Patents by Inventor William L. Ko

William L. Ko 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).

  • Method for predicting structure shape deformations
    Patent number: 10732073
    Abstract: The invention is a method for obtaining the curved displacement of a flexible structure by using strain measurements obtained by strain sensors. By obtaining the displacement of structures in this manner, one may accurately construct the deformed shape of the structure under large geometric nonlinear deformations and display said deformed shape in real-time, enabling active control of the structure shape if desired.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: U.S.A. as Represented by the Administration of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventors: William L Ko, Van T Fleischer, Shun-Fat Lung
  • Process for using surface strain measurements to obtain operational loads for complex structures
    Patent number: 7715994
    Abstract: The invention is an improved process for using surface strain data to obtain real-time, operational loads data for complex structures that significantly reduces the time and cost versus current methods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2010
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventors: William Lance Richards, William L. Ko
  • Method for real-time structure shape-sensing
    Patent number: 7520176
    Abstract: The invention is a method for obtaining the displacement of a flexible structure by using strain measurements obtained by stain sensors. By obtaining the displacement of structures in this manner, one may construct the deformed shape of the structure and display said deformed shape in real-time, enabling active control of the structure shape if desired.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2009
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventors: William L. Ko, William Lance Richards
  • Superplastically formed diffusion bonded metallic structure
    Patent number: 4292375
    Abstract: A structure particularly suited for use in aerospace industries comprising a base plate, a cover plate, and an orthogonally corrugated core including a pair of core plates formed of a superplastic alloy interposed between the base plate and the cover plate, in sandwiched relation therewith and bonded thereto, each of the core plates being characterized by a plurality of protrusions comprising square-based, truncated pyramids uniformly aligned along orthogonally related axes perpendicularly bisecting the legs of the bases of the pyramids and alternately inverted along orthogonally related planes diagonally bisecting the pyramids, whereby an orthogonally corrugated core is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 1979
    Date of Patent: September 29, 1981
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventor: William L. Ko