Patents by Inventor Thomas von Hoff
Thomas von Hoff 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).
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Patent number: 9705332Abstract: A method for controlling an energy storage system for connection to a power system, and such an energy storage system are provided. The method makes use of a model based predictive controller to optimize the charging/discharging rates of energy storage elements in a hybrid energy storage system. The method includes determining respective desired charging/discharging rates for the energy storage elements in dependence upon state of charge predictions from respective models of the storage elements, using model predictive control, and adjusting respective charging/discharging rates of the storage elements in accordance with the determined rates. The energy system includes a controller configured to control respective charging/discharging rates of the energy storage elements in accordance with the method.Type: GrantFiled: March 6, 2012Date of Patent: July 11, 2017Assignee: ABB Research LTDInventors: Alexandre Oudalov, Mehmet Mercangoez, Thomas Von Hoff
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Patent number: 9573475Abstract: A drive unit for driving and starting a motor in the form of an internal combustion engine designed for driving a traction generator coupled to the motor.Type: GrantFiled: November 17, 2015Date of Patent: February 21, 2017Assignee: ABB Schweiz AGInventors: Christoph Stemmler, Thomas von Hoff, Urs Ehrler
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Publication number: 20160068068Abstract: A drive unit for driving and starting a motor in the form of an internal combustion engine designed for driving a traction generator coupled to the motor.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 17, 2015Publication date: March 10, 2016Inventors: Christoph Stemmler, Thomas von Hoff, Urs Ehrler
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Patent number: 8493030Abstract: The present disclosure is concerned with operation of an energy storage system (ESS) connectable to an electric power system. The charging-discharging schedule of the ESS can be determined through application of a time-dependent forecast of ESS and power system states based on historical data. Exemplary embodiments can include ESSs which have been historically activated with a certain periodicity, for example, for power system load leveling, frequency regulation, arbitrage, peak load shaving and/or integration of renewable power generation.Type: GrantFiled: November 25, 2009Date of Patent: July 23, 2013Assignee: ABB Research LtdInventors: Andrew Paice, Alexandre Oudalov, Thomas von Hoff
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Publication number: 20130030573Abstract: A method and device are disclosed for automatically providing control parameters for a plurality of coal mills supplying coal powder for example to a furnace of a power plant. An exemplary method includes (a) acquiring a multiplicity of operation variables indicative of a load of an individual coal mill for each of the coal mills; (b) acquiring a demand variable indicative of a coal demand from the plant; (c) supplying the acquired multiplicity of operation variables and the demand variable to a computing system; (d) calculating the control parameters based on the multiplicity of operation variables and the demand variable using a multivariable calculation algorithm; and (e) providing the calculated control parameters for controlling each coal mill individually.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 19, 2012Publication date: January 31, 2013Applicant: ABB RESEARCH LTDInventors: Mehmet MERCANGOEZ, Tarun Mathur, Thomas Von Hoff
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Publication number: 20130006428Abstract: A control system for a power plant having a mill for pulverizing material for input into a combustion system of the power plant includes first and second sensors for recording first and second parameter of first and second outputs from the combustion system, respectively, an adjuster system for adjusting and recording at least one variable parameter of the combustion system, and a state estimator component configured to receive a first signal relating to the first parameter, a second signal relating to the second parameter and a third signal relating to the at least one variable system parameter. The state estimator component uses the first to third signals to produce a material parameter indicator signal and a system state indicator signal. The control system includes an output component configured to receive the material parameter indicator system state indicator signals and to combine these signals to produce an output control signal.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 14, 2012Publication date: January 3, 2013Applicant: ABB RESEARCH LTDInventors: Marc ANTOINE, Mehmet MERCANGOEZ, Thomas VON HOFF
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Publication number: 20120248873Abstract: A method for controlling an energy storage system for connection to a power system, and such an energy storage system are provided. The method makes use of a model based predictive controller to optimize the charging/discharging rates of energy storage elements in a hybrid energy storage system. The method includes determining respective desired charging/discharging rates for the energy storage elements in dependence upon state of charge predictions from respective models of the storage elements, using model predictive control, and adjusting respective charging/discharging rates of the storage elements in accordance with the determined rates. The energy system includes a controller configured to control respective charging/discharging rates of the energy storage elements in accordance with the method.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 6, 2012Publication date: October 4, 2012Applicant: ABB RESEARCH LTDInventors: Alexandre OUDALOV, Mehmet Mercangoez, Thomas Von Hoff
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Patent number: 8280647Abstract: For monitoring (unmeasured) process states of a rotating machine having a combustion chamber (e.g. a gas turbine), compositions of educts entering the combustion chamber are measured. Based on the compositions of the educts, the composition of the product produced by the combustion chamber can be determined. Moreover, the mechanical power (Pmech) generated by the rotating machine can be determined. Based on the mechanical power (Pmech), the composition of the educts and product, and stoichiometric relationships of educts and product, the values of process states, such as the air mass flow (wa) through the compressor leading into the combustion chamber and/or the gas mass flow (wg), the composition and/or the temperature (T3) of exhaust gas exiting the combustion chamber can be determined. Based on precise measurements of the educt (e.g. the composition of air and fuel in the combustion process), the product (i.e.Type: GrantFiled: June 8, 2009Date of Patent: October 2, 2012Assignee: ABB Research LtdInventors: Konrad Stadler, Andreas Poncet, Thomas Von Hoff
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Patent number: 8050843Abstract: The present invention is concerned with the estimation of health parameters p(k) representing symptoms of a slowly degrading system, in particular industrial gas turbines. According to the invention, an estimation of a true health or independent parameter vector at time step k uses the estimation of the true health or parameter vector at a previous time step k?1 as a starting value for the production of a predicted health parameter vector at time step k. Based on the latter and a set of measured values of input variables of an extended model of the system, a prediction of output variables of the model is produced. This predicted model output is compared with measured values of the output variables to yield an error. From this error, a health parameter estimator in turn produces a health parameter estimate as a revision of the predicted health parameters.Type: GrantFiled: January 10, 2011Date of Patent: November 1, 2011Assignee: ABB Research LtdInventors: Thomas von Hoff, Andreas Poncet, Konrad Stadler
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Patent number: 8032749Abstract: The invention relates to a method for remotely controlling and/or regulating at least one system (1), in particular an industrial system using a communications device (2) which is assigned to the system (1), and at least one receiver device (3), information relating to the system being transmitted from the communications device (2) to the at least one receiver device (3), the information containing a validation code which is generated by the communications device (2), a message being received by the communications device (2), the communications device (2) extracting a check code and instruction information from the message according to a first extraction rule, the communications device (2) validating the message by means of the validation code and check code, and the instruction information being implemented by the system (1) only when the validation is successful.Type: GrantFiled: April 4, 2003Date of Patent: October 4, 2011Assignee: ABB Research LtdInventors: Florian Straub, Thomas von Hoff, Mario Crevatin, Hans-Peter Züger, Bernhard Deck
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Patent number: 8000930Abstract: The present disclosure is concerned with the identification of fault origins of slowly degrading systems such as industrial gas turbines. Following the initial input of some parameter values, exemplary procedure comprises a number of steps which are repeated periodically during the operation of the gas turbine. First, for each potential fault such as e.g. a contamination of compressor blades, erosion of turbine blades or corrosion of machine parts, a pre-symptom fault probability, characteristic of the specific gas turbine considered, and a symptom-conditional fault probability are calculated. In a second step, on-line data from the monitoring devices are loaded in order to update information about symptoms such as e.g. reductions in polytropic efficiency and in flow capacity, changes in vibration spectrum, or other machine condition indicators, and a post-symptom fault probability is calculated.Type: GrantFiled: March 24, 2008Date of Patent: August 16, 2011Assignee: ABB Research LtdInventors: Andreas Poncet, Konrad Stadler, Thomas Von Hoff
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Publication number: 20110160980Abstract: The present invention is concerned with the estimation of health parameters p(k) representing symptoms of a slowly degrading system, in particular industrial gas turbines. According to the invention, an estimation of a true health or independent parameter vector at time step k uses the estimation of the true health or parameter vector at a previous time step k?1 as a starting value for the production of a predicted health parameter vector at time step k. Based on the latter and a set of measured values of input variables of an extended model of the system, a prediction of output variables of the model is produced. This predicted model output is compared with measured values of the output variables to yield an error. From this error, a health parameter estimator in turn produces a health parameter estimate as a revision of the predicted health parameters.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 10, 2011Publication date: June 30, 2011Applicant: ABB RESEARCH LTD.Inventors: Thomas von Hoff, Andreas Poncet, Konrad Stadler
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Patent number: 7869928Abstract: The present invention is concerned with the estimation of health parameters p(k) representing symptoms of a slowly degrading system, in particular industrial gas turbines. According to the invention, an estimation of a true health or independent parameter vector at time step k uses the estimation of the true health or parameter vector at a previous time step k?1 as a starting value for the production of a predicted health parameter vector at time step k. Based on the latter and a set of measured values of input variables of an extended model of the system, a prediction of output variables of the model is produced. This predicted model output is compared with measured values of the output variables to yield an error. From this error, a health parameter estimator in turn produces a health parameter estimate as a revision of the predicted health parameters.Type: GrantFiled: March 23, 2006Date of Patent: January 11, 2011Assignee: ABB Research LtdInventors: Thomas von Hoff, Andreas Poncet, Konrad Stadler
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Publication number: 20100127664Abstract: The present disclosure is concerned with operation of an energy storage system (ESS) connectable to an electric power system. The charging-discharging schedule of the ESS can be determined through application of a time-dependent forecast of ESS and power system states based on historical data. Exemplary embodiments can include ESSs which have been historically activated with a certain periodicity, for example, for power system load leveling, frequency regulation, arbitrage, peak load shaving and/or integration of renewable power generation.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 25, 2009Publication date: May 27, 2010Applicant: ABB Research LtdInventors: Andrew PAICE, Alexandre OUDALOV, Thomas VON HOFF
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Publication number: 20090281737Abstract: For monitoring (unmeasured) process states of a rotating machine having a combustion chamber (e.g. a gas turbine), compositions of educts entering the combustion chamber are measured. Based on the compositions of the educts, the composition of the product produced by the combustion chamber can be determined. Moreover, the mechanical power (Pmech) generated by the rotating machine can be determined. Based on the mechanical power (Pmech), the composition of the educts and product, and stoichiometric relationships of educts and product, the values of process states, such as the air mass flow (wa) through the compressor leading into the combustion chamber and/or the gas mass flow (wg), the composition and/or the temperature (T3) of exhaust gas exiting the combustion chamber can be determined. Based on precise measurements of the educt (e.g. the composition of air and fuel in the combustion process), the product (i.e.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 8, 2009Publication date: November 12, 2009Applicant: ABB RESEARCH LTDInventors: Konrad STADLER, Andreas Poncet, Thomas Von Hoff
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Publication number: 20080201104Abstract: The present disclosure is concerned with the identification of fault origins of slowly degrading systems such as industrial gas turbines. Following the initial input of some parameter values, exemplary procedure comprises a number of steps which are repeated periodically during the operation of the gas turbine. First, for each potential fault such as e.g. a contamination of compressor blades, erosion of turbine blades or corrosion of machine parts, a pre-symptom fault probability, characteristic of the specific gas turbine considered, and a symptom-conditional fault probability are calculated. In a second step, on-line data from the monitoring devices are loaded in order to update information about symptoms such as e.g. reductions in polytropic efficiency and in flow capacity, changes in vibration spectrum, or other machine condition indicators, and a post-symptom fault probability is calculated.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 24, 2008Publication date: August 21, 2008Applicant: ABB Research LtdInventors: Andreas Poncet, Konrad Stadler, Thomas Von Hoff
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Publication number: 20050221811Abstract: The invention relates to a method for remotely controlling and/or regulating at least one system (1), in particular an industrial system using a communications device (2) which is assigned to the system (1), and at least one receiver device (3), information relating to the system being transmitted from the communications device (2) to the at least one receiver device (3), the information containing a validation code which is generated by the communications device (2), a message being received by the communications device (2), the communications device (2) extracting a check code and instruction information from the message according to a first extraction rule, the communications device (2) validating the message by means of the validation code and check code, and the instruction information being implemented by the system (1) only when the validation is successful.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 4, 2003Publication date: October 6, 2005Applicant: ABB Research LtdInventors: Florian Straub, Thomas Von Hoff, Mario Crevatin, Hans-Peter Zuger, Bernhard Deck
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Publication number: 20040064297Abstract: For estimating a value of a vector of variables p in a mathematical model representing a physical process, where a state vector x of the model is estimated by a State Augmented Extended Kalman Filter (SAEKF), and where that the vector of variables p represents one or more properties of the process and is representable by a function of the state vector x, the following steps are executed:Type: ApplicationFiled: September 29, 2003Publication date: April 1, 2004Applicant: ABB Research LtdInventors: Eduardo Gallestey Alvarez, Geir Hovland, Thomas von Hoff