Patents by Inventor Tomohiro Numajiri

Tomohiro Numajiri 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).

  • Publication number: 20110031755
    Abstract: A wind-driven generator whose yaw system (10A) installed at the upper part of a support (2) is reduced in the number of its components and weight. The wind-driven generator has the yaw system (10A) equipped with a yaw driving device (30), a yaw slewing ring, and a yaw brake and slewing a nacelle installed at the upper part of the support (2) according to the direction of the wind. A yaw slewing ring fixed to a nacelle table plate (12) through a bracket (23A) having a nearly L-shaped cross section functions as the slide bearing (20A). Thus, the slide bearing (20A) slidably supports a flange part (2a) formed at the upper end of the support (2) with slide pads (22) held by the bracket (23A).
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 10, 2008
    Publication date: February 10, 2011
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Tomohiro Numajiri
  • Publication number: 20110020136
    Abstract: A blade pitch-angle control apparatus is provided which can reduce the number of machining processes required for manufacturing a hub and which improves the maintainability due to a reduction in weight of each of hydraulic cylinders. The blade pitch-angle control apparatus, which is used in a wind turbine generator having a plurality of blades and which individually operates the pitch angle of each of the blades, uses the two hydraulic cylinders to operate each of the blades.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 10, 2008
    Publication date: January 27, 2011
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Tomohiro Numajiri
  • Publication number: 20110012360
    Abstract: A wind turbine generator is provided that allows the use of a general-purpose crane for construction through a reduction in the weight of a nacelle. This wind turbine generator includes a yaw system that includes a yaw drive unit, a yaw slew ring, and a yaw brake and that slews the nacelle, mounted on top of a tower, depending on wind direction. This yaw system is disposed on the tower top side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 10, 2008
    Publication date: January 20, 2011
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, LTD.
    Inventor: Tomohiro Numajiri
  • Publication number: 20110006537
    Abstract: A transmission unit (10A) that provides a high gear ratio despite a reduced number of transmission steps and allows itself to be lightweight. The transmission unit (10A) is composed of a combination of parallel gears and has an input gear (11) fitted to an input shaft (Si) coupled with output gears (12A,12B) fitted to an output shaft (So) via multiple pinion shafts (Sv) provided at both ends thereof with gears (13,14A-14B) different from each other in the number of teeth, the pinion shafts disposed in a circumferential direction. The gears (14A-14D) provided on the output shaft (So) side of the multiple pinion shafts (Sv) alternately interlock in the circumferential direction with the multiple output gears (12A,12B) provided with a displacement along the axial direction of the output shaft (So).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2008
    Publication date: January 13, 2011
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
    Inventor: Tomohiro Numajiri
  • Publication number: 20100316499
    Abstract: A pitch drive device of a wind power generator capable of preventing the loss of reliability of the pitch drive device with a simple structure and a wind power generator are provided. A rotor head of a wind power generator in which a plurality of wind turbine blades are radially attached around a rotation axis is formed by joining a plurality of separately formed front rotor head and rear rotor head, and joint portions of the front rotor head and the rear rotor head are formed in a plane intersecting the rotation axis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2008
    Publication date: December 16, 2010
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Tomohiro Numajiri
  • Publication number: 20100308594
    Abstract: A bearing structure that reduces the relative sliding speed of a sealing ring and a contact surface and suppresses relative deformation due to a temperature difference of inner and outer rings is provided. A rolling member is disposed inside a space formed between an outer ring and an inner ring, the outer ring or the inner ring rotating relatively via the rolling element, wherein a sliding section of the surface of the rolling member and the inner surface of the space is lubricated with a lubricant supplied into the space, and a sealing ring attached to a supporter supporting the rolling element seals an opening of the space at an end section in the axial direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 17, 2008
    Publication date: December 9, 2010
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Tomohiro Numajiri
  • Publication number: 20100276932
    Abstract: A pitch drive device of a wind turbine generator and a wind turbine generator that have simple and inexpensive structures and that are capable of preventing a decrease in the reliability of the pitch drive device are provided. There is provided a cylinder (12) configured to change a pitch angle by driving a wind-turbine rotary blade (6) to turn around an axis with respect to a rotor head (4); and a cylinder bearing (14) configured to support, in a turnable manner, a trunnion (16) extending from the cylinder (12) substantially parallel the axis of the wind-turbine rotary blade (6), wherein anti-vibration rubber (21) configured to elastically support the trunnion (16) is provided on a support section configured to support the trunnion (16) of the cylinder bearing (14).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2008
    Publication date: November 4, 2010
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Tomohiro Numajiri
  • Patent number: 7745951
    Abstract: A wind turbine generator that can eliminate the penetration of rainwater and prevent the occurrence of failure is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2010
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomohiro Numajiri, Yoshihiko Hayashi
  • Publication number: 20100058673
    Abstract: The production process is shortened and the manufacturing costs are reduced. The present invention is a tubular-member flange coupling (8) in which a top or bottom end of a circumferential portion is mated to a bottom or top end of a tubular member (7) to couple the tubular members (7) to each other. A recess (16) having a substantially U-shape in cross-section is provided around a circumferential direction in a surface to be connected to the tubular member (7) at a position radially inward of a surface to be mated to the tubular member (7).
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2007
    Publication date: March 11, 2010
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd
    Inventor: Tomohiro Numajiri
  • Publication number: 20100043227
    Abstract: A method for attaching a rotor of a wind turbine generator and a method for constructing a wind turbine generator are provided, with which the rotor blades can be prevented from breaking and with which the construction costs can be reduced. The present invention includes: an assembly step (S1) in which a plurality of wind-turbine rotor blades are attached to a rotor head to assemble the rotor on the ground; a wire attaching step (S2) in which a first wire is attached to a first hoisting portion provided on a rotation axis of the rotor and in which a second wire is attached to a second hoisting portion provided at a position away from the rotation axis; a hoisting step (S3) in which the rotor is hoisted with the first wire; a rotor raising step (S4) in which the first wire is extended so that the rotor is hoisted with the second wire; and a rotor attaching step (S6) in which the rotor hoisted with the second wire is attached to the nacelle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 25, 2008
    Publication date: February 25, 2010
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Tomohiro Numajiri
  • Publication number: 20100034658
    Abstract: Provided are a wind turbine generator and a method for constructing a wind turbine generator that allow for alleviation of construction costs, particularly for large wind turbine generators, and alleviation of limitations on construction due to weather. Provided are a rotor head that has a plurality of wind turbine rotor blades and that is rotated by wind power received by the plurality of wind turbine rotor blades, a front segment disposed on top of a tower and constituting a nacelle to which the rotor head is attached, a rear segment attached to the front segment and constituting the nacelle, a front frame disposed in the front segment and positioned between the rotor head and the tower so as to support a load on the rotor head, a rear frame disposed in the rear segment and attached to the front frame, a front cover covering the periphery of the front segment, and a rear cover covering the periphery of the rear segment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 10, 2008
    Publication date: February 11, 2010
    Inventors: Tomohiro Numajiri, Hisao Miyake, Masaaki Shibata
  • Publication number: 20100032961
    Abstract: A wind turbine generator that allows for size and weight reduction of a nacelle bedplate and that enables easier maintainability, such as device replaceability, is provided. In a wind turbine generator that generates electricity by driving a generator connected, via a drive train, to a rotor head that has wind-turbine rotor blade attached thereto and rotates together therewith, at least a part of the drive train that transmits torque from the rotor head to the generator is disposed on a front side of the rotor head opposite a nacelle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2008
    Publication date: February 11, 2010
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Tomohiro Numajiri
  • Publication number: 20100032960
    Abstract: A wind turbine generator that can eliminate the penetration of rainwater and prevent the occurrence of failure is provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2008
    Publication date: February 11, 2010
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Tomohiro Numajiri, Yoshihiko Hayashi
  • Publication number: 20100028152
    Abstract: The present invention provides a wind-turbine rotor-blade hoisting apparatus that enables attachment and removal of wind-turbine rotor blades without using a plurality of heavy machines and that enables attachment and removal of wind-turbine rotor blades on a site having a complex land shape with little flat land, a method for attaching a wind-turbine rotor blade, and a method for constructing a wind power generator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2008
    Publication date: February 4, 2010
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomohiro Numajiri, Nobuyasu Nakamura
  • Publication number: 20100011575
    Abstract: A method of replacing wind turbine equipment, which can reduce the cost for replacing large equipment disposed in a nacelle, is provided. The method is characterized by including a winch-hoisting step for winching up to a nacelle a reciprocating winch that is used for replacing the wind turbine equipment disposed in the nacelle mounted atop a tower and a balance supporting the wind turbine equipment with an ordinarily-installed winch provided on a girder that moves in the nacelle; a wire-hoisting step for hoisting a wire that is used for the replacement of the wind turbine equipment to the nacelle from a drum disposed on the ground; a winch-replacing step for detaching the ordinarily-installed winch from the girder and attaching the winch for replacement to the girder; and a wire-arranging step for arranging the hoisted wire on the reciprocating winch and a movable pulley provided between the balance and the girder.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2008
    Publication date: January 21, 2010
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Tomohiro Numajiri
  • Publication number: 20090317254
    Abstract: Provided are a pitch actuator for a wind turbine generator and a wind turbine generator that can be prevented from losing their reliability. Provided are a cylinder (12) and a rod (13) that rotate a wind turbine rotor blade about an axis thereof relative to a rotor head to change a pitch angle; a cylinder bearing (14, 15) supporting the cylinder (12) so as to be rotatable relative to the rotor head about a first rotation axis (L1) extending substantially parallel to the axis of the wind turbine rotor blade and about a second rotation axis (L2) extending in a direction crossing both the first rotation axis (L1) and the axis of the cylinder (12) and the rod (13); and a rod bearing (16) rotatably supporting an end of the rod (13) on an end surface of the wind turbine rotor blade.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2008
    Publication date: December 24, 2009
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES , LTD
    Inventors: Tomohiro Numajiri, Masahiro Kawai, Seita Seki
  • Patent number: 7282808
    Abstract: A power generating wind turbine includes parts and components installed in or on a nacelle which are made smaller and lighter, thus facilitating maintenance. A main shaft 11, a gear-box for speeding up rotation of the main shaft 11 and a generator 13 driven by an output of the gear-box 11 are provided on a nacelle bed plate 6. The main shaft 11 is connected to an input shaft 12a end of the gear-box 12 via a double-row tapered roller bearing 16. The main shaft 11 is supported to a wall portion W1 of the nacelle bed plate 6 with the double-row tapered roller bearing 16 being interposed therebetween. The main shaft 11 is formed in an annular shape having its outer diameter D1 larger than its axial directional length L1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2007
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaaki Shibata, Hisao Miyake, Tomohiro Numajiri, Yasuyoshi Tozaki, Katsuhiko Shoda
  • Publication number: 20060220389
    Abstract: Provided is a power generating wind turbine in which parts and compoments installed in or on a nacelle are made smaller and lighter and maintenance is facilitated. A main shaft 11, a gear-box speeding up rotation of the main shaft 11 and a generator 13 driven by output of the gear-box 11 are provided on a nacelle bed plate 6. The main shaft 11 is connected to an input shaft 12a end of the gear-box 12 via a double-row tapered roller bearing 16. The main shaft 11 is supported to be fitted to a wall portion W1 of the nacelle bed plate 6 with the double-row tapered roller bearing 16 being interposed therebetween. The main shaft 11 is formed in an annular shape having its outer diameter D1 made larger than its axial directional length L1.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2004
    Publication date: October 5, 2006
    Inventors: Masaaki Shibata, Hisao Miyake, Tomohiro Numajiri, Yasuyoshi Tozaki, Katsuhiko Shoda