Patents by Inventor Christopher Burton Churchill
Christopher Burton Churchill 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: 9003789Abstract: An energy harvesting system for converting thermal energy to mechanical energy includes a heat engine that operates using a shape memory alloy active material. The shape memory alloy member may be in thermal communication with a hot region at a first temperature and a cold region at a second temperature lower than the first temperature. The shape memory alloy material may be configured to selectively change crystallographic phase between martensite to austenite and thereby one of contract and expand in response to the first and second temperatures. A thermal conduction element may be in direct contact with the SMA material, where the thermal conduction element is configured to receive thermal energy from the hot region and to transfer a portion of the received thermal energy to the SMA material through conduction.Type: GrantFiled: December 30, 2011Date of Patent: April 14, 2015Assignees: GM Global Technology Operations LLC, Dynalloy, Inc., The Regents of the University of MichiganInventors: Alan L. Browne, Nancy L. Johnson, Paul W. Alexander, John Andrew Shaw, Christopher Burton Churchill, Andrew C. Keefe, Geoffrey P. McKnight, Guillermo A. Herrera, Nilesh D. Mankame, Richard J. Skurkis, Wayne Brown
-
Patent number: 8844281Abstract: A heat engine includes a first rotatable pulley and a second rotatable pulley spaced from the first rotatable pulley. A shape memory alloy (SMA) element is disposed about respective portions of the pulleys at an SMA pulley ratio. The SMA element includes a first wire, a second wire, and a matrix joining the first wire and the second wire. The first wire and the second wire are in contact with the pulleys, but the matrix is not in contact with the pulleys. A timing cable is disposed about respective portions of the pulleys at a timing pulley ratio, which is different than the SMA pulley ratio. The SMA element converts a thermal energy gradient between the hot region and the cold region into mechanical energy.Type: GrantFiled: December 30, 2011Date of Patent: September 30, 2014Assignees: GM Global Technology Operations LLC, Dynalloy, Inc, The Regents of the University of MichiganInventors: Alan L. Browne, Nancy L. Johnson, John Andrew Shaw, Christopher Burton Churchill, Andrew C. Keefe, Geoffrey P. McKnight, Paul W. Alexander, Guillermo A. Herrera, James Ryan Yates, Jeffrey W. Brown
-
Patent number: 8800283Abstract: A shape memory alloy (SMA) heat engine includes a first rotatable pulley, a second rotatable pulley, and an SMA material disposed about the first and second rotatable pulleys and between a hot region and a cold region. A method of starting and operating the SMA heat engine includes detecting a thermal energy gradient between the hot region and the cold region using a controller, decoupling an electrical generator from one of the first and second rotatable pulleys, monitoring a speed of the SMA material about the first and second rotatable pulleys, and re-engaging the driven component if the monitored speed of the SMA material exceeds a threshold. The SMA material may selectively change crystallographic phase between martensite and austenite and between the hot region and the cold region to convert the thermal gradient into mechanical energy.Type: GrantFiled: December 30, 2011Date of Patent: August 12, 2014Assignees: GM Global Technology Operations LLC, Dynalloy Inc., The Regents of the University of MichiganInventors: Alan L. Browne, Nancy L. Johnson, Nilesh D. Mankame, Paul W. Alexander, John Andrew Shaw, Christopher Burton Churchill, Andrew C. Keefe, Guillermo A. Herrera, Jeffrey W Brown, Richard J. Skurkis
-
Patent number: 8388773Abstract: An apparatus for and method of conditioning a thermally activated shape memory alloy wire for use in an application, wherein the apparatus includes an adjustable hard-stop and the preferred method includes pre-determining a minimum activating current, allowable strain, and a loading magnitude and form based on the wire configuration and application, and further includes applying a double-exponential model to determine a final recoverable strain over fewer cycles.Type: GrantFiled: March 9, 2009Date of Patent: March 5, 2013Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLCInventors: Jonathan E. Luntz, John Andrew Shaw, Diann Brei, Christopher Burton Churchill, Anupam Pathak, Nilesh D. Mankame, Alan L. Browne, Nancy L. Johnson, Paul W. Alexander, Xiujie Gao, Pablo D. Zavattieri
-
Publication number: 20120216525Abstract: A shape memory alloy (SMA) heat engine includes a first rotatable pulley, a second rotatable pulley, and an SMA material disposed about the first and second rotatable pulleys and between a hot region and a cold region. A method of starting and operating the SMA heat engine includes detecting a thermal energy gradient between the hot region and the cold region using a controller, decoupling an electrical generator from one of the first and second rotatable pulleys, monitoring a speed of the SMA material about the first and second rotatable pulleys, and re-engaging the driven component if the monitored speed of the SMA material exceeds a threshold. The SMA material may selectively change crystallographic phase between martensite and austenite and between the hot region and the cold region to convert the thermal gradient into mechanical energy.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 30, 2011Publication date: August 30, 2012Inventors: Alan L. Browne, Nancy L. Johnson, Nilesh D. Mankame, Paul W. Alexander, John Andrew Shaw, Christopher Burton Churchill, Andrew C. Keefe, Guillermo A. Herrera, Jeffrey W. Brown, Richard J. Skurkis
-
Publication number: 20120216526Abstract: An energy harvesting system in thermal communication with a hot region and a cold region includes a hot end heat engine in thermal communication with the hot region, a cold end heat engine in thermal communication with the cold region, and an intermediate heat engine disposed between the hot end heat engine and the cold end heat engine. The hot end heat engine includes a hot end shape memory alloy (SMA) element, the cold end heat engine includes a cold end SMA element disposed, and the intermediate heat engine includes an intermediate SMA element. A hot side of the intermediate SMA element is in thermal communication with a cold side of the hot end SMA element. A cold side of the intermediate SMA element is in thermal communication with a hot side of the cold end SMA element.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 30, 2011Publication date: August 30, 2012Inventors: Alan L. Browne, Nancy L. Johnson, John Andrew Shaw, Christopher Burton Churchill, Andrew C. Keefe, Geoffrey P. Mc Knight, Paul W. Alexander, Peter Maxwell Sarosi, Nilesh D. Mankame, Wayne Brown, Guillermo A. Herrera, Richard J. Skurkis
-
Publication number: 20120216522Abstract: An energy harvesting system for converting thermal energy to mechanical energy includes a heat engine that operates using a shape memory alloy active material. The shape memory alloy member may be in thermal communication with a hot region at a first temperature and a cold region at a second temperature lower than the first temperature. The shape memory alloy material may be configured to selectively change crystallographic phase between martensite to austenite and thereby one of contract and expand in response to the first and second temperatures. A thermal conduction element may be in direct contact with the SMA material, where the thermal conduction element is configured to receive thermal energy from the hot region and to transfer a portion of the received thermal energy to the SMA material through conduction.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 30, 2011Publication date: August 30, 2012Applicants: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC, The Regents of the University of Michigan, DYNALLOY, INC.Inventors: Alan L. Browne, Nancy L. Johnson, Paul W. Alexander, John Andrew Shaw, Christopher Burton Churchill, Andrew C. Keefe, Geoffrey P. McKnight, Guillermo A. Herrera, Nilesh D. Mankame, Richard J. Skurkis, Wayne Brown
-
Publication number: 20120216523Abstract: An energy harvesting system for converting thermal energy to mechanical energy includes a heat engine that operates using a shape memory alloy active material. The shape memory alloy member may be in thermal communication with a hot region at a first temperature and a cold region at a second temperature lower than the first temperature. The shape memory alloy material may be configured to selectively change crystallographic phase between martensite to austenite and thereby one of contract and expand in response to the first and second temperatures. A driven component, such as an electric generator, may be selectively coupled with the heat engine through a coupling device, which may be controlled via a controller.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 30, 2011Publication date: August 30, 2012Inventors: Alan L. Browne, Nancy L. Johnson, Nilesh D. Mankame, Paul W. Alexander, John Andrew Shaw, Christopher Burton Churchill, Andrew C. Keefe, Geoffrey P. Mc Knight, Guillermo A. Herrera, Jeffrey W. Brown, Peter Maxwell Sarosi, Richard J. Skurkis
-
Publication number: 20090223604Abstract: An apparatus for and method of conditioning a thermally activated shape memory alloy wire for use in an application, wherein the apparatus includes an adjustable hard-stop and the preferred method includes pre-determining a minimum activating current, allowable strain, and a loading magnitude and form based on the wire configuration and application, and further includes applying a double-exponential model to determine a final recoverable strain over fewer cycles.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 9, 2009Publication date: September 10, 2009Applicants: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS, INC, THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGANInventors: Jonathan E. Luntz, John Andrew Shaw, Diann Brei, Christopher Burton Churchill, Anupam Pathak, Nilesh D. Mankame, Alan L. Browne, Nancy L. Johnson, Paul W. Alexander, Xiujie Gao, Pablo D. Zavattieri