include a distal tether end coupled to an aerial vehicle, a proximate tether end, and at least one insulated electrical conductor coupled to the aerial vehicle. The slip ring may include a fixed portion and a rotatable portion, where the rotatable portion is coupled to the tether. The tether gimbal assembly may be rotatable about at least one axis and is coupled to the fixed portion of the slip ring. The drive mechanism may be coupled to the slip ring and configured to rotate the rotatable portion of the slip ring. And the control system may be configured to operate the drive mechanism to control twist in the tether.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 7, 2018
    Publication date: May 10, 2018
    Inventors: Elias Wolfgang Patten, Damon Vander Lind, Bryan Christopher GilroySmith, Brian Hachtmann
  • Patent number: 9884692
    Abstract: A system may include a tether, a slip ring, a tether gimbal assembly, a drive mechanism, a control system. The tether may include a distal tether end coupled to an aerial vehicle, a proximate tether end, and at least one insulated electrical conductor coupled to the aerial vehicle. The slip ring may include a fixed portion and a rotatable portion, where the rotatable portion is coupled to the tether. The tether gimbal assembly may be rotatable about at least one axis and is coupled to the fixed portion of the slip ring. The drive mechanism may be coupled to the slip ring and configured to rotate the rotatable portion of the slip ring. And the control system may be configured to operate the drive mechanism to control twist in the tether.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: X DEVELOPMENT LLC
    Inventors: Elias Wolfgang Patten, Damon Vander Lind, Bryan Christopher GilroySmith, Brian Hachtmann
  • Publication number: 20180030960
    Abstract: An Airborne Wind Turbine (“AWT”) may be used to facilitate conversion of kinetic energy to electrical energy. An AWT may include an aerial vehicle that flies in a path to convert kinetic wind energy to electrical energy. The aerial vehicle may be tethered to a ground station with a tether that terminates at a tether termination mount. In one aspect, the tether has a core and at least one electrical conductor. The tether core may be terminated at a first location in a tether termination mount along an axis of the termination mount, and the at least one electrical conductor may be terminated at a second location in the tether termination mount along the same axis that the core is terminated. This termination configuration may focus tensile stress on the tether to the tether core, and minimize such stress on the at least one electrical conductor during aerial vehicle flight.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2017
    Publication date: February 1, 2018
    Inventors: Bryan Christopher GilroySmith, Brian Hachtmann, Elias Wolfgang Patten
  • Patent number: 9771925
    Abstract: An Airborne Wind Turbine (“AWT”) may be used to facilitate conversion of kinetic energy to electrical energy. An AWT may include an aerial vehicle that flies in a path to convert kinetic wind energy to electrical energy. The aerial vehicle may be tethered to a ground station with a tether that terminates at a tether termination mount. In one aspect, the tether has a core and at least one electrical conductor. The tether core may be terminated at a first location in a tether termination mount along an axis of the termination mount, and the at least one electrical conductor may be terminated at a second location in the tether termination mount along the same axis that the core is terminated. This termination configuration may focus tensile stress on the tether to the tether core, and minimize such stress on the at least one electrical conductor during aerial vehicle flight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: X Development LLC
    Inventors: Bryan Christopher GilroySmith, Elias Wolfgang Patten, Brian Hachtmann
  • Patent number: 9650157
    Abstract: A system may include a tether, a tether gimbal assembly, a drive mechanism, and a control system. The tether may include a distal end, a proximate end, and at least one conductor. The tether gimbal assembly may be connected to the tether. The drive mechanism may be coupled to the tether gimbal assembly and may include a housing, a spindle, and a motor. The housing may be fixed to the tether gimbal assembly. The spindle may be rotatably coupled to the housing, and the tether may be coupled to the spindle and rotate in conjunction with the spindle. The motor may be coupled to the spindle and configured to rotate the spindle and the tether. And the control system may be configured to operate the drive mechanism to control twist in the tether.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: X Development LLC
    Inventors: Bryan Christopher GilroySmith, Brian Hachtmann, Elias Wolfgang Patten, Damon Vander Lind
  • Publication number: 20160102654
    Abstract: An Airborne Wind Turbine (“AWT”) may be used to facilitate conversion of kinetic energy to electrical energy. An AWT may include an aerial vehicle that flies in a path to convert kinetic wind energy to electrical energy. The aerial vehicle may be tethered to a ground station with a tether that terminates at a tether termination mount. In one aspect, the tether has a core and at least one electrical conductor. The tether core may be terminated at a first location in a tether termination mount along an axis of the termination mount, and the at least one electrical conductor may be terminated at a second location in the tether termination mount along the same axis that the core is terminated. This termination configuration may focus tensile stress on the tether to the tether core, and minimize such stress on the at least one electrical conductor during aerial vehicle flight.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 13, 2014
    Publication date: April 14, 2016
    Inventors: Bryan Christopher GilroySmith, Elias Wolfgang Patten, Brian Hachtmann
  • Publication number: 20150375874
    Abstract: A system may include a tether, a slip ring, a tether gimbal assembly, a drive mechanism, a control system. The tether may include a distal tether end coupled to an aerial vehicle, a proximate tether end, and at least one insulated electrical conductor coupled to the aerial vehicle. The slip ring may include a fixed portion and a rotatable portion, where the rotatable portion is coupled to the tether. The tether gimbal assembly may be rotatable about at least one axis and is coupled to the fixed portion of the slip ring. The drive mechanism may be coupled to the slip ring and configured to rotate the rotatable portion of the slip ring. And the control system may be configured to operate the drive mechanism to control twist in the tether.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 30, 2014
    Publication date: December 31, 2015
    Inventors: Elias Wolfgang Patten, Damon Vander Lind, Bryan Christopher GilroySmith, Brian Hachtmann
  • Publication number: 20150375873
    Abstract: A system may include a tether, a tether gimbal assembly, a drive mechanism, and a control system. The tether may include a distal end, a proximate end, and at least one conductor. The tether gimbal assembly may be connected to the tether. The drive mechanism may be coupled to the tether gimbal assembly and may include a housing, a spindle, and a motor. The housing may be fixed to the tether gimbal assembly. The spindle may be rotatably coupled to the housing, and the tether may be coupled to the spindle and rotate in conjunction with the spindle. The motor may be coupled to the spindle and configured to rotate the spindle and the tether. And the control system may be configured to operate the drive mechanism to control twist in the tether.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 30, 2014
    Publication date: December 31, 2015
    Inventors: Bryan Christopher GilroySmith, Brian Hachtmann, Elias Wolfgang Patten, Damon Vander Lind