Patents by Inventor Eric Gebhardt

Eric Gebhardt has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Methods and apparatus for controlling rotational speed of a rotor
    Patent number: 7352075
    Abstract: A method for controlling a rotational speed of a rotor having at least one rotor blade, a rotor shaft, and an electrical generator coupled thereto. The method includes controlling a torque of the rotor shaft by controlling a torque of the electrical generator, alternating between changing an angle of pitch of the at least one rotor blade and maintaining the angle of pitch of the at least one rotor blade substantially constant, and maintaining a substantially constant rotational speed of the rotor during variable wind speeds above a predetermined rated wind speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2008
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Lawrence Donald Willey, John Noel Cunningham, Eric Gebhardt, Ulrich Uphues, William Edwin Holley, Kirk Gee Pierce
  • Methods and apparatus for controlling rotational speed of a rotor
    Publication number: 20070205602
    Abstract: A method for controlling a rotational speed of a rotor having at least one rotor blade, a rotor shaft, and an electrical generator coupled thereto. The method includes controlling a torque of the rotor shaft by controlling a torque of the electrical generator, alternating between changing an angle of pitch of the at least one rotor blade and maintaining the angle of pitch of the at least one rotor blade substantially constant, and maintaining a substantially constant rotational speed of the rotor during variable wind speeds above a predetermined rated wind speed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2006
    Publication date: September 6, 2007
    Inventors: Lawrence Willey, John Cunningham, Eric Gebhardt, Ulrich Uphues, William Holley, Kirk Pierce
  • Methods and systems for monitoring machinery
    Publication number: 20050240289
    Abstract: A method and system for operating a facility having a plurality of equipment combinations wherein each equipment combination is operating interactively with at least one of another of the plurality of equipment combination is provided. The method includes receiving, in real-time, for each of the plurality of equipment combinations, a plurality of measured process parameters, determining at least one derived quantity from the plurality of measured process parameters, and recommending a change to an equipment operation based on the measured process parameters and the derived quantities.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2004
    Publication date: October 27, 2005
    Inventors: Scott Hoyte, Stephen Schmid, Eric Gebhardt