Patents by Inventor Robert John Nygard

Robert John Nygard 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: 6989621
    Abstract: Winding modules are secured about pole regions of a rotor body with assembly being accomplished in radial directions. Plug-in type electrical connectors oriented parallel to the direction of assembly facilitate both mechanical and electrical connection between the rotor body and the modules with one another. The modules include filler strips having tongue-and-groove or dovetail connections with adjacent pairs of the support elements of the support brace.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2006
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Christopher Anthony Kaminski, Robert John Nygard, Nancy Lee Nichols, Cynthia Vonk Nous
  • Patent number: 6977460
    Abstract: Grooves are formed in the pole faces of a multi-pole rotor body. Spacers are provided for insertion into the grooves and have radial outward projections for engaging between shield segments and enclosure rings. By providing spacers with variable width projections, the axial gap between adjacent enclosure rings and shield segments is adjusted to adjust the ventilation flow from within the rotor body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2005
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Christopher Anthony Kaminski, Robert John Nygard, Nancy Lee Nichols, Anand Shankar Tanavde
  • Patent number: 6977459
    Abstract: Locking strips secure winding modules to a rotor. The locking strips have paired deep and shallow recesses along a long edge and are disposed in a groove along the rotor. Upon assembly of the winding module, the deep recesses of the locking strips are aligned, enabling the winding supports of the winding module to engage in the deep recesses. The strips are then axially displaced in opposite directions relative to one another to engage portions of the strips within grooves of the winding supports and edges of the shallow recesses to straddle the winding supports. Pins are received in aligned holes of the locking strips in the locked configuration. Consequently, the modular winding is retained against axial and peripheral movement and outward displacement along a parallel face of the rotor shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2005
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Christopher Anthony Kaminski, Robert John Nygard, James Pellegrino Alexander, Yu Wang
  • Patent number: 6972507
    Abstract: The rotor body of an electrical machine has end windings supported by a plurality of circumferentially spaced rakes having tines between which the end windings pass in an arcuate pattern from and for return to an axial orientation within the rotor body. The rakes are supported on axial beams secured to the rotor body. An end disk is secured at the opposite ends of the beams and to a shield overlying the end windings. The rakes, beams and end disks provide axial end winding restraint. The end disk is weighted at selected circumferential locations to resist tendencies of the end windings to distort, e.g., toward an elliptical or non-concentric configuration about the rotor axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2005
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Christopher Anthony Kaminiski, Robert John Nygard, Anand Shankar Tanavde, James Pellegrino Alexander
  • Patent number: 6965185
    Abstract: A rotor in an electrical machine, the rotor comprises a magnetic core having at least two poles, a plurality of winding assemblies, one for each pole, and a cylindrical tube enclosing the magnetic core and winding assemblies, the tube including a plurality of rings having different axial widths. Each of the rings is axially spaced apart from an adjacent ring. The respective axial widths of the rings become progressively smaller than the axial width of the ring axially located at or near the center of the tube as the axial distance away from the center of the tube increases. A plurality of winding braces are coupled to at least one of the winding assemblies, the winding braces having different radial heights.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2005
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Christopher Anthony Kaminski, Anand Shankar Tanavde, Robert John Nygard, Sang Woo Lee
  • Patent number: 6952070
    Abstract: End windings of the field windings of a generator rotor body are flattened. A cap having a flat undersurface overlies the flattened end windings and an enclosure ring extends about the end windings and cap. Apertures are formed through the cap in communication with gaps between the coils of the end windings and passageways formed along the outer surface of the cap. The passageways and apertures form ventilation paths for a cooling medium flowing through the end windings outwardly into the air gap between the rotor body and stator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2005
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Christopher Anthony Kaminski, Robert John Nygard, Sang Woo Lee, Yu Wang, Anand Shankar Tanavde
  • Patent number: 6910258
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for fitting a rotor enclosure over at least one assembly of field windings mounted on a rotor core, said method comprising the steps: applying a force to elastically reduce a circumference of the at least one assembly of field windings mounted on the rotor core, where the reduction in circumference is greater than a circumference reduction due to just eliminating clearances between adjacent end-turns of windings; generating a clearance between the field windings and the rotor enclosure due to the application of the force; axially sliding the rotor enclosure over the at least one assembly of field windings while the circumference is reduced, and releasing the force to allow the circumference of the at least one assembly of field windings to expand and cause the enclosure to tightly fit on the at least one assembly of field windings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2005
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Yu Wang, Richard Nils Dawson, Christopher Anthony Kaminski, Robert John Nygard, James Pellegrino Alexander
  • Patent number: 6844655
    Abstract: A winding module for an electric machine is provided wherein the winding module comprises a flat field winding that is angled at an end turn and wherein a vertex of the flat field winding is aligned with an axis of rotation. The vertex provides a predetermined axial offset so as to compensate for a radial expansion of the flat field winding when it is disposed to a centrifugal force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2005
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Christopher Anthony Kaminski, Robert John Nygard, Yu Wang
  • Patent number: 6815860
    Abstract: A rotor is disclosed for a synchronous machine comprising: a rotor core; a super-conducting coil winding extending around at least a portion of the rotor, said coil winding having a side section adjacent a side of the rotor core; at least one tension rod extending through a conduit in said rotor core; and a housing attached to the tension rod and connected to the side section of the coil winding, wherein the housing comprises a pair of side panels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2004
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Yu Wang, Robert John Nygard, Evangelos Trifon Laskaris, James Pellegrino Alexander
  • Patent number: 6784573
    Abstract: A brazed joint between an armature bar strand package and an end fitting is provided where a plurality of solid strands and a plurality of hollow strands are arranged in an array. The plurality of hollow strands have free ends that extend axially beyond corresponding free ends of the solid strands. A cavity in the end fitting is accessed by an opening, and the free ends of the plurality of hollow and the corresponding free ends of the solid strands extend through the opening into the cavity. A braze alloy joins the free ends of the plurality of hollow strands and the corresponding free ends of the plurality of solid strands to each other and to interior surfaces of the end fitting, wherein the braze alloy does not extend substantially beyond the free ends of the solid strands. A related method of forming the brazed joint is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2004
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Alan Michael Iversen, Robert Timothy Lembke, James Rollins Maughan, Robert John Nygard
  • Patent number: 6762517
    Abstract: A rotor is disclosed for a super-conducting synchronous machine including: a rotor core; a super-conducting coil extending around at least a portion of the rotor core, said coil having coil side sections on opposite sides of said rotor core; a vacuum housing covering at least one of said coil side sections, and a conductive shield over said vacuum housing and coil side sections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2004
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Yu Wang, Konrad Roman Weeber, Kiruba Sivasubramaniam, Robert John Nygard, Xianrui Huang
  • Publication number: 20040104629
    Abstract: A rotor is disclosed for a super-conducting synchronous machine comprising: a rotor core; a super-conducting coil extending around at least a portion of the rotor core, said coil having coil side sections on opposite sides of said rotor core; a vacuum housing covering at least one of said coil side sections, and a conductive shield over said vacuum housing and coil side sections.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2003
    Publication date: June 3, 2004
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Yu Wang, Konrad Roman Weeber, Kiruba Sivasubramaniam, Robert John Nygard, Xianrui Huang
  • Publication number: 20040070891
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for fitting a rotor enclosure over at least one assembly of field windings mounted on a rotor core, said method comprising the steps: applying a force to elastically reduce a circumference of the at least one assembly of field windings mounted on the rotor core, where the reduction in circumference is greater than a circumference reduction due to just eliminating clearances between adjacent end-turns of windings; generating a clearance between the field windings and the rotor enclosure due to the application of the force; axially sliding the rotor enclosure over the at least one assembly of field windings while the circumference is reduced, and releasing the force to allow the circumference of the at least one assembly of field windings to expand and cause the enclosure to tightly fit on the at least one assembly of field windings.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 3, 2003
    Publication date: April 15, 2004
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Yu Wang, Richard Nils Dawson, Christophr Anthony Kaminski, Robert John Nygard, James Pellegrino Alexander
  • Patent number: 6710497
    Abstract: A winding assembly for a rotor is disclosed comprising a plurality of rotor field windings and a field support holding said plurality of windings in said winding assembly, wherein the winding assembly is mountable on said rotor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2004
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Yu Wang, Richard Nils Dawson, Christopher Anthony Kaminski, Robert John Nygard, James Pellegrino Alexander, John Arthur Urbahn
  • Patent number: 6703733
    Abstract: A multi-pole electric machine rotor assembly includes a rotor forging including a rotor body having poles 13 with pole faces and a winding module including a plurality of field windings positioned adjacent the pole faces and winding insulators disposed between each successive pair of the field windings, respectively. A winding block, disposed in engagement with the winding module, is shaped to be shifted to a final position relative to the winding module when the rotor assembly rotates at about its rated speed to thereby compress the winding module. Either the winding block or the winding module can be displaced by centrifugal forces during rotation. In the final position, the winding block is locked by friction in a position to maintain compression in the winding module. The winding block serves to provide a pre-stress in the field windings to keep the field windings tight over the design range of spin speeds, thereby controlling winding position and reducing alternating radial movement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2004
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Yu Wang, Christopher Anthony Kaminski, Robert John Nygard, James Pelligrino Alexander
  • Patent number: 6629356
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for fitting a rotor enclosure over at least one assembly of field windings mounted on a rotor core, said method comprising the steps: applying a force to elastically reduce a circumference of the at least one assembly of field windings mounted on the rotor core, where the reduction in circumference is greater than a circumference reduction due to just eliminating clearances between adjacent end-turns of windings; generating a clearance between the field windings and the rotor enclosure due to the application of the force; axially sliding the rotor enclosure over the at least one assembly of field windings while the circumference is reduced, and releasing the force to allow the circumference of the at least one assembly of field windings to expand and cause the enclosure to tightly fit on the at least one assembly of field windings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2003
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Yu Wang, Richard Nils Dawson, Christopher Anthony Kaminski, Robert John Nygard, James Pellegrino Alexander
  • Publication number: 20030173862
    Abstract: A rotor is disclosed for a synchronous machine comprising: a rotor core; a super-conducting coil winding extending around at least a portion of the rotor, said coil winding having a side section adjacent a side of the rotor core; at least one tension rod extending through a conduit in said rotor core; and a housing attached to the tension rod and connected to the side section of the coil winding, wherein the housing comprises a pair of side panels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 15, 2003
    Publication date: September 18, 2003
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Yu Wang, Robert John Nygard, Evangelos Trifon Laskaris, James Pellegrino Alexander
  • Patent number: 6608409
    Abstract: A rotor is disclosed for a super-conducting synchronous machine having: a rotor core; a super-conducting coil extending around at least a portion of the rotor core, the coil having coil side sections on opposite sides of the rotor core; a vacuum housing covering at least one of the coil side sections, and a conductive shield over the vacuum housing and coil side sections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2003
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Yu Wang, Konrad Roman Weeber, Kiruba Sivasubramaniam, Robert John Nygard, Xianrui Huang
  • Patent number: 6590305
    Abstract: A rotor is disclosed for a synchronous machine comprising: a rotor core; a super-conducting coil winding extending around at least a portion of the rotor core, the coil winding having a pair of side sections on opposite sides of the rotor core; and a conductive shield around the rotor core and covering the coil winding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2003
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Yu Wang, Robert John Nygard, Evangelos Trifon Laskaris, John Arthur Urbahn
  • Publication number: 20030107285
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for fitting a rotor enclosure over at least one assembly of field windings mounted on a rotor core, said method comprising the steps: applying a force to elastically reduce a circumference of the at least one assembly of field windings mounted on the rotor core, where the reduction in circumference is greater than a circumference reduction due to just eliminating clearances between adjacent end-turns of windings; generating a clearance between the field windings and the rotor enclosure due to the application of the force; axially sliding the rotor enclosure over the at least one assembly of field windings while the circumference is reduced, and releasing the force to allow the circumference of the at least one assembly of field windings to expand and cause the enclosure to tightly fit on the at least one assembly of field windings.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2001
    Publication date: June 12, 2003
    Inventors: Yu Wang, Richard Nils Dawson, Christopher Anthony Kaminski, Robert John Nygard, James Pellegrino Alexander