Patents by Inventor Fred Brighton

Fred Brighton 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).

  • Temperature-based vehicle wakeup strategy to initiate fuel cell freeze protection
    Patent number: 7368193
    Abstract: A method of removing moisture from a fuel cell stack. The presence of liquid water in a fuel cell stack is especially undesirable should the temperature drop below freezing since the structures within the fuel cell are subject to degradation. One method includes measuring the temperature in the vicinity of a fuel cell vehicle when the fuel cell vehicle has been shut down and measuring the time elapsed since fuel cell vehicle shut off, and then flowing a moisture-removing medium through the fuel cell when the ambient temperature drops to a predetermined temperature and a time delay condition is satisfied. The moisture-removing medium is flowed through the fuel cell for a sufficient time to remove a sufficient amount of the water to inhibit degradation by freezing of water. A system which implements the method of the present invention is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2008
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: Kurt Osborne, Milos Milacic, William Sanderson, Fred Brighton, Jon Beasley, Donald Franks, Richard Scholer
  • Temperature-based vehicle wakeup strategy to initiate fuel cell freeze protection
    Patent number: 7270903
    Abstract: A method of removing moisture from a fuel cell stack is provided. The presence of liquid water in a fuel cell stack is undesirable should the temperature drop below freezing since the structures within the fuel cell are subject to degradation and potentially damage by ice formation. The method of the invention comprises measuring the temperature in the vicinity of a fuel cell vehicle when the fuel cell vehicle has been shut down, and then flowing a moisture-removing medium through the fuel cell when the ambient temperature drops to a predetermined temperature. The moisture-removing medium is flowed through the fuel cell for a sufficient time to remove a sufficient amount of the water in the fuel cell so that the fuel cell is not degraded by freezing of water. The present invention also provides a fuel cell water removing system which implements the method of the present invention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2007
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: Kurt Osborne, Fred Brighton, Jon Beasley, William Sanderson, Jr., Donald Franks, Milos Milacic, Richard Scholer
  • TEMPERATURE-BASED VEHICLE WAKEUP STRATEGY TO INITIATE FUEL CELL FREEZE PROTECTION
    Publication number: 20050257969
    Abstract: A method of removing moisture from a fuel cell stack. The presence of liquid water in a fuel cell stack is especially undesirable should the temperature drop below freezing since the structures within the fuel cell are subject to degradation. One method includes measuring the temperature in the vicinity of a fuel cell vehicle when the fuel cell vehicle has been shut down and measuring the time elapsed since fuel cell vehicle shut off, and then flowing a moisture-removing medium through the fuel cell when the ambient temperature drops to a predetermined temperature and a time delay condition is satisfied. The moisture-removing medium is flowed through the fuel cell for a sufficient time to remove a sufficient amount of the water to inhibit degradation by freezing of water. A system which implements the method of the present invention is also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2005
    Publication date: November 24, 2005
    Applicant: FORD MOTOR COMPANY
    Inventors: Kurt Osborne, Milos Milacic, William Sanderson, Fred Brighton, Jon Beasley, Donald Franks, Richard Scholer
  • TEMPERATURE-BASED VEHICLE WAKEUP STRATEGY TO INITIATE FUEL CELL FREEZE PROTECTION
    Publication number: 20050189156
    Abstract: A method of removing moisture from a fuel cell stack is provided. The presence of liquid water in a fuel cell stack is undesirable should the temperature drop below freezing since the structures within the fuel cell are subject to degradation and potentially damage by ice formation. The method of the invention comprises measuring the temperature in the vicinity of a fuel cell vehicle when the fuel cell vehicle has been shut down, and then flowing a moisture-removing medium through the fuel cell when the ambient temperature drops to a predetermined temperature. The moisture-removing medium is flowed through the fuel cell for a sufficient time to remove a sufficient amount of the water in the fuel cell so that the fuel cell is not degraded by freezing of water. The present invention also provides a fuel cell water removing system which implements the method of the present invention.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2004
    Publication date: September 1, 2005
    Inventors: Kurt Osborne, Fred Brighton, Jon Beasley, William Sanderson, Jr, Donald Franks, Milos Milacic, Richard Scholer