Patents by Inventor Gary P. Millas

Gary P. Millas 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: 5923085
    Abstract: A hybrid vehicle includes a power unit communicating power between a turbine alternator, flywheel and traction motor. The power unit stores DC power in capacitors and places the power on a DC bus for use in driving the induction machines. Power transistors receive the DC power from the DC bus and are pulse width modulated to output a synthesized AC waveform. The power transistors include a support plate of thermally conductive material having a first surface supporting the transistor and a second surface forming a heat sink with cooling fluid. An electrical insulation layer is fixedly connected between the power transistor and the support plate on the first surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 13, 1999
    Assignee: Chrysler Corporation
    Inventors: Kevin J. Donegan, Gary M. Colello, Gary P. Millas, Richard T. Salter, II
  • Patent number: 5828554
    Abstract: A hybrid vehicle includes a power unit communicating power between a turbine alternator, flywheel and traction motor. The power unit stores DC power in capacitors and places the power on a DC bus for use in driving the induction machines. A housing includes at least one wall forming an enclosed perimeter, the wall including a plurality of fastener members extending therethrough. The power unit comprising a DC storage unit and DC bus and power switches connected with a heat exchanger provide signals to an AC bus wherein each is connected to each other to form a structural unit. The fastener members are connected through the wall and to the power unit for installation as a single unit in a vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 27, 1998
    Assignee: Chrysler Corporation
    Inventors: Kevin J. Donegan, Dennis E. Hartzell, Gary P. Millas
  • Patent number: 5804761
    Abstract: A hybrid vehicle includes a power unit communicating power between a turbine alternator, flywheel and traction motor. The power unit stores power in capacitors and places the power on a dc bus. The dc bus comprises an electrical bus assembly comprising a first conducting plate establishing a positive signal, a second conducting plate establishing a negative signal, and an insulation layer sandwiched between the first and second conducting plates and fixedly secured therewith. At least one of the conducting plates includes fluid passages extending within the plate allowing fluid to circulate therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 8, 1998
    Assignee: Chrysler Corporation
    Inventors: Kevin J. Donegan, Dennis E. Hartzell, Gary P. Millas
  • Patent number: 5761028
    Abstract: A hybrid vehicle includes a power unit communicating power between a turbine alternator, flywheel and traction motor. The power unit stores DC power in capacitors and places the power on DC bus for use in driving the induction machines. Power transistors receive the DC power from the DC bus and are pulse width modulated to output a synthesized AC waveform at their output. A transistor connection assembly comprising the plurality of power transistor modules connected in a plane and each having contact pads formed thereon for providing an output signal. A cross tie member is connected to four of the contact pads providing a combined output signal at a center point. The cross tie member comprises a sheet of rigid conducting material with width substantially greater than thickness and including four symmetrical arms extending outward from the center point. The design provides equal distance conduction paths for equal current sharing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 2, 1998
    Assignee: Chrysler Corporation
    Inventors: Kevin J. Donegan, Dennis E. Hartzell, Gary P. Millas
  • Patent number: 5740015
    Abstract: A hybrid vehicle utilizes a power unit to store and convert power between a turbine alternator, flywheel and traction motor. The power unit includes a fluid cooled cold-plate assembly for cooling power transistors used to switch stored and generated power between the peripheral machines. The cold-plate assembly a first frame member having a plurality of windows therein, a plurality of transistor modules supporting power transistors are secured within the windows, the transistor modules including at least one transistor connected to a support plate, the support plate secured within the window, a base plate connected to the frame member and spaced from the frame member establishing a first cavity to allow coolant to flow between the base plate and the frame member for cooling the transistor modules.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 14, 1998
    Assignee: Chrysler Corporation
    Inventors: Kevin J. Donegan, Gary M. Colello, Gary P. Millas, Richard T. Salter, II
  • Patent number: 5694301
    Abstract: A hybrid vehicle includes a power unit communicating power between a turbine alternator, flywheel and traction motor. The power unit stores, dc power in capacitors and places power on a dc bus for use in driving the induction machines. The dc bus includes two spaced buses, each of the bus members include a positive plate and a negative plate electrically insulated from one another. A conducting strap member interconnects the first and second bus members. The conducting strap member includes first and second strap plates electrically insulated from one another and secured to one another. A first of the strap plates is connected to the positive plates and a second of the strap plates is connected to the negative plates. Also included is a capacitor bank for storing DC power. The capacitor bank is connected to the DC bus by laminated brackets carrying positive and negative signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 2, 1997
    Assignee: Chrysler Corporation
    Inventors: Kevin J. Donegan, Dennis E. Hartzell, Gary P. Millas
  • Patent number: 5672920
    Abstract: A hybrid vehicle includes a power unit communicating power between a turbine alternator, flywheel and traction motor. The power unit stores DC power in capacitors and places the power on DC bus for use in driving the induction machines. Power transistors receive the DC power from the DC bus and are pulse width modulated to output a synthesized AC wave form at their output. An Ac bus assembly comprises the power transistor modules connected in a plane and each having contact pads formed thereon for providing AC current sources. A bus bar interconnects at least one of the current sources to a peripheral device. The bus bar comprises a plurality of elongated flat plates having a width substantially greater than its thickness and laminated to one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 30, 1997
    Assignee: Chrysler Corporation
    Inventors: Kevin J. Donegan, Dennis E. Hartzell, Gary P. Millas, William R. Snow
  • Patent number: 4871015
    Abstract: A heat conducting thermal plate (55) is fixed to a thermal load (10) by means of fasteners (75). Bosses (60) on the thermal plate are received within bosses (75) on an adjacent heat exchanger (25) to maintain a sealed interengagement between those components as the thermal plate is drawn up into surface-to-surface contact with the load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 1988
    Date of Patent: October 3, 1989
    Assignee: United Technologies
    Inventors: John P. Foley, Gary P. Millas, Daniel L. Elliott