Patents Examined by Sean Gugger
  • Patent number: 11699966
    Abstract: An exciter drive circuit comprises a direct current (DC) link to provide a positive DC voltage to a positive voltage exciter rail and a negative DC voltage to a negative voltage exciter rail. An exciter winding includes a first exciter terminal connected to the positive voltage exciter rail and an opposing second exciter terminal connected to the negative voltage exciter rail. A flyback circuit establishes a first flyback current path that conducts the current from exciter winding in response to an inductive flyback event. A flyback fault protection circuit establishes a second flyback current path that conducts the current from exciter winding in response to the inductive flyback event and a fault present in the flyback circuit. The second flyback current path delivers the current output by the exciter winding from the negative voltage exciter rail to the positive voltage exciter rail.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2023
    Assignee: HAMILTON SUNDSTRAND CORPORATION
    Inventors: Brennan Fox, Adrian E. Vandergrift
  • Patent number: 11689017
    Abstract: A method of mitigating high frequency harmonics in an output current of an electrical power system connected to a power grid includes providing an active harmonic filter in a stator power path connecting a stator of the generator to the power grid. Further, the method includes controlling, via a controller, the active harmonic filter to selectively extract a high frequency harmonic component from the output current. The method also includes determining, via the controller, whether the high frequency harmonic component is a positive sequence harmonic or a negative sequence harmonic. Moreover, the method includes compensating, via the controller, for the high frequency harmonic component based on whether the high frequency harmonic component is the positive sequence harmonic or the negative sequence harmonic to mitigate the high frequency harmonics in the output current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Renovables Espana, S.L.
    Inventors: Kapil Jha, Arvind Kumar Tiwari
  • Patent number: 11689079
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a field of door/window hardware accessories, in particular to a door/window pulley, a pulley device, and a door/window. The present disclosure provides the bearing and the anti-deformation metal ring that can be in contact with the track, the anti-deformation metal ring use rigidity itself to effectively avoid generating indentation, and the door/window pulley is also difficult to be pressed to cause deformation. Moreover, the inner part of the injection molded body is filled between the bearing and the anti-deformation metal ring, which not only well transfers pressure bore by the anti-deformation metal ring when load-bearing to the bearing, but also restores the anti-deformation metal ring after slight deformation by giving an outward elastic support to the anti-deformation metal ring using elasticity of the injection molded body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Inventor: Liyong Zhao
  • Patent number: 11689022
    Abstract: A method for mitigating voltage disturbances at a point of interconnection (POI) of a grid-forming inverter-based resource (IBR) due to flicker includes receiving a voltage reference command and a voltage feedback. The voltage feedback contains information indicative of the voltage disturbances at the POI due to the flicker. The method also includes determining a power reference signal for the IBR based on the voltage reference command and the voltage feedback. Moreover, the method includes generating a current vector reference signal based on the power reference signal, the current vector reference signal containing a frequency component of the voltage disturbances. Further, the method includes generating a transfer function of a regulator based on the frequency component to account for the flicker effect. In addition, the method includes generating a current vector based on a comparison of the current vector reference signal and a current vector feedback signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Renovables Espana, S.L.
    Inventors: Veena Padmarao, Arvind Kumar Tiwari, Subbarao Tatikonda, Kapil Jha, Shan Shine
  • Patent number: 11680556
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure include a retrofit auxiliary nacelle yaw position control system that enables advanced nacelle yaw position control of a wind turbine by comparing a desired nacelle yaw position signal with the actual nacelle yaw position and generating a virtual relative wind direction signal that is provided to the existing turbine control unit. This method and system enable implementation of wake steering, collective yaw optimization and dynamic yaw optimization of a collection of wind turbines referred to as a wind plant. Modification of the existing turbine control unit is not required, greatly simplifying the implementation process of advanced yaw control strategies on existing wind plants.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: WindESCo, Inc.
    Inventors: Nathan L. Post, Brendan F. Taylor, Peter Bachant, Jonathan A. Kossuth, Mohit Dua
  • Patent number: 11682990
    Abstract: A method for controlling an inverter-based resource (IBR) having a power converter and a generator connected to an electrical grid includes determining an available active power of the electrical grid. The method also includes determining an available active power of the IBR based on an effect of a speed and a rating of the generator. Further, the method includes determining a minimum available active power based on the available active power of the electrical grid and the available active power of the IBR. Moreover, the method includes determining an active power limit change for the IBR based on one or more thermal margins of the IBR. In addition, the method includes determining an active power estimation as a function of the minimum available active power and the active power limit change. The method further includes providing the active power estimation to a supervisory controller for controlling the IBR.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Renovables Espana, S.L.
    Inventors: Igor Berroteran, Enno Ubben
  • Patent number: 11661856
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine includes a sump housing, an electric generator, and a shaft assembly and includes features for directing lubrication fluid away from the electric generator. The sump housing is configured to collect the lubrication fluid and air used in the gas turbine engine. The electric generator is located in the sump housing and configured to produce electric energy during use of the gas turbine engine. The shaft assembly extends through the electric generator and may be coupled with the electric generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce North American Technologies Inc.
    Inventor: Kerry J. Lighty
  • Patent number: 11661909
    Abstract: A rotary detonation rocket engine generator system can include an axial drive shaft operably coupleable to an electrical generator. At least one support arm is radially coupled to the axial drive shaft and has corresponding rotary detonation rocket engines. An air-fuel mixing chamber receives ambient air and fuel to form an air-fuel mixture and deliver the air-fuel mixture to an annular combustion chamber. At least one pulse detonation combustion chamber is in fluid communication with the annular combustion chamber to receive an oxidizer and fuel to form an oxidizer-fuel mixture. The at least one pulse detonation combustion chamber creates a detonation wave that travels along the at least one pulse detonation chamber to the annular combustion chamber and ignites the air-fuel mixture as the detonation wave travels around the annular combustion chamber to generate thrust force that causes rotation of the axial drive shaft to drive the electrical generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Inventor: Donald Gene Taylor
  • Patent number: 11655759
    Abstract: A power generation system comprising a shared hot side thermal store, a shared cold side thermal store, a plurality of power subunits, and an electrical bus is disclosed. Each of the power subunits may connected or isolated from the shared hot side thermal store and/or the shared cold side thermal store.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: MALTA, INC.
    Inventors: Raj B. Apte, Philippe Larochelle, Julian Green
  • Patent number: 11644013
    Abstract: A nacelle for a wind turbine, the nacelle includes: a nacelle housing; a rotor hub; and a rotor bearing for bearing the rotor hub on the nacelle housing, wherein the rotor bearing has at least one inner ring element and at least one outer ring element, wherein a first sliding bearing element and a second sliding bearing element are arranged between the two ring elements. Moreover, a bearing clearance adjusting device is formed, by which a bearing clearance between the sliding bearing element and the cooperating ring element may be adjusted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: Miba Gleitlager Austria GmbH
    Inventor: Johannes Sebastian Hoelzl
  • Patent number: 11646685
    Abstract: Electric machine drive systems, and related electric machine embodiments, include technologies for providing redundancy of shaft information of one or more electric machines between converter controllers of the corresponding system. The converter controllers are configured to control operation of power converters, which control one or more electric machines. The disclosed technologies include establishing one or more communication buses between the converter controllers to share the shaft information, which may be based on analog signals from a single, common resolver and/or from different, redundant resolvers depending on the embodiment. For example, in some embodiments, converter controllers communicatively connected to the same resolver may include separate resolver-to-digital converters (RDCs) to provide redundancy of the RDCs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce Corporation
    Inventors: Firman Sasongko, Md Shafquat Ullah Khan, Rejeki Simanjorang
  • Patent number: 11644010
    Abstract: The present invention is an energy storage system comprising a mechanical bellows having an outer flexible material casing with one or more functional elements that operate as actuators for expanding and contracting the outer flexible material casing to store or deliver energy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: STAR SAILOR ENERGY, INC.
    Inventor: Pamela A. Menges
  • Patent number: 11641171
    Abstract: A control device (110) includes a first multiplexing unit (202) configured to segregate a first PWM signal having a first switching frequency into a second PWM signal having a second switching frequency and a third PWM signal having a third switching frequency. Also, the control device (110) includes an integrator unit (204) configured to generate a first integrated signal and a second integrated signal based on the second PWM signal and the third PWM signal, and a modulator unit (206) configured to receive the first integrated signal and the second integrated signal and generate a modulation signal based on the first integrated signal and the second integrated signal. Furthermore, the control device (110) includes a generator unit (208) configured to receive the modulation signal and generate a fourth PWM signal having a fourth switching frequency different from the first switching frequency based on the modulation signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Kapil Jha, Olive Ray
  • Patent number: 11634021
    Abstract: The power device for a vehicle includes: a wheel bearing including a stationary ring and a rotary ring having a hub flange, the rotary ring being rotatably supported by the stationary ring via rolling element, the hub flange being configured to be attached with a wheel of a vehicle and a brake rotor; and a generator including a stator attached to the stationary ring of the wheel bearing and a rotor attached to the rotary ring of the wheel bearing, wherein the rotor includes a soft magnetic material part, magnets, and a resin material part that is integrally molded with the soft magnetic material part and the magnets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: NTN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mitsuo Kawamura, Kentaro Nishikawa, Yuuji Yada, Yasuyuki Fujita, Hiroki Yabuta
  • Patent number: 11619210
    Abstract: The present subject matter relates to a gearbox system for a wind turbine. The gearbox may have a gearbox housing defining an inner gearbox volume. The gearbox system further comprises at least one reservoir for storing lubricant and a lubricant provision arrangement. In addition, a lubricant return arrangement is provided. Thus, the gearbox system comprises a lubrication cycle, in particular a closed lubrication cycle, wherein lubricant is provided from the reservoir through the lubricant provision arrangement to lubrication locations of the gearbox, and is subsequently returned to the reservoir passing through the lubricant return arrangement. Furthermore, the gearbox system includes an aeration arrangement which is connected to the gearbox volume and which has specifically configured restriction means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Jacob Johannes Nies
  • Patent number: 11619208
    Abstract: A wind turbine drive system includes a plurality of drive devices, a state quantity detection unit, and a control unit. The plurality of drive devices are provided in a first structure (a nacelle), and a ring gear is provided in a second structure (a tower). Each of the drive devices includes a motor drive portion, a speed reducing portion, and a motor braking portion for braking the motor drive portion. The state quantity detection unit detects a load between a meshing portion of each of the drive devices and the ring gear. Based on the thus detected load for the each of the drive devices, the control unit controls at least one of the motor drive portion and the motor braking portion so as to reduce a degree of variation in the load among the drive devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2023
    Assignee: NABTESCO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Osamu Nohara, Haruna Osako
  • Patent number: 11616420
    Abstract: Provided is a free piston generator based on a split thermodynamic cycle, which belongs to the technical field of power energy. The present disclosure solves the problem of low power generation efficiency of an existing free piston generator. The free piston generator includes a linear generator set and two internal combustion engine sets arranged at two ends of the linear generator set. Air is first subjected to first-stage compression by the low-pressure cylinder set in the internal combustion engine sets and is then subjected to second-stage compression in the high-pressure cylinders, so that the intake pressure of an internal combustion engine is effectively increased, which is favorable for increasing the average effective pressure in a work process, thereby improving the thermal efficiency and the power generation efficiency of the free piston generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: HARBIN ENGINEERING UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Long Liu, Yuanheng Tang, Chen An, Xiao Han, Junjie Liu, Qihao Mei, Hao Zhao, Zhichun Xu
  • Patent number: 11588412
    Abstract: An example power system for supplying AC output power to an AC load includes: a variable-speed generator configured to be driven by a prime mover, the generator comprising a first winding and a reference tap in the first winding; a rectifier configured to rectify an input voltage from the first winding to output a positive DC signal with respect to the reference tap and a negative DC signal with respect to the reference tap; a first boost converter configured to convert the positive DC signal to generate a positive DC bus voltage with respect to the reference tap; a second boost converter configured to convert the negative DC signal to generate a negative DC bus voltage with respect to the reference tap; and an inverter circuit configured to convert the positive DC bus voltage and the negative DC bus voltage to an AC output signal with respect to the reference tap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
    Inventor: Travis Orvedahl
  • Patent number: 11581743
    Abstract: The invention concerns a method for coupling to the grid a hydraulic unit having a synchronous generator, a runner, and wicket gates. The method includes a step of increasing the flow of water into the runner from a time t0 to a time t1 so that the rotation frequency of the rotor of the synchronous generator is, at time t1 equal to the frequency of the grid, and closing the circuit breaker at time t1. A sub-interval from a time t2 to time t1 is defined, with t0<=t2<t3<=t1, wherein a sub-step is executed to apply an adjustment torque to the shaft line via a first actuator that controls the flow of water into the runner and a second actuator coupled to a stator of the synchronous generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: GE Renewable Technologies
    Inventors: Renaud Guillaume, Quentin Alloin, Olivier Teller
  • Patent number: 11569712
    Abstract: A method for preventing damage in a bearing of a generator of an electrical power system includes monitoring one or more electrical signals of a power conversion assembly of the electrical power system. The method also includes estimating an impedance path of common mode current from a terminal to ground using the operating parameter(s) of the power conversion assembly. Further, the method includes determining a one or more magnitudes and/or a one or more phase angles of the impedance path at different frequencies, such a switching frequency and/or harmonics. Moreover, the method includes determining whether the impedance path is indicative of degradation in at least one of bearing insulation or a ground brush of the generator based on a change in the one or more magnitudes and/or the one or more phase angles. In addition, the method includes implementing a control action when the impedance path is indicative of degradation in the bearing insulation and/or the ground brush of the generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Renovables Espana, S.L.
    Inventors: Rupam Mukherjee, Kapil Jha, Arvind Kumar Tiwari, Kum Kang Huh, Robert Gregory Wagoner