Method for Mounting Wind Turbine Blades to a Wind Turbine Hub
Longer wind turbine blades and taller towers have led to difficulties in mounting. To combat these issues, Siemens has patented a new system for mounting the blades to the turbine hub by using a crane boom.
The described method would keep the orientation of the blade horizontal as the blade is lifted off the ground to be mounted on the rotor hub. According to the patent, “Control wires, which connect the blade via the crane boom to a winch arrangement, are used for keeping the blade orientation substantially horizontal in addition to at least one bearing wire for bearing the blade weight.”
Motor Vehicle with Sensors Arranged on a Pivoting Device
Driver assistance systems are becoming ubiquitous, and with more functionalities in these systems, comes the need for more sensors.
To increase the functionality of the devices, GM has designed a system where the sensors are arranged on a pivoting device. This allows the sensors to be panned or tilted relative to the vehicles position, and to “carry out their function at any time, as optimally as possible, regardless of the driving situation.”
The pivoting device may be coupled to the steering wheel or the front wheel.
An Aircraft Provided with a Hydraulic Control Valve
Airbus Helicopters has been assigned a patent for a hydraulic control valve, a device for adjusting blade pitch, and an aircraft using these technologies.
The patent describes “A hydraulic control valve provided with at least one body having a jacket with a feed orifice. The hydraulic control valve has a transfer rod provided with at least one fluid transfer duct, at least one orifice present inside the jacket, and a second orifice arranged outside the jacket.”
Airbus was also assigned patents for an aircraft pilot’s seat and headrest, and the method for assembling a floor in a cockpit structure previously constructed from a section of aircraft fuselage.
Balloon Power Sources with a Buoyancy Trade-Off
Google’s Project Loon was created to help bring the Internet to rural and remote areas. The projects “Loon balloons” float in the stratosphere (twice as high as airplanes) rising or descending to catch wind to travel.
Moving forward with these plans, Google was recently assigned a patent for “balloon power sources with a buoyancy trade-off.”
The patent describes example embodiments that “may facilitate altitude control by a balloon in a balloon network.”
These embodiments include an “envelope,” high-pressure storage chamber and a solar power system, wherein the solar power system generates power for the balloon to move gas to and from a high-pressure storage chamber to decrease or increase the buoyancy of the balloon.
Aircraft Ice Protection System & Aircraft Provided with the Same
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has been assigned a patent for an aircraft ice protection system. Unlike traditional deicing techniques, this design uses heat from the plane’s engine to thaw ice accretion on the wings.
The patent explains, “Bleed air extracted from a main engine of the aircraft and air introduced from an air intake installed on an airframe and heated by a heat source of the airframe of the aircraft are selectively supplied to a hot air chamber formed inside the wing, thereby carrying out ice protection.”
Devices & Implements for Deterring Monsters, Specters, Demons & the Like
We were all afraid of the monster in the closet or under the bed as children. Now, thanks to technology and a new patent assigned to Crucs Holdings, there is no more need to fear dark corners in the bedroom.
The proposed device promises to stave off “monsters, specters, demons and the like as imagined by a child at bedtime.” It includes a hand-held controller with a user interface that the child can use while hiding under the bed covers.
According to the patent, “The hand-held controller unit may include any of a walkie-talkie capability, a flashlight capability, a nightlight capability, the capability to activate an external device, and other capabilities.”
Additionally, to scare away the monsters under the bed, an external device that is controlled by the hand-held unit can be placed beneath the bed.
If specters are still looming, “At least one substantially hollow air-through member may be provided which is configured to facilitate airflow between underneath the bed covers of the bed and above the bed covers of the bed.”
Filed Under: Aerospace + defense