Patents by Inventor Ikuo Tobinaga

Ikuo Tobinaga 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: 10125742
    Abstract: A wind power generation system according to the invention includes: blades configured to receive wind to rotate; a nacelle supporting a load from the blades; a tower supporting the nacelle; a hub supporting the blades and configured to be rotated with the blades; a rotary main shaft configured to be rotated with the rotation of the hub; a gearbox connected to the rotary main shaft and configured to increase a speed of the rotation; and a generator configured to be driven at the rotation speed increased by the gearbox. The rotary main shaft is connected directly to the hub.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kohei Tanaka, Ikuo Tobinaga, Mitsuru Saeki
  • Patent number: 9982658
    Abstract: A method for constructing an offshore wind turbine includes: attaching all or a part of electrical products to a tower on land; stowing, on a work platform, the tower to which the electrical product is attached; and disposing, on a foundation, the tower, to which the electric product is attached, by using a crane of the work platform in the sea. In addition, the electrical products are classified into special high-voltage devices and the other electrical products, the special high-voltage devices are modularized on land, the other electrical products are attached to the tower on land, and the modularized special high-voltage devices and the tower, to which the other electrical products are attached, are disposed on the foundation by using the crane of the work platform in the sea.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Ikuo Tobinaga, Tsukasa Uenaka
  • Publication number: 20170138351
    Abstract: A method for constructing an offshore wind turbine includes: attaching all or a part of electrical products to a tower on land; stowing, on a work platform, the tower to which the electrical product is attached; and disposing, on a foundation, the tower, to which the electric product is attached, by using a crane of the work platform in the sea. In addition, the electrical products are classified into special high-voltage devices and the other electrical products, the special high-voltage devices are modularized on land, the other electrical products are attached to the tower on land, and the modularized special high-voltage devices and the tower, to which the other electrical products are attached, are disposed on the foundation by using the crane of the work platform in the sea.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2016
    Publication date: May 18, 2017
    Inventors: Ikuo TOBINAGA, Tsukasa UENAKA
  • Patent number: 9429137
    Abstract: A wind turbine system includes blades which rotate by receiving wind, a nacelle which supports the blades and rotates with the blades, a main shaft for transmitting torque which is connected to the hub and is rotated by the rotation of the hub, and a generator which generates electricity using rotating energy of the main shaft, wherein the main shaft is connected to the hub inside the hub in the axial direction of the main shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2016
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventor: Ikuo Tobinaga
  • Patent number: 9057360
    Abstract: The object of the invention is to provide a wind power generator whose yaw bearing can be replaced by a simple device. A wind power generator has a nacelle, a tower that supports the nacelle at a high location, a yaw bearing that is located between a first bearing seat that is provided on the bottom section of the nacelle and a second bearing seat that is provided on the top section of the tower, first and second jack seats that extend to the outer diameter side of the first and second bearing seats, a jack-up unit that is located between the first and second jack seats so that there is a space though which the yaw bearing can be removed or installed in the radial direction of the yaw bearing, and that can jack up the nacelle, and a suspension unit that is provided on the nacelle and that can move while suspending the yaw bearing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2015
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventor: Ikuo Tobinaga
  • Publication number: 20150064007
    Abstract: A wind power generation system according to the invention includes: blades configured to receive wind to rotate; a nacelle supporting a load from the blades; a tower supporting the nacelle; a hub supporting the blades and configured to be rotated with the blades; a rotary main shaft configured to be rotated with the rotation of the hub; a gearbox connected to the rotary main shaft and configured to increase a speed of the rotation; and a generator configured to be driven at the rotation speed increased by the gearbox. The rotary main shaft is connected directly to the hub.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2014
    Publication date: March 5, 2015
    Inventors: Kohei TANAKA, Ikuo TOBINAGA, Mitsuru SAEKI
  • Publication number: 20140064963
    Abstract: A wind turbine system includes blades which rotate by receiving wind, a nacelle which supports the blades and rotates with the blades, a main shaft for transmitting torque which is connected to the hub and is rotated by the rotation of the hub, and a generator which generates electricity using rotating energy of the main shaft, wherein the main shaft is connected to the hub inside the hub in the axial direction of the main shaft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 8, 2013
    Publication date: March 6, 2014
    Applicant: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventor: Ikuo TOBINAGA
  • Publication number: 20130229017
    Abstract: A downwind rotor type wind power generation device which allows a nacelle to be transported and installed more conveniently without the need for troublesome detachment and reattachment of a heat exchanger and also improves the efficiency in cooling a generator. The downwind rotor type wind power generation device includes a rotor having a hub and a plurality of blades extending radially from the hub, a nacelle having a generator for converting the rotational energy of the rotor into electric energy and a heat exchanger for exchanging heat with heat generated at least by the generator and supporting the rotor rotatably, and a tower supporting the nacelle rotatably around a vertical axis so that the rotor is positioned downwind. The heat exchanger is located on the opposite side of the rotor with respect to the vertical axis and exposed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2013
    Publication date: September 5, 2013
    Applicant: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventor: Ikuo TOBINAGA
  • Publication number: 20120192391
    Abstract: This phase change method for a blade bearing, which has a race on the hub side that is fastened to the hub of a wind power generator and a race on the blade side that is fastened to the blade, is a method for changing the phase of the race on the blade side of the blade bearing with respect to the blade. In this method, when a blade is hanging downward, first jigs having spring elements that can expand under the weight of the blade and second jigs having jack mechanisms that are capable of separating the hub and blade are used to separate the blade and the race on the blade side, and the race on the blade side is rotated relative to the blade.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2012
    Publication date: August 2, 2012
    Applicant: FUJI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Ikuo TOBINAGA
  • Publication number: 20120139257
    Abstract: The object of the invention is to provide a wind power generator whose yaw bearing can be replaced by a simple device. A wind power generator has a nacelle, a tower that supports the nacelle at a high location, a yaw bearing that is located between a first bearing seat that is provided on the bottom section of the nacelle and a second bearing seat that is provided on the top section of the tower, first and second jack seats that extend to the outer diameter side of the first and second bearing seats, a jack-up unit that is located between the first and second jack seats so that there is a space though which the yaw bearing can be removed or installed in the radial direction of the yaw bearing, and that can jack up the nacelle, and a suspension unit that is provided on the nacelle and that can move while suspending the yaw bearing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2011
    Publication date: June 7, 2012
    Applicant: FUJI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Ikuo TOBINAGA
  • Publication number: 20120107126
    Abstract: This wind power generator comprises: a nacelle that houses a generator; a tower, the top end section thereof being connected to the nacelle and the bottom end section being fastened to a base section; and a rotor that is located on the downwind side of the nacelle during normal operation, and that by receiving the force of the wind and rotating, drives the generator. The rotor has a hub that is supported such that it can rotate, and a plurality of blades that are arranged such that they extend radially from the hub. The blades, when not loaded, are pre-bent blades that are formed such that the middle section of each blade is curved outward with respect to a straight line that connects the root end section of the blade that is attached to the hub and the tip end section on the outer diameter side of the rotor, with a specified coning angle being applied to the blade.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2011
    Publication date: May 3, 2012
    Applicant: FUJI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shigeo YOSHIDA, Ikuo TOBINAGA
  • Patent number: 8142166
    Abstract: To provide a lightweight hub of a horizontal axis wind turbine with a balanced strength, the hub 1 related to the present invention comprises a reinforcement plate 4 coupled to the spherical shell 2 on the peripheral edge in the round region G inside the circular flange 3 used to secure a blade. In addition to being off-center at the point C side, an off-center opening 5, that contains the center B of the region G, is formed in the region G. The reinforcement plate 4 is formed at the remainder portion of the region G after removing the off-center opening 5. By means of an unequal arrangement of the reinforcement plate 4 and the opening 5 on the inside of the circular flange 3, severe imbalances due to the casting of the hub 1 are cancelled and a balanced strength is obtained, making it also easier to reduce the weight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Fuji Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masakazu Kita, Ikuo Tobinaga, Atsuki Tomizawa
  • Publication number: 20120066998
    Abstract: The fixed structure for this horizontal axis wind turbine comprises: a base fitting having an inner flange and that is fastened to the base; a tower having a inner flange on the bottom end thereof that is aligned with and connected to the top side of the inner flange of the base fitting; and a frame that is located inside the tower and that has a part mounting section and a leg section that supports the part mounting section above it. An inside end section that protrudes further inward than the inside end of the inner flange of the tower is provided on the inside end of the inner flange of the base fitting, and the leg section is placed on this inside end such that the frame is supported by the base fitting.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2011
    Publication date: March 22, 2012
    Applicant: FUJI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Ikuo TOBINAGA
  • Publication number: 20080118356
    Abstract: To provide a lightweight hub of a horizontal axis wind turbine with a balanced strength, the hub 1 related to the present invention comprises a reinforcement plate 4 coupled to the spherical shell 2 on the peripheral edge in the round region G inside the circular flange 3 used to secure a blade. In addition to being off-center at the point C side, an off-center opening 5, that contains the center B of the region G, is formed in the region G. The reinforcement plate 4 is formed at the remainder portion of the region G after removing the off-center opening 5. By means of an unequal arrangement of the reinforcement plate 4 and the opening 5 on the inside of the circular flange 3, severe imbalances due to the casting of the hub 1 are cancelled and a balanced strength is obtained, making it also easier to reduce the weight.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2007
    Publication date: May 22, 2008
    Applicant: FUJI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masakazu KITA, Ikuo TOBINAGA, Atsuki TOMIZAWA