Unsymmetrical Impeller Or Dissimilar Working Members Patents (Class 416/203)
  • Publication number: 20080206058
    Abstract: The present invention concerns a method for reducing vibration levels likely to occur in a turbomachine comprising at least a first and a second bladed wheel, where the two wheels are moving relative to one another about an axis of rotation and a gaseous fluid is passing over them, due to perturbations of an aerodynamic origin that are produced by the second bladed wheel or an obstacle on the first bladed wheel. The method includes the following steps in the design of said two bladed wheels: an initial configuration of the blades is defined; the synchronous forced response on the first bladed wheel is calculated as a function of the harmonic excitation force produced by the second bladed wheel expressed in the form of a linear function of the generalized aerodynamic force for the mode considered; a geometric tangential shift value ? is determined for the stacked cross sections of one of the two wheels so as to reduce the corresponding term to the generalized aerodynamic force.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2008
    Publication date: August 28, 2008
    Applicant: SNECMA
    Inventors: Jerome Alain DUPEUX, Jean-Pierre Francois Lombard, Virendra Sharma, Samy Mitha
  • Publication number: 20080159867
    Abstract: This invention relates to an impeller assembly comprising at least one ring member and an impeller, in which the ring member has an inner peripheral edge and an outer peripheral edge oppositely facing to each other; the impeller includes a body and multiple blades, wherein each blade has a front edge and a rear edge, which respectively define an inlet side and an outlet side; the multiple blades are mounted around the outer peripheral edge of the body and multiple flow channels are formed between the blades, and the ring member is provided at the outlet side of the flow channels. According to this configuration, the impeller is made by assembly type method so that the difficulty in mold releasing and machining resulted from interference between components can be overcome; furthermore the manufacturing is further facilitated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2007
    Publication date: July 3, 2008
    Inventor: Sheng-An Yang
  • Publication number: 20080145228
    Abstract: An array of blades for use in a turbomachine is provided comprising a plurality of blades mounted to a rotor disk. A plurality of first blades form a first set of blades and a plurality of second blades form a second set of blades. A blade-to-blade flow field defined between successive ones of the first set of blades is interrupted by the second set of blades to form an asymmetric blade-to-blade flow field around the array of blades. The trailing edges of the second set of blades are positioned forwardly from a line connecting the trailing edges of the first set of blades such that shock forces in the flow field around the array of blades will generally impinge on a stable region of the first set of blades.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2006
    Publication date: June 19, 2008
    Inventors: Frank Truckenmueller, Heinrich Stueer, Harry F. Martin, Lewis Gray
  • Patent number: 7367775
    Abstract: A rotor comprising several blades rotating together with the rotor, particularly running blades, and the blades forming at least one blade ring, is disclosed. The blades within the, or each, blade ring are arranged at a different distance from one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2008
    Assignee: MTU Aero Engines GmbH
    Inventors: Hans-Peter Borufka, Klaus Pirker
  • Publication number: 20080101936
    Abstract: A fan for vehicle that considerably reduces noise and vibration by setting the center of gravity of a fan to agree with the rotational center of a fan without any additional means, such as adding a weight or frame thickness, by disposing blades at unequal angular intervals and providing the most suitable arrangement to reduce isolated sound caused by air passing the fan blades.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 29, 2006
    Publication date: May 1, 2008
    Inventors: Jeong-Han Lee, Kyung-Wook Nam
  • Patent number: 7360995
    Abstract: A vertical axis windmill in which a support frame is provided as a wind power dam to form a plurality of shaft-installation sections, and in which a plurality of vertically long blades each of which has a tilted part at the upper and lower ends respectively are disposed in multi-levels to improve wind-receiving power thereby providing a wind power generator with low installation cost and increased total power generation per a certain area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2008
    Assignees: Global Energy Co., Ltd., Kabushiki Kaisha FJC
    Inventor: Masahiko Suzuki
  • Patent number: 7326037
    Abstract: Centrifugal pumps and methods of making and using them are disclosed. One inventive pump includes a plurality of flow passages, at least one pump component having one or more non-axisymmetric flow passage contours defined at least in part by non-equal blade or vane heights.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2008
    Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventor: David M. Eslinger
  • Patent number: 7322792
    Abstract: A cooling fan without returning flow comprises a motor stator, a frame and a motor rotor. The frame is joined to the stator with a support device at the inlet side thereof. The motor rotor is disposed at the stator. A fan blade set is disposed under the rotor and at the outlet side of the frame. An airflow area of the outlet can be increased to prevent the outlet side from producing a stagnation zone so as to increase cooling area and reduce noise.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Asia Vital Component Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Wen-Hao Liu
  • Patent number: 7284950
    Abstract: An impeller rotates for pressurizing fluid in a pump passage. The impeller includes an inner circumferential portion and an outer circumferential portion. The outer circumferential portion has two axial end surfaces that respectively have a plurality of vane grooves arranged in a rotative direction of the outer circumferential portion. A plurality of communication holes axially penetrates one of the inner circumferential portion and the outer circumferential portion. The plurality of communication holes is displaced from the plurality of vane grooves in a radial direction of the outer circumferential portion. The plurality of communication holes is arranged substantially along the rotative direction of the outer circumferential portion at nonuniform pitches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2007
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Hideki Narisako, Tadashi Hazama
  • Patent number: 7267530
    Abstract: A windmill apparatus has multiple pairs of blades to enhance power output and lift performance. The apparatus has multiple double acting piston/cylinders actuated by the windmill, which includes several clutches that are used to engage and disengage the windmill from the motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2007
    Inventor: Francis J. McCabe
  • Patent number: 7264443
    Abstract: A pump includes a housing defining an internal chamber having an axial inlet passage, a generally radial passage with an outlet to a volute. A rotatable impeller, disposed within the chamber, has a conical rear shroud sloping away from the axial inlet to define a rear recess. A shaft seal is disposed within the recess to minimize the axial length of the pump. A front surface of the shroud carries vanes operable to impel fluid from the axial inlet passage to the volute. Portions of the vanes extend forward into the axial inlet passage to induce coolant pre-rotation in the inlet passage and to improve pump efficiency. Pump efficiency may be further increased by a conical wall defining the axial inlet passage, a sloped wall defining the radial passage and a large radius between the axial inlet and the sloped wall to smooth fluid flow between the axial inlet passage and the volute.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2007
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Frederick J. Rozario, Dennis Kitching, William A. Berry, Allen G. Sheppard
  • Patent number: 7234914
    Abstract: A compressor or pump employs principles of unsteady delayed stall to enhance the head increase produced by the compressor or pump. Plural airfoil-shaped lifting elements are spaced from each other in a cascade and the fluid is directed into the cascade by a device that varies a parameter of the flow relative to each lifting element in repeating cycles to cause the flow relative to each lifting element to begin to separate from the lifting element and then reattach thereto during each cycle. The cascade can comprise an axial flow impeller with plural impeller blades arranged around a hub capable of rotating on an axis. The device for varying the flow parameter can be a stator with a plurality of stator blades upstream of the impeller, or a second, counter-rotating axial flow impeller. In either case, the parameter is a flow angle at which the flow is directed to the downstream impeller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2007
    Assignee: Continum Dynamics, Inc.
    Inventors: William J. Usab, Jr., Alan J. Bilanin
  • Patent number: 7210908
    Abstract: Rotor blades of a hydraulic machine rotor are shaped such that the inlet edge and outlet edge of two adjacent rotor blades have varying profiles in different sections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2007
    Assignee: VA Tech Hydro GmbH
    Inventor: Helmut Keck
  • Patent number: 7210907
    Abstract: The invention relates to a centrifugal fan impeller (1) having an axis of rotation (6) and comprising one or more modules (2). Each module (2) comprises a mounting disc (4), at least one connecting ring (5) and a plurality of blades (3) extending between the mounting disc (4) and the connecting ring (5). The blades (3) are connected to the disc (4) and ring (5) at an angle (?) relative to the axis (6) of the impeller (1). The angle (?) at which the blades (3) are inclined may range from 5 to 30 degrees and the blades (3) may be rectangular or trapezoidal in shape depending on the type of performance required: improved capacity with rectangular blades or improved pressure head and acoustic properties with trapezoidal blades. Top performance is thus combined with acoustic comfort.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2007
    Assignee: Spal S.R.L
    Inventor: Salvatore Patti
  • Patent number: 7186088
    Abstract: A fan 10 has a hub 12, a plurality of fan blades 14 attached to the hub at one end and extending outwardly from the hub, and a ring 18 concentric with the hub and coupled to tips 16 of the blades. Wherein a dimensionless radius (r/R) is defined from a center of the hub (r/R=0) radially outwardly, wherein each tip of the blades is r/R=1. A stagger angle is defined as an angle between an axis of rotation of the fan and a set angle of each fan blade, and C/R is a dimensionless chord length where C is chord. The fan is defined by values of r/R, C/R and stagger angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2007
    Assignee: Siemens VDO Automotive, a division of Siemens Canada Limited
    Inventors: Brian Havel, Mark Blissitt
  • Patent number: 7168923
    Abstract: The invention is a fan for an alternator adapted to be coupled in rotation to the alternator rotor, and being of the type comprising a wheel part and a plurality of fan blades (47, 48) extending from the latter, the fan being moulded in a plastics material on an insert (50) which is preferably of metal and which constitutes the wheel part of the fan and is arranged to provide fastening of the fan on the rotor, being configured so as to constitute a means for increasing the mechanical strenght of the fan; the insert (50, 65) includes at least a portion of a blade (48, 69) of the fan. The invention is useful in the manufacture of a high power cooling fan for a motor vehicle alternator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2007
    Assignee: Valeo Equipements Electriques Moteur
    Inventors: Claudiu Vasilescu, Sébastien Arrighi
  • Patent number: 7165938
    Abstract: A fan device includes a casing having a recess defined in a first side thereof so as to receive a fan unit therein, and a hole defined through a second side of the casing. An outlet is defined in a side of the casing. The fan unit includes a first ring and a motor is located at a center of the first ring. A plurality of inner blades extend from an inner periphery of the first ring and a plurality of outer blades extend from an outer periphery and an underside of the first ring. The inner plates are connected to the motor. The fan device sucks air from both sides of the casing and the air flows out from the outlet smoothly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2007
    Inventors: Sen-Yung Lee, Shueei-Muh Lin, Hsin-Mao Hsieh
  • Patent number: 7165941
    Abstract: One aspect of the present invention concerns a process for mounting rotor blades to a rotor hub of a wind power installation in situ. In order to avoid high torques in the mechanical train of the wind power installation in the operation of mounting the rotor blades, a process according to one aspect of the invention includes the following steps: mounting a weight to at least one flange of the rotor hub; mounting the rotor blade in the installation situation; rotating the rotor hub into a predeterminable position; and exchanging the weight arranged on the flange of the rotor hub for a rotor blade by removing the weight and then mounting the rotor blade to the rotor hub.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2007
    Inventor: Aloys Wobben
  • Patent number: 7134839
    Abstract: A radial-flow heat-dissipating fan includes a casing and a cover mounted to a side of the casing. The casing includes a compartment and a side air outlet, and the cover includes an air inlet. A primary fan wheel is rotatably mounted in the compartment and the primary fan wheel includes a hub and a plurality of radial-flow blades surrounding the hub. An auxiliary fan wheel is mounted in the air inlet of the cover and includes a plurality of axial-flow blades. An airflow transition area is defined between a circumference of the hub of the primary fan wheel, the radial-flow blades, and the axial-flow blades. The axial-flow blades increase axial inlet airflow via the air inlet, with the airflow transition area changing a direction of the axial inlet airflow into centrifugal airflow that is outputted via the side air outlet by the radial-flow blades.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2006
    Assignee: Sunonwealth Electric Machine Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Alex Horng, Yu-Yuan Lu
  • Patent number: 7125226
    Abstract: An impeller for a radial-flow heat dissipating fan includes a hub and a plurality of blades surrounding the hub. The blades are connected to a circumference of the hub to allow joint rotation of the hub and the blades. More than one blade include an air inlet side edge and an air outlet side edge. The air inlet side edge of each of the more than one blade has a radial length smaller than that of the air out side edge, thereby increasing an air inlet amount and smoothly changing incoming axial airflow into centrifugal airflow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2006
    Assignee: Sunonwealth Electric Machine Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Alex Horng, Yu-Yuan Lu, Mei-Chih Fang
  • Patent number: 7121798
    Abstract: In a radial fan wheel for supplying cooling air for an electrical machine, with a number of fan blades (16) attached along the circumference of the fan wheel (10) that have arc-shaped blade ends (18), which, at their radially inner edge, enclose a first angle (?1) with a tangent (20) to the inner circumference (20) of the fan wheel (10) and at their radially outer edge, enclose a second angle (?2) with a tangent (22) to the outer circumference (24) of the fan wheel (10), the invention proposes that the second angle (?2) be selected to be 75% or more greater than the first angle (?1) in order to minimize the turbulence noise in the vicinity of the fan blades (16) during operation of the fan wheel (10).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2006
    Assignee: Robert Bosch Gmbh
    Inventor: Horst Braun
  • Patent number: 7118331
    Abstract: A stator vane assembly for a turbomachine comprising a plurality of circumferentially arranged stator vanes (32), the axial position of the stator vanes (32) and/or the pitch angle circumferentially between adjacent stator vanes (32) is varied circumferentially around the stator vane assembly. The stator vane assembly reduces the pressure distortion upstream of the fan outlet stator vanes (32), reduces the circumferential pressure variation and this reduces blade forced response excitation, noise generation and aerodynamic losses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2006
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce plc
    Inventor: Shahrokh Shahpar
  • Patent number: 7048507
    Abstract: The invention relates to an axial-flow thermal turbomachine having a metallic rotor (1), in which rotor blades (3) made of an intermetallic compound are mounted in a circumferential groove to form a row of blades. The invention is characterized in that at least two rotor blades (3?) which are at a uniform distance from one another and are made of a more ductile material are arranged in the said row of blades between the intermetallic rotor blades (3), the rotor blades (3?) made of the more ductile material either being considerably longer than the intermetallic blades (3) or, if they are of the same length, having a different blade tip shape than the intermetallic blades (3).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2006
    Assignee: ALSTOM Technology Ltd.
    Inventors: Hans Wettstein, Mohamed Yousef Nazmy, Claus Paul Gerdes
  • Patent number: 7044713
    Abstract: A wind power generating apparatus having a plurality of rotary wings can reduce the load and resistance on the rotary wings due to wind to obtain a highly effective rotation power as well as to flexibly absorb the impact applied to the rotary wings due to varying wind pressure. Each one of the rotary wings has a radius of rotation different from the others and rotates separately according to the direction of the wind, by which the rotation power resulting from load and resistance in the integrally elongated rotary wings in relation to the wind is prevented from being canceled, and the wind acceleration via the accelerator covers and the wind distribution to the rotary wings result for highly efficient rotation power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2006
    Inventor: Jang-sik Joo
  • Patent number: 7037089
    Abstract: A cooling fan with dual blade sets has an impeller formed by a rotatable hub, a stator assembly, and a shell. A plurality of mini blades and a plurality of guide blades are respectively formed on a bottom surface and an external surface of the rotatable hub. The impeller has a plurality of holes defined on the bottom surface being arranged in a circle adjacent to the mini blades. Therefore when the impeller rotates, the mini blades are able to drive out the heat in an inner space between the impeller and the shell through the holes to outside.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2006
    Inventor: Hsin-Mao Hsieh
  • Patent number: 7037078
    Abstract: In a moving turbine wheel, blade inserts are used with at least two blades interconnected by common outer and inner platforms and sharing a common root. The blade inserts have hollow roots in which respective recesses are formed, and the insert roots belonging to the same wheel and/or two different wheels are voluntarily given different configurations in order to adjust the resonant frequencies of the inserts to values that are significantly different, thereby ensuring that the inserts in the same wheel and/or between two different wheels are out of tune.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2006
    Assignee: Snecma Moteurs
    Inventors: Jean-Luc Soupizon, Patrick Rossi, Henri Popinet, Sandrine Tourbier, Claude Bion, Charles Balleron, José Lopez, Patrick Girard, Xavier Lescure, Patrice Rosset
  • Patent number: 7029230
    Abstract: An impeller for a delivery pump in which profiled section (14) comprising webs (15) is located on the outer periphery of an impeller (4) for a feed pump (2) that is configured as a side channel pump. The webs (15) are arranged at an ascending incline, viewed in the rotational direction of the impeller (4) from the designated pressure side to the designated intake side. This permits flow losses between the radial external region of the impeller (4) and the housing parts (6, 7) of the feed pump (2) to be maintained at a particularly low level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2006
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Bernd Jaeger
  • Patent number: 7029227
    Abstract: A method of reducing vibration in a structure comprising at least one rotor (101j) and a fixed set of sources of disturbance (102j) liable to give rise to disturbances in the fluid flow (11) that cause the rotor to vibrate, the method comprising a step of distributing the fixed sources of disturbance angularly in non-uniform manner so as to reduce the amplitude of excitation as seen by the rotor, and a step which consists in verifying that the maximum amplitude of a response of the rotor to the excitation is obtained by: determining a first signal whose Fourier transform corresponds to the frequency spectrum of the excitation in the event of the fixed sources of disturbance being distributed in a predetermined angular distribution; by modifying the first signal into a second signal adapted to said selected angular distribution for the fixed sources of disturbance; by determining the frequency spectrum of the excitation by calculating the Fourier transform of the second signal; and by calculating the respon
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2006
    Assignee: Snecma Moteurs
    Inventors: Marc Berthillier, Yvon Cloarec, Eric Seinturier
  • Patent number: 7008180
    Abstract: An axial-flow fan has a plurality of main fins (702), and auxiliary fins (703) provided between the main fins (702), where the position of a front end of the auxiliary fin (703) relative to X axis and the position of a front end of the main fin (702) adjoining the auxiliary fin in reverse-rotary direction are aligned, the height of the auxiliary fin (703) is approximately three fourths of the height of the main fin (702), and the cross sections of the main fin (702) and the auxiliary fin (703) taken along the axial direction of the main shaft are streamlined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2006
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Motoyuki Fujimori, Masakazu Kitamura, Toshiaki Hashizume
  • Patent number: 6984111
    Abstract: Air flows along pressure surfaces and suction surfaces of main blades of an inner blade group by rotation of an impeller. When the air passes the inner blade group, the air flowing along the suction surfaces of the main blades tends to separate from the suction surfaces, and shearing flows tend to be formed behind outer diameter end portions of the main blades. Here, the auxiliary blades of the outer blade group are placed inside the air flows passing between the main blades of the inner blade group, and therefore the auxiliary blades restrain the separation of air flows, and the shearing flows.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2006
    Assignee: Sanden Corporation
    Inventor: Michio Kitazume
  • Patent number: 6979169
    Abstract: A ventilation exhaust fan is provided, and in some embodiments includes a housing adapted to interchangeably receive a first module having a first support plate and a second module having a second support plate. Each of the first and second modules have at least one of a motor and a fan wheel operable to generate a flow of fluid into and out of the exhaust fan. At least one of the motor and fan wheel of the first module is different from the motor and the fan wheel of the second module, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2005
    Assignee: Broan-NuTone LLC
    Inventors: Robert G. Penlesky, Daniel L. Karst
  • Patent number: 6960061
    Abstract: A rotary pump includes a pump chamber disposed above a liquid basin, and a radial impeller with a vertical axis disposed in the pump chamber. An intake connecting piece is disposed coaxially with the impeller and is positioned in the liquid basin. Either an inner part of the radial impeller or an axial impeller in the intake connecting piece, is provided for aspirating liquid in an interior region of the pump chamber. Venting channels lead from the interior region of the pump chamber to an outside and extend along a side wall of the intake connecting piece up to about a plane of the intake opening of the intake connecting piece. At least one venting channel has a lateral opening in the side wall of the intake connecting piece which opens essentially in a radial direction to the pump chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2005
    Assignee: K.H. Brinkmann GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Peter Wagner
  • Patent number: 6960059
    Abstract: A blower having a plurality of impellers is described. The blower has two driving devices and two impellers respectively mounted on the two driving devices. The blades of the two impellers, which are radially or axially disposed, are overlapped so as to enhance the heat-dissipating efficiency of the blower.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2005
    Assignee: Delta Electronics, Inc.
    Inventors: Shun-Chen Chang, Kuo-Cheng Lin, Wen-Shi Huang
  • Patent number: 6887046
    Abstract: An impeller pump with thermostatically adjustable guide vanes is suitable for use as an automotive coolant pump. The pump is driven by a constant speed electric motor, and flow variation is controlled by varying the orientation of the vanes. Orientation of the vanes is effected by a wax-type thermostat, which senses coolant temperature: flow is increased when the coolant is hot, and decreased as the coolant cools. The variable guide vanes are mounted for pivoting about radial axes, and are located just upstream from the pump impeller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2005
    Assignee: Flowork Systems II LLC
    Inventors: Walter Otto Repple, John Robert Lewis Fulton
  • Patent number: 6877954
    Abstract: A heat dispensing fan includes a hub having a recess defined in a top thereof so as to receive a fan member therein. The recess communicates with a side outlet in the hub and apertures defined through the hub. The fan member has a ring-shaped base plate and a protrusion extends from a center of a top of the base plate. A plurality of first curve blades extends from the protrusion and a plurality of second curve blades are located on the top of the base plate. Each first curve blade is connected to one of the second curve blades. A top cap is connected to the hub and has a hole defined therethrough.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2005
    Inventors: Shueei-Muh Lin, Sen-Yung Lee
  • Patent number: 6854959
    Abstract: A steam turbine rotor wheel includes a plurality of buckets secured about a circumferential periphery of the wheel, each bucket comprising a shank portion and an airfoil portion, the plurality of buckets including two groups of buckets having respective different predetermined resonant frequencies. A method of reducing vibration in a row of buckets on a steam turbine rotor wheel includes a) providing a first group of buckets with a first predetermined natural frequency range; b) providing a second group of buckets with a second predetermined natural frequency range different than the first predetermined natural frequency range; and c) assembling buckets of the first and second groups of buckets in alternating fashion on the rotor wheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2005
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Kevin Joseph Barb
  • Patent number: 6851928
    Abstract: A diffuser plate 22 for a bypass blower motor assembly has a number of vanes 34 for guiding air flow from an impeller to outlet openings in an impeller housing. Each vane has two curved air guiding blades 36, 37. One blade 36 guides the air axially and circumferentially from the impeller towards the outlet openings and the other blade 37 guides the air radially through the outlet openings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2005
    Assignee: Johnson Electric S.A.
    Inventors: Siu Chun Tam, Kwong Yip Poon
  • Patent number: 6824361
    Abstract: An impeller for a fuel pump for supplying fuel to an automotive engine from a fuel tank includes an impeller body having a substantially disk shape with opposing first and second faces and an outer circumference. The impeller body defines a rotational axis extending therethrough perpendicular to the first and second faces. A plurality of radially outwardly extending vanes extend from the outer circumference of the impeller body and are spaced circumferentially about the impeller body. Each of the vanes includes a first half extending from the outer circumference adjacent the first face and a second half extending from the outer circumference adjacent the second face. The second halves are rotationally shifted about the rotational axis relative to the first halves. The vanes are spaced un-evenly and in a non-repeating pattern about the outer circumference of the impeller body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2004
    Assignee: Visteon Global Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: DeQuan Yu, Paul Edward Fisher, Stephan Thomas Kempfer, Norman N. Krieger
  • Patent number: 6790016
    Abstract: A motor and its blade unit include a blade unit made of a conical fundamental body and a plurality of blades formed around the surface of the conical fundamental body. The blades of the blade unit are multi-sectioned ones of different sizes. These blades increase water flowing speed with help of the centrifugal force produced by rotating of the blade unit, and quickly guide water to flow along the outer wall of a motor and out of the motor, not to flow reversely back to a shaft. At the same time these blades can cut impurities in water preventing the motor from clogged by impurities, increasing water flowing-out speed, lowering motor load and electricity consumption and saving motor horsepower to prolong its service life, and also possible to be combined with various types of motors for extensive use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Inventor: Ching-Yuan Chiang
  • Patent number: 6761040
    Abstract: Cross flow fan, and air conditioner fitted with the same, the cross flow fan including a plurality of annular rims arranged at regular intervals along a horizontal direction, and a plurality of blades on a side surface of the rim vertical thereto, and along a circumference direction of the rim, wherein pitch angles between two adjacent blades are not regular, the pitch angle taking a center of the rim as an apex, and a number of blades are 32 or 35. The pitch angles of the blades are designed by a computer optimization method taking a number of the blades and the like as parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2004
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Cheol O Ahn, Sim Won Chin, Chang Seon Lee, Mun Kee Chung, In Cheol Yun, Dong Soo Moon, In Hwa Jung
  • Patent number: 6719530
    Abstract: A fan (2) includes a central hub (22), and a plurality of spaced and substantially sector-shaped blades (24) radially extending from the central hub. The blades surround the central hub. Shapes of the blades are similar. Sizes of the blades are all different from one another. Spacings between any two adjacent blades are all different from one another. The blades can therefore be configured such that a natural frequency of the blades is outside a range of a working frequency of a corresponding heat dissipation assembly which is used to dissipate heat from a corresponding electronic device. Resonance of the blades can therefore be completely avoided. Noise and vibration of the blades when the fan is operated can therefore be minimized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2004
    Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Ind. Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Min Chan John Chow
  • Publication number: 20040062634
    Abstract: A regenerative fuel pump comprising a housing, a pump cover having a first flow channel formed therein, a pump body having a second flow channel formed therein whereby the first flow channel and the second flow channel define a pumping chamber, and an impeller mounted between the pump cover and pump body and including a plurality of vanes spaced circumferentially about the impeller and defining a plurality of vane grooves. The vanes are spaced un-evenly in a non-repeating pattern about the impeller. The first and second flow channels each include an inlet end, an outlet end, and a stripper area defined as the area between the inlet end and the outlet end extending from the inlet end away from the flow channel. Each of the stripper areas including a plurality of grooves formed therein adapted to dampen pressure pulsations within the pumping chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2002
    Publication date: April 1, 2004
    Applicant: Visteon Global Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: DeQuan Yu, Stephen Thomas Kempfer, Paul Edward Fisher, Norman Nelson Krieger, David M. Dokas
  • Patent number: 6655929
    Abstract: A cooling fan dust guard has provided on the inner side of fan blades multiples of fins at equal distance from one another around the spindle to create disturbance as the fan blades rotate to outwardly expel the airflow so to prevent the airflow carrying dust an easy ingression of the dust into the spindle and help cool down the stator assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2003
    Assignee: ADDA Corporation
    Inventor: Hsin Mao Hsieh
  • Patent number: 6648602
    Abstract: A fan having balancing blade sets is disclosed herein comprising a central hub, a shaft and a plurality of blade sets. The blade sets are radially extended from an outer circumference of the central hub and each blade set is uniformly formed within an appropriate angular length to ensure stable rotation. Each blade set is comprised of various blade designs to enhance blowing efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2003
    Assignee: Sunonwealth Electric Machine Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Alex Horng, Ching-Shen Hong
  • Patent number: 6644918
    Abstract: In an axial flow fan motor having openings through which air can flow linearly in the axial direction provided between a plurality of blades which rotate along with the rotation of the motor, the plurality of blades are arranged at different intervals or at equal intervals every other blade circumferentially around the rotation axis of the motor. With this axial flow fan motor, when two axial flow fan motors are stacked in the axial direction and either one is selectively used, the blades of the other fan motor that is stopped do not obstruct airflow from the fan motor that is being driven.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2003
    Assignee: Minebea Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Satoshi Masuo
  • Patent number: 6641367
    Abstract: A wind energy conversion apparatus comprising a supporting structure including a number of spokes, which is rotatably journalled on a horizontal main shaft, wherein auxilliary rotors having an at least substantially circular plane of inflow are mounted on the ends of the spokes, wherein each of the auxilliary rotors has a plane of inflow which includes an acute angle with the central axis of the main shaft and which intersects the central axis upstream of the main shaft, and wherein the auxilliary rotors are made up of rotors including rotor blades or of conical bodies having a large apex angle, whose base is directed towards the oncoming wind.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2003
    Assignee: Aerolift Patents B.V.
    Inventor: Frederikus Van der Klippe
  • Patent number: 6629818
    Abstract: An impeller for generating an air flow, for use in a device such as a blower/vacuum, the impeller having a hub structure for mounting the impeller on a rotatable shaft of the blower/vac and a plurality of air-flow generating vanes coupled to the hub structure in a non-uniform manner wherein the spacing between adjacent vanes is irregular. An impeller having non-uniform spacing between adjacent vanes is provided. Additional features of the impeller may include a plurality of debris engaging structures or serrations for facilitating a finer mulch of air-entrained debris.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2003
    Assignee: The Toro Company
    Inventor: Steven J. Svoboda
  • Publication number: 20030175119
    Abstract: A centrifugal pump prevents a fluid from stagnating and so stops decreases in pump efficiency. An open impeller-type centrifugal pump includes pump vanes 12 that are connected via a vane boss 10 to an end part of a rotational shaft 8, a casing 14 that is connected to an end part of the pump base part 6 and forms a fluid chamber R surrounding the pump vanes 12, and an intake 16 and an outtake 18 that are formed in the casing 14. The pump vanes 12 are composed of pump vanes 12a to 12c that are integrally formed with current plates 20a to 20c. The current plates 20a to 20c cause some of the fluid that enters via the intake 16 to flow downwards along the axial direction of the rotational shaft 8. The fluid that flows along the current plates causes a centrifugal flow from an inner periphery to an outer periphery in a gap between a pump base part and the lower surfaces of the pump vanes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2003
    Publication date: September 18, 2003
    Applicant: SUN MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH CORPORATION
    Inventors: Koki Tajima, Tomoya Kitano
  • Patent number: 6617717
    Abstract: In an alternator, a pole core has a plurality of claw-pole pieces, and a cooling fan has a plurality of diagonal-flow-type blades and a plurality of centrifugal-flow-type blades. A combination of numbers of the claw-pole pieces and the diagonal-flow-type blades is determined to suppress an interference of wind noises caused by the claw-pole pieces and the diagonal-flow-type blades during operation, such that one of the numbers of the claw-pole pieces and the diagonal-flow-type blades is not divisible by the other and both numbers have no common divisor other than one. Further, a number of the centrifugal-flow-type blades is determined not to be divisible by the numbers of the diagonal-flow-type blades and the claw-pole pieces, and all the three numbers have no common divisor other than one.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2003
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventor: Goroku Okawa
  • Publication number: 20030147747
    Abstract: A diffuser plate 22 for a bypass blower motor assembly has a number of vanes 34 for guiding air flow from an impeller to outlet openings in an impeller housing. Each vane has two curved air guiding blades 36, 37. One blade 36 guides the air axially and circumferentially from the impeller towards the outlet openings and the other blade 37 guides the air radially through the outlet openings.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2003
    Publication date: August 7, 2003
    Inventors: Siu Chun Tam, Kwong Yip Poon