Patents by Inventor Thomas M. Ritter

Thomas M. Ritter 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).

  • Wireless power for gas turbine engine instrumentation
    Patent number: 9664116
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine includes a compressor section, a combustor section and a turbine section mounted relative to an engine static structure. A module includes instrumentation that is mounted to the engine static structure. The module includes an energy harvesting power source that is configured to provide electricity to the instrumentation during engine operation and is independent of an external electrical power source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Bruce Hockaday, Thomas M. Ritter
  • WIRELESS POWER FOR GAS TURBINE ENGINE INSTRUMENTATION
    Publication number: 20150000303
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine includes a compressor section, a combustor section and a turbine section mounted relative to an engine static structure. A module includes instrumentation that is mounted to the engine static structure. The module includes an energy harvesting power source that is configured to provide electricity to the instrumentation during engine operation and is independent of an external electrical power source.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2014
    Publication date: January 1, 2015
    Inventors: Bruce Hockaday, Thomas M. Ritter
  • Station probe for gas turbine engines
    Patent number: 8839662
    Abstract: A station probe employed in a gas turbine engine includes a rake portion having a plurality of sensors for sensing conditions in the gas turbine engine. An environmental container attached to the rake portion includes signal conditioning circuitry that locally analyzes sensor signals received from the plurality of sensors to generate measured values, and a communication module for communicating the measured values to a control room.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2014
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Bruce Hockaday, Thomas M. Ritter
  • STATION PROBE FOR GAS TURBINE ENGINES
    Publication number: 20120324988
    Abstract: A station probe employed in a gas turbine engine includes a rake portion having a plurality of sensors for sensing conditions in the gas turbine engine. An environmental container attached to the rake portion includes signal conditioning circuitry that locally analyzes sensor signals received from the plurality of sensors to generate measured values, and a communication module for communicating the measured values to a control room.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 27, 2011
    Publication date: December 27, 2012
    Applicant: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Bruce Hockaday, Thomas M. Ritter
  • Turbine engine debris ingestion monitor
    Patent number: 5070722
    Abstract: A turbine engine debris ingestion monitor has an acoustic emission sensor 18, 18a mounted on a surface 14, 14a disposed in an air flow stream of a turbine engine 12. The sensor converts acoustic emissions 16, generated by particles of debris 10 impacting on the surface, into an electrical signal. A counting circuit 22 (FIG. 2) processes the signal resulting in an output, indicative of the level of debris ingested into the engine, which is recorded in the aircraft's flight data recording system 110.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 1990
    Date of Patent: December 10, 1991
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Michael W. Hawman, Thomas M. Ritter, Timothy M. Remmers