Patents by Inventor Paul Oliver Caffrey

Paul Oliver Caffrey 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: 10542007
    Abstract: A method for controlling an operation of an industrial machine that includes authenticating control commands remotely issued by command issuers through a network. The control commands each describe a modifying action to the operation of the industrial machine. The method includes: providing a jump host as a communication buffer between a unit controller of the industrial machine and the network; maintaining within a memory of the jump host whitelisted commands, the whitelisted commands including a list of the approved control commands; receiving, at the jump host, a first control command via the network; determining, at the jump host, whether the first control command is contained within the whitelisted commands; in response to an affirmative determination that the first control command is contained within the whitelisted commands, deeming the first control command as being authenticated; and transmitting the first control command to the unit controller of the industrial machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2020
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Paul Oliver Caffrey, Robert Scott Garry, Peter Frank Andrews, Clemens Karl Woeste, Robert Hugh Putman, Gregory Pearson Fry
  • Patent number: 10352825
    Abstract: A system for controlling an operation of a combustor in a gas turbine that includes: an acoustic sensor configured to periodically measure a pressure of the combustor and generate a raw data stream having the pressure data points resulting from the periodic measurements; and a blowout detection unit configured to receive the raw data stream from the acoustic sensor. The blowout detection unit may include a processor and a machine-readable storage medium on which is stored instructions that cause the processor to execute a procedure related to a detection of a blowout precursor. The procedure may include an ensemble approach in which the detection of the blowout precursor depends upon a outcomes generated respectively by separate detection analytics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Peter Frank Andrews, Paul Oliver Caffrey, Robert Daniel Reviere
  • Publication number: 20190207944
    Abstract: A method for controlling an operation of an industrial machine that includes authenticating control commands remotely issued by command issuers through a network. The control commands each describe a modifying action to the operation of the industrial machine. The method includes: providing a jump host as a communication buffer between a unit controller of the industrial machine and the network; maintaining within a memory of the jump host whitelisted commands, the whitelisted commands including a list of the approved control commands; receiving, at the jump host, a first control command via the network; determining, at the jump host, whether the first control command is contained within the whitelisted commands; in response to an affirmative determination that the first control command is contained within the whitelisted commands, deeming the first control command as being authenticated; and transmitting the first control command to the unit controller of the industrial machine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2017
    Publication date: July 4, 2019
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Paul Oliver Caffrey, Robert Scott Garry, Peter Frank Andrews, Clemens Karl Woeste, Robert Hugh Putman, Gregory Pearson Fry
  • Patent number: 10215156
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a system and method for autonomous yaw control of a wind turbine. The method includes measuring, via a wind sensor, one or more wind conditions near the wind turbine. Another step includes receiving, via a distributed inputs and outputs (I/O) module, the one or more wind conditions from the wind sensor. The method also includes determining, via the distributed I/O module, a control signal for a yaw drive mechanism of the wind turbine as a function of the one or more wind conditions. Further, the yaw drive mechanism is configured to modify an orientation of a nacelle of the wind turbine. Thus, the method also includes controlling, via the distributed I/O module, the yaw drive mechanism based on the control signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Paul Oliver Caffrey, Timothy Botsford Cribbs, Christopher Lee Tschappatt, William Borea Noto, Joerg Middendorf
  • Patent number: 10167851
    Abstract: In one aspect, a system for monitoring and controlling the operation of wind turbines located within a wind farm may generally include first and second wind turbines. The first wind turbine may include a first turbine controller configured to monitor an operating parameter(s) associated with the first wind turbine and provide a first control interface for controlling the operation of the first wind turbine. The second wind turbine may include a second turbine controller configured to monitor an operating parameter(s) associated with the second wind turbine and provide a second control interface for controlling the operation of the second wind turbine. The system may also include a secondary computing device coupled to the second turbine controller. The second turbine controller may be configured to provide the secondary computing device access to the first control interface in order to allow the operation of the first wind turbine to be controlled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: William Borea Noto, Paul Oliver Caffrey, Joerg Hagmann
  • Publication number: 20180328817
    Abstract: A system for controlling an operation of a combustor in a gas turbine that includes: an acoustic sensor configured to periodically measure a pressure of the combustor and generate a raw data stream having the pressure data points resulting from the periodic measurements; and a blowout detection unit configured to receive the raw data stream from the acoustic sensor. The blowout detection unit may include a processor and a machine-readable storage medium on which is stored instructions that cause the processor to execute a procedure related to a detection of a blowout precursor. The procedure may include an ensemble approach in which the detection of the blowout precursor depends upon a outcomes generated respectively by separate detection analytics.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 11, 2017
    Publication date: November 15, 2018
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Peter Frank Andrews, Paul Oliver Caffrey, Robert Daniel Reviere
  • Publication number: 20180106240
    Abstract: In one aspect, a system for monitoring and controlling the operation of wind turbines located within a wind farm may generally include first and second wind turbines. The first wind turbine may include a first turbine controller configured to monitor an operating parameter(s) associated with the first wind turbine and provide a first control interface for controlling the operation of the first wind turbine. The second wind turbine may include a second turbine controller configured to monitor an operating parameter(s) associated with the second wind turbine and provide a second control interface for controlling the operation of the second wind turbine. The system may also include a secondary computing device coupled to the second turbine controller. The second turbine controller may be configured to provide the secondary computing device access to the first control interface in order to allow the operation of the first wind turbine to be controlled.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2017
    Publication date: April 19, 2018
    Inventors: William Borea Noto, Paul Oliver Caffrey, Joerg Hagmann
  • Patent number: 9845789
    Abstract: In one aspect, a system for monitoring and controlling the operation of wind turbines located within a wind farm may generally include first and second wind turbines. The first wind turbine may include a first turbine controller configured to monitor an operating parameter(s) associated with the first wind turbine and provide a first control interface for controlling the operation of the first wind turbine. The second wind turbine may include a second turbine controller configured to monitor an operating parameter(s) associated with the second wind turbine and provide a second control interface for controlling the operation of the second wind turbine. The system may also include a secondary computing device coupled to the second turbine controller. The second turbine controller may be configured to provide the secondary computing device access to the first control interface in order to allow the operation of the first wind turbine to be controlled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: William Borea Noto, Paul Oliver Caffrey, Joerg Hagmann
  • Publication number: 20170076235
    Abstract: A method for scheduling software updates for industrial assets may generally include receiving, with a computing device, an indication that a software update is available for an industrial asset, accessing, with the computing device, forecasted operating data for the industrial asset, determining, with the computing device, a suggested time for installing the software update based on the forecasted operating data and providing, with the computing device, a notification indicating the availability of the software update and the suggested time for installing the software update.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2015
    Publication date: March 16, 2017
    Inventors: William Borea Noto, Paul Oliver Caffrey, David Charles Korim
  • Publication number: 20160327023
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a system and method for autonomous yaw control of a wind turbine. The method includes measuring, via a wind sensor, one or more wind conditions near the wind turbine. Another step includes receiving, via a distributed inputs and outputs (I/O) module, the one or more wind conditions from the wind sensor. The method also includes determining, via the distributed I/O module, a control signal for a yaw drive mechanism of the wind turbine as a function of the one or more wind conditions. Further, the yaw drive mechanism is configured to modify an orientation of a nacelle of the wind turbine. Thus, the method also includes controlling, via the distributed I/O module, the yaw drive mechanism based on the control signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 4, 2015
    Publication date: November 10, 2016
    Inventors: Paul Oliver Caffrey, Timothy Botsford Cribbs, Christopher Lee Tschappatt, William Borea Noto, Joerg Middendorf
  • Publication number: 20160115942
    Abstract: In one aspect, a system for monitoring and controlling the operation of wind turbines located within a wind farm may generally include first and second wind turbines. The first wind turbine may include a first turbine controller configured to monitor an operating parameter(s) associated with the first wind turbine and provide a first control interface for controlling the operation of the first wind turbine. The second wind turbine may include a second turbine controller configured to monitor an operating parameter(s) associated with the second wind turbine and provide a second control interface for controlling the operation of the second wind turbine. The system may also include a secondary computing device coupled to the second turbine controller. The second turbine controller may be configured to provide the secondary computing device access to the first control interface in order to allow the operation of the first wind turbine to be controlled.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2014
    Publication date: April 28, 2016
    Inventors: William Borea Noto, Paul Oliver Caffrey, Joerg Hagmann
  • Patent number: 9160172
    Abstract: A system for determining the output capacity of a power generating system including a sensor that monitors at least one condition of the power generating system and outputs the monitored condition data, and a power capability determination device that dynamically determines a full capacity of the power generating system based upon the outputted environmental data from the electronic controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2015
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Paul Oliver Caffrey, Anthony William Galbraith, Kuruvilla Pallathusseril Kuruvilla, James David Rackmales
  • Publication number: 20130096856
    Abstract: A system for determining the output capacity of a power generating system including a sensor that monitors at least one condition of the power generating system and outputs the monitored condition data, and a power capability determination device that dynamically determines a full capacity of the power generating system based upon the outputted environmental data from the electronic controller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 12, 2011
    Publication date: April 18, 2013
    Inventors: Paul Oliver Caffrey, Anthony William Galbraith, Kuruvilla Pallathusseril Kuruvilla, James David Rackmales
  • Publication number: 20130018490
    Abstract: A web-based operator control interface system can include an operator interface section including a web browser application, a generator exciter section or a static starter section coupled to the operator interface section, a generator coupled to the generator exciter section and a web server application configured to receive processing requests from the web browser application, and further configured to internally process real-time generator functions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2011
    Publication date: January 17, 2013
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Paul Oliver Caffrey, Jordan Brantley Casteel, Dhanashree Sadanand Damodar, Douglas Gregg Fowley, Roy Jackson, William Robert Pearson
  • Patent number: 8315718
    Abstract: Control systems and methods for controlling certain systems, devices, and apparatus are described. A control system may include a memory and at least one processor. The memory may be operable to store both a Foundation Fieldbus protocol that facilitates communication with one or more Foundation Fieldbus devices and a second protocol that facilitates communication with one or more control devices. The at least one processor may be operable to access both the Foundation Fieldbus protocol and the second protocol, and to control the one or more Foundation Fieldbus devices and the one or more control devices. A network may facilitate communications between the at least one processor and both the one or more Foundation Fieldbus devices using the Foundation Fieldbus protocol and the one or more control devices using the second protocol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Paul Oliver Caffrey, John Alexander Petzen, III, Dennis Brian King, Frank L. Kerr, III
  • Publication number: 20120030372
    Abstract: A system includes a first communication network including a first switch and a second switch connected to the first switch, a second communication network including a third switch and fourth switch coupled to the third switch, and a first computing device coupled to the first communications network through a first network interface controller (NIC) and coupled to the second communication network through a second NIC. The first computing device is configured to communicate through the first NIC first communication network until it determines that it is not receiving bridge protocol data units (BPDUs) and then to communicate through the second NIC.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2010
    Publication date: February 2, 2012
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Paul Oliver Caffrey, Mark Asfaw, Abhishek Bhatt, Kumardeep Mazumder
  • Publication number: 20110082570
    Abstract: Control systems and methods for controlling certain systems, devices, and apparatus are described. A control system may include a memory and at least one processor. The memory may be operable to store both a Foundation Fieldbus protocol that facilitates communication with one or more Foundation Fieldbus devices and a second protocol that facilitates communication with one or more control devices. The at least one processor may be operable to access both the Foundation Fieldbus protocol and the second protocol, and to control the one or more Foundation Fieldbus devices and the one or more control devices. A network may facilitate communications between the at least one processor and both the one or more Foundation Fieldbus devices using the Foundation Fieldbus protocol and the one or more control devices using the second protocol.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2009
    Publication date: April 7, 2011
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Paul Oliver Caffrey, John Alexander Petzen, III, Dennis Brian King, Frank L. Kerr, III