Patents Examined by Ryan Ellis
  • Patent number: 8807944
    Abstract: An airfoil component for use in a turbomachine, and method of promoting the heat transfer characteristics within the component. The component includes an airfoil portion having a span-wise direction delimited by an airfoil root and airfoil tip, and a chord-wise direction delimited by leading and trailing edges. A chamber within the airfoil portion contains a permeable foam member. The chamber is fluidically connected to a cooling fluid source and to a cooling hole through first and second passages, respectively, within the airfoil portion. The chamber is located relative to the first and second passages so as to be offset in the chord-wise direction therefrom so that cooling fluid entering the chamber through the first passage is diverted by the foam member in the chord-wise direction before exiting the airfoil portion through the cooling hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Gary Michael Itzel, Adebukola O. Benson
  • Patent number: 8807938
    Abstract: A combined ceiling fan and light fitting (fan/light) having folding fan blades is provided. The fan light has a blade support arranged to be rotated by an electric motor, with blades being secured to the blade support, a root end of each blade being pivotable between folded and operative positions about a blade pivot axis fixed in the blade support. In one aspect of the invention, an improved mechanism is provided for synchronizing movement of the blades. This uses a sun gear mounted to the blade support and arranged to mesh with planet gears that rotate about the blade pivot axes. In addition improvements are provided to blades and blade mounting arrangements that balance compact folding of the blades and good air moving effectiveness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Beacon Lighting International Limited
    Inventor: Joe Villella
  • Patent number: 8801387
    Abstract: Provided is a wind turbine blade that can improve aerodynamic performance in a blade-tip region and reduce aerodynamic noise. A wind turbine blade includes a blade body having a chord length that decreases from a blade root side to a blade tip side, wherein the blade body includes a blade-tip region in which a dimensionless radial position is within the range of 0.6 to 1.0, inclusive, the dimension less radial position being the ratio of radial position to blade radius (½ of a blade diameter), and a blade-body region in which the dimensionless radial position is smaller than 0.6, and wherein a maximum-blade-thickness position of a blade cross-section in the blade-tip region is closer to a leading edge than a maximum-blade-thickness position of a blade cross-section in the blade-body region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Koji Fukami
  • Patent number: 8801373
    Abstract: A metal sealing material used in a sealing device which can reduce a gap between a stator and a rotor of a turbine. The metal sealing material used in a sealing device for a stator and a rotor of a turbine includes a surface layer and a lower layer composed of a porous metal layer, wherein the porosity of the surface layer is smaller than the porosity of the lower layer; the porosity of the surface layer is 60 to 65% and the porosity of the lower layer is 67 to 75% or less; and the porous metal layer has a thickness of 0.3 to 3.0 mm and may include, as a main component, an MCrAlY alloy where M is either one of Ni and Co or both thereof, and h-BN as a solid lubricant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Hitachi Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshitaka Kojima, Hideyuki Arikawa, Akira Mebata, Hiroyuki Doi, Hajime Toriya, Kenjiro Narita
  • Patent number: 8801364
    Abstract: An impeller or axial stage compressor disk backface shroud for use with a gas turbine engine is disclosed. The backface shroud includes, but is not limited to, a substantially funnel shaped body having a surface. The substantially funnel shaped body is configured to be statically mounted to the gas turbine engine substantially coaxially with the impeller or axial stage compressor disk. The surface and a backface of the impeller or axial stage compressor disk form a cavity that guides an airflow portion to a turbine when the substantially funnel shaped body is mounted coaxially with the impeller or axial stage compressor disk and axially spaced apart therefrom. The airflow portion has a tangential velocity and a recessed groove in the surface of the backface shroud is oriented generally transversely to the tangential velocity to at least partially interfere with the airflow portion, thus affecting static pressure in the cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Mark C. Morris, Alexander MirzaMoghadam, Khosro Molla Hosseini, Kin Poon, Jeff Howe, Alan G. Tiltman
  • Patent number: 8794916
    Abstract: An annular shroud surrounding tip ends of turbine blades is fitted on an inner peripheral surface of an open end of a turbine case. In order to prevent the shroud from being dropped off in an axial direction by a retaining part provided on a retaining ring fitted on an outer peripheral surface of the open end of the turbine case, an annular groove formed in the outer peripheral surface of the turbine case and an annular groove formed in an inner peripheral surface of the retaining ring are opposed to each other, and a connection wire is inserted so as to straddle the two annular grooves, thereby connecting the retaining ring to the turbine case. Accordingly, it is possible to easily perform attachment/detachment of the retaining ring with respect to the turbine case only by inserting the connection wire into or pulling it out from the two annular grooves, thereby facilitating maintenance of the shroud and the turbine blades.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yoshiyuki Ura
  • Patent number: 8790085
    Abstract: There is provided a combined ceiling fan and light fitting (10) having blades (1-4) that when the ceiling fan is not in use retract and are stowed above an enclosure (12) containing a light emitting device and that when the fan is in use are extended under centrifugal force. The blades are formed in such a way as to both stow compactly above the enclosure and provide reasonable aerodynamic performance. Each blade partially overlies a neighboring blade when in its stowed position and the blades are so formed as to permit such stacking while limiting the overall height of the assemblage of stowed blades.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Beacon Lighting International Limited
    Inventor: Joe Villella
  • Patent number: 8790072
    Abstract: A bearing assembly for supporting a drive shaft of a pump is structured with a cylindrical body having an internal cavity filled with a lubricant, a sealing element arrangement positioned at one or both ends of the cylindrical body and a pressure equalization element that functions to equalize the pressure differential that exists between an area within the cylindrical body and outside of the cylindrical body to improve the operating life of the sealing arrangement and the bearing assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Weir Floway, Inc.
    Inventor: Daniel E. Boldt
  • Patent number: 8784060
    Abstract: A centrifugal fan has a circular main plate driven and rotated by a motor rotary shaft, a plurality of blades fixed to an outer circumferential portion of the main plate and spaced apart at predetermined intervals in a circumferential direction of the main plate, and a side plate attached to ends of the blades opposite to the main plate. An air inlet port is formed at the center of the side plate. The side plate inclines outward in centrifugal directions from the air inlet port and has an arcuate cross section with a predetermined radius of curvature. A dead water region reducing space is formed between the blades and the side plate. The dead water region reducing space forms a smooth flow between the two surfaces of each blade, bringing about desirable blade performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: Daikin Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Toru Iwata, Zhiming Zheng
  • Patent number: 8784040
    Abstract: A ventilator includes a body casing having an opening formed in its lower portion and an exhaust port formed on one side; a fan that is provided in the body casing, for sucking indoor air from the opening and exhausting the indoor air from the exhaust port; a resin fan casing that has a suction port and forms an air passage of the fan; a protection frame formed outside the air passage to cover a terminal block provided outside the air passage; a resin terminal block cover that watertightly seals a protection frame opening of a lower portion of the protection frame and is opened and closed; a sheet-metal case that is provided in the protection frame and stores the terminal block; and a sheet-metal terminal block cover that opens and closes a lower opening of the sheet-metal case.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Kenji Masuda, Yoshikatsu Nankaku, Daisuke Nagasaki, Akihiro Ikawa
  • Patent number: 8777569
    Abstract: A turbine stator vane with cooling air cavities each having an impingement cooling insert secured therein, and an impingement cooling insert secured within each cavity. A leading edge impingement insert and a mid-chord impingement insert have a section on the pressure side wall with impingement holes forming a parallel flow of impingement cooling air and a section on the suction side wall with a sinusoidal shaped piece that forms a series of impingement cooling holes that produces impingement cooling on cooler surfaces of the airfoil but with less cooling air flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2014
    Assignee: Florida Turbine Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: George Liang
  • Patent number: 8757974
    Abstract: A cooled airfoil includes an impingement rib having a multiple of openings which supply a cooling airflow from a cooling circuit flow path toward an airfoil leading edge. The multiple of openings are offset in the impingement rib opposite an outer airfoil wall which includes gill holes. Offsetting the multiple of openings opposite an outer airfoil wall which includes the gill holes focuses the cooling airflow across turbulators to increase the cooling airflow dwell time to increase the thermal transfer therefrom in higher temperature airfoil areas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Tracy A. Propheter-Hinckley, Young H. Chon, Joseph W. Bridges, Jr.
  • Patent number: 8721286
    Abstract: A fan assembly includes a device for creating an air flow and an air outlet for emitting the air flow, the air outlet being mounted on a pedestal including a base and a height adjustable stand. The base includes an oscillating mechanism for oscillating the stand and the air outlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Dyson Technology Limited
    Inventors: Peter David Gammack, James Dyson
  • Patent number: 8721264
    Abstract: A compressor rotor for a turbomachine including at least two disks on a common axis carrying blades and connected together by a tubular wall, forming a surface of revolution, and a centripetal air bleed mechanism including air passages passing through the tubular wall, together with a wall extending along the tubular wall from the through passages up to one of the disks to channel the air stream inside the tubular wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: SNECMA
    Inventors: Laurent Donatien Behaghel, Laurent Gille, Benjamin Philippe Pierre Pegouet
  • Patent number: 8721289
    Abstract: A cover of an airfoil having opposing pressure and suction sides of a rotatable turbine stage to prevent fluid from crossover-flowing from a pressure side of a leading airfoil to a suction side of a trailing airfoil is provided. The cover includes pressure and suction side edge portions, one of which having a shape that is discontinuous relative to that of a complementary one of suction and pressure side edge portions of an aft cover of a corresponding one of a trailing and a leading airfoil, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Joshy John, Rajnikumar Nandalal Suthar, Rajaguru Nathan Krishnasamy
  • Patent number: 8684680
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine shroud includes a plurality of shroud segments disposed circumferentially one adjacent to another to form a full, circumferentially segmented ring about the rotor. The radial seal between each pair of adjacent shroud segments is positioned on the back side of the shroud platform. Cooling underneath the radial seals may be done by conduction heath transfer through the platform of the shroud segments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
    Inventors: Yves Martin, Franco Di Paola
  • Patent number: 8678772
    Abstract: An intake cone for a gas-turbine engine has an essentially conical body 5 located on a retaining ring 3 connected to a fan rotor disk, with the body 5 being designed as one piece over its axial length and connected at a conical locating area to a rigidly designed conical supporting area borne on a fan rotor disk.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG
    Inventor: Martina Dieling
  • Patent number: 8672611
    Abstract: A rotary blood pump includes a casing defining a pumping chamber. The pumping chamber has a blood inlet and a tangential blood outlet. One or more motor stators are provided outside of the pumping chamber. A rotatable impeller is within the pumping chamber and is adapted to cause blood entering the pumping chamber to move to the blood outlet. The impeller has one or more magnetic regions. The impeller is radially constrained in rotation by magnetic coupling to one or more motor stators and is axially constrained in rotation by one or more hydrodynamic thrust bearing surfaces on the impeller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: HeartWare, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey A. LaRose, Charles R. Shambaugh
  • Patent number: 8672618
    Abstract: A fluid flow machine has a main flow path which is confined by a hub (3) and a casing (2) and in which at least one row of variable stator vanes (1) is arranged. The stator vanes (1) are rotatably borne around a rotary axis 4. On at least one of the hub (3) and the casing (2), at least one arrangement with at least two stator vanes (1) connected to a common rotary base (5) is provided, such that the at least two stator vanes (1) are rotatable around the rotary axis (4) when this multi-vane variable stator unit is varied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG
    Inventor: Volker Guemmer
  • Patent number: 8668454
    Abstract: A cooling system for the fillet of a turbine blade is provided. The blade includes an airfoil transitioning to a platform having a flow path surface. The transition region is defined by a fillet. A cooling passage is formed in the platform and extends about at least a portion of the periphery of the airfoil. The cooling passage is located proximate to the flow path surface and is substantially aligned with at least a portion of the fillet. Coolant is delivered to the passage by a supply hole, which can reduce the temperature in the fillet region. As a result, thermal gradients in the fillet region can be minimized, which can reduce thermal stresses. An exhaust hole extends between the passage and the flow path surface of the platform. Thus, coolant discharged from the exhaust holes enters the flow path of the turbine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Siemens Energy, Inc.
    Inventor: David J. Wiebe