Patents by Inventor Eric Richard Westervelt

Eric Richard Westervelt 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: 20240051673
    Abstract: An aircraft engine includes a low pressure spool, a high pressure spool, and an alternative power source. The alternative power source is configured to add power to the high pressure spool. A controller is configured to determine a noise sensitive condition; and control, in response to determining the noise sensitive condition, the alternative power source to add power to the high pressure spool.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 15, 2022
    Publication date: February 15, 2024
    Inventors: Kishore Ramakrishnan, Trevor Howard Wood, Harry Kirk Mathews, JR., Eric Richard Westervelt, Honggang Wang, Timothy Richard DePuy
  • Publication number: 20240044290
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine fuel supply system can include a fuel delivery system, a thermal management system, a fuel manifold, and one or more sensors that identify one or more fuel parameters. A fuel control system can be controlled to adjust one or more parameters of the fuel based on data received from the sensors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2023
    Publication date: February 8, 2024
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Brandon W. Miller, Robert Jon McQuiston, Stefan Joseph Cafaro, Eric Richard Westervelt, Michael A. Benjamin, Joel M. Haynes, Hejie Li
  • Patent number: 11821366
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine fuel supply system can include a fuel delivery system, a thermal management system, a fuel manifold, and one or more sensors that identify one or more fuel parameters. A fuel control system adjusts parameters of the fuel based on data received from the sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Brandon W. Miller, Robert Jon McQuiston, Stefan Joseph Cafaro, Eric Richard Westervelt, Michael A. Benjamin, Joel M. Haynes, Hejie Li
  • Patent number: 11788426
    Abstract: Clearance control schemes for controlling a clearance defined between a first component and a second component of a gas turbine engine are provided. In one aspect, an engine controller of the gas turbine engine implements a clearance control scheme, which includes receiving data indicating a clearance between the first component and the second component, the clearance being at least one of a measured clearance captured by a sensor and a predicted clearance specific to the gas turbine engine at that point in time; comparing the clearance to an allowable clearance; determining a clearance setpoint for a clearance adjustment system based on a clearance difference determined by comparing the clearance to the allowable clearance; and causing the clearance adjustment system to adjust the clearance to the allowable clearance based on the clearance setpoint.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Harry Kirk Mathews, Jr., Eric Richard Westervelt
  • Publication number: 20230279782
    Abstract: Clearance control schemes for controlling a clearance defined between a first component and a second component of a gas turbine engine are provided. In one aspect, an engine controller of the gas turbine engine implements a clearance control scheme, which includes receiving data indicating a clearance between the first component and the second component, the clearance being at least one of a measured clearance captured by a sensor and a predicted clearance specific to the gas turbine engine at that point in time; comparing the clearance to an allowable clearance; determining a clearance setpoint for a clearance adjustment system based on a clearance difference determined by comparing the clearance to the allowable clearance; and causing the clearance adjustment system to adjust the clearance to the allowable clearance based on the clearance setpoint.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 4, 2022
    Publication date: September 7, 2023
    Inventors: Harry Kirk Mathews, JR., Eric Richard Westervelt
  • Publication number: 20230265796
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine fuel supply system can include a fuel delivery system, a thermal management system, a fuel manifold, and one or more sensors that identify one or more fuel parameters. A fuel control system adjusts parameters of the fuel based on data received from the sensors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 1, 2023
    Publication date: August 24, 2023
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Brandon W. Miller, Robert Jon McQuiston, Stefan Joseph Cafaro, Eric Richard Westervelt, Michael A. Benjamin, Joel M. Haynes, Hejie Li
  • Patent number: 11668241
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine fuel supply system can include a fuel delivery system, a thermal management system, a fuel manifold, and one or more sensors that identify one or more fuel parameters. A fuel control system adjusts parameters of the fuel based on data received from the sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Brandon W. Miller, Robert Jon McQuiston, Stefan Joseph Cafaro, Eric Richard Westervelt, Michael A. Benjamin, Joel M. Haynes, Hejie Li
  • Publication number: 20230150681
    Abstract: Systems and methods for controlling an unducted turbofan engine to limit noise. The unducted turbofan engine may include an unducted fan drivingly coupled with a low-pressure turbine and a plurality of unducted outlet guide vanes. The unducted fan may include a plurality of fan blades and a pitch angle of the fan blades may be variable. A pitch angle of the unducted outlet guide vanes may be variable. A controller is configured to control the engine to limit noise based on a noise sensitive condition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 15, 2021
    Publication date: May 18, 2023
    Inventors: Kishore Ramakrishnan, Trevor Howard Wood, Stefan Joseph Cafaro, Robert Jon McQuiston, David Marion Ostdiek, Timothy Richard DePuy, Trevor Goerig, Eric Richard Westervelt
  • Publication number: 20220403783
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine fuel supply system can include a fuel delivery system, a thermal management system, a fuel manifold, and one or more sensors that identify one or more fuel parameters. A fuel control system adjusts parameters of the fuel based on data received from the sensors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2021
    Publication date: December 22, 2022
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Brandon W. Miller, Robert Jon McQuiston, Stefan Joseph Cafaro, Eric Richard Westervelt, Michael A. Benjamin, Joel M. Haynes, Hejie Li
  • Publication number: 20220403784
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine fuel supply system can include a fuel delivery system, a thermal management system, a fuel manifold, and one or more sensors that identify one or more fuel parameters. A fuel control system adjusts parameters of the fuel based on data received from the sensors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2021
    Publication date: December 22, 2022
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Brandon W. Miller, Robert Jon McQuiston, Stefan Joseph Cafaro, Eric Richard Westervelt, Michael A. Benjamin, Joel M. Haynes, Hejie Li
  • Patent number: 11061414
    Abstract: A fleet mission control system for a network of aerial vehicles including power thermal management systems is provided. According to examples of the disclosed technology a control system receives one or more mission objectives for a network of aircraft including two or more aerial vehicles. Each aerial vehicle includes a power-thermal management system. The control system receives system state information for the network of aircraft. The system state information includes PTMS state data. The control system determines a set of aircraft commands for the network of aircraft based on the one or more mission objectives and the PTMS state data, and generates an output signal based on the set of aircraft commands.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2021
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: James Ryan Reepmeyer, Eric Richard Westervelt
  • Patent number: 10832581
    Abstract: A system, computer-readable medium, and a method including obtaining flight data for a specific aircraft for a prescribed flight; obtaining current sample measurements of at least one state or output of the specific aircraft; performing based on the obtained flight data, the current measurements or outputs, and a mathematical model accurately representing an actual operational performance of the specific aircraft and providing a predictive indication of a future performance of the specific aircraft, a control optimization to determine a cost-optimal control input for the prescribed flight; adjusting, in response to a consideration of actual operational characteristics of the specific aircraft, the optimized control input; and transmitting the adjusted optimized control input to the specific aircraft to operate the specific aircraft to minimize the direct operating cost for the prescribed flight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Eric Richard Westervelt, Mark Lawrence Darnell, Reza Ghaemi, David Lax
  • Patent number: 10794705
    Abstract: A system, computer-readable medium, and a method to operate a vehicle in a manner that minimizes a cost to travel from an origin to a destination that includes finding the input to a flight control system that minimizes direct operating cost. The approach described herein employs an energy state approximation (ESA).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Reza Ghaemi, Eric Richard Westervelt, Mark Lawrence Darnell, David Lax
  • Patent number: 10460610
    Abstract: A system, computer-readable medium, and a method including obtaining flight data for a prescribed flight from at least one of an airborne system of a particular aircraft to execute the prescribed flight and a system other than the airborne system of the particular aircraft having a source of data related to the prescribed flight, the flight data including specific details relating to at least one of the particular aircraft and parameters of the prescribed flight; performing, by a processor of an external computational asset and based on the obtained flight data, a control optimization to generate optimized path specific controls for the prescribed flight; transmitting the optimized path specific controls via a communication uplink from the external computational asset to the particular aircraft; and guiding, in response to receiving the optimized path specific controls by the particular aircraft, the particular aircraft in accordance with the optimized path specific controls to execute the prescribed flight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Eric Richard Westervelt, MacKenzie Cumings, Mark Lawrence Darnell, David Lax, Liling Ren, Nicholas Visser
  • Publication number: 20190277637
    Abstract: A system, computer-readable medium, and a method to operate a vehicle in a manner that minimizes a cost to travel from an origin to a destination that includes finding the input to a flight control system that minimizes direct operating cost. The approach described herein employs an energy state approximation (ESA).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2019
    Publication date: September 12, 2019
    Inventors: Reza GHAEMI, Eric Richard WESTERVELT, Mark Lawrence DARNELL, David LAX
  • Publication number: 20190187727
    Abstract: A fleet mission control system for a network of aerial vehicles including power thermal management systems is provided. According to examples of the disclosed technology a control system receives one or more mission objectives for a network of aircraft including two or more aerial vehicles. Each aerial vehicle includes a power-thermal management system. The control system receives system state information for the network of aircraft. The system state information includes PTMS state data. The control system determines a set of aircraft commands for the network of aircraft based on the one or more mission objectives and the PTMS state data, and generates an output signal based on the set of aircraft commands.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2017
    Publication date: June 20, 2019
    Inventors: James Ryan Reepmeyer, Eric Richard Westervelt
  • Patent number: 10260883
    Abstract: A system, computer-readable medium, and a method to operate a vehicle in a manner that minimizes a cost to travel from an origin to a destination that includes finding the input to a flight control system that minimizes direct operating cost. The approach described herein employs an energy state approximation (ESA).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Reza Ghaemi, Eric Richard Westervelt, Mark Lawrence Darnell
  • Publication number: 20180351635
    Abstract: According to some embodiments, system and methods are provided, comprising receiving one or more mission objectives for an aircraft mission, and condition data at a mission advisor module; generating, via the mission advisor module, a first plurality of mission plans to execute the mission, wherein each mission plan addresses at least one of the one or more mission objectives via manipulation of a power-thermal management system (PTMS); selecting one of the plurality of mission plans; and executing the selected mission plan to operate an aircraft. Numerous other aspects are provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2017
    Publication date: December 6, 2018
    Inventors: Eric Richard WESTERVELT, James REEPMEYER, Mitchell SMITH, John TURCO
  • Publication number: 20180286253
    Abstract: A system, computer-readable medium, and a method including obtaining flight data for a specific aircraft including a mathematical model that accurately represents an performance of the specific aircraft and provides a predictive indication of a future performance of the specific aircraft in response to a current state or input to the specific aircraft; obtaining current sample measurements of at least one state or output of the specific aircraft; performing, based on the obtained flight data and current measurements and outputs, a control optimization to generate optimized control commands to minimize the direct operating cost of the prescribed flight; transmitting the optimized control commands to the particular aircraft for use thereby to operate the particular aircraft to execute the prescribed flight; and iteratively repeating operations of the method for successive sequential instances in time for a duration of at least a portion of the prescribed flight.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2017
    Publication date: October 4, 2018
    Inventors: Mark Lawrence DARNELL, Reza GHAEMI, David LAX, Eric Richard WESTERVELT
  • Publication number: 20180286254
    Abstract: A system, computer-readable medium, and a method including obtaining flight data for a specific aircraft for a prescribed flight; obtaining current sample measurements of at least one state or output of the specific aircraft; performing based on the obtained flight data, the current measurements or outputs, and a mathematical model accurately representing an actual operational performance of the specific aircraft and providing a predictive indication of a future performance of the specific aircraft, a control optimization to determine a cost-optimal control input for the prescribed flight; adjusting, in response to a consideration of actual operational characteristics of the specific aircraft, the optimized control input; and transmitting the adjusted optimized control input to the specific aircraft to operate the specific aircraft to minimize the direct operating cost for the prescribed flight.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2017
    Publication date: October 4, 2018
    Inventors: Eric Richard WESTERVELT, Mark Lawrence DARNELL, Reza GHAEMI, David LAX