Patents by Inventor Gary R. Barnes

Gary R. Barnes 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).

  • Patent number: 8376708
    Abstract: A drivetrain for a wind turbine includes a gearbox and a generator. The gear box includes a housing and an output shaft that is rotatably coupled within the housing, wherein the gearbox further includes at least one bearing positioned between the housing and the output shaft. The generator includes a stator coupled to the housing such that the stator is positioned radially inward from the housing, and a rotor coupled to the output shaft such that the rotor is positioned radially inward from the stator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Priyangu C. Patel, Edwin Hidding, Gary R. Barnes, Patrick Lee Jansen, Adam Daniel Minadeo, Stephen B. Johnson, James H. Madge, Blake Weldon Wilson, Eric Steven Buskirk, Murtuza Lokhandwalla, Jacob Johannes Nies
  • Patent number: 8008798
    Abstract: A wind turbine is provided having a drivetrain with a gearbox and a gearbox housing, at least one gear stage and an output shaft coupled within the housing. The gear stage exerts an axial thrust force on the output shaft during operation of the wind turbine. A generator includes a generator housing and an input shaft connected to the output shaft of the gearbox. The generator includes a rotor and a stator coupled to the generator housing. The rotor is coupled to the input shaft such that the rotor is positioned radially inward from the stator. At least one bearing is shared between the gearbox output shaft and the generator input shaft, and this bearing carries a portion of the axial thrust force. The generator is skewed to exert an opposing axial thrust force on the input shaft, so that the axial thrust force carried by the bearing is reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Patrick L. Jansen, Gary R. Barnes, Kiruba S. Haran, Ronghai Qu, Adam D. Minadeo
  • Publication number: 20110133469
    Abstract: A wind turbine is provided having a drivetrain with a gearbox and a gearbox housing, at least one gear stage and an output shaft coupled within the housing. The gear stage exerts an axial thrust force on the output shaft during operation of the wind turbine. A generator includes a generator housing and an input shaft connected to the output shaft of the gearbox. The generator includes a rotor and a stator coupled to the generator housing. The rotor is coupled to the input shaft such that the rotor is positioned radially inward from the stator. At least one bearing is shared between the gearbox output shaft and the generator input shaft, and this bearing carries a portion of the axial thrust force. The generator is skewed to exert an opposing axial thrust force on the input shaft, so that the axial thrust force carried by the bearing is reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2009
    Publication date: June 9, 2011
    Inventors: Patrick L. Jansen, Gary R. Barnes, Kiruba S. Haran, Ronghai Qu, Adam D. Minadeo
  • Publication number: 20100329867
    Abstract: A drivetrain for a wind turbine includes a gearbox and a generator. The gear box includes a housing and an output shaft that is rotatably coupled within the housing, wherein the gearbox further includes at least one bearing positioned between the housing and the output shaft. The generator includes a stator coupled to the housing such that the stator is positioned radially outward from the housing, and a rotor coupled to the output shaft such that the rotor is positioned radially inward from the stator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2009
    Publication date: December 30, 2010
    Inventors: Priyangu C. Patel, Edwin Hidding, Gary R. Barnes, Patrick Lee Jansen, Adam Daniel Minadeo, Stephen B. Johnson, James H. Madge, Blake Weldon Wilson, Eric Steven Buskirk, Murtuza Lokhandwalla, Jacob Johannes Nies
  • Patent number: 7815536
    Abstract: A drive train for a wind turbine is provided. The wind turbine includes a rotor connected to a low speed shaft, and a low speed shaft connected to a gearbox. The gearbox has a high speed shaft connected to a generator. The drive train includes a bearing interposed between the gearbox and the generator. A gearbox lubrication medium is at least partially contained within the gearbox, and the bearing shares the gearbox lubrication medium with the gearbox.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2010
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Patrick L. Jansen, Gary R. Barnes, Murtuza Lokhandwalla, Richard N. Dawson, Aniruddha D. Gadre, Ian A. Hughes
  • Publication number: 20100133854
    Abstract: A drive train for a wind turbine is provided. The wind turbine includes a rotor connected to a low speed shaft, and a low speed shaft connected to a gearbox. The gearbox has a high speed shaft connected to a generator. The drive train includes a bearing interposed between the gearbox and the generator. A gearbox lubrication medium is at least partially contained within the gearbox, and the bearing shares the gearbox lubrication medium with the gearbox.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 16, 2009
    Publication date: June 3, 2010
    Inventors: Patrick L. Jansen, Gary R. Barnes, Murtuza Lokhandwalla, Richard N. Dawson, Aniruddha D. Gadre, Ian A. Hughes
  • Patent number: 7581921
    Abstract: A control system for a rotary machine is provided. The rotary machine has at least one rotating member and at least one substantially stationary member positioned such that a clearance gap is defined between a portion of the rotating member and a portion of the substantially stationary member. The control system includes at least one clearance gap dimension measurement apparatus and at least one clearance gap adjustment assembly. The adjustment assembly is coupled in electronic data communication with the measurement apparatus. The control system is configured to process a clearance gap dimension signal and modulate the clearance gap dimension.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2009
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Bharat Sampathkumaran Bagepalli, Patrick Lee Jansen, Gary R. Barnes, Thomas Frank Fric, James Patrick Francis Lyons, Kirk Gee Pierce, William Edwin Holley, Corneliu Barbu
  • Patent number: 7427814
    Abstract: A wind generator includes: a nacelle; a hub carried by the nacelle and including at least a pair of wind turbine blades; and an electricity producing generator including a stator and a rotor carried by the nacelle. The rotor is connected to the hub and rotatable in response to wind acting on the blades to rotate the rotor relative to the stator to generate electricity. A cooling system is carried by the nacelle and includes at least one ambient air inlet port opening through a surface of the nacelle downstream of the hub and blades, and a duct for flowing air from the inlet port in a generally upstream direction toward the hub and in cooling relation to the stator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2008
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Bharat Bagepalli, Gary R. Barnes, Aniruddha D. Gadre, Patrick L. Jansen, Charles G. Bouchard, Jr., Emil D. Jarczynski, Jivtesh Garg
  • Publication number: 20070292260
    Abstract: A control system for a rotary machine is provided. The rotary machine has at least one rotating member and at least one substantially stationary member positioned such that a clearance gap is defined between a portion of the rotating member and a portion of the substantially stationary member. The control system includes at least one clearance gap dimension measurement apparatus and at least one clearance gap adjustment assembly. The adjustment assembly is coupled in electronic data communication with the measurement apparatus. The control system is configured to process a clearance gap dimension signal and modulate the clearance gap dimension.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 19, 2006
    Publication date: December 20, 2007
    Inventors: Bharat Sampathkumaran Bagepalli, Patrick Lee Jansen, Gary R. Barnes, Thomas Frank Fric, James Patrick Francis Lyons, Kirk Gee Pierce, William Edwin Holley, Corneliu Barbu
  • Patent number: 6849972
    Abstract: A method of repairing a crack in at least one side of a dovetail portion of a generator rotor coil slot wall, the dovetail portion having received at least two axially adjacent steel wedges and including at least a radial entry surface, an inwardly tapered surface and an intermediate radial surface, the method comprising a) machining a groove at least partly along the inwardly tapered surface to remove damaged material from the coil slot wall; and b) replacing the at least two axially adjacent steel wedges.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2005
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Gary R. Barnes, Sairam Sundaram, Mandar K. Chati, Alexander G. Beckford, Ronald J. Zawoysky, Srikanth Akkaram
  • Patent number: 5483023
    Abstract: A high voltage bushing includes an insulator sleeve adapted to be fitted over a conductor; an annular metal mounting flange telescoped over the sleeve, the mounting flange having a substantially smooth, axially extending cylindrical portion and a radial portion located at one end of the axial portion; an annular, axially extending epoxy layer between the mounting flange cylindrical portion and the insulator sleeve, the epoxy layer having a thickness of at least about 0.50 inch; and an annular ferrule sealing the juncture of the porcelain sleeve and the mounting flange on a side of the radial portion remote from the axial portion. The annular ferrule has a radial section engaging the radial portion of the mounting flange, and an axial section soldered to the porcelain sleeve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 1994
    Date of Patent: January 9, 1996
    Assignee: General Electric Co.
    Inventor: Gary R. Barnes