Patents Examined by Bradley R Brown
  • Patent number: 10931220
    Abstract: Solar Motor Controller is an electronic device with DC power input terminals that may connect directly to solar PV panels, and output terminals that may connect directly to single or multiphase phase AC electric motors without requiring an energy storage subsystem. The Controller runs electric motors of many frequencies and is capable of interfacing to multiple voltages of solar PV panels with or without maximum power point tracking. The Controller may drive motors in water pumping, HVAC, refrigeration, compressors operation, blowers, machine tools, and many other applications; some controller applications may operate at motor speeds adjusted to conform to power available from attached solar panels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignee: PREMIER ENERGY HOLDINGS, INC.
    Inventors: Yusuf Gurkaynak, Nikola Milivojevic, Gerhard Hautmann, John LoPorto
  • Patent number: 10924041
    Abstract: A motor drive system includes a converter configured to convert power between AC power in a power source and DC power in a DC link, an inverter for drive configured to convert power between the DC power and AC power in a servomotor for drive, a motor control unit for drive configured to control the servomotor for drive, a power storage device configured to store the DC power from the DC link or supplies the DC power to the DC link, and a determination unit configured to determine whether the holding energy of the power storage device is lower than a threshold for energy shortage determination, wherein when the holding energy is lower than the threshold for energy shortage determination, the motor control unit for drive controls the servomotor for drive by setting an additional standby period in which the servomotor for drive is inactive in a predetermined operation pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: Fanuc Corporation
    Inventors: Shougo Shinoda, Satoshi Ikai
  • Patent number: 10906748
    Abstract: An improved system for determining the identification of movers in a motion control system is disclosed, where the motion control system includes multiple movers traveling on a closed track. The physical construction of at least one element of one of the movers is different on one mover than on each of the other movers. The control system for the movers detects the difference in construction and identifies the unique mover as a first mover. Each of the other movers along the track are assigned an identifier based on their relative position to the first mover. According to one embodiment, a position sensing system is utilized to identify the first mover. According to another embodiment, the drive system for the movers is utilized to identify the first mover. In still another embodiment, a combination of the position sensing system and the drive system is utilized to identify the first mover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Patrick E. Ozimek, Oliver C. Haya, Peter M. Smit, Marc Koeppel
  • Patent number: 10910985
    Abstract: An electric drive system has a motor including a rotor, an inverter, and a controller. The controller perturbs a position of the rotor via a pulse width modulation (PWM) command to the inverter such that the motor receives an Id current that changes during the perturbing and an Iq current, and responsive to the Iq current settling at zero during the perturbing, alters the PWM command to cause the rotor to rotate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Jiyao Wang, Wei Xu, Silong Li
  • Patent number: 10899010
    Abstract: A cable damage detection assistance apparatus in a robot mechanism includes a program executor for executing a program to operate a robot, a plurality of times, while changing velocity for driving motors whenever the program is executed; a motor controller for controlling the motors; a state quantity detector for detecting a state quantity indicating an operation state of the robot during the execution of the program; an alarm generator that, when the state quantity exceeds a threshold value, generates an alarm and outputs information about a line number at that time; an alarm database for counting the number of occurrence of alarms on each line number on which the alarm has occurred, and storing the alarm occurrence number on each line number on a velocity-by-velocity basis; and an analysis display for displaying the relationship between the alarm occurrence number and the velocity on each line number.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Soichi Arita, Kokoro Hatanaka
  • Patent number: 10874470
    Abstract: A robotic surgical system has a user interface with a control arm that includes a passive axis system for maintaining degrees-of-freedom of a gimbal rotatably supported on the control arm as the gimbal is manipulated during a surgical procedure. The control arm includes a swivel member, a first member, and a second member. The swivel member is rotatable about a first axis. The first member rotatably coupled to the swivel member about a second axis that is orthogonal to the first axis. The second member rotatably coupled to the first member about a third axis that is parallel to the second axis. The gimbal rotatably supported by the second member about a fourth axis that is orthogonal to the third axis. The passive axis system correlating rotation of the swivel member about the first axis with rotation of the gimbal about the fourth axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: Covidien LP
    Inventors: William Peine, Cameron Cecil
  • Patent number: 10873278
    Abstract: A motor driving system is configured for driving a motor, which is under an inertial rotation status without being driven, to stably rotate from an original speed to a target speed. The motor driving system includes a sensing unit, a control unit and a driving unit. The sensing unit detects a real rotating status of the motor. The control unit is electrically connected with the sensing unit and provides a gradual acceleration command based on the real rotating status. The driving unit is electrically connected with the control unit and drives the motor to accelerate stably to the target speed according to the gradual acceleration command. In addition, a motor operation recovering method cooperated with the motor driving system is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2020
    Assignee: DELTA ELECTRONICS, INC.
    Inventors: Chia-Pin Wei, Yu-Wei Lee, Wei-Shuo Tseng
  • Patent number: 10868480
    Abstract: An apparatus includes at least one processor or circuit programmed to function as a detection unit that detects a rotational position of a rotor, and a generation unit that generates a driving waveform for a motor based on the detected rotational position. The generation unit includes a phase difference setting unit that sets a phase difference between the rotational position and the driving waveform, a changing time setting unit that sets a changing time, which is a time required for changing the phase difference from a phase difference before the change to a phase difference after the change, in a case where the set phase difference is changed, and a determination unit that determines a phase of the driving waveform based on the phase difference before the change, the phase difference after the change, and the changing time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2020
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yoshihiro Mizuo
  • Patent number: 10848083
    Abstract: In an embodiment, a method for detecting the angular position of the rotor of an electric motor includes an inductive-sense procedure implemented by applying to the windings of the electric motor a time sequence of position-detection pulse signals, detecting a corresponding time sequence of response signals, integrating the response signals, and recording respective times taken by the response signals to reach an integral reference threshold. The position of the rotor is detected as a function of the respective times. The integral reference threshold is established by fixing a peak value, applying to the windings a calibration pulse, detecting the corresponding response signal and determining the time taken to reach the peak value. The integral reference threshold is selected as the integral of the response signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: STMICROELECTRONICS S.R.L.
    Inventor: Michele Boscolo Berto
  • Patent number: 10823783
    Abstract: A motor drive device includes an inverter configured to convert a DC voltage to an AC voltage by switching power devices, a current detector configured to detect a current output from the inverter, a current controller configured to generate a voltage command, a control signal generator configured to control switching of the power devices, a dynamic brake circuit provided with relays and configured to short-circuit an output side terminal of the inverter via resistances, a storage configured to store an initial current value and a first threshold value, and a failure determiner configured to compare a current value and an initial current value after a predetermined time has elapsed since detection of the initial current value, and determine presence or absence of a failure based on a result of comparing a change rate of the current value from the initial current value with the first threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Sou Saito, Tsutomu Shikagawa
  • Patent number: 10797612
    Abstract: A power distribution system includes a first set of power converters arranged with a respective set of power inputs, and having a respective set of power outputs, and at least one controller module communicatively connected with the first set of power converters and configured to controllably adjust the power conversion of the first set of power converters, and method of operating the power distribution system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: GE Aviation Systems LLC
    Inventors: Hao Huang, Zhiqiao Wu
  • Patent number: 10767627
    Abstract: Method for control of the torque performance of an electric pitch motor (1). A control system (2) comprises a first unit (3) controlling the pitch angle of the rotor blade, a second unit (7) which compares a reference speed Sr with an actual speed Sa of the motor (1) rotational speed. The second unit (7) controls the motor (1) rotational speed, a third unit (10) which regulates the motor (1). The control system (2) comprises a first overload device (13) and a second overload device (14). The second overload device (14) receives an error-speed signal Se, which is the difference between Sr and Sa recorded by the second unit (7). The second overload unit (14) compares See with a maximum allowable speed value, Smax, and the second overload device (14) sends a signal to the motor (1) for the regulation of the torque performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: DEIF A/S
    Inventors: Jesper Thomsen, Christian Nielsen, Torben Rønnow, Jacob Danielsen
  • Patent number: 10763769
    Abstract: A controller for a power convertor includes: a torque command value calculation module to calculate a first torque command value to a power convertor; a torque command limit module to receive the first torque command value and generate a second torque command value obtained by correcting the first torque command value so that the first torque command value is limited to a torque limiter range. The torque command limit module sets a width between the upper limit torque value and the lower limit torque value of the torque limiter range to be smaller as a fundamental wave output frequency of the power convertor increases at least in a speed region equal to or higher than a field weakening starting point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignees: Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, Toshiba Mitsubishi-Electric Industrial Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Yang Xu, Chikara Morito, Robert D. Lorenz
  • Patent number: 10746450
    Abstract: A motor control assembly for an electric motor. The motor control assembly is configured to be coupled to the electric motor, and includes a wireless communication module, an input power connector, and an inverter module. The wireless communication module is configured to receive a wireless signal from a system controller. The input power connector is configured to receive a DC voltage from an external power supply module. The inverter module is coupled to the wireless communication module and the input power connector. The inverter module is configured to convert the DC voltage to an AC voltage to operate the electric motor according to the wireless signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Assignee: REGAL BELOIT AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Ludovic Andre Chretien, Roger Carlos Becerra
  • Patent number: 10742154
    Abstract: This motor driving device is provided with a direct-current power supply, an inverter, and a noise filter. The noise filter is provided with: a choke coil, wherein a first winding and a second winding are wound on a common core, and the first winding is inserted into a positive electrode bus; and two capacitors connected in series between the positive electrode bus and a negative electrode bus. One end of the second winding is connected to a neutral point of a three-phase motor, and another end of the second winding is connected to a wire between the two capacitors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOYOTA JIDOSHOKKI
    Inventor: Masamichi Nawa
  • Patent number: 10742141
    Abstract: An electrical drive system having multiple drive units for motor vehicles, especially for pure electric vehicles, and a method for operating the drive system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: AUDI AG
    Inventors: Andreas Apelsmeier, Maximilian Schiedermeier
  • Patent number: 10668815
    Abstract: A brake energy recovery module for an electric vehicle. The electric vehicle includes a motor module and a battery module. The brake energy recovery module includes a first detecting unit, a signal decoder, a power converting unit and a control unit. The first detecting unit is electrically connected to the motor module to detect a first voltage of the motor module. The signal decoder generates a first signal and a second signal according to plural operation signals of the motor module. The power converting unit is electrically connected to the motor module and the battery module. The control unit is electrically connected to the first detecting unit, the signal decoder and the power converting unit. The control unit controls the power converting unit to adjust the first voltage to provide the battery module with a second voltage according to the first voltage, the first signal and the second signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2020
    Assignee: NIKO SEMICONDUCTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Chih-Cheng Hsieh
  • Patent number: 10666182
    Abstract: A control system for a rotary electric machine includes a controller configured to generate dynamic input current data based upon a dynamic analysis of self flux data, mutual flux data, and saturation scaling factor data. Upon generating a torque request, the controller is configured to determine a desired electrical input based upon the dynamic input current data to generate the desired output torque. The desired electrical input includes a magnitude and duration of an electrical pulse and a desired angular position of the rotor of the rotary electric machine relative to the stator of the machine. The controller determines an angular position of the rotor and generates an operating command to generate the desired electrical input at the desired angular position of the rotor to propel the rotary electric machine and generate the desired output torque. A rotary electric machine and method of operating same are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Carlos E. Nino Baron, Ahmed Khalil, Jackson Wai, Jesse R. Gerdes, Sangameshwar Sonth, Amir Saad
  • Patent number: 10666163
    Abstract: Voltage commands of respective phases are substantially equally shifted in such a way that a maximum-phase voltage command coincides with the maximum value of a PWM carrier signal and are compared with the PWM carrier signal, so that a voltage is controlled; in addition to that, a current detection value corresponding to the phase where the lower-arm switching device is turned on is corrected based on a current detection value corresponding to the phase where the upper-arm switching device is turned on.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Tatsuya Mori, Akira Furukawa
  • Patent number: 10658948
    Abstract: A DC/AC electrical power converter device having inlet terminals for electrically connecting to a DC electricity power supply network, outlet terminals for electrically connecting to an electric motor, a chopper electrical converter coupled to the inlet terminals, and an electrical inverter coupled between the chopper electrical converter and the outlet terminals. The converter device further includes a control unit for controlling the electrical inverter and that is configured to operate using pre-calculated pulse width modulation with pre-calculated unchanging switching instants for the controlled switches of the electrical inverter regardless of the frequency of rotation of the motor and of the voltage of the electricity network for connection to the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: SAFRAN ELECTRICAL & POWER
    Inventors: Guillaume Boulet, Wenceslas Bourse, Pascal Rollin, Jeremy Cuenot, Regis Bernard Albert Meuret