Patents by Inventor Thomas P. Donohoue

Thomas P. Donohoue 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: 5067820
    Abstract: A circuit for measuring temperature differentials in a calorimeter is disclosed. The temperature differential between the reference element and sample element containing a radioactive material is measured via a wheatstone bridge arrangement of thermistors. The bridge is driven with an alternating current on a pulsed basis to maintain the thermal floor of the calorimeter at a low reference value. A lock-in amplifier connected to the bridge phase locks a signal from the bridge to the input pulsed AC signal to provide a DC voltage. The DC voltage is sampled over time and provided to a digital computer. The digital computer, using curve fitting algorithms, will derive a function for the sample data. From the function, an equilibrium value for the temperature may be calculated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 1990
    Date of Patent: November 26, 1991
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy
    Inventors: Thomas P. Donohoue, Christopher P. Oertel, William H. Tyree, Joe L. Valdez