Patents by Inventor Timothy A. Roberts

Timothy A. Roberts 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: 11630748
    Abstract: Methods and systems for operating internal systems of a vehicle are provided. Aspects include providing a field programmable gate array (FPGA), the FPGA including a communication channel port, wherein the communication channel port is operable to connect to one or more systems through a communication channel, and wherein the FPGA is configured to operate in one or more control modes, receiving a communication channel input to the communication channel port of the FPGA, based at least in part on the communication channel input, determining a control mode from the one or more control modes, and operating the FPGA in the control mode, wherein the control mode is associated with one system of the one or more systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: HAMILTON SUNDSTRAND CORPORATION
    Inventors: Robert P. Wichowski, Timothy A. Roberts, Patrick J. Sears
  • Patent number: 11199585
    Abstract: Diagnosing whether controllers of internal vehicle systems are the source of failures detected by a system control managing a vehicle such as a spacecraft. Highspeed data is received via at a field programmable gate array (FPGA) embedded in an assembly of the vehicle. The FPGA includes a controller and a digital diagnostic interface. In one embodiment, the diagnostic interface utilizes Very Highspeed Integrated Circuit (VHSIC) Hardware Description Language (VHDL) for performance modeling of a controller configured to control at least one internal system within the vehicle. The VHDL performance models the controller. Upon receiving an indication of a failure, the performance modeling of the controller is used to ascertain whether or not the controller is the source of the failure. Disassembly of the assembly housing the internal system is not required in order to ascertain whether or not the controller is the source of the failure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: HAMILTON SUNDSTRAND CORPORATION
    Inventors: Robert P. Wichowski, Timothy A. Roberts, Darren Woodman, Nicholas Van Derzee
  • Patent number: 11117686
    Abstract: Providing collision avoidance protection to controllers sharing the same sensor. Each of a pair of asynchronous controllers changes the period of a sync pulse transmitted to the other controller to indicate to the other controller it is synchronized. When one of the controllers begins reading data from the shared sensor, the other controller waits to receive another sync pulse for indicating when the controller is finished reading data from the shared sensor. Thus, the asynchronous controllers avoid accessing the same sensor at the same time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: HAMILTON SUNDSTRAND CORPORATION
    Inventors: Robert P. Wichowski, Patrick J. Sears, Timothy A. Roberts
  • Publication number: 20200310936
    Abstract: Methods and systems for operating internal systems of a vehicle are provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2019
    Publication date: October 1, 2020
    Inventors: Robert P. Wichowski, Timothy A. Roberts, Patrick J. Sears
  • Publication number: 20200307832
    Abstract: Providing collision avoidance protection to controllers sharing the same sensor. Each of a pair of asynchronous controllers changes the period of a sync pulse transmitted to the other controller to indicate to the other controller it is synchronized. When one of the controllers begins reading data from the shared sensor, the other controller waits to receive another sync pulse for indicating when the controller is finished reading data from the shared sensor. Thus, the asynchronous controllers avoid accessing the same sensor at the same time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2019
    Publication date: October 1, 2020
    Inventors: Robert P. Wichowski, Patrick J. Sears, Timothy A. Roberts
  • Publication number: 20200312061
    Abstract: Diagnosing whether controllers of internal vehicle systems are the source of failures detected by a system control managing a vehicle such as a spacecraft. Highspeed data is received via at a field programmable gate array (FPGA) embedded in an assembly of the vehicle. The FPGA includes a controller and a digital diagnostic interface. In one embodiment, the diagnostic interface utilizes Very Highspeed Integrated Circuit (VHSIC) Hardware Description Language (VHDL) for performance modeling of a controller configured to control at least one internal system within the vehicle. The VHDL performance models the controller. Upon receiving an indication of a failure, the performance modeling of the controller is used to ascertain whether or not the controller is the source of the failure. Disassembly of the assembly housing the internal system is not required in order to ascertain whether or not the controller is the source of the failure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2019
    Publication date: October 1, 2020
    Inventors: Robert P. Wichowski, Timothy A. Roberts, Darren Woodman, Nicholas Van Derzee
  • Patent number: 10516474
    Abstract: A peripheral component interconnect (PCI) device is provided for use in an environmental control and life support system (ECLSS). The PCI device includes a control card, mounting slots each of which is receptive of the control card and coupled with a piece of ECLSS equipment and a backplane configured to respectively provide, via communication and power signals, communications and power to the control card in any one of the mounting slots. With the control card received in one of the mounting slots, the control card accommodates multiple power levels, executes commutation logic and executes one or more of active current control and active current modulation in accordance with the one of the mounting slots and the piece of the ECLSS equipment coupled therewith.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2019
    Assignee: HAMILTON SUNDSTRAND CORPORATION
    Inventors: Darren Woodman, Kevin G. Hawes, Patrick J. Sears, Timothy A. Roberts
  • Publication number: 20180259091
    Abstract: An electromechanical system has a component to be positioned, a rotary permanent magnet motor for positioning the component, and sensors for determining an apparent position of the component based upon rotation of the permanent magnets. A control counts movement of the permanent magnets that pass the sensors in a desired direction and also in an undesired direction. The control reaches an actual position of the component based upon both directions of rotation. The control also compares the actual position to an expected position of the component and identifies a need to calibrate should a difference between the actual and expected positions differ by more than a determined amount. A method is also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 10, 2017
    Publication date: September 13, 2018
    Inventors: Robert P. Wichowski, Patrick J. Sears, Diego S. Mugurusa, Timothy A. Roberts
  • Publication number: 20100038480
    Abstract: A barrier system for aircraft outwash flowing on an aircraft landing surface includes a plurality of barrier panel assemblies. Each of the barrier panel assemblies has a first end disposed adjacent a second end of another of the barrier panel assemblies, and each of the barrier panel assemblies has a flow surface for confining and mitigating aircraft outwash.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 14, 2008
    Publication date: February 18, 2010
    Applicant: CNA Corporation
    Inventors: Kuang-Ming Wu, Timothy A. Roberts
  • Patent number: 4835910
    Abstract: A honing device for simultaneously honing a plurality of commonly mounted discrete cutting elements such as multi-blade broadheads, treble fishhooks, and replaceable multi-blade broadheads. The honing device includes spaced-apart honing surfaces disposed relative to one another for simultaneously engaging and honing at a determined angle on each honing surface, a cutting edge of one of the commonly mounted discrete cutting elements. Interposed between an integral with adjacent edges of the spaced-apart honing surfaces is an accommodation for supporting the ferrule or common mounting device of the discrete cutting elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 1987
    Date of Patent: June 6, 1989
    Assignee: TruAngle Broadhead Hones, Inc.
    Inventor: Timothy A. Roberts
  • Patent number: 4696129
    Abstract: A honing device for simultaneously honing a plurality of commonly mounted discrete cutting elements such as multi-blade broadheads, treble fishhooks, and replaceable multi-blade broadheads. The honing device includes spaced-apart honing surfaces disposed relative to one another for simultaneously engaging and honing at a determined angle on each honing surface, a cutting edge of one of the commonly mounted discrete cutting elements. Interposed between and integral with adjacent edges of the spaced-apart honing surfaces is an accommodation for supporting the ferrule or common mounting device of the discrete cutting elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 1986
    Date of Patent: September 29, 1987
    Inventor: Timothy A. Roberts