Patents by Inventor Darrell Morrison

Darrell Morrison 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: 10270311
    Abstract: A superconducting electrical machine includes a rotor and a stator. The stator defines a cavity. The rotor is configured to rotate about a longitudinal axis. The rotor is disposed at least partially within the cavity. The rotor includes a shaft configured to rotate with the rotor, a rotor active section including at least a rotor torque tube and a superconductor, and a first re-entrant end attaching the shaft to the rotor active section. At most a threshold fraction of a bending force applied to the shaft is communicated to the rotor active section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: KATO ENGINEERING INC.
    Inventor: Darrell Morrison
  • Patent number: 10079534
    Abstract: A superconducting electrical machine includes a rotor and a stator. The rotor includes rotor windings configured to superconduct when cooled in a rotor cryostat to a temperature no greater than a rotor superconducting temperature. The stator includes a stator windings configured to superconduct when cooled in a stator cryostat to a temperature no greater than a stator superconducting temperature. The rotor cryostat surrounds the rotor and is configured to allow transport of a first coolant through a plurality of conduits adjacent to the rotor windings in order to draw heat from the rotor windings and reduce the temperature of the rotor windings to a temperature no greater than the rotor superconducting temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignee: KATO ENGINEERING INC.
    Inventors: Darrell Morrison, Ted Daly
  • Patent number: 10077955
    Abstract: A superconducting electrical machine includes at least one re-entrant end including at least two segments. The at least two segments are continuous. At least one re-entrant end may be included in a stator of the superconducting electrical machine, the stator being disposed substantially coannular with a longitudinal axis. At least one re-entrant end may also be included in a rotor of the superconducting electrical machine, the rotor being configured to rotate about a longitudinal axis. A first segment is substantially perpendicular to a plane parallel to the longitudinal axis, and a second segment is coannular with the longitudinal axis. Heat distal from rotor windings and/or stator windings encounters a thermal resistance provided by the at least two segments as the heat travels towards the rotor windings and/or stator windings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignee: KATO ENGINEERING INC.
    Inventor: Darrell Morrison
  • Publication number: 20160276896
    Abstract: A superconducting electrical machine includes a rotor and a stator. The stator defines a cavity. The rotor is configured to rotate about a longitudinal axis. The rotor is disposed at least partially within the cavity. The rotor includes a shaft configured to rotate with the rotor, a rotor active section including at least a rotor torque tube and a superconductor, and a first re-entrant end attaching the shaft to the rotor active section. At most a threshold fraction of a bending force applied to the shaft is communicated to the rotor active section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2015
    Publication date: September 22, 2016
    Inventor: Darrell Morrison
  • Publication number: 20160276906
    Abstract: A superconducting electrical machine includes a rotor and a stator. The rotor includes rotor windings configured to superconduct when cooled in a rotor cryostat to a temperature no greater than a rotor superconducting temperature. The stator includes a stator windings configured to superconduct when cooled in a stator cryostat to a temperature no greater than a stator superconducting temperature. The rotor cryostat surrounds the rotor and is configured to allow transport of a first coolant through a plurality of conduits adjacent to the rotor windings in order to draw heat from the rotor windings and reduce the temperature of the rotor windings to a temperature no greater than the rotor superconducting temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2015
    Publication date: September 22, 2016
    Inventors: Darrell Morrison, Ted Daly
  • Publication number: 20160276918
    Abstract: A superconducting electrical machine includes at least one re-entrant end including at least two segments. The at least two segments are continuous. At least one re-entrant end may be included in a stator of the superconducting electrical machine, the stator being disposed substantially coannular with a longitudinal axis. At least one re-entrant end may also be included in a rotor of the superconducting electrical machine, the rotor being configured to rotate about a longitudinal axis. A first segment is substantially perpendicular to a plane parallel to the longitudinal axis, and a second segment is coannular with the longitudinal axis. Heat distal from rotor windings and/or stator windings encounters a thermal resistance provided by the at least two segments as the heat travels towards the rotor windings and/or stator windings.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2015
    Publication date: September 22, 2016
    Inventor: Darrell Morrison
  • Publication number: 20160204667
    Abstract: A superconducting electrical machine includes a stator and a rotor configured to rotate in a cavity defined by the stator. The rotor and the stator each include superconducting windings. The rotor and the stator also each include a composite configured to compensate for a volume change of various components of the rotor and stator during a change in temperature from a first temperature to a second temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 9, 2015
    Publication date: July 14, 2016
    Inventors: Darrell Morrison, Keith T. Dennehy
  • Patent number: 7786645
    Abstract: A stator for an electrical machine includes a back iron including a substantially cylindrical annular structure having an inner surface and an axis. A plurality of supports are fabricated of non-magnetic material, each support extending parallel to the axis of the annular structure along the inner surface of the annular structure, each support including a primary base and at least two primary support members. The primary bases substantially conform to the inner surface of the back iron with the primary support members extending radially inward from the primary base towards the axis of the annular structure. A stator winding is positioned between the at least two primary support members and between the primary base of the support and the axis of the annular structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2010
    Assignee: American Superconductor Corporation
    Inventors: Bruce B. Gamble, Gregory L. Snitchler, Darrell Morrison
  • Publication number: 20080061637
    Abstract: A stator for an electrical machine includes a back iron including a substantially cylindrical annular structure having an inner surface and an axis. A plurality of supports are fabricated of non-magnetic material, each support extending parallel to the axis of the annular structure along the inner surface of the annular structure, each support including a primary base and at least two primary support members. The primary bases substantially conform to the inner surface of the back iron with the primary support members extending radially inward from the primary base towards the axis of the annular structure. A stator winding is positioned between the at least two primary support members and between the primary base of the support and the axis of the annular structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 7, 2006
    Publication date: March 13, 2008
    Inventors: Bruce B. Gamble, Gregory L. Snitchler, Darrell Morrison
  • Patent number: 5932948
    Abstract: A V-block assembly for an electrical machine having a rotor with a spider and poles disposed in a circular array around the spider and conductive windings encircling the poles comprising a dovetail groove in the spider between adjacent poles and a plurality of V-blocks each comprising a pair of flat bars having one end abutting, the abutting end being formed to fit the dovetail, the flat bars being bent outwardly to form a V and a jack screw fastened between the flat bars adjacent the open end to press the bars against the windings of adjacent poles to prevent the windings from moving laterally and radially outward as the rotor rotates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 3, 1999
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Darrell Morrison, Craig Peterson