Abstract: A roll shade system is disclosed. The roll shade system includes a motor configured to remain stationary during operation of the motor, a support shaft supporting the motor wherein the support shaft is configured to remain stationary during operation of the motor, and a roll shade tube configured to be rotatable about the motor and the support shaft during operation of the motor. The roll shade system further includes stationary components including a wiring connector, an input wiring system, a bearing, an antenna, a coaxial cable, a motor controller, a counterbalance spring. The roll shade system also includes rotatable components including a bearing housing and one or more O-rings.

Abstract: A motorized system that allows for calibration by a user, and that features circuit protection and detection of motor stoppage. A motorized window-blind system is an example of such a system and is disclosed herein. In particular, a circuit is featured that comprises a TRIAC, or “triode for alternating current,” and TVS diodes, or “transient-voltage-suppression diodes,” providing voltage protection to various types of motor-related electronic components. A controller is disclosed that features measurement of voltage that is induced on a secondary winding of a motor, in order to detect certain events that occur during the operation of the motor. A calibration method is also disclosed that can account for one or both of the protection circuit and event-detecting controller. The calibration method accounts for human interaction and, in doing so, is intended toward making a calibration process of a motorized household system less prone to human error.

Abstract: A safety device for an actuator that can modulate power to an electric motor in response to a fault condition (e.g., stall). In one embodiment, the actuator can include a motor with a shaft, a sensor disposed in proximity to the shaft, and a control processor coupled with the sensor and the motor. The control processor can be configured to receive a signal from the sensor that conveys operating data that relates to rotation of the shaft, use the operating data to identify a fault condition on the motor, and change the motor from an energized condition to a de-energized condition in response to the fault condition.

Abstract: Disclosed are devices configurable with the location and motion of satellites can be configured to drive actuators connected to the motion of a steerable device. A steerable device may be augmented, for example, with gears or drivers to drive orientation, sensors to report current position and a mechanism to lock the device in place for the duration of the steering process such that power gears from the device mesh and can drive gears in the steerable device. Signals from the device intelligently guide the actuators to steer the orientation of the steerable device towards a satellite selected by a person or algorithm. Upon completion of the steering of steerable device by the device, the device can be detached, leaving the steerable device locked in place and fully functional as a steerable device, while also leaving the device capable if engaging with another similarly steerable device.

Abstract: A driving circuit of a PMSM can include a current sampling circuit configured to generate a current sampling signal by sampling a stator current information of one phase of the permanent magnet synchronous motor; a BEMF circuit configured to receive the current sampling signal and a voltage sampling signal that represents a stator voltage of the phase, to estimate back electromotive force information of the phase, and to output a first voltage signal that represents the back electromotive force information; and a torque regulating circuit configured to generate an angle difference signal by calculating an angle difference between the first voltage signal and the current sampling signal, where the angle difference signal is configured to regulate an amplitude of a first U-shaped modulation wave such that a rotor current is in phase with the first U-shaped modulation wave for maximum torque per ampere.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for reducing the energy consumed by a pump jack electric motor by reducing the supply voltage to the motor when the motor would be generating energy in open loop mode. By substantially eliminating the energy generation mode, the braking action of the utility grid in limiting the acceleration of the motor and system that would otherwise occur is substantially removed. The motor and system will speed up, allowing the natural kinetic energy of the cyclic motion to perform part of the pumping action. In particular, when the energy consumption for the electric motor connected with the device having a rotating or reciprocating mass goes to zero, the line voltage to the motor is switched off, causing the frequency of the voltage across the motor terminals to increase. When the period of the voltage across the motor terminals returns to substantially the same as the period of the line voltage, the line voltage is switched on or reapplied to the motor.

Abstract: A power tool and a control circuit thereof by which electric energy can be recovered into a battery pack while an electric motor is braked. The control circuit includes a battery, the electric motor, an operation switch, a first control switch, a second control switch, a controller and an inductive element. The control circuit has a discharging state, a braking state and a charging state. In the charging state, the operation switch is in a second switched-on state, the first control switch is switched on, the second control switch is switched off, the battery, the inductive element, the operation switch, the electric motor and the first control switch form a charging circuit, and the electric motor charges the battery. The controller is electrically connected with the operation switch, the first control switch and the second control switch, respectively.

Abstract: This invention is concerning obtaining a control apparatus and a control method for an AC rotary machine, with which a voltage command can be used up to a saturation voltage in each group of windings even when dimension differences exist between the groups of windings. A voltage saturation determination unit determines whether or not voltage saturation has occurred in a first winding group or a second winding group on the basis of at least one of a voltage and a current relating to the first winding group and the second winding group, and when determination is made that voltage saturation has occurred in either the first winding group or the second winding group, generates a voltage saturation determination signal for reducing a gain of at least one axial direction component on a rotational two-axis coordinate system.

Abstract: A rotational speed control system includes a fan controller and a fan controlling circuit. The fan controlling circuit is coupled to the fan controller. The fan controlling circuit can receive a rotational speed control signal and output a fan driving signal to the fan controller. The fan driving signal is a regulated high level voltage signal. The fan controller can adjust rotational speed of the fan according to the driving signal.

Abstract: A controller controls a rotating electric machine that has a plurality of winding wire groups, by using an instruction calculator, a temperature calculator, a distributor, and an electric current control section. The instruction calculator calculates an assist instruction value regarding a drive of the machine. The machine has systems each having a combination of a winding wire group and an inverter. The distributor distributes the assist instruction value among the winding wire groups according to system temperatures, for the calculation of torque instruction values for the respective winding wire groups. In such manner, an overheat of the machine and the inverters is prevented.

Abstract: A self-commissioning method for estimating differential inductances in an electric machine, such as e.g. a synchronous reluctance machine or interior permanent magnet machine, with cross-magnetization effects is provided. The electric machine is driven with PWM voltages to explore current plurality of operating points of the currents in the electric machine while keeping the electric machine at standstill or quasi-standstill. At each operating point PWM switching voltage transients are used as a small-signal excitation. Currents of the electric machine are measured by means of oversampling, which permit the reconstruction of the waveforms including the current ripple within a PWM period caused by the PWM switching transients. Finally, the differential inductances at each operating point are determined based on the determined direct and quadrature current waveforms and voltages.

Abstract: An electric drive system includes an induction machine and a power converter electrically coupled to the induction machine to drive the induction machine. The power converter comprising a plurality of silicon carbide (SiC) switching devices. The electric drive system further includes a controller that is electrically coupled to the power converter and that is programmed to transmit switching signals to the plurality of SiC switching devices at a given switching frequency such that a peak-to-peak current ripple is less than approximately five percent.

Abstract: A phase detector is provided. The phase detector includes a signal selector, a bias level generator, and a phase information detector. The signal selector selects, as a selected sensor signal, one of a plurality of sensor signals each having a signal level corresponding to a phase of a rotor. The bias level generator divides a signal level difference between a pair of sensor signals, including the selected sensor signal and other sensor signal of the plurality of sensor signals other than the selected sensor signal, at a first ratio, to generate a first bias level. The phase information detector generates a threshold level corresponding to the phase of the rotor based on the first bias level, and detects the signal level of the selected sensor signal reaching the threshold level.

Abstract: An improved system for monitoring vibration of an electric machine is disclosed. According to one embodiment, sensors are positioned in a plane orthogonal to the motor shaft and each sensor detects vibration along at least one axis of the motor. The sensors are oriented such that the polarity of each sensor is reversed. The pairs of sensors may be used to isolate specific vibrations within the motor. According to another embodiment, a sensor may be mounted directly to the motor shaft. The sensor on the motor shaft directly detects vibrations along the motor shaft. Optionally, a second sensor may be mounted to a fixed location within the motor housing, and the combination of the sensor on the motor shaft and the sensor at a fixed location may be used to isolate specific vibrations within the motor. A motor controller may adjust operation of the motor to reduce the isolated vibration.

Abstract: A controller in an electric power steering system controls motor that assists a steering operation of a steering wheel by a driver by generating an assist torque. The controller includes an instruction calculator calculating a base assist instruction value and at least one of correction instruction values, a distributor distributing the instruction values a plurality of winding wire groups, and calculating a torque instruction value for each of the plurality of winding wire groups. Thus, the base assist instruction value and the correction instruction values are appropriately distributed to each of the plurality of winding wire groups, for an appropriate distribution of the instruction values among the plurality of winding wire groups for generating the assist torque.

Abstract: A motor control system for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) applications is described. The motor control system includes a thermostat and an electronically commutated motor (ECM) coupled to the thermostat. The ECM is configured to retrofit an existing non-ECM electric motor included in an HVAC application and to operate in one of a plurality of HVAC modes. The HVAC modes include at least one of a heating mode, a cooling mode, and a continuous fan mode. The HVAC mode is determined based at least partially on outputs provided by the thermostat.

Abstract: A control circuit for controlling a cooling fan is defined in a data center. The control circuit includes a cooling fan, a controller, a switch unit, and a control unit. The controller is configured to generate a first pulse width modulation (PWM) signal for controlling the cooling fan to rotate at a first speed and the control unit is configured to generate a second PWM signal for controlling the cooling fan to rotate at a second speed. The switch unit is configured to output the first PWM signal to the cooling fan when the data center is in an active mode and configured to output the second PWM signal to the cooling fan when the data center is in a standby mode.

Abstract: An electrical consumer of an aircraft comprises an electric motor and an inverter for producing an alternating voltage for the electric motor. A method for controlling the electrical consumer comprises determining a rotational frequency for the electric motor. The method also includes establishing whether the rotational frequency leads to oscillations in the input current of the inverter which are below a predefined threshold, the oscillations being produced by the inverter when producing a supply voltage for the electric motor, and changing the rotational frequency if it has been established that the rotational frequency leads to oscillations below the predefined threshold.

Abstract: A method of estimating a rotational position of a motor having saliency includes the steps of a) superimposing, on a drive voltage to rotate a rotating portion of the motor, a measuring voltage having a predetermined frequency higher than a frequency of the drive voltage to generate a plurality of voltages, and supplying the plurality of voltages to a stationary portion of the motor; b) in parallel with step a), extracting a component of the predetermined frequency in a current flowing in the stationary portion as an extracted current; c) calculating a sum of squares of the extracted current and a phase-shifted current obtained by shifting a phase of the extracted current by ?/2 to acquire a composite signal related to an amplitude of the extracted current; and d) acquiring a rotational position of the rotating portion based on the composite signal.

Abstract: A three-phase inverter apparatus includes an inverter main circuit in three phases having a plurality of semiconductor switching devices to convert a DC voltage into the three-phase AC voltages to be supplied to a pulsating load, a current detector configured to detect first and second output currents from the inverter main circuit, a voltage detector configured to detect first to third output voltages from the inverter main circuit, and a control circuit configured to generate a command compensation value using a value obtained by dividing a current RSM obtained from the first and second output currents by an average value of the current RSM, and generate the compensated control command for each of the switching devices by multiplying the command compensation value by a corresponding one of control commands each of which is generated for a corresponding one of the switching devices, using the first to third output voltages.