John J Sterba

Title: John J. Sterba: Inventor of a Robust Flat Plate Exhaust Sensor

Introduction

John J. Sterba is an inventor associated with Clio, Michigan, and GM Global Technology Operations, Inc. His work includes a patented design for a flat plate exhaust sensor intended to address thermal expansion mismatch in earlier glass-seal sensors.

Latest Patents

Sterba is credited with 1 patent: “Flat Plate Sensor with a Robust Package Design.” The invention features a flat plate sensing element carried by a ceramic insulator with an upwardly extending annular ring. A disc-shaped recess in the ring is filled with glass seal, connecting the seal to the sensor and insulator.

The design also uses upper and lower tubular shells, a shaped foot, and an upper insulator seated on the glass seal. An active metal braze gasket forms an intermediate seal, while a braze ring joins the shells to provide an external seal. Together, these features address thermal expansion mismatch associated with prior glass-seal sensor designs.

Career Highlights

Sterba’s listed patent work is connected with GM Global Technology Operations, Inc. The sensor design reflects an engineering focus on packaging and sealing components to improve robustness under thermal conditions.

Collaborations

Venkatesh Rajagopalan and Kurt W. Wright are identified as Sterba’s coworkers. Their names provide context for his professional environment, though the supplied information does not specify their roles in the patent.

Conclusion

John J. Sterba’s patent describes a robust flat plate exhaust sensor package that combines ceramic, glass-seal, and brazed components to address thermal expansion mismatch.