Patents Assigned to ABB Research
  • Patent number: 9231929
    Abstract: A method is provided for security key renewal performed in a key management device of a communication system. The communication system includes two or more communication devices communicating data packets by using a first security key for transmission and reception.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: ABB RESEARCH LTD
    Inventors: Johan Åkerberg, Linus Thrybom
  • Patent number: 9217775
    Abstract: Systems and methods for characterizing a device that operated to clear a fault in a power line, such as a power distribution system feeder, are disclosed. Characterizing the device may include receiving measured data corresponding to a current measured along the feeder proximate a substation bus, determining from the measured data that a fault has occurred in at least one phase and has been cleared, subtracting reference data from the measured data to estimate residual fault data, and estimating from the residual fault data a characteristic of the device that operated to clear the fault. The systems may include an Intelligent Electronic Device (IED) and a processor linked to the IED.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2015
    Assignee: ABB Research Ltd.
    Inventors: Mirrasoul Mousavi, Kari Saarinen, James Stoupis, John McGowan
  • Patent number: 9214883
    Abstract: The subject matter described herein includes an active compensatory augmented diode bridge rectifier system. According to one aspect, the system includes a generator unit configured to generate a current flow made up entirely of active current and a diode rectifier configured to receive the active current from the generator unit, to direct the active current to a connected power grid, and to receive a reactive current. The system further includes an active compensator configured to optimize the generator unit to produce the active current and to generate the reactive power used to facilitate the operation of the diode rectifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: ABB RESEARCH LTD.
    Inventors: Hongrae Kim, Jouko Niiranen, Jyoti Sastry
  • Patent number: 9207668
    Abstract: A robot having a force sensor and a tool fixture for operating on a workpiece that may have a complex surface contour is programmed by an operator first teaching the robot by a suitable technique such as lead through teaching a few gross points of the contour. These points, known as guiding points, are used to generate a program to be followed by the robot under the control of the robot controller and using force control during which the robot finalizes the guiding points and teaches one or more points on the contour intermediate adjacent guiding points. The controller or other computing device uses the points so taught to generate the path the robot tool fixture will follow when the tool is to operate on the workpiece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: ABB Research Ltd.
    Inventors: Hui Zhang, Torgny Brogardh, Jianjun Wang, George Zhang
  • Patent number: 9208936
    Abstract: An encapsulated delta transformer for medium to high voltages includes a hermetically sealed housing that encloses a volume, a delta shaped transformer arranged in the housing, and a passageway for a fluid. The passageway protruding through the housing and the volume enclosed by the passageway is in fluidal connection to an outside of the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: ABB RESEARCH LTD
    Inventors: Jasmin Smajic, Arthouros Iordanidis, Bernardo Galletti, Thorsten Steinmetz, Bernhard Petermeier
  • Patent number: 9201419
    Abstract: A method of monitoring and controlling an industrial process associated with a plurality of process variables by a control system including displaying a set of process related images which are user-selected on a display device of the control system, each process related image of the set of process related images being associated with a process variable of the plurality of process variables; receiving process variable data of the plurality of process variables while the step of displaying is carried out, and when process variable data is received indicating that a process variable has a status value outside a predetermined accepted range; and displaying, on the display device, a process related image which is associated with the process variable with the status value outside the predetermined accepted range, receiving an input command for controlling the process variable, and controlling the process variable based on the input command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: ABB Research Ltd.
    Inventors: Susanne Timsjo, Martin Olausson, Hongyu Pei-Breivold
  • Patent number: 9202168
    Abstract: A method of identifying at least one event zone subject to an event in a substation environment of an electrical grid. Thereby, data from multiple intelligent electronic devices can be synthesized in real-time whereby an operator can be presented with a single conclusion describing the event attributes thereby helping the operator to determine the mitigation actions as needed. The method includes receiving first event related data from the intelligent electronic devices, and based on the first event related data, determining whether the at least one monitoring zone subject to the event is a primary monitoring zone of at least one of the intelligent electronic devices or a non-primary monitoring zone for all of the intelligent electronic devices using ensemble decision making and probabilistic methods. It is also presented a system for carrying out the method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: ABB Research Ltd.
    Inventors: Kari Saarinen, Mirrasoul Mousavi
  • Patent number: 9199382
    Abstract: An industrial robot with a manipulator arm including at least one manipulator element and an electric motor driving the at least one manipulator element. An energy reservoir supplies the electric motor with electricity when a power failure or power loss occurs to move the manipulator element from a working position to a safe parking position. Also a method of parking a manipulator arm of an industrial robot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: ABB RESEARCH LTD.
    Inventors: Ivan Lundberg, Roger Mellander, Hector Zelaya De La Parra, Mats Källman
  • Patent number: 9198061
    Abstract: An industrial process control system including a process control device, a first wireless communication network, a second wireless communication network and a first group of wireless field devices interfacing the industrial process and being associated with the first network. The network supervisor device investigates if the field devices of the first group are able to communicate with the process control device via the first network while meeting a communication restriction requirement, and redirects, in case the requirement is not met, communication between some of the field devices in the first group and the process control device to the second network so that the requirement is met for a first part of the field devices using the first wireless communication network and for a second part of the field devices using the second wireless communication network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: ABB Research Ltd.
    Inventors: Tiberiu Seceleanu, Tomas Lennvall
  • Patent number: 9197068
    Abstract: Multi-terminal HVDC systems and control methods therefore are disclosed. Methods for controlling multi-terminal HVDC systems having a plurality of converter stations may include receiving a plurality of measurements from a plurality of measurement units disposed on the HVDC system, identifying from the measurements a disruption within the HVDC system, monitoring the measurements to identify a steady-state disrupted condition for the HVDC system, calculating a new set point for at least one of the plurality of converter stations, which new set point may be based on the steady-state disrupted condition and the measurements, and transmitting the new set point to the at least one of the plurality of converter stations. In some examples, the HVDC systems may include an HVDC grid interconnecting the plurality of converter stations and a controller communicatively linked to the plurality of measurement units and the plurality of converter stations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: ABB Research Ltd.
    Inventors: Reynaldo Nuqui, Jiuping Pan, Kailash Srivastava, Tomas Jonsson
  • Publication number: 20150333966
    Abstract: A network management agent, device or module determine the network topology of a communication network based on at least one neighbor network or end device identity and corresponding network link communication delay collected from, determined by, and stored in a Management Information Base of, at least one first network device of the communication network. Neighbor identities and communication delays are determined according to the IEEE 1588 standard.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2014
    Publication date: November 19, 2015
    Applicant: ABB RESEARCH LTD
    Inventor: Hubert KIRRMANN
  • Publication number: 20150319630
    Abstract: A method for communication between a wireless device node in a wireless sensor network (WSN) and control apparatus or control processes of an industrial control system is used to determine a method of radio transmission which provides a greater or a lesser measure of transmission quality between nodes. Thus a transmitter node measures a transmission quality metric of at least one packet received from two or more different switching branches, identifies which of the two or more switching branches has the greater transmission quality metric, distributes data packets with a first priority to the switching branch with the greater transmission quality metric, and transmits data packets with the first priority such as real-time data on the switching branch with the greater transmission quality metric. A wireless node, a sensor network system and a computer program for carrying out the method are described.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2013
    Publication date: November 5, 2015
    Applicant: ABB RESEARCH LTD
    Inventors: Johan ÅKERBERG, Mikael GIDLUND
  • Patent number: 9171659
    Abstract: A radial water barrier is provided for a dynamic high-voltage submarine cable. The water barrier includes a corrugated metal tube having an inner diameter in a range of 50-90 mm and a corrugation pitch in a range of 6-10 mm. The metal tube has a wall thickness in a range of 0.7-1 mm and a corrugation depth of more than 6 mm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignee: ABB Research Ltd
    Inventors: Andreas Tyrberg, Erik Eriksson, Johan Ekh
  • Patent number: 9171250
    Abstract: The method of determining back-feed paths is capable of efficiently solving multi-layer restoration problems by minimizing a fitness function using an iterative genetic algorithm. The method optimizes back-feeding of out-of-service areas by minimizing power loss, switching, unserved loads and voltage/current violations. The efficiency of the algorithm is further increased through the use of a reactive Tabu search to prevent duplicate candidate systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignee: ABB Research Ltd.
    Inventors: Zhenyuan Wang, Vaibhav D. Donde, James Stoupis, Wenping Li, William Peterson
  • Publication number: 20150293550
    Abstract: A method and system restores power in a power distribution network. The network includes a plurality of power sources, a plurality of loading zones, a plurality of switching devices interconnected between the plurality of power sources and the plurality of loading zones, and an intelligent electronic device associated with each of the plurality of switching devices to control the switching devices. A base network state is defined and a power restoration logic is created for the base network state. A simulation is run for the power restoration logic and then the power restoration logic is transmitted to a power restoration controller which thereafter monitors and controls the intelligent electronic devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2015
    Publication date: October 15, 2015
    Applicant: ABB Research LTD.
    Inventors: Fang Yang, Vaibhav Donde, Zhenyuan Wang, James Stoupis, David Lubkeman
  • Patent number: 9154018
    Abstract: An electric machine including a closed chamber with a wall and enclosing a stator, a rotor and a first fluid and a heat exchanging unit stretching from the chamber through the wall to a fluid transporting passage. The heat exchanging unit includes conduits provided in a loop, containing a working fluid and equipped with evaporator channels and condenser channels, first heat transfer elements inside the chamber for transferring heat from the first fluid to the working fluid via the evaporator channels and second heat transfer elements in the passage for transferring heat out of the working fluid via the condenser channels to a second fluid, a first fluid propagating unit inside the chamber forcing the first fluid to circulate and a second fluid propagating unit in the passage forcing the second fluid to flow past the second heat transfer element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2015
    Assignee: ABB Research Ltd.
    Inventors: Bruno Agostini, Cajetan Pinto, Christian Meckel, Mathieu Habert
  • Publication number: 20150280523
    Abstract: Rotors for electrical machines and methods of fabricating the same are disclosed. Electrical machine rotors may include a hollow non-magnetic shaft, an active region, and a plurality of coolant passages extending within the active region. The hollow non-magnetic shaft may extend along an axis and have an exterior surface that defines a shaft space extending along the axis. At least a portion of the active region may be disposed within the shaft space.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2013
    Publication date: October 1, 2015
    Applicant: ABB RESEARCH LTD.
    Inventors: Darren D. Tremelling, Yujing Liu
  • Publication number: 20150275966
    Abstract: Rotating machines and rotors therefor are disclosed. The bearings may be magnetic bearings configured to magnetically levitate the rotor. The rotors may include a hollow fiber-reinforced composite shaft and a magnetic bearing rotor core disposed on the shaft and configured for use with the magnetic bearing. In some examples, the rotating machines may be electrical machines.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2013
    Publication date: October 1, 2015
    Applicant: ABB RESEARCH LTD.
    Inventors: Darren Dale Tremelling, Dezheng Wu, Steven Carl Englebretson, Simon E. Mushi, Se Young Yoon, Yujing Liu
  • Patent number: 9146175
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and a device for detecting abnormal changes in play in a transmission unit configured to transfer rotational movements of a motor, having a speed of rotation that depends on a torque reference signal (Tref), to a movable mechanical unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2015
    Assignee: ABB Research Ltd
    Inventors: Kari Saarinen, Shiva Sander-Tavallaey
  • Publication number: 20150270697
    Abstract: A protection relay is disclosed that generates a trip signal to operate a circuit breaker in case of a fault condition. A first module provides measurement and analysis of power parameters of the power line connecting the power equipment that is being protected, the protection being provided by generating a first trip signal for operating a circuit breaker connected in the power line. One or more second modules can boost performance of the protection relay by measurement and analysis of power parameters-to generate a second trip signal for operating a circuit breaker connected in the power line. The first trip signal and the second trip signal are logically combined to generate a trip signal that operates the circuit breaker.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2015
    Publication date: September 24, 2015
    Applicant: ABB RESEARCH LTD
    Inventors: Hariram SATHEESH, Bernhard DECK, GN KRISHNAMOORTHY, Mallikarjun KANDE, Sanjeev KOUL, Naman RAVAL, Nayan SHAH, Vishal H. SHAH