Patents by Inventor Ryan D. HOPPER

Ryan D. HOPPER 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: 11933528
    Abstract: Methods and systems provided for determining a phase state and/or for determining a degree of subcooling in a fluid. An exemplary method for operating a refrigeration cycle includes flowing a refrigerant through a metering device and calculating a pressure differential of the refrigerant across the metering device. Further, the method includes determining whether the refrigerant is a saturated liquid based on the pressure differential. The method includes, when the refrigerant is not a saturated liquid, cooling the refrigerant upstream of the metering device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS, LLC
    Inventors: Neeraj S Shidore, Min Sun, Ryan D Hopper, Cameron Paul Smith
  • Publication number: 20230168014
    Abstract: Methods and systems provided for determining a phase state and/or for determining a degree of subcooling in a fluid. An exemplary method for operating a refrigeration cycle includes flowing a refrigerant through a metering device and calculating a pressure differential of the refrigerant across the metering device. Further, the method includes determining whether the refrigerant is a saturated liquid based on the pressure differential. The method includes, when the refrigerant is not a saturated liquid, cooling the refrigerant upstream of the metering device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2021
    Publication date: June 1, 2023
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Neeraj S Shidore, Min Sun, Ryan D Hopper, Cameron Paul Smith
  • Publication number: 20230107888
    Abstract: A system includes a compressor outlet temperature module, a refrigerant quality module, and a correction factor module. The compressor outlet temperature module is configured to estimate a temperature at an outlet of a compressor in a thermal system of an electric vehicle. The refrigerant quality module is configured to estimate a quality of refrigerant at an inlet of the compressor based on an enthalpy at the compressor inlet and an inlet enthalpy correction factor. The refrigerant quality is a ratio of vapor refrigerant mass to total refrigerant mass. The correction factor module is configured to determine the inlet enthalpy correction factor based on the estimated compressor outlet temperature and a temperature measured at the compressor outlet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2021
    Publication date: April 6, 2023
    Inventors: Neeraj S. SHIDORE, Min SUN, David E. EDWARDS, Ryan D. HOPPER