Patents Examined by Juan G Flores
  • Method of manufacturing wind turbine rotor blades
    Patent number: 11313346
    Abstract: Provided is a method of manufacturing wind turbine rotor blades, wherein each rotor blade includes an inboard section and an outboard section, and wherein an inboard blade section including a root end and a transition region is manufactured using a first casting process; and an outboard blade section including an airfoil region is manufactured using a second casting process, which second casting process is different from the first casting process. The invention further describes a wind turbine rotor blade manufactured using such a method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: SIEMENS GAMESA RENEWABLE ENERGY A/S
    Inventors: Peder Bay Enevoldsen, Steffen Frydendal Poulsen
  • Pivot for a sliding bearing
    Patent number: 11313244
    Abstract: The invention relates to a pivot (58) for a sliding bearing of an epicyclic train, comprising an annular wall (50) defining an axial passage (51) and comprising a first (52c) and a second (54c) annular groove opening axially in opposite directions (L1, L2) and each defined by two coaxial inner (52a, 54a) and outer (52b, 54b) annular branches formed at the axial ends of the annular wall (50). According to the invention, the recesses (60) are made in at least one bottom wall (52d, 54d) of one of the annular grooves (52c, 54c).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: SAFRAN TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS
    Inventors: Alexis Claude Michel Dombek, Julie Marie Renée Lemoine
  • Lubrication system
    Patent number: 11313454
    Abstract: A lubrication system for a gas turbine engine, the system comprising: a gearbox, the gearbox comprising a sump; an oil tank; a primary gearbox lubrication system configured to pump oil from the oil tank to lubricate the gearbox with a gearbox primary feed; a secondary gearbox lubrication system, configured to lubricate the gearbox with oil from the sump when the oil level in the sump reaches a predetermined level; wherein the system is configured to increase the oil level in the sump to at least the predetermined level in response to a failure of the primary gearbox lubrication system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE PLC
    Inventor: Neil J. Davies
  • Industrial ceiling fan structure
    Patent number: 11313374
    Abstract: An industrial ceiling fan structure utilizes a coupling structure between the fan blades and the motor main unit and the design of a pressing member attached to the mounting segment of the root of each fan blade to enhance the fan blade mounting strength. Furthermore, the ceiling fan motor provides an outer race and an inner race to secure the permanent magnets without an adhesive, thereby preventing the permanent magnets from loosening and improving the service life of the ceiling fan motor. In addition, through the heat dissipation structure of the outer casing of the motor main unit and the structure of the lamp, the heat dissipation of both the lamp and the motor main unit of the ceiling fan can be achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Inventor: Mao-Tu Lee
  • Method for separation of a metallic element glued to an element made of a composite material
    Patent number: 11286776
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method of separating at least one portion of a metallic part (3) glued to a composite material part (2) of the carbon-epoxy type, comprising a step to degrade the glued interface between the metallic part (3) and the composite material part (2). The metallic part (3) and the composite material part (2) are electrically connected to a dc electrical voltage generator so that an electrical potential difference can be applied to them to generate partial discharges in the glued interface to degrade the interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: SAFRAN AIRCRAFT ENGINES
    Inventor: Mathieu Julien Charlas
  • Relating to wind turbine rotor angle sensing systems
    Patent number: 11286911
    Abstract: This application describes a method of detecting an error in a rotor angle sensing system of a wind turbine, where the wind turbine comprises a rotor including a plurality of wind turbine blades, a blade load sensor associated with a respective one of the wind turbine blades, and a rotor angle sensing system configured to output a rotor angle signal. The blade load sensor is configured to output a measured blade load signal. The method comprises generating an estimated blade load signal based on at least the rotor angle signal; comparing the estimated blade load signal with the measured blade load signal to determine a phase difference between them; and identifying an error if the phase difference between the estimated blade load signal and the measured blade load signal exceeds a predetermined threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: VESTAS WIND SYSTEMS A/S
    Inventors: Fabio Caponetti, Kristian Kiib, Dan Hilton
  • Impeller and rotary machine
    Patent number: 11280349
    Abstract: An impeller includes: a disk having a first disk member that has a tubular shape centered on an axis, and a second disk member that has a tubular shape centered on the axis and is arranged on a first side of the first disk member in a direction of the axis; a blade that is formed integrally with the second disk member; and a cover that forms a flow passage between the cover and the second disk member by covering the blade from an outer peripheral side. A recessed portion, which is recessed from the first side toward a second side in the direction of the axis, is formed in an annular-shape around the axis in the first disk member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES COMPRESSOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshifumi Kanno, Nobuyori Yagi, Akihiko Morikawa
  • Centrifugal pump
    Patent number: 11280344
    Abstract: A centrifugal pump includes at least one pump stage, with a rotatable impeller (5) with a suction port (6) which is sealed with respect to a stationary pump part (1) by way of a sealing arrangement. The sealing arrangement includes a sealing ring (9) between the impeller (5) and the stationary pump part (1). The sealing arrangement is configured such that at least on delivery operation of the pump, the sealing arrangement has sealing sections which are distanced to the counter sealing surface and sealing sections which bear on the counter sealing surface, in an alternatingly successive manner considered in the peripheral direction of the sealing ring (9).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: Grundfos Holding A/S
    Inventors: Brian Lundsted Poulsen, Lasse Søgaard Ledet
  • Bearing installation and fixation structure and compressor
    Patent number: 11280343
    Abstract: Some embodiments of the disclosure provide a bearing installation and fixation structure and a compressor. The bearing installation and fixation structure includes: a rotatable shaft (7); a bearing (6), provided on the rotatable shaft (7) in a sleeving manner; and an axial locating member, provided on the rotatable shaft (7) in a sleeving manner and including a fixing connecting section (1) and an axial locating section (2) that are integrated with each other; the fixing connecting section (1) is detachably fixed on the rotatable shaft (7); and the axial locating section (2) limits a position of the bearing (6) axially.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignees: GREE ELECTRIC APPLIANCES (WUHAN) CO., LTD, GREE ELECTRIC APPLIANCES, INC. OF ZHUHAI
    Inventors: Nan Jiang, Zhiping Zhang, Ruixing Zhong, Caiyun Jiang, Yuhui Chen, Yi Zhou, Liandong Lei, Zengyue Liu, Jian Chen, Xinwang Ouyang
  • Fan and a fan lamp thereof
    Patent number: 11280350
    Abstract: A fan, which has a downrod and a motor fixed at the bottom of the downrod; the motor drives a rotating disc, and a plurality of mounting brackets are installed on the rotating disc, which can swing up and down in the vertical direction with the connection with the rotating disk as a shaft; the outer end of the mounting bracket can be rotatably installed with a blade, the blade and the mounting bracket can swing up and down in the vertical direction as a whole so as to be adjusted to the most balanced position, canceling the vibration caused by the installation and weight error of the blade, and carry out internal self-regulation, so it can reduce the overall shaking; the blade does not have an upwarped part, and there is a certain distance between the adjacent two blades, which will not cover and overlap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Inventor: Min Li
  • Adjustment and/or drive unit, wind turbine having same, and method for controlling same
    Patent number: 11280316
    Abstract: Adjustment and/or drive units that can be used in wind turbines to set the azimuth angle of the wind turbine nacelle or the pitch angle of the rotor blades, wherein such an adjustment and/or drive unit has at least two actuating drives for rotating two assemblies, which are mounted for rotation relative to each other, and has a control device for controlling the actuating drives, which control device controls the actuating drives in such a way that the actuating drives are braced in relation to each other during the rotation of the two assemblies and/or at a standstill of the assemblies. The invention further relates to a wind turbine having such an adjustment and/or drive unit and to a method for controlling such an adjustment and/or drive unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: Liebherr-Components Biberach GmbH
    Inventors: Johannes Müller, Martin Dahl, Oliver Wennheller, Clemens Christ, Oliver Fenker
  • Rotodynamic pump and method
    Patent number: 11280342
    Abstract: A method of controlling a delivery pressure of an aircraft engine fuel system includes operating a rotodynamic fuel pump hydraulically connected to the fuel system to pump a fluid from an inlet of the rotodynamic pump and out of an outlet of the rotodynamic pump for delivery to the fuel system. The method further includes varying an angular relationship between the inlet and the outlet of the pump to control the delivery pressure. An aircraft engine fuel system and a rotodynamic pump are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventors: David Waddleton, Benjamin Renaud, Sebastien Bergeron, Etienne Plamondon, Jean-Gabriel Gauvreau
  • Ceiling fan system with brushless motor
    Patent number: 11268528
    Abstract: A fan system includes a motor, a rotatable hub, and a plurality of fan blades. The motor is coupled with the hub by a hollow drive shaft, such that the drive system of the fan system is gearless. The motor is controlled by a PFC-based control module, which is in communication with sensors that are configured to sense parameters associated with operation of the fan system. The control module is configured to react in certain ways to certain conditions detected by the sensors, such that the fan system uses feedback-based control algorithms. A remote control panel is in communication with the control module. The remote control panel is operable to display fault conditions detected by the sensors. Blade retainers prevent fan blades from falling when a fan blade breaks free from the hub. Pins prevent the hub from falling when the hub breaks free from the rotor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: DELTA T, LLC
    Inventors: Richard A. Oleson, J. Carey Smith, Richard W. Fizer, Richard M. Aynsley, Elios Klemo
  • Fan blade
    Patent number: 11261734
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a fan blade for a gas turbine engine, the fan blade comprising an aerofoil portion having a leading edge extending from a root to a tip, the radial distance between the leading edge at the root and the leading edge at the tip defining a blade span. A maximum thickness of the cross-sections through the aerofoil portion from a suction surface of the aerofoil portion to a pressure surface of the aerofoil portion perpendicular to the camber line decreases along the blade span from the root to the tip. There is a discontinuity in the rate of decrease of maximum thickness between a radius at 30% of the blade span from the aerofoil root and 70% of the blade span from the aerofoil root. The rate of decrease of the maximum thickness before the discontinuity is less than the rate of decrease of the maximum thickness after the discontinuity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE PLC
    Inventors: Stephane M M Baralon, George Crammond, Stuart Andrews
  • Distributed nested cell damping system
    Patent number: 11261738
    Abstract: A nested lattice structure for use in a damping system for a turbine blade includes a first lattice structure including: a first outer passage including a hollow interior; a second outer passage including a hollow interior; and an outer node including a hollow interior and forming an intersection of the first outer passage and the second outer passage. The nested lattice structure includes a second lattice structure nested within the hollow interior of the first lattice structure. The second lattice structure includes: a first inner passage; a second inner passage; and an inner node forming an intersection of the first inner passage and the second inner passage. Each of the first inner passage, the second inner passage, and the inner node are nested within the respective first outer passage, the second outer passage, and the outer node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Suryarghya Chakrabarti, Changjie Sun
  • Balancing systems and methods for an engine of an aircraft
    Patent number: 11261740
    Abstract: A balancing system and method for an engine of an aircraft includes a housing retaining a magnetorheological fluid including magnetic particles within a carrier fluid. Electromagnets are coupled to the housing. The electromagnets are associated with fan blades of the engine. A balancing control unit is in communication with the electromagnets and sensors of the fan blades.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: THE BOEING COMPANY
    Inventor: Milan Stefanovic
  • Systems and methods for improving start up wear performance of carbon seals
    Patent number: 11255205
    Abstract: An improved face seal may comprise a seal housing having an annular extrusion, and a primary seal coupled to the seal housing. The primary seal comprises a sealing face and a base opposite the sealing face, wherein the primary seal has an annular structure coaxial with the annular extrusion with the base proximate a first end of the seal housing. The sealing face comprises a disrupted surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: Raytheon Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Santosh Ranganath, Andrew C Kilguss, William P Ogden, James P. Hammond
  • Gas turbine rotor having structure for adjusting axial clearance, and gas turbine having same
    Patent number: 11242771
    Abstract: A gas turbine rotor includes: a first rotor in a shaft shape extending by a predetermined length in an axial direction, and provided with an insertion hole at an end of the first rotor; a second rotor in a shaft shape extending by a predetermined length in the axial direction, and provided with an insertion part extending by a predetermined length at an end of the second rotor and corresponding to the insertion hole such that the insertion part is inserted into the insertion hole; and a connecting member mounted between the insertion hole and the insertion part to connect the first rotor and the second rotor together, and made of a material having a thermal expansion coefficient different from a thermal expansion coefficient of both the first rotor and the second rotor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Inventor: Kibaek Kim
  • Fan locking and disconnection device and related systems
    Patent number: 11231041
    Abstract: Various fan blade locking devices which operate to lock the blades of a fan in place and disconnect power to the fan. The locking device has an actuable bolt that, when in the locked position, extends to and contacts the fan blades and thereby stops the fan blades from turning. Additionally, the bolt has a contact washer coupled thereto such that the contact washer can engage with and disengage from a switch, thereby completing or interrupting a circuit supplying power to the fan, which allows for the locking device to prevent the fan from being actuated while the bolt is in contact with the fan blades.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: LANKOTA GROUP, INC.
    Inventor: Daniel McGaugh
  • Control method for a wind turbine
    Patent number: 11220996
    Abstract: A wind turbine includes at least one wind speed sensor, a number of pitch-adjustable rotor blades, and a control system for changing the pitch of the rotor blades and/or a generator torque. The the control system determines at time intervals an error parameter as the difference between an estimated wind speed and a measured wind speed as measured by the wind speed sensor. Then, based on a number of pre-defined wind speed intervals, a group of error parameters is obtained over time for each wind speed interval. For each wind speed interval and for each group of error parameters a wind speed offset is determined based on the average of the error parameters within the group which wind speed offsets are used in adjusting the measured wind speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: VESTAS WIND SYSTEMS A/S
    Inventor: Johnny Nielsen