Patents by Inventor Eric L. Hathaway

Eric L. Hathaway 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).

  • Operating a vehicle with rotors while avoiding a band of rotor rotational speed
    Patent number: 11884413
    Abstract: A method is provided for operating a vehicle that includes rotors driven by actuators to cause the vehicle to move. The method includes determining rotational speeds at which to drive the rotors to achieve a controlled movement of the vehicle. The rotational speeds include a rotational speed for a rotor of a pair of the rotors driven by a pair of the actuators. The method includes monitoring the rotational speed to detect that the rotational speed has approached or reached a defined avoid band of rotational speeds, and biasing the rotational speed to produce at least one biased rotational speed for respective rotors of the pair that is outside the defined avoid band. The method includes generating commands for the actuators based on the rotational speeds, and modifying the commands including those of the commands for the pair of the actuators based on the at least one biased rotational speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: David H. Mason, Eric L. Hathaway, Roger W. Lacy, Brandon R. Brown, Michael J. Duffy
  • OPERATING A VEHICLE WITH ROTORS WHILE AVOIDING A BAND OF ROTOR ROTATIONAL SPEED
    Publication number: 20230182915
    Abstract: A method is provided for operating a vehicle that includes rotors driven by actuators to cause the vehicle to move. The method includes determining rotational speeds at which to drive the rotors to achieve a controlled movement of the vehicle. The rotational speeds include a rotational speed for a rotor of a pair of the rotors driven by a pair of the actuators. The method includes monitoring the rotational speed to detect that the rotational speed has approached or reached a defined avoid band of rotational speeds, and biasing the rotational speed to produce at least one biased rotational speed for respective rotors of the pair that is outside the defined avoid band. The method includes generating commands for the actuators based on the rotational speeds, and modifying the commands including those of the commands for the pair of the actuators based on the at least one biased rotational speed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2021
    Publication date: June 15, 2023
    Inventors: David H. Mason, Eric L. Hathaway, Roger W. Lacy, Brandon R. Brown, Michael J. Duffy