Patents by Inventor Douglas Thornton

Douglas Thornton 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: 11711386
    Abstract: An electronic device is disclosed, which is connectable with a CAN bus or other broadcast network. The electronic device programmed to compute expected periods and period variability metrics for historical accumulations of messages for different message headers and to identify periodic message headers based on the period variability metrics, and is further programmed to detect a temporal anomaly as a deviation of a period of a most recent set of two or more messages with a periodic message header from the expected period for the periodic message header, and to generate an alert indicating the detected temporal anomaly. The electronic device may be further programmed to maintain a state machine for a vehicle (or other platform) including the CAN bus and perform state-aware anomaly detection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2023
    Assignee: BATTELLE MEMORIAL INSTITUTE
    Inventors: Aaron McCanty, Jason Goodman, Douglas Thornton
  • Publication number: 20210029147
    Abstract: An electronic device is disclosed, which is connectable with a CAN bus or other broadcast network. The electronic device programmed to compute expected periods and period variability metrics for historical accumulations of messages for different message headers and to identify periodic message headers based on the period variability metrics, and is further programmed to detect a temporal anomaly as a deviation of a period of a most recent set of two or more messages with a periodic message header from the expected period for the periodic message header, and to generate an alert indicating the detected temporal anomaly. The electronic device may be further programmed to maintain a state machine for a vehicle (or other platform) including the CAN bus and perform state-aware anomaly detection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 22, 2020
    Publication date: January 28, 2021
    Inventors: Aaron McCanty, Jason Goodman, Douglas Thornton
  • Patent number: 10302312
    Abstract: A water heater that includes a cylindrical storage tank, at least one heating element, and at least one temperature sensor is modeled using a one-dimensional model that includes: a vertical stack of disks representing the water volume in the cylindrical storage tank, and a stack of annular segments surrounding the vertical stack of disks. The stack of annular segments represents the cylindrical wall of the cylindrical storage tank. The one-dimensional model may be used by a condition-based maintenance system comprising an electronic data processing device configured to detect a failure mode present in the water heater based on an output of the water heating model component. Some illustrative failure modes include insulation disturbance, heating element failure, excessive sediment buildup, or a drip tube rupture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2019
    Assignee: Battelle Memorial Institute
    Inventors: Douglas Thornton, Bradley C. Glenn, James H. Saunders, Jason W. Black, Eric Rehberg
  • Patent number: 9997915
    Abstract: Dispatch engines service endpoints by transmitting dispatch signals to the serviced endpoints that cause the endpoints to adjust their electric power consumption from the electric power grid in accord with a control signal received by the dispatch engine. A market interface dispatch engine receives its control signal from an electric power grid managing entity, and downstream dispatch engines form a hierarchy cascading downstream from the market interface dispatch engine with each downstream dispatch engine being an endpoint serviced by a dispatch engine located upstream in the hierarchy. The control signal received by each downstream dispatch engine comprises dispatch signals transmitted by the upstream dispatch engine. The endpoints further include electric power-consuming loads. A suitable load controller comprises separate power interface and logic elements operatively connected to define the load controller, with the logic element powered by low voltage DC power received from the power interface element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Assignee: BATTELLE MEMORIAL INSTITUTE
    Inventors: Douglas Thornton, Eric Rehberg, Lauren Adams
  • Patent number: 9989266
    Abstract: An electric water heater that includes a thermostat is retrofitted for remote control as follows. A relay is installed on an electrical feed to the electric water heater. Water temperature and electric current or power through the electrical feed are measured over time with the relay closed, and the thermostat deadband maximum and minimum are detected as the water temperature at which the thermostat turns the heating element off, and the water temperature at which the thermostat turns the heating element on, respectively. The detected thermostat deadband maximum and minimum are stored as load controller deadband maximum and minimum, respectively. The thermostat set point is raised, and the electric water heater is thereafter controlled using the load controller by operations including closing the relay when the water temperature falls below the load controller deadband minimum and opening the relay when the water temperature rises above the load controller deadband maximum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: Battelle Memorial Institute
    Inventors: Douglas Thornton, Jason W. Black, Lauren Adams
  • Publication number: 20170104331
    Abstract: Dispatch engines service endpoints by transmitting dispatch signals to the serviced endpoints that cause the endpoints to adjust their electric power consumption from the electric power grid in accord with a control signal received by the dispatch engine. A market interface dispatch engine receives its control signal from an electric power grid managing entity, and downstream dispatch engines form a hierarchy cascading downstream from the market interface dispatch engine with each downstream dispatch engine being an endpoint serviced by a dispatch engine located upstream in the hierarchy. The control signal received by each downstream dispatch engine comprises dispatch signals transmitted by the upstream dispatch engine. The endpoints further include electric power-consuming loads. A suitable load controller comprises separate power interface and logic elements operatively connected to define the load controller, with the logic element powered by low voltage DC power received from the power interface element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2016
    Publication date: April 13, 2017
    Inventors: Douglas Thornton, Eric Rehberg, Lauren Adams
  • Patent number: 9537313
    Abstract: Dispatch engines service endpoints by transmitting dispatch signals to the serviced endpoints that cause the endpoints to adjust their electric power consumption from the electric power grid in accord with a control signal received by the dispatch engine. A market interface dispatch engine receives its control signal from an electric power grid managing entity, and downstream dispatch engines form a hierarchy cascading downstream from the market interface dispatch engine with each downstream dispatch engine being an endpoint serviced by a dispatch engine located upstream in the hierarchy. The control signal received by each downstream dispatch engine comprises dispatch signals transmitted by the upstream dispatch engine. The endpoints further include electric power-consuming loads. A suitable load controller comprises separate power interface and logic elements operatively connected to define the load controller, with the logic element powered by low voltage DC power received from the power interface element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: BATTELLE MEMORIAL INSTITUTE
    Inventors: Douglas Thornton, Eric Rehberg, Lauren Adams
  • Publication number: 20160178239
    Abstract: An electric water heater that includes a thermostat is retrofitted for remote control as follows. A relay is installed on an electrical feed to the electric water heater. Water temperature and electric current or power through the electrical feed are measured over time with the relay closed, and the thermostat deadband maximum and minimum are detected as the water temperature at which the thermostat turns the heating element off, and the water temperature at which the thermostat turns the heating element on, respectively. The detected thermostat deadband maximum and minimum are stored as load controller deadband maximum and minimum, respectively. The thermostat set point is raised, and the electric water heater is thereafter controlled using the load controller by operations including closing the relay when the water temperature falls below the load controller deadband minimum and opening the relay when the water temperature rises above the load controller deadband maximum.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2015
    Publication date: June 23, 2016
    Inventors: Douglas Thornton, Jason W. Black, Lauren Adams
  • Publication number: 20160178221
    Abstract: A water heater that includes a cylindrical storage tank, at least one heating element, and at least one temperature sensor is modeled using a one-dimensional model that includes: a vertical stack of disks representing the water volume in the cylindrical storage tank, and a stack of annular segments surrounding the vertical stack of disks. The stack of annular segments represents the cylindrical wall of the cylindrical storage tank. The one-dimensional model may be used by a condition-based maintenance system comprising an electronic data processing device configured to detect a failure mode present in the water heater based on an output of the water heating model component. Some illustrative failure modes include insulation disturbance, heating element failure, excessive sediment buildup, or a drip tube rupture.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2015
    Publication date: June 23, 2016
    Inventors: Douglas Thornton, Bradley C. Glenn, James H. Saunders, Jason W. Black, Eric Rehberg
  • Publication number: 20140214227
    Abstract: Dispatch engines service endpoints by transmitting dispatch signals to the serviced endpoints that cause the endpoints to adjust their electric power consumption from the electric power grid in accord with a control signal received by the dispatch engine. A market interface dispatch engine receives its control signal from an electric power grid managing entity, and downstream dispatch engines form a hierarchy cascading downstream from the market interface dispatch engine with each downstream dispatch engine being an endpoint serviced by a dispatch engine located upstream in the hierarchy. The control signal received by each downstream dispatch engine comprises dispatch signals transmitted by the upstream dispatch engine. The endpoints further include electric power-consuming loads. A suitable load controller comprises separate power interface and logic elements operatively connected to define the load controller, with the logic element powered by low voltage DC power received from the power interface element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2014
    Publication date: July 31, 2014
    Applicant: Battelle Memorial Institute
    Inventors: Douglas Thornton, Eric Rehberg, Lauren Adams
  • Patent number: 4207522
    Abstract: A frequency scanning radio system and programming means for selecting the frequencies to be used, and to determne whether or not the channels are in use. The programming means controls not only the direction but also the speed of the frequency scanning in addition to the frequencies monitored. The system further displays the frequency which is being monitored, whether selected by the programming means or selected manually. A further feature is an automatic shifting of frequency when the radio is transmitting into a repeater station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 1977
    Date of Patent: June 10, 1980
    Inventors: Douglas Thornton, Arthur E. Housholder