Patents by Inventor Randy M. Miller

Randy M. Miller 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: 20250116243
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine includes a turbomachine having a compressor section, a combustion section, and a turbine section arranged in serial flow order. The turbomachine defines an engine inlet to an inlet duct, a fan duct inlet to a fan duct, and a core inlet to a core duct. The primary fan is driven by the turbomachine, and a secondary fan is located downstream of the primary fan within the inlet duct. One or more actuation devices operably associated with the fan duct, the one or more actuation devices actuable to increase or decrease an exit area of the fan duct.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2024
    Publication date: April 10, 2025
    Inventors: William Joseph Bowden, Keith Edward James Blodgett, Mustafa Dindar, David Cerra, James Hamilton Grooms, Brandon Wayne Miller, Randy M. Vondrell, David Marion Ostdiek, Craig Williams Higgins, Alexander Kimberely Simpson
  • Patent number: 12270340
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine is provided. The gas turbine engine includes a turbomachine having a compressor section, a combustor, and a turbine section arranged in serial flow order, the turbomachine further including an outer casing and, during operation of the gas turbine engine, an exhaust gas flow from the turbine section; and a fuel cell assembly positioned within the outer casing of the turbomachine, the fuel cell assembly having a fuel cell defining an inlet positioned to receive a portion of the exhaust gas flow, an outlet positioned to provide output products directly to the exhaust gas flow, or both.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2024
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2025
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Honggang Wang, Brandon Wayne Miller, Michael Anthony Benjamin, Richard L. Hart, Randy M. Vondrell, Ryan St. Pierre
  • Patent number: 12261334
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine is provided. The gas turbine engine includes a turbomachine having a compressor section, a combustor, and a turbine section arranged in serial flow order, the turbomachine further including an outer casing; a fuel cell assembly positioned within the outer casing of the turbomachine, the fuel cell assembly including a fuel cell and an output products line in fluid communication with an outlet of the fuel cell for receiving output products from the fuel cell; a fuel delivery assembly including a fuel line; and a reformer in communication with the fuel line and the output products from the fuel cell during operation of the gas turbine engine to convert a fuel flow through the fuel line to a hydrogen rich gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2024
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2025
    Assignees: General Electric Company, General Electric Company Polska sp. z o.o.
    Inventors: Honggang Wang, Brandon Wayne Miller, Michael Anthony Benjamin, Richard L. Hart, Randy M. Vondrell, Ryan St. Pierre
  • Publication number: 20250020070
    Abstract: A lubrication system for a turbine engine. The turbine engine includes a fan having a fan shaft and one or more rotating components. The lubrication system includes one or more tanks that stores lubricant therein, a primary lubrication system, and an auxiliary lubrication system. The primary lubrication system supplies the lubricant from the one or more tanks to the one or more rotating components during normal operation of the turbine engine. The auxiliary lubrication system includes an auxiliary pump that is coupled to the fan shaft. The auxiliary lubrication system supplies the lubricant from the one or more tanks to the one or more rotating components based on a pressure of the lubricant in the primary lubrication system. Rotation of the fan shaft causes the auxiliary pump to pump the lubricant to the one or more rotating components.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 22, 2023
    Publication date: January 16, 2025
    Inventors: Arthur W. Sibbach, Brandon W. Miller, Andrew Hudecki, Randy M. Vondrell, Jeffrey D. Rambo
  • Publication number: 20220082254
    Abstract: A method includes processing data associated with operation of equipment in an industrial process to repeatedly (i) identify one or more models that mathematically represent the operation of the equipment using training data and (ii) generate first indicators potentially identifying at least one specified condition of the equipment using evaluation data and the one or more models. The method also includes classifying the first indicators into multiple classes. The multiple classes include true positive indicators and false positive indicators. The true positive indicators identify that the equipment is suffering from the at least one specified condition. The false positive indicators identify that the equipment is not suffering from the at least one specified condition. The method further includes generating a notification indicating that the equipment is suffering from the at least one specified condition in response to one or more first indicators being classified into the class of true positive indicators.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 24, 2021
    Publication date: March 17, 2022
    Inventors: Constantine A. Vitt, Anna Olecka, Randy M. Miller, Francois Leclerc, Wendy Foslien, Hao He, William Groves
  • Patent number: 11215363
    Abstract: A method includes processing data associated with operation of equipment in an industrial process to repeatedly (i) identify one or more models that mathematically represent the operation of the equipment using training data and (ii) generate first indicators potentially identifying at least one specified condition of the equipment using evaluation data and the one or more models. The method also includes classifying the first indicators into multiple classes. The multiple classes include true positive indicators and false positive indicators. The true positive indicators identify that the equipment is suffering from the at least one specified condition. The false positive indicators identify that the equipment is not suffering from the at least one specified condition. The method further includes generating a notification indicating that the equipment is suffering from the at least one specified condition in response to one or more first indicators being classified into the class of true positive indicators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Constantine A. Vitt, Anna Olecka, Randy M. Miller, Francois Leclerc, Wendy K. Foslien, Hao He, William Groves
  • Patent number: 11105664
    Abstract: A method includes obtaining pressure measurements associated with fluid that passes through a flow restrictor, where the pressure measurements identify pressures upstream and downstream from the flow restrictor. The method also includes generating estimated flow measurements based on the pressure measurements. The method further includes comparing the estimated flow measurements and actual flow measurements generated by a flow meter that is fluidly coupled to the flow restrictor. In addition, the method includes determining whether a problem exists based on the comparison. The flow restrictor could provide a fixed restriction or a variable restriction for the fluid. An overall loss coefficient associated with the flow restrictor could be used to generate an estimated flow measurement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Randy M. Miller, Paul A. Sweeney, Nestor J. Perozo Piña
  • Patent number: 10823598
    Abstract: A method includes obtaining actual flow measurements generated by a flow meter, where the actual flow measurements identify a flow of material in a passageway. The method also includes generating estimated flow measurements based on process variable measurements other than the actual flow measurements. The method further includes comparing the estimated flow measurements and the actual flow measurements and determining whether a problem exists based on the comparison. The estimated flow measurements could be generated using one or more models mathematically representing how the flow of material in the passageway relates to non-flow process variables associated with the process variable measurements. The process variable measurements could be obtained from one or more sensors associated with a flow restrictor in the passageway, one or more sensors positioned within the passageway, and/or one or more sensors positioned outside the passageway.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventor: Randy M. Miller
  • Patent number: 10746405
    Abstract: A method includes obtaining data associated with operation of equipment in an industrial process and identifying training data and evaluation data in the obtained data. The method also includes, during each of multiple training periods, identifying one or more models and one or more first statistical values using at least some of the training data and determining a threshold value using the one or more first statistical values. The one or more models represent the operation of the equipment. The method further includes, during each of multiple evaluation periods, determining one or more second statistical values using at least some of the evaluation data and the one or more models, comparing the one or more second statistical values to the threshold value determined in a preceding one of the training periods, and determining whether the equipment is suffering from at least one specified condition based on the comparison.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Constantine A. Vitt, Anna Olecka, Randy M. Miller, Francois Leclerc, Wendy K. Foslien, Hao He, William Groves
  • Publication number: 20180306443
    Abstract: A method includes processing data associated with operation of equipment in an industrial process to repeatedly (i) identify one or more models that mathematically represent the operation of the equipment using training data and (ii) generate first indicators potentially identifying at least one specified condition of the equipment using evaluation data and the one or more models. The method also includes classifying the first indicators into multiple classes. The multiple classes include true positive indicators and false positive indicators. The true positive indicators identify that the equipment is suffering from the at least one specified condition. The false positive indicators identify that the equipment is not suffering from the at least one specified condition. The method further includes generating a notification indicating that the equipment is suffering from the at least one specified condition in response to one or more first indicators being classified into the class of true positive indicators.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2017
    Publication date: October 25, 2018
    Inventors: Constantine A. Vitt, Anna Olecka, Randy M. Miller, Francois Leclerc, Wendy K. Foslien, Hao He, William Groves
  • Publication number: 20180306442
    Abstract: A method includes obtaining data associated with operation of equipment in an industrial process and identifying training data and evaluation data in the obtained data. The method also includes, during each of multiple training periods, identifying one or more models and one or more first statistical values using at least some of the training data and determining a threshold value using the one or more first statistical values. The one or more models represent the operation of the equipment. The method further includes, during each of multiple evaluation periods, determining one or more second statistical values using at least some of the evaluation data and the one or more models, comparing the one or more second statistical values to the threshold value determined in a preceding one of the training periods, and determining whether the equipment is suffering from at least one specified condition based on the comparison.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2017
    Publication date: October 25, 2018
    Inventors: Constantine A. Vitt, Anna Olecka, Randy M. Miller, Francois Leclerc, Wendy K. Foslien, Hao He, William Groves
  • Publication number: 20180274961
    Abstract: A method includes obtaining actual flow measurements generated by a flow meter, where the actual flow measurements identify a flow of material in a passageway. The method also includes generating estimated flow measurements based on process variable measurements other than the actual flow measurements. The method further includes comparing the estimated flow measurements and the actual flow measurements and determining whether a problem exists based on the comparison. The estimated flow measurements could be generated using one or more models mathematically representing how the flow of material in the passageway relates to non-flow process variables associated with the process variable measurements. The process variable measurements could be obtained from one or more sensors associated with a flow restrictor in the passageway, one or more sensors positioned within the passageway, and/or one or more sensors positioned outside the passageway.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 29, 2017
    Publication date: September 27, 2018
    Inventor: Randy M. Miller
  • Publication number: 20180274956
    Abstract: A method includes obtaining pressure measurements associated with fluid that passes through a flow restrictor, where the pressure measurements identify pressures upstream and downstream from the flow restrictor. The method also includes generating estimated flow measurements based on the pressure measurements. The method further includes comparing the estimated flow measurements and actual flow measurements generated by a flow meter that is fluidly coupled to the flow restrictor. In addition, the method includes determining whether a problem exists based on the comparison. The flow restrictor could provide a fixed restriction or a variable restriction for the fluid. An overall loss coefficient associated with the flow restrictor could be used to generate an estimated flow measurement.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 17, 2017
    Publication date: September 27, 2018
    Inventors: Randy M. Miller, Paul A. Sweeney, Nestor J. Perozo Piña