Abstract: An apparatus and method is disclosed for over-rating a wind turbine using turbulence prediction. Weather forecast information is used to determine whether there is a risk of turbulent conditions occurring at the site of the wind turbine. The wind turbine is over-rated if turbulent conditions are not predicted, and conversely over-rating is cancelled or reduced if turbulent conditions are expected. This allows an increase in the annual energy production of the wind turbine to be realised. The weather forecast information may be combined with real time measurements of operating conditions to supplement the predictions.

Abstract: A wind turbine comprising a tower, a rotor including a plurality of blades, an electrical generator operatively coupled to the rotor, and a control system including an active damping module configured to monitor oscillatory motion of the wind turbine and to output a damping demand signal to damp the oscillatory motion. The control system is configured to perform a rotor imbalance determination process including: controlling the rotating frequency of the rotor so that it substantially coincides with the natural frequency of the tower, determining rotor imbalance data based on the damping demand signal and evaluating said rotor imbalance data to determine the presence of a rotor imbalance condition, and correcting the rotor imbalance condition by applying pitch control inputs to one or more of the plurality of blades so as to reduce the severity of the rotor imbalance. The invention may also be expressed as a method.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for wind turbine generators for reducing electrical disturbances in the form of power variations which are caused by damping controllers arranged the compensate structural oscillations by inducing shaft torque variations. The shaft torque variations are generated by imposing corresponding variations in a generator set-point, e.g. a power or torque set-point. Variations in the generator set-point cause undesired variations in the power injected to the grid by one or more wind turbine generators. According to an embodiment of the invention the electrical disturbances may be reduced by limiting a damping controller's control action. The amount of limitation or restriction of the damping controller may be determined on basis on electrical disturbance information determined from power measured e.g. at a location on the grid.

Abstract: A method for controlling an individually pitched wind turbine during shutdown is disclosed, the wind turbine comprising at least three wind turbine blades (1a, 1b, 1c). In response to a shutdown command for stopping operation of the wind turbine, a blade parameter of each of the wind turbine blades (1a, 1b, 1c), e.g. pitch angle, bending moment or blade acceleration, is determined. The blade parameters of the wind turbine blades (1a, 1b, 1c) are compared, and a shutdown strategy for the wind turbine is selected from a group of two or more predefined shutdown strategies, based on the comparing step. Finally, the wind turbine blades (1a, 1b, 1c) are moved towards a feathered position in accordance with the selected shutdown strategy.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for regulating a flow of power between a wind power facility and a power grid connected thereto. The method comprises the steps of determining whether power is to be delivered to or absorbed from the power grid, and at least partly disabling or at least partly enabling one or more power consuming auxiliary systems in response to said determination. Moreover, an arrangement for delivering additional power to a power grid is provided.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for monitoring a temperature of a coil wire of a solenoid valve are provides. An actuation signal has actuation intervals which follow one another is used in this case, wherein a start pulse, which causes an increase in current in the coil wire of the magnet coil and has a prespecified pulse duration, and a pulse sequence, which follows the start pulse and has a duty cycle, are provided in each actuation interval. The current intensity of the current flowing through the coil wire of the solenoid valve is measured at two different times during the increase in current, and the current gradient is subsequently calculated from the measured current intensities. A prespecified threshold value for the current gradient is then compared with the calculated current gradient.

Abstract: A method for generating an alarm during the monitoring of a patient with the step of determining a minute volume (MVpat) of the patient, setting a minute volume lower limit (MVlow) and/or a minute volume upper limit (MVhigh), wherein the minute volume (MVpat) is cumulated by means of an increment function into a volume (Vdeficit_kum) when the measured value drops below the minute volume lower limit (MVlow) or exceeds the minute volume upper limit (MVhigh), and an alarm is triggered when the cumulated volume (Vdeficit_kum) exceeds a maximum allowable volume (Vdeficit_apn). Furthermore, the present invention pertains to a device for reducing clinically irrelevant alarms during the monitoring of a patient for carrying out the method according to the present invention.

Abstract: A solenoid valve includes a housing, a valve actuation device, and a closing element, wherein the housing includes an interior space with a central axis, wherein the valve actuation device includes an actuator arranged in the interior space so as to be displaceable along the central axis, wherein the actuator is operatively connected to the closing element such that the solenoid valve is opened or closed by a displacement of the actuator along the central axis, wherein the actuator together with the housing delimit, in the interior space of the housing, a leakage chamber that can be filled with a fluid, e.g., a fuel, and wherein in the leakage chamber, at least one vortex generator is arranged on the housing and/or on the actuator, which vortex generator is configured to generate a fluid vortex in the leakage chamber.

Abstract: The invention presents a method for operating a horizontal axis wind turbine (1), the wind turbine comprising a tower (2) and a rotor (5) with at least one rotor blade (51), the rotor being connected to the tower, and being adapted to drive a generator (6) connected to a utility grid (8), wherein a pitch angle (A) of each rotor blade is adjustable, the method comprising detecting (905, 911), when the wind turbine is in an idling power producing situation in relation to the utility grid, a tower oscillation, and controlling (907, 913, 914, 915), when the wind turbine is in the idling power producing situation, the pitch angle of the at least one rotor blade so as to produce aerodynamic forces counteracting the detected tower oscillation.

Abstract: The present invention refers to a method for operating a wind turbine, the wind turbine particularly comprising a tower and a rotor with rotor blades. The pitch angles of the rotor blades are adjusted to generate a force on the rotor and the tower. The force is adjusted to counteract and damp an oscillation. The adjustment is enabled by an activation decision unit, if the activation decision unit decides that certain parameters characterising the oscillation or loads of the tower indicate a requirement and/or if the activation decision unit determines that the generated force is sufficient to counteract an oscillation of the tower.

Abstract: A wind energy installation having a wind rotor, a generator which is driven thereby and interacts with a converter in order to produce electrical power, rotation-speed regulation and converter control which interacts therewith, wherein the rotation-speed regulation outputs a nominal rotation speed signal (nref). Furthermore, additional regulation is provided, which has an input for an additional power and is designed to produce a rotation speed change signal therefrom, taking account of a rotator inertia moment, and to output this as an output signal, which is added to the nominal rotation speed signal via a logic element. Kinetic energy is taken from the wind rotor in a controlled manner by reducing the rotation speed and is converted by the generator to additional electrical energy. This allows primary regulation power to be made available deliberately by rotation speed variation, to be precise even in unsteady wind conditions.

Abstract: The invention relates to a control apparatus and method for controlling the rotor blades of a wind turbine, and in particular to controlling the rotor blades during an extreme wind event. An extended mode of operation of the wind turbine rotor beyond the cut-out wind speed is provided. In the extended mode of operation, the pitch of the wind turbine blades is actively controlled so that the rotor and the generator idle at a designated rotational speed. The rotational speed may be relatively high, say 15 to 20% of the nominal speed, compared with minimal speeds experienced by purely feathered wind turbine blades, and may be further controlled as a function of the incident wind speed. Output power control in the extended mode may be zero but is preferably a low, but non-zero value. The output power so produced may then be used as an auxiliary power source for controlling the wind turbine in situations where the utility grid fails.

Abstract: A method selects the setting of a first operating parameter of a ventilation system that includes devices for feeding breathing air to and removing from a patient (7), a display device (13) with a screen (15) and a computer (11). The method includes presetting a first target value range for a first ventilation parameter, calculating permissible first operating parameter values by the computer (11) for the first operating parameter, so that the first ventilation parameter value is within the target value range if a permissible first operating parameter value is set; calculating values of a preset cost function, which is a function of at least one operating parameter, by the computer (11); selecting a first operating parameter value by the computer (11), at which the value of the cost function has an optimum; and outputting the selected first operating parameter value on the screen (15) of the display device (13).

Abstract: A thermal bag (10) for protecting a newborn (100) against hypothermia includes at least one insertion opening (20) for inserting the body (110) of the newborn (100) into an interior space (30) of the thermal bag (10). The interior space (30) is surrounded by a bag wall (40) blocking water vapor. The bag wall (40) has a sensor device (50) for determining at least one vital function of the newborn (100).

Abstract: Methods and systems for controlling a wind turbine in a manner that takes into account the degree of loading of and damage to one or more components of the turbine are provided. An operational load on a wind turbine part is determined, and is used to compute a damage signal. The damage signal is indicative of the potential damage to the component or to the turbine as a whole that will result if action is not taken to reduce or mitigate the determined load. When the damage signal exceeds a pre-determined threshold, load-reducing wind turbine control means are activated to obviate the estimated damage.

Abstract: The invention relates to a shoe, in particular to a sports shoe, which has a shoe upper part and a sole which is connected to the shoe upper part, wherein the shoe upper part having two tensioning sections which are arranged adjacently in a tensioning region and are separated by a gap, wherein a fastening system is arranged by which the shoe can be fastened to the foot of the wearer of the shoe by a fastening lace as a result of the adjacently arranged tensioning sections being drawn towards one another. In order to improve the tension of the shoe on the foot of the wearer, the fastening system includes, in addition to the fastening lace, at least one tie element which has two ends, and wherein a loop of the at least one tie element formed in the region of the tensioning section being enlaced by the fastening lace.

Abstract: A valve includes a spring with a spring force, an actuator with an actuator force which can act against the spring force, a pin which can be actuated by the actuator, a sealing element which can be coupled with the pin, and a seal seat such that the valve is closed when the sealing element rests against the seal seat. The pin can be moved in the direction of the sealing element by means of the actuator, and the pin can be moved in the direction away from the sealing element by means of the spring. The sealing element can be moved into an open position independently of the pin, wherein a fluid flow through the valve is released in the open position.

Abstract: A method for generating an alarm during the monitoring of a patient with the step of determining a minute volume (MVpat) of the patient, setting a minute volume lower limit (MVlow) and/or a minute volume upper limit (MVhigh), wherein the minute volume (MVpat) is cumulated by means of an increment function into a volume (Vdeficit_kum) when the measured value drops below the minute volume lower limit (MVlow) or exceeds the minute volume upper limit (MVhigh), and an alarm is triggered when the cumulated volume (Vdeficit_kum) exceeds a maximum allowable volume (Vdeficit_apn). Furthermore, the present invention pertains to a device for reducing clinically irrelevant alarms during the monitoring of a patient for carrying out the method according to the present invention.

Abstract: A shoe having a sole connected with an upper shoe part that has two adjacent arranged tensioning sections in its instep region which are separated by a gap. A lacing system is arranged so the shoe can be laced at the foot of the wearer by pulling the tensioning sections against another. The lacing system has a central closure that tensions a first tensioning element. A tension transmitting element has first and second tensioning parts. The first tensioning element engages into the first tensioning part and pulls the same, during lacing of the first tensioning element, toward the instep region. A second tensioning element has two ends fixed at the sole. The second tensioning element engages into the second tensioning part and pulls the same, during lacing of the first tensioning element, toward the sole. The first and second tensioning parts are connected together via a tensioning element.

Abstract: A wind power plant, including a generator driven by a rotor in order to generate electrical power and a controller that includes a pitch module for adjusting a pitch angle of blades of the rotor. The controller has an input for a required power reserve and determines a target pitch angle depending on an operating point of the wind power plant. A secondary pitch controller is also provided, which includes a detector for available power and a dynamic offset module. Input signals for the available reserve power determined by the detector, the required reserve power and the generated electrical power are applied to the dynamic offset module, which is designed to determine a value for a pitch angle offset. An activation element varies the target pitch angle by the pitch angle offset.