Patents Examined by William Grigos
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Patent number: 8371813Abstract: A blade pitch controlling apparatus and an application thereof are described. The blade pitch controlling apparatus includes a centrifugal device and a blade pitch variable device, and the blade pitch variable device is arranged under the centrifugal device. The blade pitch variable device has a downward stroke that is variable by the centrifugal device according to a centrifugal force induced thereon so as to drive the blade pitch variable device to change the setting angle of the blades of the wind power generator.Type: GrantFiled: October 7, 2009Date of Patent: February 12, 2013Assignees: National Cheng Kung University, Digisine Energytech Co., Ltd.Inventors: Yifeng Tsai, Feibin Hsiao
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Patent number: 8366393Abstract: A gas turbine engine rotor blade has an airfoil portion containing one or more internal conduits. Each conduit extends to an end of the airfoil portion. The blade has a shroud at the end of the airfoil portion for sealing the blade to a facing stationary engine portion. There is a fillet portion which joins the end to the shroud. The fillet portion eases the transition from the outer surface of the airfoil portion to the outer surface of the shroud and has a cavity which extends from each conduit and expands laterally relative thereto. The area of the cavity on a cross-section through the fillet portion perpendicular to the radial direction of the engine and at an expanding part of the cavity is greater than the area of the conduit, or the combined areas of the conduits, on a parallel cross-section at the end of the airfoil portion.Type: GrantFiled: January 4, 2010Date of Patent: February 5, 2013Assignee: Rolls-Royce PLCInventor: Ian Tibbott
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Patent number: 8366398Abstract: An air cooled turbine blade or vane of a spar and shell construction with the shell made from a high temperature resistant material that must be formed from an EDM process. The shell and the spar both have a number of hooks extending in a spanwise direction and forming a contact surface that is slanted such that a contact force increases as the engaging hooks move away from one another. The slanted contact surfaces on the hooks provides for an better seal and allows for twisting between the shell and the spar while maintaining a tight fit.Type: GrantFiled: June 8, 2010Date of Patent: February 5, 2013Assignee: Florida Turbine Technologies, Inc.Inventor: Keith D Kimmel
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Patent number: 8360718Abstract: A method and apparatus to improve air flow in an air circulating fan assembly by forming an inlet opening in a fan assembly. A static air pressure profile is calculated along a top portion of the fan assembly configured to operate in an enclosure. The shape of a section of the inlet opening in the top portion of the fan assembly is changed based on a pressure contour of the calculated static air pressure profile. The method is repeated iteratively one or more times using an inlet opening changed by a previously calculated static air pressure profile when calculating a subsequent static air pressure profile. The inlet opening is positioned in the top surface of the fan assembly so that the centroid of the inlet opening is laterally offset with respect to the rotational axis of an impeller in the fan assembly.Type: GrantFiled: January 29, 2010Date of Patent: January 29, 2013Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Jesse T. Dybenko, Frank Liang, Amaury J. Heresztyn, Brett W. Degner, Thomas W. Wilson, Jr., Peteris K. Augenbergs, Connor R. Duke
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Patent number: 8342806Abstract: A vinyl cover for a ceiling fan to aid in keeping them clean and free from dust, particularly during non-use, is herein disclosed. The cover comprises a large, circular vinyl cover with a slightly larger diameter than that of the ceiling fan blades, further bifurcated into a two (2)-piece “pancake”-style design with a small diameter aperture in the center to accommodate a support pole for the ceiling fan. An upper piece is provided with a zipper that runs from the aperture to the outer perimeter. This zipper is opened to slide the cover over the ceiling fan blades and motor and then shut. In such a manner the ceiling fan assembly is kept clean and free from dust build-up when not in use. When needed again, it is simply opened, removed, and folded away for storage, leaving the ceiling fan clean and ready to operate.Type: GrantFiled: October 6, 2009Date of Patent: January 1, 2013Inventor: Robert H. Stabe, Jr.
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Patent number: 8328514Abstract: A method for controlling operation of a wind turbine is described. The wind turbine includes a rotor having a plurality of rotor blades. The method includes measuring an atmospheric condition associated with the environment surrounding the wind turbine, providing the measured atmospheric condition to a processor, and determining at least one monitor set point limit based at least partially on the measured atmospheric condition. The method also includes applying the at least one monitor set point limit to wind turbine operation.Type: GrantFiled: September 11, 2009Date of Patent: December 11, 2012Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Renjith Viripullan, Thomas Edenfeld, Vijendra Singh Chauhan, Lothar Wittekind, Udo Ahmann
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Patent number: 8322982Abstract: A vane fixing apparatus for removably fixing a vane plate (14) to a web (12) is described. The vane fixing apparatus comprises a mounting bracket (16) attached to the vane plate (14), and a mounting block (20,30) held on the web (12) by at least one fastener (18), wherein the mounting block (20,30) is moveable between a first configuration in which the mounting bracket (16) may engage and disengage the mounting block (20,30) and a second configuration in which the mounting block (20,30) securely retains the mounting bracket (16) relative to the web (12), and wherein the mounting block (20,30) is moveable between the first and second configurations by operation of the fastener (18).Type: GrantFiled: January 26, 2010Date of Patent: December 4, 2012Assignee: Rolls-Royce PLCInventors: Joseph B. Cooper, Paul R. Hayton
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Patent number: 8317474Abstract: An air cooled turbine blade with an array of sinusoidal shaped chordwise extending cooling air passages that start from a leading edge of the airfoil and extend to the trailing edge on both the pressure side and suction side walls. The sinusoidal shaped cooling channels on the pressure side merge with the sinusoidal shaped cooling channels on the suction side in a trailing edge region cooling channel and exit the blade through a row of trailing edge exit holes. Cooling air from a forward cooling supply cavity provides impingement cooling air for the leading edge that then flows into the sinusoidal shaped cooling channels.Type: GrantFiled: January 19, 2010Date of Patent: November 27, 2012Assignee: Florida Turbine Technologies, Inc.Inventor: George Liang
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Patent number: 8303254Abstract: A turbine blade having a squealer tip rail forming a squealer pocket on the blade tip, and a row of blade tip peripheral film cooling holes on the pressure side and suction side of the blade for cooling the blade tip rails. The pressure side tip peripheral holes extend only along a mid chord region and the suction side peripheral holes extend along the leading edge region only. A TBC is applied to the pressure side and suction side walls of the blade up to the row of tip peripheral film cooling holes, leaving these surfaces uncovered. The squealer pocket is covered with TBC while the top surfaces of the tip rails are uncovered. The surface of the airfoil above the row of tip peripheral cooling holes is without a TBC so that the metal surface will be exposed to the layer of film cooling holes discharged from the tip peripheral cooling holes.Type: GrantFiled: September 14, 2009Date of Patent: November 6, 2012Assignee: Florida Turbine Technologies, Inc.Inventor: George Liang
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Patent number: 8262352Abstract: A method of controlling blade pitch angle, including comparing demanded and measured blade pitch angle and calculating any difference therebetween, in a primary electrical control system, where there is a difference, applying torque to a blade pitch regulator to reduce the magnitude of the difference to zero, and in a secondary electrical control system, where the difference is greater than a pre-determined threshold, applying torque to a blade pitch regulator to reduce the magnitude of the difference to the threshold. Also an electrical system of blade pitch angle control for a set of blades including primary and secondary electrical control systems, means for comparing demanded and measured blade pitch angle and calculating any difference therebetween, a look-up function having the difference as its input and outputting a required torque, and a torque regulator to apply the required torque to the set of blades.Type: GrantFiled: September 8, 2009Date of Patent: September 11, 2012Assignee: Rolls-Royce PLCInventors: David Michael Gainford, Jonathan Edmund Holt, Stephen Granville Garner
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Patent number: 8251658Abstract: A turbine rotor blade with a spar and shell construction, and a tip cap that includes a row of teeth and slots extending from a bottom side that engage with similar shaped teeth and slots on a tip end of the spar to secure the tip cap to the spar against radial displacement. The tooth on the trailing edge end of the tip cap is aligned perpendicular to the pressure side wall of the blade in the trailing edge region in order to minimize stress due to the teeth wanting to bend under high centrifugal loads. To reduce stress, some of the teeth include a cutback to shorten the teeth in places where high stress levels would occur.Type: GrantFiled: December 8, 2009Date of Patent: August 28, 2012Assignee: Florida Turbine Technologies, Inc.Inventors: William B Diggs, Keith D Kimmel
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Patent number: 8251653Abstract: A heat dissipation module is disclosed, including a fan and a fastening structure. The fastening structure includes housing and at least one fixing element. The fixing element is disposed on the sidewall of the housing and has a first protruding part extruding from the inner side of the sidewall. When the fan is assembled with the fastening structure, the first protruding part partially enters into at least one molding hole of the frame of the fan and the first protruding part is placed against the edge of the molding hole.Type: GrantFiled: September 12, 2008Date of Patent: August 28, 2012Assignee: Delta Electronics, Inc.Inventors: Yu-Hsien Lin, Kun-Yu Kuo, Yu-Hung Huang
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Patent number: 8231334Abstract: A plenum fan comprising a fan wheel disposed within a box-like enclosure includes a secondary inlet cone, a primary inlet cone, and a flexible duct. The two inlet cones convey air to the mouth of the fan wheel. A frame supports the fan wheel and the primary inlet cone such that the frame, the fan wheel and the primary inlet cone comprise a fan assembly. If the fan assembly shifts due to fan thrust or vibration, the fan assembly moves as a unit. The flexible duct connects the primary inlet cone to an inlet of the enclosure while isolating the fan assembly's vibration from the enclosure. The secondary inlet cone extends from the inlet of the enclosure, protrudes into or toward the primary inlet cone and provides a smooth airflow path over the abrupt shape of the flexible duct.Type: GrantFiled: September 14, 2009Date of Patent: July 31, 2012Assignee: Trane International Inc.Inventors: Stephen J. Lind, Thomas A. Ley, Dustin E. J. Meredith