General Electric Patent Applications

ACTUATING MECHANISM FOR OPERATING A CIRCUIT BREAKER

Granted: December 21, 2023
Application Number: 20230411090
An actuating mechanism for a circuit breaker includes a first piston movable in a first cylinder, against the force of a first compressible member, by admitting hydraulic fluid, and a second piston movable in a second cylinder, against the force of a second compressible member, by admitting hydraulic fluid. Hydraulic fluid can transferred from the second cylinder into the first cylinder via an interconnecting fluid passage, and released from the first cylinder via an outlet fluid…

DAMPERS FOR SEAL ASSEMBLIES

Granted: December 21, 2023
Application Number: 20230407762
This disclosure is directed to seal assemblies for a turbomachine. The seal assemblies include stationary and rotating components and at least one interface between the stationary and rotating components. In some examples, seal assembly includes a runner coupled to a rotating shaft and a sealing element coupled to a stationary engine housing. The seal assembly can also include a spring element located between the sealing element and the stationary engine housing, which allows the…

ELECTRICAL ASSEMBLY

Granted: December 14, 2023
Application Number: 20230402935
An electrical assembly includes a converter-based electrical device and a transformer for connecting the converter-based electrical device to an AC electrical network, a first transformer side of the transformer connected to the converter-based electrical device, a second transformer side of the transformer for connection to the AC electrical network, the transformer including a number of taps, the transformer including a tap changer operable to selectively connect to the or each tap to…

ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING APPARATUSES AND METHODS FOR OPERATING THE SAME

Granted: December 14, 2023
Application Number: 20230398746
An additive manufacturing apparatus includes a process chamber having a length, a support extending along the length of the process chamber, a printing assembly, a vision system configured to image a dispensed binder pattern, and an electronic control unit communicatively coupled to the printing assembly, the first actuator, and the vision system. The electronic control unit is configured to cause the printing assembly to traverse the build zone in a forward or reverse direction while…

PRINT AND RECOAT ASSEMBLIES FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR USING THE SAME

Granted: December 14, 2023
Application Number: 20230398740
A method for forming an object includes moving an assembly including an energy source, heating an initial layer of build material (31i, 31s, 31, 3, 50) positioned in a build area via forced convection around the energy source of the assembly, and spreading build material (31) on the build area, thereby depositing a second layer of build material (31i, 31s, 31, 3, 50) over the initial layer of build material (31 i, 31s, 31, 3, 50).

PRINTING ASSEMBLIES AND METHODS FOR USING THE SAME

Granted: December 14, 2023
Application Number: 20230398735
A printing assembly (150) is provided including a manifold assembly including an inlet manifold (210) including an inlet reservoir (238) and an inlet port (266), and an outlet manifold (212) including an outlet reservoir (286) and an outlet port (310). A valve is provided at each of the inlet port of the inlet manifold and at the outlet port of the outlet manifold. The valve is operable between an open position for permitting the flow of material through the port and a closed position…

APPARATUSES, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS FOR IN-SITU FIELD ALIGNMENT DETECTION FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING

Granted: December 7, 2023
Application Number: 20230394649
An apparatus may include a processor, memory modules, and machine-readable instructions stored in the memory modules. When executed by the processor, the instructions may cause the apparatus to receive image data of one or more laser strikes on a build plane, the image data indicating positions of a first set of fiducial strikes made by a first laser on the build plane and positions of a second set of fiducial strikes made by a second laser on the build plane, determine relative…

MATERIAL SUPPLY SYSTEMS FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING AND METHODS FOR USING THE SAME

Granted: December 7, 2023
Application Number: 20230391008
A method for providing build material to an additive manufacturing system (100) includes moving the build material (10) from a dosing hopper (240) to an interior space defined by one or more supply sidewalls of a supply receptacle (110) and a piston (130) positioned within the supply receptacle (110), and moving the piston toward a working surface (102) of the additive manufacturing system, thereby moving build material within the interior space to the working surface.

MATERIAL SUPPLY SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR USING THE SAME

Granted: December 7, 2023
Application Number: 20230391005
A system includes a supply receptacle defining one or more supply receptacle sidewalls and an upwardly-facing receptacle opening, a piston positioned at least partially within the supply receptacle, where the piston, the upwardly-facing receptacle opening, and the one or more supply receptacle sidewalls at least partially define an interior space of the supply receptacle, and the piston is positionable between an extended position, in which the interior space has an extended volume, and…

CIRCUIT BREAKER COMPRISING AN IMPROVED GAS FLOW MANAGEMENT

Granted: November 30, 2023
Application Number: 20230386771
The present application concerns a high-voltage circuit breaker filled with insulating gas having a main axis A, including arcing contacts and an insulating nozzle, wherein an insulating gas flowing from a storage chamber and heated by an electric arc between the two arcing contacts is partitioned into a first gas flow and a second gas flow conducted outside of the insulating nozzle from opposite directions toward a main gas chamber, wherein the first gas flow flows through a first…

CIRCUIT BREAKER COMPRISING AN IMPROVED LINKAGE MECHANISM

Granted: November 30, 2023
Application Number: 20230386762
The present application concerns a circuit breaker including a movable contact, a driving rod slidably mounted in the circuit breaker, a linkage mechanism for driving the movable contact, a pivoted driving fork rotatably mounted in the circuit breaker which cooperates with the driving rod through the cooperation of a primary pin provided on the driving rod and a primary slot provided on the driving fork, a driven lever connecting the driving fork to the movable contact, and wherein the…

SURFACE TREATMENT FOR SEAL ASSEMBLIES

Granted: November 30, 2023
Application Number: 20230383669
This disclosure is directed to seal assemblies for a turbomachine. The seal assemblies include stationary and rotating components and at least one interface between the stationary and rotating components. In some examples, seal assembly includes an oleophilic coating disposed between the stationary and rotating components. The seal assembly may include a surface texture to enhance the oleophilicity of the surface coating disposed between the stationary and rotating components. In other…

SEAL ASSEMBLY FOR A TURBOMACHINE

Granted: November 30, 2023
Application Number: 20230383666
This disclosure is directed to seal assemblies for a turbomachine. The seal assemblies include stationary and rotating components and at least one interface between the stationary and rotating components. The seal assembly further includes a self-lubricating lattice element made of carbon or a carbon-based material. The self-lubricating lattice element may have a porous and compressible microstructure capable of retaining a liquid substance. During engine operation, the self-lubricating…

MATERIAL SUPPLY SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR USING THE SAME

Granted: November 30, 2023
Application Number: 20230382045
A system (100) includes a build area positioned along a working surface (102), a supply receptacle (110) spaced apart from the build area and defining one or more supply receptacle sidewalls and an upwardly-facing receptacle opening (114), a dosing hopper (240) positioned above and in selective communication with the supply receptacle, where the dosing hopper is structurally configured to deliver build material to an interior space (116), and a conveyance hopper (260) in communication…

MONITORING OPERATION OF ELECTRON BEAM ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING WITH PIEZOELECTRIC CRYSTALS

Granted: November 30, 2023
Application Number: 20230381885
Devices, systems, methods, and kits of parts for monitoring operation of an electron beam additive manufacturing systems are disclosed. A monitoring system includes one or more measuring devices positioned on the at least one wall in the interior of a build chamber of the additive manufacturing system. Each one of the one or more measuring devices includes a piezoelectric crystal. The monitoring system further includes an analysis component communicatively coupled to the one or more…

CONNECTION STRUCTURE FOR A GENERATOR ASSEMBLY

Granted: November 16, 2023
Application Number: 20230366324
A generator assembly includes a stator assembly coupled to an engine stator component of a propulsion engine, the stator assembly including: a stator support structure fixedly attached to the engine stator component; a stator disposed on a supporting surface of the stator support; a manifold coupled to the stator support, the manifold defining a connection volume and including at least one coolant opening at a connection end of the manifold; and an electrical connector extending between…

PHASE SHIFTING TRANSFORMERS COMPRISING A SINGLE COIL FOR TWO EXCITING WINDINGS FOR VOLTAGE REGULATION AND FOR PHASE SHIFT ANGLE REGULATION

Granted: November 2, 2023
Application Number: 20230353059
The present disclosure relates to a phase shifting transformer. The phase shifting transformer includes two exciting windings sharing the same three double taped coils, a first excited winding having three connected coils, for a phase shift regulation, a second excited winding comprising three connected coils, for a voltage regulation, each of the two exciting windings regulating the voltage of one coil of the second excited winding, and regulating the voltage level of one coil of the…

SWITCHING VALVE

Granted: November 2, 2023
Application Number: 20230353043
There is provided a switching valve for a voltage source converter, the switching valve including a number of modules, each module including at least one switching element and at least one energy storage device, each switching element and each energy storage device arranged to be combinable to selectively provide a voltage source, the switching valve including a controller programmed to selectively control the switching of the switching elements to select zero, one or more of the modules…

DC ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEM

Granted: October 26, 2023
Application Number: 20230344236
A DC energy storage system may include first and second DC terminals for connection to a DC link, a DC energy storage converter including a number of modules connected in series between the first and second DC terminals, each module including at least one switching element and at least one energy storage device, the or each switching element and the or each energy storage device in each module being combinable to selectively provide a voltage source, and at least one circuit interruption…

IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO VOLTAGE SOURCE CONVERTERS

Granted: October 26, 2023
Application Number: 20230344364
A voltage source converter includes first and second DC terminals which have at least one converter limb extending therebetween. Each limb portion includes a chain-link converter that extends between an associated AC terminal and a corresponding one of the first or the second DC terminal. Each chain-link converter also includes a chain-link converter controller which is programmed to control a series of connected chain-link modules. The voltage source converter additionally includes a…