Patents Examined by Stefan Mikailoff
  • Patent number: 8354759
    Abstract: A wind powered apparatus (or wind turbine) having two sets of counter rotating blades. Both sets of blades are connected to an alternator and are operable to rotate the stator and rotor thereof in opposite directions relative to one another, thereby doubling their relative speed. The apparatus is equipped with a conical front nose piece having a blunt tip that co-operates with the first and second sets of blades to improve performance of the apparatus by affecting its orientation and the rotational speed of the blades.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2013
    Assignee: Biro Air Energy Inc.
    Inventor: Harold Marchand
  • Patent number: 8338978
    Abstract: A wind power plant includes a wind turbine generator and an electrical storage device that supply electric power to a utility grid. A wind-turbine controller performs for the wind turbine generator an acoustic-noise suppression operation in which the rotational speed of blades is controlled in order to suppress acoustic noise, and also calculates a reduction in output power that is the difference in output power between the normal output power and the acoustic-noise-suppression output power. An electrical-storage-device controller causes the electrical storage device to be charged or discharged, based on the reduction in output power, the acoustic-noise-suppression output power, and the grid-demanded output power demanded from the utility grid. Therefore, the wind power plant can supply, to the utility grid, the electric power demanded from the utility grid even when the operation of suppressing the occurrence of acoustic noise is performed for the wind turbine generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Akira Yasugi, Kasumi Yano
  • Patent number: 8310211
    Abstract: An auto-regulated motion power system apparatus that may be used to generate usable electricity from disparate energy sources includes a combination of a variable frequency alternator driven by a primary mover and coupled to a load. An energy control module includes a closed-loop feedback system coupled to a pulse width modulation controller and a switch mode rectifier. The alternator has a modulated control signal input having the ability to vary in frequency and voltage with an output having a controlled voltage and varying frequency. The switch mode rectifier accepts variable AC voltages from the alternator and outputs a constant predetermined DC voltage both to one side of the windings of the alternator and to a first side of a high frequency switch. An output on the pulse width modulation generator is connected to a switch control so that when the switch is closed, current flows through the windings of the alternator and when the switch is open, no current flows through the windings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: Advanced Power Systems, LLC
    Inventors: Robert Mount, David Spencer
  • Patent number: 8247917
    Abstract: A control method for a wind turbine generator and storage battery unit connected to a power grid in parallel, includes calculating total active power and total reactive power, and switching between: a first mode in which the generator outputs turbine required active power and reactive power that can be outputted by the generator and the battery unit outputs battery required active power and battery required reactive power which correspond to a difference between the total active power and the turbine required active power and a difference between the total reactive power and the turbine required reactive power respectively; and a second mode in which the battery required active power is maintained and the battery required reactive power is reduced while the turbine reactive power is increased by an amount of the reduction of the battery required reactive power wherein apparent power exceeds a set battery unit apparent power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Akira Yasugi, Masaaki Minami
  • Patent number: 8242619
    Abstract: Provided is a wind power generation system intending to suppress an increase of torque when a voltage in a utility grid is restored, and to reduce a load to devices due to the torque. The blade control unit controls the pitch angle of the wind turbine blades such that a rotation speed of the power generator becomes equal to or greater than a synchronous rotation speed when the power control unit de-actuates the operations of the converter and the inverter, and controls the pitch angle of the wind turbine blades such that the pitch angle matches a target pitch angle that is determined based on one of a wind speed, a rotation speed of the power generator, and a requested output power when the power control unit re-actuates the operations of the converter and the inverter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinji Arinaga, Tsuyoshi Wakasa, Takatoshi Matsushita, Akira Yasugi, Masaaki Shibata
  • Patent number: 8232663
    Abstract: In one aspect, a method for controlling the amplitude modulation of the noise generated by wind turbines is disclosed. The method may include determining a rotor position of a first wind turbine, determining a rotor position of a second wind turbine, determining if the first and second wind turbines are operating in-phase and, in the event that the first and second wind turbines are operating in-phase, adjusting an operating condition of at least one of the first wind turbine and the second wind turbine so that the first and second wind turbines operate out-of-phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Kevin Wayne Kinzie, Benoit Petitjean, Thomas Joseph Fischetti
  • Patent number: 8232665
    Abstract: The wind power generator includes: a wind tunnel formed by a columnar member erected on a foundation in a vertical direction; a plurality of wind-collecting plates that extends from a circumferential wall of the columnar member in directions normal to the circumferential wall; a plurality of upper and lower guide plates provided between the wind-collecting plates; a plurality of wind inlets that introduces wind collected by the wind-collecting plates into the wind tunnel; back-flow preventing means that allow only the flow of wind blowing from the outside of the columnar member into the inside of the columnar member; a turbine that is driven by wind blowing out from one end of the wind tunnel, and power generator that is driven by the turbine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Inventor: Shigeru Sato
  • Patent number: 8203226
    Abstract: A gear unit for a wind turbine having an input shaft connected to the rotor hub of the wind turbine and an output shaft for connection to an electrical power generator, characterized in that the gear unit is provided with a hollow tube which is concentric with the main rotation axis and which extends through the gear unit from the input shaft to the output shaft, whereby this hollow tube provides a sealing for the gear unit in storage and transport.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2012
    Assignees: ZF Wind Power Antwerpen N.V., Gamesa Innovation & Technology S.L.
    Inventors: Patrik Saenz De Ugarte, Javier Barañano, Wim Derkinderen, Wim De Laet
  • Patent number: 8198742
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an improved wind turbine, of the type which employs doubly fed induction generators (DFIG), and a wind park including the same, which permits the use of lighter weight turbines, with the ability to have greater energy capture, more precise control of asymmetrical phases and enhanced maintenance and support of the grid during fault conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Vestas Wind Systems A/S
    Inventors: Allan Holm Jørgensen, Lars Helle, Leonard Schaier
  • Patent number: 8138619
    Abstract: Disclosed is a non-grid-connected wind turbine generator system with high power, low cost and high efficiency. The wind turbine generator system includes a wind rotor, a generator and a tower. The wind rotor is a fixed-pitch variable-rotation-speed wind rotor, the wind rotor shaft directly drives a rotor of the generator, and the generator is a power-controlled DC generator, a double-salient brushless DC generator, or a double-stator double-salient brushless DC generator. The rotation speed of the fixed-pitch wind rotor is directly controlled by a power-controlled generator and thereby the attack angle of wind rotor blade is controlled. When wind speed is greater than rated wind speed of the system, the wind rotor is controlled into a state of blade stall so as to limit power output of the wind rotor and effectively broaden the wind speed range of wind rotor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Inventors: Weidong Gu, Ruiyuan Tang, Yangguang Yan
  • Patent number: 8089168
    Abstract: A tire actuated generator for use on a car has a pair of wheels making contact with the rear tire. One wheel from the pair of wheels is at the leading side of the tire. One wheel from the pair of wheels is at the trailing side of the tire. Each of the wheels is directly connected to a generator. In a preferred embodiment, each of the wheels are also frictionally coupled to an other wheel, the other wheel being connected to a generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2012
    Inventor: Claude Chevrette
  • Patent number: 8080889
    Abstract: An aeolian system is described for converting energy comprising at least one power wing profile (30) which can be driven from the ground immersed in at least one aeolian current (W) and a basic platform (1) for controlling the wing profile (30) and generating electric energy placed at ground level and connected through two ropes (2) to the power wing profile (30), such basic platform (1) being adapted to drive the wing profile (30) and to generate electric energy, such two ropes (2) being adapted to transmit forces from and to the wing profile (30) and to be used both for controlling a flight trajectory of the wing profile (30) and for generating energy. A process is further described for producing electric energy through such aeolian system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2011
    Assignee: Kite Gen Research S.r.l.
    Inventors: Massimo Ippolito, Franco Taddei
  • Patent number: 8080893
    Abstract: A tidal power generation device includes at least a chassis, a rail frame, and a chain support rack. A driver is provided at an end of the rail frame. The driver includes a connection bar. The chain support rack is set on the chassis and includes toothed wheels that support and operatively couple a chain that is coupled to the connection bar. One of the toothed wheels has a shaft that is supported by a one-way bearing and is operatively coupled to a first transmission axle by mated gears. The first transmission axle drives a second transmission axle, which is coupled to a dynamo. The driver is caused to move frontward by sea waves for driving the first transmission axle through the chain and the toothed wheels, so as to cause the rotation of the second transmission axle for transmitting torque to the dynamo to generate electricity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2011
    Inventor: Tso-Tung Lin
  • Patent number: 8067851
    Abstract: An electrical generator (10) powered by fluid pressure in a flow line includes a turbine housing (23) and control valve (11). The turbine housing houses a rotor (29) and a plurality of turbine blades (33) which are rotated by fluid passing from the flow line through the turbine housing. A bearing (22) within the turbine housing guides rotation of the rotor, and supports a plurality of magnets (28). Cap member (23) is sealed to the turbine housing, and a stator (40) external of the cap member generates electricity in response to a plurality of rotating magnets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2011
    Assignee: PGI International, Ltd.
    Inventor: Spencer M. Nimberger
  • Patent number: 8063502
    Abstract: A renewable energy system for converting wind power into electrical energy or other form of energy. The renewable energy system generally includes a first intake and a second intake, a shroud fluidly connected to the intakes by a first delivery tube and a second delivery tube respectively, and a turbine rotatably positioned within the shroud. The first delivery tube and the second delivery tube are fluidly connected to opposite sides of the shroud to provide the input of the pressurized air from the intakes into opposing portions of the turbine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Inventor: Robert L. Voyles
  • Patent number: 8039979
    Abstract: It is an object to supply, to the utmost extent, reactive power according to a demand of a utility grid side while maintaining the power factor within a predetermined range. The wind turbine generator system includes a main controller 19. The controller 19 includes a first controller 31 performing constant-reactive-power regulation, a second controller 32 performing constant-power-factor regulation, a judging unit 34 for judging whether a present operating condition is within a predetermined operating region, and a control-switching unit 35 for switching from the first controller 31 to the second controller 32 when the first controller 31 is performing the constant-reactive-power regulation and the judging unit 34 detects a deviation from the operating region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2011
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Akira Yasugi