Patents Examined by Thomas K Quigley
  • Patent number: 11608811
    Abstract: A method for mitigating loads acting on a rotor blade of a wind turbine includes receiving a plurality of loading signals and determining at least one load acting on the rotor blade based on the loading signals. Further, the method includes determining a type of the load(s) acting on the rotor blade. Moreover, the method includes comparing the load(s) to a loading threshold, such as an extreme loading threshold. In addition, the method includes implementing a control scheme when the load(s) exceeds the loading threshold. More specifically, the control scheme includes providing a first pitching mode for reducing a first type of load, providing a different, second pitching mode for reducing a different, second type of load, and coordinating the first and second pitching modes based on the type of the at least one load to mitigate the loads acting on the rotor blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Renovables Espana, S.L.
    Inventors: Prashanth Kumar Reddy Vaddi, Shuang Gu
  • Patent number: 11608888
    Abstract: A method for driving a transmission mechanism output power in response to an anticipated fluid-pressure gradient field is provided. The method includes sensing the change of direction of pressure gradient field at a desired location from the different area of the transmission mechanism within fluid. The method further includes constructing fluid-pressure gradient field based upon isolation-fluid apparatus or low-density fluid space installed on a transmission mechanism within fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Inventor: Yanjun Che
  • Patent number: 11585322
    Abstract: A wind turbine control apparatus, method and non-transitory computer-readable medium are disclosed. The wind turbine control apparatus comprises a generator connected to a wind turbine with a drive train. The drive train comprises a rotor, a low speed shaft, a gear box, a high speed shaft, and a controller module. The controller module is configured to obtain a maximum power within a large range of varying wind velocities by operating the rotor at a neural network determined optimal angular speed for the current wind velocity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: KING FAHD UNIVERSITY OF PETROLEUM AND MINERALS
    Inventors: Mohammad Kamal Hossain, Meer Abdul Mateen Khan
  • Patent number: 11585323
    Abstract: Provided is an apparatus and method for cooperative controlling wind turbines of a wind farm, wherein the wind farm includes at least one pair of turbines aligned along a common axis approximately parallel to a current wind direction and having an upstream turbine and a downstream turbine. The method includes the steps of: a) providing a data driven model trained with a machine learning method and stored in a database, b) determining a decision parameter for controlling at least one of the upstream turbine and the downstream turbine by feeding the data driven model with the current power production of the upstream turbine which returns a prediction value indicating whether the downstream turbine will be affected by wake, and/or the temporal evolvement of the current power production of the upstream turbine; c) based on the decision parameter, determining control parameters for the upstream turbine and/or the downstream turbine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Inventors: Per Egedal, Peder Bay Enevoldsen, Alexander Hentschel, Markus Kaiser, Clemens Otte, Volkmar Sterzing, Steffen Udluft, Marc Christian Weber
  • Patent number: 11578695
    Abstract: Techniques for controlling rotor speed of a wind turbine. One technique includes defining a system model describing resonance dynamics of a wind turbine component, such as a wind turbine tower, where the system model has a nonlinear input term, e.g. a periodic forcing term. A transform is applied to the system model to obtain a transformed model for response oscillation amplitude of the wind turbine component, where the transformed model has a linear input term. A wind turbine model describing dynamics of the wind turbine is then defined, and includes the transformed model. A model-based control algorithm, e.g. model predictive control, is applied using the wind turbine model to determine at least one control output, e.g. generator torque, and the control output is used to control rotor speed of the wind turbine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: VESTAS WIND SYSTEMS A/S
    Inventors: Jacob Deleuran Grunnet, Tobias Gybel Hovgaard, Jan-Willem Van Wingerden, Sebastiaan Mulders
  • Patent number: 11569767
    Abstract: In an output control of a hybrid-type engine generator equipped with a load output demand detecting unit, a load output demand increase/decrease determination unit and an output control unit, a configuration is adopted whereby load output demand from (output required by) the load is detected, increase/decrease of the detected load output demand is determined, discharge power from the battery is added to generated power output of the engine generator unit when detected load output demand is determined to be increasing, and output of the engine generator unit is controlled so as to use some generated power output of the engine generator unit as charge power of the battery when detected load output demand is determined to be decreasing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yukihiko Kiyohiro, Taiyo Onodera, Minoru Maedako
  • Patent number: 11566603
    Abstract: Provided is a method of feeding electric reactive power using a wind farm comprising wind turbines. The wind farm feeds a wind farm active power output and the wind farm active power output includes individual plant active power outputs each generated by one of the wind turbines. The wind farm feeds a wind farm reactive power output into the electrical supply network and the wind farm reactive power output includes individual plant reactive power outputs each generated by one of the wind turbines. The method includes determining a total wind farm reactive power output to be fed in by the wind farm and calculating, for each wind turbine, an individual plant reactive power output to be generated. The individual plant reactive power output is determined depending on the individual plant active power output and depending on the wind farm reactive power output to be fed in.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: Wobben Properties GmbH
    Inventors: Johannes Brombach, Swantje Amelsberg, Kai Busker
  • Patent number: 11566602
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for controlling noise of multiple wind turbines. The method includes: determining a noise-influencing sector of each of the multiple wind turbines, based on positions of the multiple wind turbines and a position of a noise-influencing site; acquiring a current wind direction; determining whether there is at least one wind turbine of the multiple wind turbine under the current wind direction operating in the noise-influencing sector; and limiting output power of the at least one wind turbine, in a case that the determination is positive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: BEIJING GOLDWIND SCIENCE & CREATION WINDPOWER EQUIPMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Fashun Ou
  • Patent number: 11569769
    Abstract: A method for operating a power generation system having a drivetrain connected to an electrical grid during one or more grid transient events includes receiving an indication of the one or more grid transient events occurring in the electrical grid. The method also includes selecting between a first set of drivetrain damping control settings or a different, set second set of drivetrain damping control settings based on the indication. The first set of drivetrain damping control settings is for handling a single, first grid transient event, whereas the second set of drivetrain damping control settings is for handling additional, subsequent grid transient events following the first transient event. The method also includes controlling the power generation system based on the selected first or second sets of the drivetrain damping control settings such that the power generation system can remain connected to the electrical grid during the grid transient event(s).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Renovables Espana, S.L.
    Inventors: Alfredo Sebastian Achilles, Miriam Monros Garrigosa, Nithya Anand
  • Patent number: 11566596
    Abstract: A buoyant wave energy device is disclosed that incorporates an open-bottomed tube of substantial length in which is partially enclosed a first body of water that oscillates in response to wave action. The device incorporates a buoy to which an upper end of the tube is connected and inside of which is trapped a second body of water of substantial mass. A differential phase in the oscillations of the water trapped in the tube, and the oscillations of the buoy of augmented mass, result in the periodic compression of a pocket of air trapped at the top of the tube, and in the subsequent expulsion of pressurized air through a turbine, thereby generating electrical power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: Lone Gull Holdings, Ltd.
    Inventors: Garth Alexander Sheldon-Coulson, Brian Lee Moffat, Daniel William Place
  • Patent number: 11549488
    Abstract: The method according to the invention for operating a wind turbine, comprising a tower and a rotor arranged at the top of the tower and having at least one rotor blade, which can be adjusted about a blade setting axis, has a first operating mode in which the at least one rotor blade has an operating angular position about the blade setting axis and a wind-force-dependent rotation of the rotor is converted into electrical power using a generator unit, which power is delivered from the wind turbine into an electrical network and/or stored, and a second operating mode in which the at least one rotor blade is adjusted by at least 60° and/or max. 110° about the blade setting axis relative to the operating angular position into a damping angular position, and a counter torque braking the rotor is controlled based on a vibration of the tower.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy Service GmbH
    Inventors: Karsten Warfen, Timo Gosch-Pleß
  • Patent number: 11506173
    Abstract: A method for providing grid-forming control of a double-fed wind turbine generator connected to an electrical grid includes receiving at least one control signal associated with a desired total power output or a total current output of the double-fed wind turbine generator. The method also includes determining a contribution of at least one of power or current from the line-side converter to the desired total power output or to the total current output of the double-fed wind turbine generator, respectively. The method also includes determining a control command for a stator of the double-fed wind turbine generator based on the contribution of at least one of the power or the current from the line-side converter and the at least one control signal. Further, the method includes using the control command to regulate at least one of power or current in the stator of the double-fed wind-turbine generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Dustin Howard, Einar Vaughn Larsen
  • Patent number: 11506174
    Abstract: A power control method and apparatus for a wind power generator. The power control method comprises: predicting, according to historical wind resource data, wind resource data within a predetermined future time period (S10); estimating, according to the remaining design lifetime of a wind power generator, the maximum design lifetime allowed to be consumed within the predetermined future time period (S20); determining, according to the predicted wind resource data and the estimated maximum design lifetime, optimal output powers of the wind power generator in respective wind velocity ranges within the predetermined future time period (S30); and controlling operation of the wind power generator according to the determined optimal output powers of the wind power generator in the respective wind velocity ranges within the predetermined future time period (S40).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: BEIJING GOLDWIND SCIENCE & CREATION WINDPOWER EQUIPMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Mengting Yu, Pengfei Zhang, Guilin Zhou, Minghui Wang
  • Patent number: 11486355
    Abstract: A method for operating an asynchronous doubly-fed wind turbine generator connected to a power grid in a grid-forming mode to emulate a virtual synchronous machine. The doubly-fed wind turbine generator includes a line-side converter coupled to a rotor-side converter via a direct current (DC) link. The method includes receiving, via a controller, at least one reference command from an external controller. The method also includes controlling rotor flux of the doubly-fed wind turbine generator using the at least one reference command. Further, the method includes providing power droop control for the doubly-fed wind turbine generator through at least one of rotor-side reference frame rotation and d-axis flux control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Hanchao Liu, Maozhong Gong, Di Pan, Yichao Zhang
  • Patent number: 11466655
    Abstract: A vehicle propulsion system comprises a combustion engine with a flywheel secured to a crank shaft of the engine. A starter motor and a generator are combined in one electric machine having a stator rigidly connected to a vehicle frame fixed part and provided with windings connected to an arrangement storing electric energy for being fed with electric energy from the arrangement in motor operation of the electric machine and feeding electric energy to the arrangement in generator operation of the electric machine and a rotor connected to the flywheel so as to make the rotor and flywheel rotating in dependence of each other. At least one of the stator and rotor has a member projecting into a recess portion of the other so as to form air gaps for magnetic flux between the rotor and the stator on both sides of the projecting member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: Scania CV AB
    Inventors: Mehran Arefi-Sigaroodi, Holger Dreher
  • Patent number: 11448190
    Abstract: A system for supplying electric power has at least one moving vehicle, a rotary element provided in the moving vehicle and rotatable by a wind when the moving vehicle is moving, at least one electrical battery provided in the moving vehicle and charging components of the moving vehicle, at least one electrical generator having a rotor connected with and rotatable by the rotary element when the rotary element is rotated during moving of the moving vehicle, so as to generate electric current, and an electrical connection for electrically connecting the electrical generator with the at least one electrical battery so that the at least one electrical battery is charged by the electric current generated by the electrical generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Inventors: Mark Chak, Alexander Chak
  • Patent number: 11434863
    Abstract: A wave receiving plate is pivotably supported by a support device in the wave force generation system and includes a flexible plate in at least a part of the wave receiving plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignees: The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., The University of Tokyo
    Inventors: Gang Hou, Shigehiko Amano, Masato Tadokoro, Koji Motoyama, Koki Maruyama, Chang-Kyu Rheem, Hidetaka Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 11434872
    Abstract: A method and a system for controlling a wind turbine based on sectors. Original sectors of the wind turbine are reconstructed based on a wind resource parameter and a wake-flow effect. A load is calculated and superposed for a new sector obtained from the sector reconstruction. An optimization algorithm is applied, under a condition that a constraint condition of a fatigue load is met, to find an operation parameter for maximum power generation amount of the wind turbine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: BEIJING GOLDWIND SCIENCE & CREATION WINDPOWER EQUIPMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Pengfei Zhang, Cheng Fang, Guilin Zhou, Minghui Wang
  • Patent number: 11431225
    Abstract: The disclosure is directed to an apparatus for generating energy in response to a vehicle wheel rotation. The apparatus may include a first roller comprising a curved roller surface configured to be positioned in substantial physical contact with a first wheel of the vehicle. The first roller may be configured to rotate in response to a rotation of the first wheel. The apparatus may further include a first shaft rotatably couplable to the first roller such that rotation of the first roller causes the first shaft to rotate. The apparatus may further include a first generator operably coupled to the first shaft. The generator may be configured to generate an electrical output based on the rotation of the first shaft and convey the electrical output to an energy storage device or to a motor of the vehicle that converts electrical energy to mechanical energy to rotate one or more wheels of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Inventor: Anthony Macaluso
  • Patent number: 11401916
    Abstract: A method 300 of controlling a wind turbine generator is disclosed. The method comprises operating 302 the wind turbine in accordance with a power curve having a knee region and monitoring 304 a temperature of at least one thermal hotspot of the wind turbine generator. The method further comprises initiating 306 a power boost to temporarily increase an active power generated by the wind turbine generator above a rated power when the wind turbine generator enters the knee region of the power curve and controlling 312 at least one of a magnitude and a duration of the power boost in dependence on the temperature of the at least one thermal hotspot of the wind turbine generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: Vestas Wind Systems A/S
    Inventors: Tusitha Abeyasekera, Sascha Dominic Erbslöh, Alex Pericleous