Patents Examined by Viet Nguyen
  • Patent number: 9834892
    Abstract: The pneumatic roadway energy recovery system generates power from the weight of vehicles, pedestrians and the like traveling on a roadway surface. The pneumatic roadway energy recovery system includes a plurality of pneumatic pumps in fluid communication with one another and that are arrayed beneath a roadway surface. The pneumatic pumps are in fluid communication with a storage tank. The vehicles, pedestrians and the like traveling on the roadway surface compress the plurality of pneumatic pumps as they pass over the pumps, generating pressurized air, which is received by and stored in the storage tank. Preferably, a turbine, such as a Pelton wheel or the like, is in fluid communication with the storage tank. Selective release of the pressurized air in the storage tank drives the turbine, which, in turn, is connected to an electrical generator for generating usable electrical power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: KING FAHD UNIVERSITY OF PETROLEUM AND MINERALS
    Inventor: Ashraf Mohamed Samir Farahat
  • Patent number: 9832033
    Abstract: A home control system has at least one peripheral device, a controlling device, and a mobile device. The mobile device determines whether the controlling device is connectable. When the mobile device determines that the controlling device is connectable, the mobile device is connected to the at least one peripheral device via the controlling device and transmits a control signal to the at least one peripheral device. When the mobile device determines that the controlling device is unconnectable, the mobile device is directly connected to the at least one peripheral device and transmits the control signal to the at least one peripheral device. Therefore, when the controlling device is broken, a user may still operate the mobile device to control the at least one peripheral device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: Dexatek Technology Ltd.
    Inventor: Wun-Lin Lee
  • Patent number: 9828973
    Abstract: An apparatus for gravity-based power generation is described in this disclosure. The apparatus may include: a main shaft; a plurality of radially extending arm assemblies that may be attached to the main shaft from their proximal ends and may be rotatable with the main shaft in a vertical trajectory. Each arm assembly may include an arm and a weight assembly mounted on the arm. Each arm may be configured with an adjustable length and each weight assembly may be configured with an adjustable mass and an adjustable position on its respective arm. The arm assemblies may be kept in a continuous rotational movement along the vertical trajectory by changing at least one of the adjustable length, the adjustable mass, and the adjustable position in predefined regions along the vertical trajectory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: KAVAN NOVIN ENERGY PAYDAR GROUP
    Inventors: Shapour Faridi, Abdolreza Fallah
  • Patent number: 9828971
    Abstract: System and methods for optimizing operation of a wind turbine are disclosed. In one aspect, the method also includes determining, via a converter controller of a power converter, a tap position of a tap changer configured between the power grid and a primary winding of a transformer. Another step includes calculating, via the converter controller, a primary voltage of the primary winding as a function of the tap position. The method also includes implementing, via the converter controller, a control action if the primary voltage or a measured secondary voltage of a secondary winding of the transformer is outside of a predetermined voltage range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Igor Berroteran Gil, Anthony Michael Klodowski, Werner Gerhard Barton
  • Patent number: 9821663
    Abstract: An alternator voltage may be controlled based on a proportional gain scheduling in response to an engine load of an internal combustion engine and/or a state of charge (SOC) deviation for a battery based on a target SOC of the battery and an actual SOC of the battery. The alternator voltage may be a voltage less than a current battery voltage under high engine loads to enable the battery to power an accessory system and the alternator voltage may be a voltage greater than a voltage of the battery under low engine loads or engine loads less than high engine loads to enable the alternator to charge the battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: Cummins Inc.
    Inventors: Martin T. Books, Vivek A. Sujan, Praveen C. Muralidhar
  • Patent number: 9822758
    Abstract: The present invention provides a hydroelectric turbine for generating electricity by extracting power from the tidal flow of water through the turbine, the turbine comprising a shaftless rotor which results in the eccentric rotation of the rotor relative to the stator, which can result in uneven generation of power through differences in the spacing between rim mounted magnets and coils forming a generator of the turbine, the turbine thus employing groupings of equally spaced and serially connected coils.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: Openhydro IP Limited
    Inventor: Edward Spooner
  • Patent number: 9816481
    Abstract: A module for generating electricity from waves in a body of water is disclosed. The module comprises: a housing operable to float in the body of water; a tube formed into a circle integrated within the housing; a magnet element operable to move within the tube; and an electrically conductive coil surrounding substantially all of the tube. The housing is operable to be angularly displaced by waves within the body of water and the angular displacement of the housing is operable to cause movement of the magnet element within the tube surrounded by the coil. The movement of the magnet element through the tube surrounded by the coil generates a voltage on the coil through electromagnetic induction. The voltage on the coil can be rectified and subsequently stored, transmitted or utilized. In some implementations, a plurality of modules may be integrated together to form an array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Inventor: William Paul Sullivan
  • Patent number: 9806779
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for transmitting, by a base station, a downlink signal using a plurality of transmission antennas comprises the steps of: applying a precoding matrix indicated by the PMI, received from a terminal, in a codebook to a plurality of layers, and transmitting the precoded signal to the terminal through a plurality of transmission antennas. Among precoding matrices included in the codebook, a precoding matrix for even number transmission layers can be a 2×2 matrix containing four matrices (W1s), the matrix (W1) having rows of a number of transmission antennas and columns of half the number of transmission layers, the first and second columns of the first row in the 2×2 matrix being multiplied by 1, the first column of the second row being multiplied by coefficient “a” of a phase, and the first column of the second row being multiplied by “?a”.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Hyun Soo Ko, Jae Hoon Chung, Seung Hee Han, Moon Il Lee
  • Patent number: 9805531
    Abstract: An access arrangement for a vehicle includes a vehicle-side transceiver for transmitting query signals in a chronologically successive manner in first specified time intervals. The access arrangement also includes at least one mobile identification transmitter including an identification transmitter-side transceiver with an adjustable reception sensitivity for receiving the query signals of the vehicle-side transceiver. Furthermore, the access arrangement includes a monitoring device for outputting a control command in order to reduce the sensitivity of the identification transmitter-side transceiver by a first specified amount if the identification transmitter-side transceiver has received a specified number of query signals transmitted by the vehicle-side transceiver. By reducing the reception sensitivity, a stationary identification transmitter in the vicinity of the vehicle for example remains operational but no longer reacts to query signals of the vehicle-side transceiver, whereby power can be saved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE GMBH
    Inventors: Herbert Froitzheim, Alexander Kramer
  • Patent number: 9803507
    Abstract: Optimizing power generation from waste heat in large industrial facilities such as petroleum refineries by utilizing a subset of all available hot source streams selected based, in part, on considerations for example, capital cost, ease of operation, economics of scale power generation, a number of organic Rankine cycle (ORC) machines to be operated, operating conditions of each ORC machine, combinations of them, or other considerations are described. Subsets of hot sources that are optimized to provide waste heat to one or more ORC machines for power generation are also described. Further, recognizing that the utilization of waste heat from all available hot sources in a mega-site such as a petroleum refinery and aromatics complex is not necessarily or not always the best option, hot source units in petroleum refineries from which waste heat can be consolidated to power the one or more ORC machines are identified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
    Inventors: Mahmoud Bahy Mahmoud Noureldin, Hani Mohammed Al Saed, Ahmad Saleh Bunaiyan
  • Patent number: 9803930
    Abstract: A power generation system includes a heating fluid circuit thermally coupled to multiple heat sources from at least an integrated hydrocracking plant and diesel hydro-treating plant of a petrochemical refining system. A first subset of the heat sources includes diesel hydro-treating plant heat exchangers coupled to streams in the diesel hydro-treating plant. A second subset of the heat sources includes hydrocracking plant heat exchangers coupled to streams in the hydrocracking plant. The heat exchangers are connected to a power generation system that includes an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) including a working fluid that is thermally coupled to the heating fluid circuit to heat the working fluid, an expander configured to generate electrical power from the heated first working fluid, and a control system configured to activate a set of control valves to selectively thermally couple the heating fluid circuit to at least a portion of the heat sources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
    Inventors: Mahmoud Bahy Mahmoud Noureldin, Hani Mohammed Al Saed, Ahmad Saleh Bunaiyan
  • Patent number: 9797383
    Abstract: A wind turbine having one or more magnets for reducing friction between the turbine support and a turbine rotor. The reduction of friction between the turbine rotor and the turbine support allows for an increase in energy production and scale of the wind turbines. The magnet configuration employs a ring of cylindrically-shaped magnets at the bottom and opposed by a corresponding number of generally rectangular-shaped magnets. Bearing magnets are also employed for axial stabilization.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: Hover Energy, LLC
    Inventors: Cheong S. Choi, Anthony Michael Jenkins
  • Patent number: 9799175
    Abstract: The present invention provides methods and systems for a signal device that includes at least one smoke detecting device, optionally a severe weather warning device, and optionally a carbon monoxide detecting device, which are housed within a housing comprising a top portion and a base. A circuit board having a top side and a bottom side that extends to an outer edge is also contained within the housing, and at least one LED is positioned in close proximity to the outer edge of the bottom side of the circuit board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: White Stagg, LLC
    Inventor: Bradley Benjamin Stagg
  • Patent number: 9790921
    Abstract: A method for adjusting a power parameter of a wind turbine is disclosed. The method includes determining a load parameter indicative of a mechanical load of the wind turbine; estimating a turbulence of a wind speed based on the determined load parameter; and adjusting the power parameter relating to a power of the wind turbine based on the estimated turbulence. A system for adjusting a power parameter of a wind turbine is also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Per Egedal, Rune Rubak
  • Patent number: 9776888
    Abstract: A water monitoring device monitors and maintains swimming pool chemistry. The device includes sensors that detect water chemistry. The water monitoring device can communicate with computers and servers. This system can be used to determine if corrections to the water chemistry are required to maintain water sanitation. The device can monitor: pH, air temperature, water temperature, free chlorine levels, oxidation reduction potential, alkalinity, oxygen demand, water movement and velocity, and electrical conductivity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: DATA20
    Inventors: Ravi Kurani, Andrew Redfern, Daniel Proterra, Jakob Grano, Michael Clayton
  • Patent number: 9779624
    Abstract: The invention concerns a method of driving assistance for assisting a human driver in safely driving a vehicle called host vehicle, implemented by a processor on board of said host vehicle. The host vehicle comprises means for obtaining first information relative to the host vehicle and means for obtaining second information relative to at least one other vehicle in a neighborhood of the host vehicle, said first and second information being obtained at regular time instants, comprising triggering an intervention of a collision avoidance system. The method comprises a step (51) of intervention decision adapted to decide whether to trigger the intervention of the collision avoidance system at a current time instant (Tc) or to postpone said intervention decision at a later time instant (Tl) depending upon additional first and second information to be acquired between the current time instant (Tc) and the later time instant (Tl), said additional first and second information having an associated probability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignees: Inria Institut National De Recherche En Informatique Et En Automatique, The Regents of the University of California
    Inventors: Stephanie Lefevre, Christian Laugier, Ruzena Bajcsy
  • Patent number: 9765612
    Abstract: In some embodiments, an apparatus and a system, as well as a method and an article, may operate to transmit energy as transmitted signals from current electrodes on a galvanic down hole tool, while multiplexing the energy in both time and frequency domains, to interact the transmitted signals with a geological formation to provide interacted signals that represent a formation property. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Service, Inc.
    Inventors: Burkay Donderici, Boguslaw Wiecek
  • Patent number: 9768987
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for dynamic calibration of pre-distortion modification in transmitters. The pre-distortion modification may be applied during processing of an input signal for transmission, and feedback data, relating to the transmitter and/or processing performed after application of the pre-distortion modification in the transmitter, may be obtained. Adjustments to the pre-distortion modification may be determined based on the feedback data, and the adjustments to the pre-distortion modification may be applied in loop-back manner, thus enabling adjustment of pre-distortion modification dynamically based on real-time and current data. The pre-distortion modification may comprise modifying one or more signal characteristics, such as phase, frequency, and/or amplitude. Determining and/or applying the adjustments to the pre-distortion modification may be done periodically, based on one or more particular events, or conditionally.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: MAXLINEAR, INC.
    Inventors: Sridhar Ramesh, Timothy Gallagher, Ali Shahed hagh ghadam
  • Patent number: 9759832
    Abstract: An apparatus for NMR properties of subsurface formations includes a magnet, a transmitter antenna and at least one of a receiver section of the transmit antenna or a separate receiver antenna having a length along the longitudinal dimension of the apparatus which is shorter than a length of the transmitter antenna along the longitudinal dimension. The apparatus includes circuitry for applying radio frequency current pulses to the entire transmitter antenna and for receiving signals by the at least one of the receiver section of the transmitter antenna and the separate receiver antenna.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: SCHLUMBERGER TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Robert Freedman, Henry Bachman, Anatoly Dementyev, Reza Taherian
  • Patent number: 9759195
    Abstract: The wind generator includes a support part, a housing connected to an upper portion of the support part, the housing having an inner space, a blade part connected to one side of the housing, the blade part, an electricity generating part seated in the inner space of the housing, a flywheel, and a tail part. The flywheel includes a shaft rotating together with the blade part, a rotor coupled to the shaft, the rotor including at least one permanent magnet along an outer circumferential surface thereof, at least one coil part disposed outside in a radial direction of the rotor and around which a trigger coil is wound, the at least one coil generating magnetic fields when current is supplied to the trigger coil, and a circuit part supplying pulse-type current to trigger coil when the permanent magnet passes through a center of the trigger coil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: NURIELECOM CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Sang Bok Park, Jong Bae Lee, In Duk Kim