Patents by Inventor Peter Sharp

Peter Sharp 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: 11939044
    Abstract: Retraction of a landing gear assembly on an aircraft is actuated by a hydraulic actuator. The actuator includes a piston that travels within a cylinder along a stroke length between a first position corresponding to the landing gear assembly when extended and a second position corresponding to the landing gear assembly when retracted. The movement of the piston along its stroke length is snubbed at one end by a different amount according to the direction of travel, for example by use of an orifice plate that has a discharge coefficient that is greater in one direction than in the opposite direction. Asymmetric snubbing is thus provided, which enables the landing gear to retract faster.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: AIRBUS OPERATIONS LIMITED
    Inventor: Peter Sharpe
  • Patent number: 11593534
    Abstract: Processes for optimizing the geometry of a blade for use in a propeller are disclosed. In one exemplary process, an optimization routine that generates new blade geometries based on structural parameters and calculates performance parameters of each blade geometry, including aerodynamic performance parameters, farfield acoustic parameters, and/or electrical power requirements to operate a propeller having the blade geometry, is performed. The optimization routine receives design parameters and weightings from a user and can use one or more surrogate algorithms to map a design space of the weighted values of the design parameters to find their local minima. The optimization routine then determines an optimized blade geometry using a gradient-based algorithm to generate new blade geometries to explore the minima until the weighted values of the design parameters converge at an optimized blade geometry representing the global minima of the design space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Peter Sharpe, Keegan Quigley, Thomas Sebastian, Joseph Belarge, Ryan Fontaine, David Maurer
  • Patent number: 11565798
    Abstract: A center biased actuator having an outer cylinder, a slave cylinder linearly transposed within the outer cylinder, a rod assembly with a piston linearly transposed within the slave cylinder and a rod extending from the outer cylinder, one or more first dynamic seals arranged to act on a sidewall of the rod to inhibit hydraulic fluid leaking from the outer cylinder, one or more second dynamic seals arranged to act on a sidewall of the slave cylinder or an inner surface of the outer cylinder to inhibit hydraulic fluid leaking from the outer cylinder, and a gas chamber comprising a sealed expandable chamber containing gas. The expandable chamber is arranged to act on hydraulic fluid within the center biased actuator to bias the center biased actuator to assume an intermediate condition which lies between a compressed condition and an extended condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Inventor: Peter Sharpe
  • Publication number: 20210269147
    Abstract: A center biased actuator having an outer cylinder, a slave cylinder linearly transposed within the outer cylinder, a rod assembly with a piston linearly transposed within the slave cylinder and a rod extending from the outer cylinder, one or more first dynamic seals arranged to act on a sidewall of the rod to inhibit hydraulic fluid leaking from the outer cylinder, one or more second dynamic seals arranged to act on a sidewall of the slave cylinder or an inner surface of the outer cylinder to inhibit hydraulic fluid leaking from the outer cylinder, and a gas chamber comprising a sealed expandable chamber containing gas. The expandable chamber is arranged to act on hydraulic fluid within the center biased actuator to bias the center biased actuator to assume an intermediate condition which lies between a compressed condition and an extended condition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2021
    Publication date: September 2, 2021
    Applicant: SAFRAN LANDING SYSTEMS UK LTD
    Inventor: Peter Sharpe
  • Patent number: 11027830
    Abstract: A center biased actuator having an outer cylinder, a slave cylinder linearly transposed within the outer cylinder, a rod assembly with a piston linearly transposed within the slave cylinder and a rod extending from the outer cylinder, one or more first dynamic seals arranged to act on a sidewall of the rod to inhibit hydraulic fluid leaking from the outer cylinder, one or more second dynamic seals arranged to act on a sidewall of the slave cylinder or an inner surface of the outer cylinder to inhibit hydraulic fluid leaking from the outer cylinder, and a gas chamber comprising a sealed expandable chamber containing gas. The expandable chamber is arranged to act on hydraulic fluid within the center biased actuator to bias the center biased actuator to assume an intermediate condition which lies between a compressed condition and an extended condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Inventor: Peter Sharpe
  • Publication number: 20210141947
    Abstract: Processes for optimizing the geometry of a blade for use in a propeller are disclosed. In one exemplary process, an optimization routine that generates new blade geometries based on structural parameters and calculates performance parameters of each blade geometry, including aerodynamic performance parameters, farfield acoustic parameters, and/or electrical power requirements to operate a propeller having the blade geometry, is performed. The optimization routine receives design parameters and weightings from a user and can use one or more surrogate algorithms to map a design space of the weighted values of the design parameters to find their local minima. The optimization routine then determines an optimized blade geometry using a gradient-based algorithm to generate new blade geometries to explore the minima until the weighted values of the design parameters converge at an optimized blade geometry representing the global minima of the design space.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 25, 2020
    Publication date: May 13, 2021
    Inventors: Peter Sharpe, Keegan Quigley, Thomas Sebastian, Joseph Belarge, Ryan Fontaine, David Maurer
  • Publication number: 20190144105
    Abstract: A center biased actuator having an outer cylinder, a slave cylinder linearly transposed within the outer cylinder, a rod assembly with a piston linearly transposed within the slave cylinder and a rod extending from the outer cylinder, one or more first dynamic seals arranged to act on a sidewall of the rod to inhibit hydraulic fluid leaking from the outer cylinder, one or more second dynamic seals arranged to act on a sidewall of the slave cylinder or an inner surface of the outer cylinder to inhibit hydraulic fluid leaking from the outer cylinder, and a gas chamber comprising a sealed expandable chamber containing gas. The expandable chamber is arranged to act on hydraulic fluid within the center biased actuator to bias the center biased actuator to assume an intermediate condition which lies between a compressed condition and an extended condition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2018
    Publication date: May 16, 2019
    Inventor: Peter Sharpe
  • Patent number: 10068613
    Abstract: Techniques related to intelligent selection of scene transitions are disclosed. In some example embodiments, a sequence of video segments may be received as input. The video segments may include a first segment that is adjacent to a second segment. Properties of the first segment and the second segment may be detected. The properties may be used to determine one or more categories for one or more transitions for connecting the first segment to the second segment. The one or more categories may be used to determine one or more placements for the one or more transitions. A digital video that includes the one or more transitions may be generated as output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: Animoto Inc.
    Inventors: Tim Wharton, Peter Sharp, Stephen J. Clifton
  • Patent number: 10032484
    Abstract: A digital video builder system with methodology for designer-controlled user interaction is described. In one embodiment, for example, a method comprises receiving, from interactive controls on a graphical user interface, configuration of a storyboard block of a storyboard of a target digital video to be created. The storyboard block represents a scene of the target digital video, comprises a media element slot and a scene parameter for configuring the media element slot, and corresponds to a scene specification having a plurality of scene variants for rendering the scene of the target digital video. The received configuration comprises a setting for the scene parameter. Based on the scene parameter setting, the method further includes automatically selecting one of the plurality of scene variants for use in rendering as part of the scene of the target digital video.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: Animoto Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas M. Clifton, Stephen J. Clifton, Tim Wharton, Krister Wombell, Brian Rhee, Peter Sharp
  • Patent number: 9789828
    Abstract: An assembly useful for providing structural reinforcement and/or sound/vibration damping to a hollow member of a motor vehicle is provided which contains an injection-molded carrier made of a heat resistant thermoplastic composition, at least one of the first side and the second side of the carrier has at least one receptacle adapted to receive and retain an insert comprised of a heat-expandable resin composition. The carrier may have a plurality of openings in at least one of the first side or the second side forming a grid or lattice and the assembly may include a mounting member adapted to fasten the carrier to an interior wall of a hollow member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: Henkel AG & Co. KGaA
    Inventors: Michael Lupini, Peter Sharpe
  • Publication number: 20170158316
    Abstract: An aircraft drive system having a fully electric speed-proportional control and drive system for the nose wheel of an aircraft in which variable steering authority is accomplished by monitoring of the signal from a tiller and rudder pedals by a nose wheel controller in conjunction with the speed of the aircraft, in order to command and power an electromechanical steering, actuator to achieve speed-proportional variable steering authority. This provides a system with a quicker response time than current hydraulic-based systems which can help reduce nose wheel shimmy, eliminate certain nose wheel steering failure modes associated with hydraulic systems, and reduce weight when used in small-to-medium sized aircraft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2016
    Publication date: June 8, 2017
    Inventor: Peter Sharpe
  • Publication number: 20170062009
    Abstract: A digital video builder system with methodology for designer-controlled user interaction is described. In one embodiment, for example, a method comprises receiving, from interactive controls on a graphical user interface, configuration of a storyboard block of a storyboard of a target digital video to be created. The storyboard block represents a scene of the target digital video, comprises a media element slot and a scene parameter for configuring the media element slot, and corresponds to a scene specification having a plurality of scene variants for rendering the scene of the target digital video. The received configuration comprises a setting for the scene parameter. Based on the scene parameter setting, the method further includes automatically selecting one of the plurality of scene variants for use in rendering as part of the scene of the target digital video.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2016
    Publication date: March 2, 2017
    Inventors: Thomas M. Clifton, Stephen J. Clifton, Tim Wharton, Krister Wombell, Brian Rhee, Peter Sharp
  • Publication number: 20170062008
    Abstract: Techniques related to intelligent selection of scene transitions are disclosed. In some example embodiments, a sequence of video segments may be received as input. The video segments may include a first segment that is adjacent to a second segment. Properties of the first segment and the second segment may be detected. The properties may be used to determine one or more categories for one or more transitions for connecting the first segment to the second segment. The one or more categories may be used to determine one or more placements for the one or more transitions. A digital video that includes the one or more transitions may be generated as output.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2016
    Publication date: March 2, 2017
    Inventors: Tim Wharton, Peter Sharp, Stephen J. Clifton
  • Patent number: 9485649
    Abstract: A wireless mesh network includes a plurality of wireless devices and a gateway organized in a multi hop mesh topology. Each wireless device maintains and reports radio statistics to the gateway, and also reports battery conditions of its power source. The device manager communicates with the gateway and provides an alert indicating existence of a pinch point within the mesh network based upon the radio statistics. When a low battery condition is reported by a device, the device manager determines whether loss of that device is a pinch point or will cause a pinch point, and provides a low battery alert prioritized based upon the pinch point analysis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Joseph Citrano, III, Daniel Clifford Carlson, Iain Peter Sharp, Mark Richard Ivison, Peter Hodgson, Kevin Andrew Shaw
  • Patent number: 9211909
    Abstract: A controller and control method for a motorized vehicle such a wheelchair are provided. The motorized vehicle has at least two driven wheels driven independently by a motor arrangement, and the controller receives a number of input signals from a user input device of the motorized vehicle. The controller comprises drive control circuitry for generating control signals for controlling the driving of the driven wheels by the motor arrangement, the control signals being dependent on the input signals. Speed assist circuitry is responsive to an indication of current consumed in driving the driven wheels to detect occurrence of a loading condition. On detection of occurrence of a loading condition, the speed assist circuitry is then arranged to boost at least one of the input signals in order to boost top speed in the presence of the loading condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: PENNY & GILES CONTROLS LIMITED
    Inventors: Nigel Peter Sharp, Glenn Leigh Garnett
  • Publication number: 20150266433
    Abstract: An assembly useful for providing structural reinforcement and/or sound/vibration damping to a hollow member of a motor vehicle is provided which contains an injection-molded carrier made of a heat resistant thermoplastic composition, at least one of the first side and the second side of the carrier has at least one receptacle adapted to receive and retain an insert comprised of a heat-expandable resin composition. The carrier may have a plurality of openings in at least one of the first side or the second side forming a grid or lattice and the assembly may include a mounting member adapted to fasten the carrier to an interior wall of a hollow member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 9, 2015
    Publication date: September 24, 2015
    Inventors: Michael Lupini, Peter Sharpe
  • Patent number: 8757077
    Abstract: The disclosure provides a method and system of coupling end-to-end at least two existing mooring lines (12A, 12B) that are already deployed from the floating platform (56) to the seabed or other connecting structure to create a single shared line from the two lines. The shared lines then form a single looped line with both ends deployed to the subsea connections. The shared length provides enough payout of line to loosen one line sufficiently, while the other line becomes correspondingly tighter using the catenary length of the tight line. In part, the line can be loosened while the other is tightened because the lines are generally in the same overall direction to the seabed, such as in a same quadrant around the platform. Thus, the lines share their available lengths to provide the necessary payout for the repairs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Technip France
    Inventors: David N. Edelson, Jim Wang, Andrew Buck, Peter Sharp, Timothy Arthur Hale
  • Patent number: D691050
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2013
    Assignee: Conopco Inc.
    Inventors: Bas Jeroen ten Brummelhuis, Andrew Peter Sharpe
  • Patent number: D696123
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2013
    Assignee: Conopco Inc.
    Inventors: Bas Jeroen ten Brummelhuis, Andrew Peter Sharpe
  • Patent number: D701122
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: Conopco Inc.
    Inventors: Bas Jeroen ten Brummelhuis, Andrew Peter Sharpe