General Electric Patent Grants

Electric machines with air gap control systems, and systems and methods of controlling an air gap in an electric machine

Granted: April 16, 2024
Patent Number: 11962255
Systems and methods of controlling a length of an air gap in an electric machine using an air gap controller may include: determining an air gap length value for an electric machine at least in part using an air gap controller, comparing the determined air gap length value to an air gap target value using the air gap controller, and outputting a control command from the air gap controller to a controllable device associated with an air gap control system when the determined air gap…

Wind turbine generators and methods for rotating a hub of a wind turbine

Granted: April 16, 2024
Patent Number: 11959464
A method for rotating a hub of a wind turbine in an inching operation to rotate the hub includes reconfiguring the generator from normal operation by coupling a first string of a first electrical phase of the stator in series with a second string of a second electrical phase of the stator, the first and second strings comprising one or more coils coupled in series. Current is provided from a power converter to the first and second strings o rotate the hub. The generator includes a first…

Engine with rotating detonation combustion system

Granted: April 16, 2024
Patent Number: 11959441
A Brayton cycle engine including a longitudinal wall extended along a lengthwise direction. The longitudinal wall defines a gas flowpath of the engine. An inner wall assembly is extended from the longitudinal wall into the gas flowpath. The inner wall assembly defines a detonation combustion region in the gas flowpath upstream of the inner wall assembly.

Turbine engine with reduced cross flow airfoils

Granted: April 16, 2024
Patent Number: 11959393
An airfoil assembly for a turbine engine comprising an outer band, an inner band radially spaced inwardly from the outer band to define an annular region, and multiple airfoils circumferentially spaced within the annular region. Each corresponding airfoil of the multiple airfoils can project from a surface at a root and can further include an outer wall defining a pressure side and a suction side. A projection can extend upwardly from the surface on the pressure side and a valley can…

Turbine engine airfoil

Granted: April 9, 2024
Patent Number: 11952912
A turbine engine includes a compressor section, a combustion section, and a turbine section, and an airfoil with an outer wall defining a pressure side and a suction side and extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge to define a mean camber line. A first thickness is defined between the pressure side and the suction side at a first location along the mean camber line.

Engine control system

Granted: April 9, 2024
Patent Number: 11956063
Certain examples disclose and describe apparatus and methods to reprogram all electronic engine control system processors through a single external network interface to an aircraft data loader. In such examples, a main processor that interfaces to an aircraft communication network is to operate as both a data loader and a loadable device. Distributed electronic engine control processors are reprogrammable from a single network interface, rather than requiring separate, direct access to…

System and method for protecting a wireless power transfer system

Granted: April 9, 2024
Patent Number: 11955805
A wireless power transfer system is disclosed. The wireless power transfer system includes a first converting unit configured to convert a first DC voltage of an input power to a first AC voltage. Further, the wireless power transfer system includes a contactless power transfer unit configured to receive the input power having the first AC voltage from the first converting unit and transmit the input power. Also, the wireless power transfer system includes a second converting unit…

Circuit interruption device

Granted: April 9, 2024
Patent Number: 11955793
A circuit interruption device including first and second terminals for connection, to a respective electrical circuit or network, a current-conductive branch including first, second, and third current-conductive branch portions successively connected in series between the first and second terminals, the first current-conductive branch portion including a first switching element, the second current-conductive branch portion including a second switching element, the third…

Receiver unit of a wireless power transfer system

Granted: April 9, 2024
Patent Number: 11955274
A receiver unit of a wireless power transfer system is presented. The receiver unit includes a main receiver coil, a plurality of auxiliary receiver coils disposed about a central axis of the main receiver coil, and a receiver drive subunit. The receiver drive subunit includes a main converter operatively coupled to the main receiver coil and having a main output terminal. The receiver drive subunit may include a plurality of auxiliary converters operatively coupled to the plurality of…

Jet engine thermal transport bus pumps

Granted: April 9, 2024
Patent Number: 11952944
Jet engine thermal transport bus pumps are disclosed. Disclosed herein is an aircraft comprising a gas turbine engine configured to burn fuel at a fuel flow rate to generate an engine power (Pengine), the fuel characterized by a first specific heat capacity (cp_fuel) and a net heat of combustion (NHCfuel); and a thermal management system configured to transfer heat from a working fluid to the fuel, the working fluid characterized by a second specific heat capacity (cp_pump) and a first…

Machine foam cleaning system with integrated sensing

Granted: April 9, 2024
Patent Number: 11952906
A machine is cleaned by directing a foam detergent into the machine to remove contaminants from inside the machine. An effluent portion of the foam detergent exits from the machine with some of the contaminants. One or more of a turbidity, a salinity, an amount of total dissolved solids, or a concentration the contaminants in the effluent is measured. A cleaning time period during which the foam detergent is to be directed into the machine is determined based on the turbidity, the…

Variable guide vane sealing

Granted: April 9, 2024
Patent Number: 11952900
A variable guide vane assembly is provided for a turbine defining a core air flowpath. The variable guide vane assembly includes an airfoil band defining a flowpath surface and a cavity. The variable guide vane assembly further includes an airfoil including a first end extending at least partially into the cavity of the airfoil band and an opposite second end, the airfoil extending generally along an axis between the first end and the second end and being moveable generally about the…

System and method of forecasting aircraft engine operational data for predictive analytics

Granted: April 9, 2024
Patent Number: 11952149
Systems and methods for forecasting aircraft engine operational data are provided. The forecasted data can be used for use with predictive analytics, for example. In one aspect, a method is provided. The method includes receiving engine data associated with an engine. The engine data includes data points for various operational parameters. The method further includes determining forecasted data points for the operational parameters. The forecasted data points for a given one of the…

Additive manufacturing system

Granted: April 9, 2024
Patent Number: 11951679
An additive manufacturing apparatus can include a stage configured to hold a component formed by one or more layers of resin. A support plate can be positioned above the stage. A radiant energy device can be positioned above the stage. The radiant energy device can be operable to generate and project energy in a predetermined pattern. A feed module can be configured to operably couple with a first end portion of a resin support and can be positioned upstream of the stage. A take-up…

Systems, and methods for diagnosing an additive manufacturing device

Granted: April 9, 2024
Patent Number: 11951567
A system for diagnosing an additive manufacturing device is provided. The system includes one or more processors, one or more non-transitory memory modules communicatively coupled to the one or more processors and storing machine-readable instructions. The machine-readable instructions, when executed, cause the one or more processors to: determine parameters associated with at least one subsystem of the additive manufacturing device, the parameters being related to a build generated by…

Assignment of multiple print parameter sets in additive manufacturing

Granted: April 9, 2024
Patent Number: 11951566
A method, medium, and system to obtain an assignment of one of a plurality of different additive manufacturing (AM) print parameter sets to each of a plurality of 3D volume elements forming a representation of the model of the part; define a plurality of groupings based on margin parameter values associated with the model of the part; assign a print parameter set to each grouping; automatically assign each of the plurality of print parameter sets to a laser of a multi-laser AM device;…

Backwall strike braze repair

Granted: April 9, 2024
Patent Number: 11951557
A process of repairing a component includes identifying a void in a component; determining at least one approximate physical configuration of the void; inserting borescope into the component in order to view the void; providing a repair rod approximately equivalent to at least one of the least one approximate physical configuration of the void; inserting the repair rod into component; confirming insertion of the repair rod in the void; separating the repair rod to leave a repair plug in…

Additive manufacturing machine and method with variable powder dispensing assembly

Granted: April 9, 2024
Patent Number: 11951543
A powder dispensing assembly for an additive manufacturing machine is provided. The powder dispensing assembly includes a housing that defines a powder reservoir that receives additive powder; a first plate removably connectable to the housing, the first plate defining a first discharge orifice having a first discharge orifice geometry; and a second plate removably connectable to the housing, the second plate defining a second discharge orifice having a second discharge orifice geometry…

Neuromodulation energy application techniques

Granted: April 2, 2024
Patent Number: 11944490
Techniques for accurate positioning of an energy application device for neuromodulation treatment protocols are provided. A neuromodulation positioning patch is applied to a patient's skin. The energy application device is coupled to a frame of the neuromodulation positioning patch to position a transducer of the energy application device within an opening at a treatment position within the opening. The frame is also coupled to a removable dock for an imaging probe. When the frame is…

System for contactless displacement measurement of a blade root of a wind turbine

Granted: April 2, 2024
Patent Number: 11946448
A system for measuring displacements of a blade root of a rotor blade of a wind turbine includes a hub, and a rotor blade coupled to the hub by a pitch bearing. The system further comprises a reference plane and at least one displacement sensor. The reference plane is configured to move with the rotor blade as the rotor blade moves relative to the hub while the displacement sensor is fixed to the hub and the displacement sensor is configured to detect a displacement of the reference…