Patents by Inventor Jonathan Gale Ritchey

Jonathan Gale Ritchey 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: 11722026
    Abstract: The disclosed technology provides systems and methods to employ fault tolerance for rotating electric machines operating as motors or generators. A unique system architecture and control elements allow rotating electric machines the ability to isolate faulted conditions and continue to operate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignee: DPM TECHNOLOGIES INC.
    Inventor: Jonathan Gale Ritchey
  • Publication number: 20220190770
    Abstract: The disclosed technology provides systems and methods to employ fault tolerance for rotating electric machines operating as motors or generators. A unique system architecture and control elements allow rotating electric machines the ability to isolate faulted conditions and continue to operate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2020
    Publication date: June 16, 2022
    Inventor: Jonathan Gale Ritchey
  • Publication number: 20210359523
    Abstract: Control of an energy storage and provisioning system is disclosed, including a method in which electrical power is received from a power generator in an energy storage system having energy storage cells. Each of the energy storage cells has switching elements selectively operable to connect with terminals of other energy storage cells. The method further includes determining a condition of a number of the energy storage cells via electrical measurement; and grouping, by controlling operation of the switching elements, a subset of the energy storage cells into a topology configuration based on a condition of individual cells of the subset of energy storage cells. The method further includes storing the received electrical power into the subset of energy storage cells arranged into the topology configuration to optimize storage of the electrical power received from the power generator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2019
    Publication date: November 18, 2021
    Inventors: Jonathan Gale Ritchey, Kent Thoresen
  • Publication number: 20210249981
    Abstract: A reconfigurable rotating electric machine having a rotor to rotate in association with a stator. Coils are arranged to form the windings of one or more phases. Each coil or group of coils has a pair of terminals to receive an electrical input. Switches are arranged to connect each coil or group of coils in series or parallel with another coil or group of coils to form defined coil topology configurations. A processor has memory storing settings to determine a state of each of the switches for each of the defined coil topology configurations. The switches are controllable to connect the coils into a force expansion topology configuration to form an electrical machine having two, four, or more virtual poles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2019
    Publication date: August 12, 2021
    Inventors: Jonathan Gale Ritchey, Torsten Broeer, Zachary Adam Golding Hardat, Basem M. Badr
  • Patent number: 11081996
    Abstract: This application generally relates to electric machines with coils or windings (e.g., generators and motors), and more particularly to systems, apparatus, and methods that configure coils or windings of electric machines, for instance dynamically in response to operational condition and under load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2021
    Assignee: DPM Technologies Inc.
    Inventor: Jonathan Gale Ritchey
  • Publication number: 20200076345
    Abstract: This application generally relates to electric machines with coils or windings (e.g., generators and motors), and more particularly to systems, apparatus, and methods that configure coils or windings of electric machines, for instance dynamically in response to operational condition and under load.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2018
    Publication date: March 5, 2020
    Inventor: Jonathan Gale Ritchey
  • Patent number: 9812981
    Abstract: One or more variable configuration controller (VCC) systems may produce various combinations of series or parallel couplings of coils, winding or inductive elements of an electric machine such as a generator and/or electric motor. The VCC systems include a plurality of bridge rectifiers, and a first number of switches operated to selectively couple respective pairs of coils in series from parallel on an AC side of the bridge rectifiers. The bridge rectifiers provide for automatic electrical isolation of coils on occurrence of open circuit, low voltage or short circuit conditions. A second number of switches with different performance characteristics (e.g., speed, loss) than the first number of switches may be coupled in parallel with respective ones of the first number of switches. Power factor correction may be used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: Exro Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan Gale Ritchey, Mitchell Gordon Burton, Ryan Biffard
  • Patent number: 9685827
    Abstract: A polyphasic multi-coil generator includes a drive shaft, at least first and second rotors rigidly mounted on the drive shaft so as to simultaneously synchronously rotate with rotation of the drive shaft, and at least one stator sandwiched between the first and second rotors. A stator array on the stator has an array of electrically conductive coils mounted to the stator in a first angular orientation about the drive shaft. The rotors each have an array of magnets which are circumferentially equally spaced around the rotor and located at the same radially spacing with respect to the centre of the rotor and the drive shaft at a first angular orientation relative to the drive shaft. The arrays of magnets on adjacent rotors are off-set by an angular offset relative to one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignee: EXRO TECHNOLOGIES INC.
    Inventor: Jonathan Gale Ritchey
  • Patent number: 9590468
    Abstract: An electric machine may employ a distributed bearing, for example spaced radially outwardly of a longitudinal center of a rotor and stator assembly. The distributed bearing may take the form of a wire race bearing, which positions a rotor assembly relative to a stator assembly to maintain an air gap therebetween. The rotor assembly may be concentrically located within the stator assembly. Electrically insulative fasteners may couple a race assembly to the stator or rotor assembly. Compensation fastener assemblies may couple the wire race assembly to the rotor or stator assembly, to compensate for differential expansion for instance thermal differential expansion along a longitudinal axis of the electric machine. The electric machines may be arranged in series, for example with drive shafts arranged along a common axis, and may be coupled to the same source of motion (e.g., propeller of wind turbine, without or with a gear box).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: EXRO TECHNOLOGIES INC.
    Inventors: Jonathan Gale Ritchey, Daryl Anton Wagner
  • Publication number: 20140347903
    Abstract: One or more variable configuration controller (VCC) systems may produce various combinations of series or parallel couplings of coils, winding or inductive elements of an electric machine such as a generator and/or electric motor. The VCC systems include a plurality of bridge rectifiers, and a first number of switches operated to selectively couple respective pairs of coils in series from parallel on an AC side of the bridge rectifiers. The bridge rectifiers provide for automatic electrical isolation of coils on occurrence of open circuit, low voltage or short circuit conditions. A second number of switches with different performance characteristics (e.g., speed, loss) than the first number of switches may be coupled in parallel with respective ones of the first number of switches. Power factor correction may be used.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2014
    Publication date: November 27, 2014
    Applicant: EXRO TECHNOLOGIES INC.
    Inventors: Jonathan Gale Ritchey, Mitchell Gordon Burton, Ryan Biffard
  • Publication number: 20140252922
    Abstract: An electric machine may employ a distributed bearing, for example spaced radially outwardly of a longitudinal center of a rotor and stator assembly. The distributed bearing may take the form of a wire race bearing, which positions a rotor assembly relative to a stator assembly to maintain an air gap therebetween. The rotor assembly may be concentrically located within the stator assembly. Electrically insulative fasteners may couple a race assembly to the stator or rotor assembly. Compensation fastener assemblies may couple the wire race assembly to the rotor or stator assembly, to compensate for differential expansion for instance thermal differential expansion along a longitudinal axis of the electric machine. The electric machines may be arranged in series, for example with drive shafts arranged along a common axis, and may be coupled to the same source of motion (e.g., propeller of wind turbine, without or with a gear box).
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 8, 2013
    Publication date: September 11, 2014
    Applicant: EXRO TECHNOLOGIES INC.
    Inventors: Jonathan Gale Ritchey, Daryl Anton Wagner
  • Publication number: 20140091661
    Abstract: A polyphasic multi-coil generator includes a drive shaft, at least first and second rotors rigidly mounted on the drive shaft so as to simultaneously synchronously rotate with rotation of the drive shaft, and at least one stator sandwiched between the first and second rotors. A stator array on the stator has an array of electrically conductive coils mounted to the stator in a first angular orientation about the drive shaft. The rotors each have an array of magnets which are circumferentially equally spaced around the rotor and located at the same radially spacing with respect to the centre of the rotor and the drive shaft at a first angular orientation relative to the drive shaft. The arrays of magnets on adjacent rotors are off-set by an angular offset relative to one another.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2013
    Publication date: April 3, 2014
    Applicant: EXRO TECHNOLOGIES INC.
    Inventor: Jonathan Gale Ritchey
  • Patent number: 8614529
    Abstract: A polyphasic multi-coil generator includes a drive shaft, at least first and second rotors rigidly mounted on the drive shaft so as to simultaneously synchronously rotate with rotation of the drive shaft, and at least one stator sandwiched between the first and second rotors. A stator array on the stator has an array of electrically conductive coils mounted to the stator in a first angular orientation about the drive shaft. The rotors each have an array of magnets which are circumferentially equally spaced around the rotor and located at the same radially spacing with respect to the centre of the rotor and the drive shaft at a first angular orientation relative to the drive shaft. The arrays of magnets on adjacent rotors are off-set by an angular offset relative to one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2013
    Assignee: Exro Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Jonathan Gale Ritchey
  • Publication number: 20120306302
    Abstract: A polyphasic multi-coil generator includes a drive shaft, at least first and second rotors rigidly mounted on the drive shaft so as to simultaneously synchronously rotate with rotation of the drive shaft, and at least one stator sandwiched between the first and second rotors. A stator array on the stator has an array of electrically conductive coils mounted to the stator in a first angular orientation about the drive shaft. The rotors each have an array of magnets which are circumferentially equally spaced around the rotor and located at the same radially spacing with respect to the centre of the rotor and the drive shaft at a first angular orientation relative to the drive shaft. The arrays of magnets on adjacent rotors are off-set by an angular offset relative to one another.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2012
    Publication date: December 6, 2012
    Applicant: EXRO TECHNOLOGIES INC.
    Inventor: Jonathan Gale Ritchey
  • Publication number: 20120229060
    Abstract: One or more variable configuration controller (VCC) systems may produce various combinations of series or parallel couplings of coils, winding or inductive elements of an electric machine such as a generator and/or electric motor. The VCC systems include a plurality of bridge rectifiers, and a first number of switches operated to selectively couple respective pairs of coils in series from parallel on an AC side of the bridge rectifiers. The bridge rectifiers provide for automatic electrical isolation of coils on occurrence of open circuit, low voltage or short circuit conditions. A second number of switches with different performance characteristics (e.g., speed, loss) than the first number of switches may be coupled in parallel with respective ones of the first number of switches. Power factor correction may be used.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 2, 2010
    Publication date: September 13, 2012
    Applicant: EXRO TECHNOLOGIES INC.
    Inventors: Jonathan Gale Ritchey, Mitchell Gordon Burton, Ryan Biffard
  • Patent number: 8212445
    Abstract: A polyphasic multi-coil generator includes a drive shaft, at least first and second rotors rigidly mounted on the drive shaft so as to simultaneously synchronously rotate with rotation of the drive shaft, and at least one stator sandwiched between the first and second rotors. A stator array on the stator has an array of electrically conductive coils mounted to the stator in a first angular orientation about the drive shaft. The rotors each have an array of magnets which are circumferentially equally spaced around the rotor and located at the same radially spacing with respect to the centre of the rotor and the drive shaft at a first angular orientation relative to the drive shaft. The arrays of magnets on adjacent rotors are off-set by an angular offset relative to one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Exro Technologies Inc.
    Inventor: Jonathan Gale Ritchey
  • Publication number: 20100019593
    Abstract: A polyphasic multi-coil generator includes a drive shaft, at least first and second rotors rigidly mounted on the drive shaft so as to simultaneously synchronously rotate with rotation of the drive shaft, and at least one stator sandwiched between the first and second rotors. A stator array on the stator has an array of electrically conductive coils mounted to the stator in a first angular orientation about the drive shaft. The rotors each have an array of magnets which are circumferentially equally spaced around the rotor and located at the same radially spacing with respect to the centre of the rotor and the drive shaft at a first angular orientation relative to the drive shaft. The arrays of magnets on adjacent rotors are off-set by an angular offset relative to one another.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 20, 2009
    Publication date: January 28, 2010
    Applicant: EXRO TECHNOLOGIES INC.
    Inventor: Jonathan Gale RITCHEY
  • Patent number: 7595574
    Abstract: A polyphasic multi-coil generator includes a drive shaft, at least first and second rotors rigidly mounted on the drive shaft so as to simultaneously synchronously rotate with rotation of the drive shaft, and at least one stator sandwiched between the first and second rotors. A stator array on the stator has an array of electrically conductive coils mounted to the stator in a first angular orientation about the drive shaft. The rotors each have an array of magnets which are circumferentially equally spaced around the rotor and located at the same radially spacing with respect to the centre of the rotor and the drive shaft at a first angular orientation relative to the drive shaft. The arrays of magnets on adjacent rotors are off-set by an angular offset relative to one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2009
    Assignee: Exro Technologies Inc.
    Inventor: Jonathan Gale Ritchey
  • Publication number: 20080185927
    Abstract: A polyphasic multi-coil generator includes a drive shaft, at least first and second rotors rigidly mounted on the drive shaft so as to simultaneously synchronously rotate with rotation of the drive shaft, and at least one stator sandwiched between the first and second rotors. The stator has an aperture through which the drive shaft is rotatably journalled. A stator array on the stator has an equally radially spaced-apart array of electrically conductive coils mounted to the stator in a first angular orientation about the drive shaft. The stator array is radially spaced apart about the drive shaft. The rotors and the stator lie in substantially parallel planes. The first and second rotors have, respectively, first and second rotor arrays. The first rotor array has a first equally radially spaced apart array of magnets radially spaced around the drive shaft at a first angular orientation relative to the drive shaft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2006
    Publication date: August 7, 2008
    Inventor: Jonathan Gale Ritchey
  • Patent number: 7081696
    Abstract: A polyphasie multi-coil generator includes a drive shaft, at least first and second rotors rigidly mounted on the drive shaft so as to simultaneously synchronously rotate with rotation of the drive shaft, and at least one stator sandwiched between the first and second rotors. A stator array on the stator has an array of coils mounted to the stator in a first angular orientation about the drive shaft. The rotors each have an array of magnets which are equally circumferentially spaced around the rotor and located at the same radial spacing with respect to the center of the rotor and the drive shaft. The arrays of magnets on adjacent rotors are off-set by an angular off-set relative to one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2006
    Assignee: Exro Technologies Inc.
    Inventor: Jonathan Gale Ritchey