# US 10,770,996 B1 · System for anticipating load changes > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,770,996 B1 - Document ID: US10770996B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 16/418,071 - Filed: 2019-05-21 - Granted: 2020-09-08 - Earliest claimed: 2019-05-21 - Assignees: General Electric Company - Applicants: General Electric Company - Inventors: Scott Douglas Waun; Michael Thomas Gansler; Mary Kathryn Thompson; Joshua Tyler Mook; Michael Robert Notarnicola; Aigbedion Akwara; Kevin Michael VandeVoorde - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10770996B1 ## CPC - H02P 9/04: Control effected upon non-electric prime mover and dependent upon electric output value of the generator - F02B 63/041: {Linear electric generators} - F02B 75/282: {the pistons having equal strokes} - F02D 29/06: peculiar to engines driving electric generators - F02G 1/045: Controlling - H02K 7/1884: {structurally associated with free piston engines} - H02P 9/02: Details {of the control} - H02P 23/14: Estimation or adaptation of motor parameters, e.g. rotor time constant, flux, speed, current or voltage - F02B 63/04: for electric generators - F02B 71/00: Free-piston engines; Engines without rotary main shaft - F02D 2041/1412: {using a predictive controller} - F02G 2243/00: Stirling type engines having closed regenerative thermodynamic cycles with flow controlled by volume changes - F02G 2280/10: Linear generators - H02P 2101/25: for combustion engines - H02P: CONTROL OR REGULATION OF ELECTRIC MOTORS, ELECTRIC GENERATORS OR DYNAMO-ELECTRIC CONVERTERS; CONTROLLING TRANSFORMERS, REACTORS OR CHOKE COILS - F02B: INTERNAL-COMBUSTION PISTON ENGINES; COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL (gas-turbine plants F02C; hot-gas or combustion-product positive-displacement engine plants F02G) - F02D: CONTROLLING COMBUSTION ENGINES (vehicle fittings, acting on a single sub-unit only, for automatically controlling vehicle speed B60K31/00; conjoint control of vehicle sub-units of different type or different function, road vehicle drive control systems for purposes other than the control of a single sub-unit B60W) - F02G: HOT GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT ENGINE PLANTS (steam engine plants, special vapour plants, plants operating on either hot gas or combustion-product gases together with other fluid F01K; gas-turbine plants F02C; jet-propulsion plants F02K); USE OF WASTE HEAT OF COMBUSTION ENGINES; NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - H02K: DYNAMO-ELECTRIC MACHINES (dynamo-electric relays H01H53/00; conversion of DC or AC input power into surge output power {H03K3/53}) ## Abstract Systems and methods for converting energy are provided. In one aspect, the system includes a closed cycle engine having a piston body and a piston assembly movable within the piston body. An electric machine is operatively coupled with the piston assembly and operable to generate electrical power. An electrical device is in communication with the electric machine. The system includes a control system having sensors, a controllable device, and a controller. The controller is configured to determine whether a load change on the electric machine is anticipated based at least in part on received data indicative of a load state of the electrical device; in response to whether the load change is anticipated, determine a control command for adjusting an output of at least one of the engine and the electric machine; and cause the controllable device to adjust the output based at least in part on the control command. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system, comprising: a closed cycle engine having a piston body defining a hot side and a cold side and having a piston assembly movable within the piston body; an electric machine operatively coupled with the piston assembly, wherein the electric machine is operable to generate electrical power when the piston assembly is moved within the piston chamber; an electrical device in communication with the electric machine, the electrical device operable to receive electrical power from the electric machine; and a control system, comprising: one or more sensors; a controllable device; and a controller communicatively coupled with the one or more sensors and the controllable device, the controller being configured to: determine whether a load change on the electric machine is anticipated based at least in part on data received indicative of a load state of the electrical device; in response to whether the load change is anticipated, determine a control command indicative of instructions for adjusting an output of at least one of the closed cycle engine and the electric machine; and cause the controllable device to adjust the output based at least in part on the control command. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the piston assembly movable within the piston body is one of a plurality of piston assemblies of the closed cycle engine, and wherein each of the plurality of piston assemblies are movable within respective piston bodies of the closed cycle engine. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the piston assembly is a free piston assembly. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the load state of the electrical device is indicative of an anticipated change in electrical power demanded by the electrical device on the electric machine and an anticipated time at which the anticipated change in electrical power demanded by the electrical device on the electric machine is to occur. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the electrical device is one of a plurality of electrical devices, and wherein the load state of the electrical device is indicative of a total anticipated change in electrical power demanded by the plurality of electrical devices on the electric machine for a predetermined time period, and wherein the control command is determined based at least in part on the total anticipated change in electrical power demanded by the plurality of electrical devices on the electric machine over the predetermined time period. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the electrical device comprises one or more energy storage devices. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the load state of the electrical device includes a runtime indicator indicative of a time period in which the electrical device anticipates coming on line or dropping offline. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to: determine whether the anticipated load change is a load increase or a load decrease. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein if the anticipated load change is a load decrease, the control command is determined such that a fuel input to the closed cycle engine is ramped down to anticipate the load decrease. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein if the anticipated load change is a load increase, the control command is determined such that a fuel input to the closed cycle engine is ramped up to anticipate the load increase. ### Claim 11 A method, comprising: operating a closed cycle engine having a piston assembly movable within a piston chamber defined by a piston body of the closed cycle engine; receiving data indicative of a load state of an electrical device in communication with an electric machine operatively coupled with the piston assembly; determining a load change is anticipated on the electric machine based at least in part on the load state of the electrical device; determining a control command indicative of instructions for adjusting an output of at least one of the closed cycle engine and the electric machine prior to the anticipated load change on the electric machine; and causing a controllable device to adjust the output of at least one of the closed cycle engine and the electric machine prior to the anticipated load change on the electric machine based at least in part on the determined control command. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the load state of the electrical device is indicative of the electrical power demanded by the electrical device on the electric machine. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the load state of the electrical device includes a runtime indicator indicative of a time period in which the electrical device anticipates coming on line or dropping offline. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising: determining whether the anticipated load change is a load increase or a load decrease. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein if the anticipated load change is a load decrease, the control command is determined such that a fuel input to a combustor of the closed cycle engine is ramped down to anticipate the load decrease. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein if the anticipated load change is a load increase, the control command is determined such that a fuel input to a combustor of the closed cycle engine is ramped up to anticipate the load increase. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the controllable device is a fuel control device. ### Claim 18 A computer readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors of a controller, cause the controller to: cause a temperature differential between a hot side and a cold side of a closed cycle engine having a piston assembly movable within a piston chamber defined by a piston body of the closed cycle engine, the piston assembly moved based at least in part on the temperature differential; receive data indicative of a load state of an electrical device in communication with an electric machine operatively coupled with the piston assembly, the electric machine operable to generate electrical power when the piston assembly is moved within the piston chamber; determine whether a load change is anticipated on the electric machine based at least in part on the load state of the electrical device; determine a control command indicative of instructions for adjusting an output of at least one of the closed cycle engine and the electric machine prior to or at the same time as the anticipated load change on the electric machine; and cause a controllable device to adjust the output of at least one of the closed cycle engine and the electric machine prior to or at the same time as the anticipated load change on the electric machine based at least in part on the determined control command. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the closed cycle engine is a regenerative heat engine. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the piston assembly movable within the piston body is one of a plurality of piston assemblies of the closed cycle engine, and wherein each of the plurality of piston assemblies are movable within respective piston bodies of the closed cycle engine.