Patents Examined by Zemenay Truneh
  • Patent number: 9735716
    Abstract: A controller for controlling a multi-phase motor is described. The controller may be configured to drive a first virtual multi-phase motor in an active mode and drive a second virtual multi-phase motor in a passive mode. In the active mode, at least a portion of a reference torque is distributed to the first virtual multi-phase motor. In the passive mode, zero torque is distributed to the second virtual multi-phase motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Radovan Vuletic, Dian Tresna Nugraha
  • Patent number: 9735713
    Abstract: A method for controlling circuitry of a softstarter arrangement to operate an electric motor for driving a pump is provided, wherein the softstarter circuitry electrically connects the motor to electric mains. The method includes: (i) controlling the circuitry of the softstarter arrangement to accelerate the motor up to full speed in a forward direction; (ii) controlling the circuitry of the softstarter arrangement to decelerate the motor when the motor has run at full speed in the forward direction for a first period of time; (iii) controlling the circuitry of the softstarter arrangement to accelerate the motor up a specified speed in a reverse direction; (iv) controlling the circuitry of the softstarter arrangement to decelerate the motor when the motor has run at the specified speed in the reverse direction for a second period of time; and (v) repeating the steps (i)-(iv) one or more times.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG
    Inventors: Magnus Ek, Sören Kling, Tobias Gentzell, Åsa Grönqvist, Aravindh Vishnu
  • Patent number: 9729097
    Abstract: An apparatus for controlling an induction motor is provided, the apparatus generates generating a d-axis current command and a q-axis current command of a torque command, estimating speed of a rotor of the motor, and correcting the d-axis and q-axis current commands by using the estimated speed, to enhances the rotor speed and position estimation performance by increasing the slip frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: LSIS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Anno Yoo
  • Patent number: 9729099
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for controlling a sensorless alternating current induction motor (ACIM) having a rotor and a stator comprising a plurality of stator windings by applying a plurality of phase shifted voltages to the plurality of stator windings in the ACIM such that two energized stator windings are connected to first and second phase shifted voltages to cause rotation of the rotor relative to the stator while a third unconnected stator winding is floating so that a DC bus current and an inducted voltage can be measured from the ACIM and used to compute an estimated rotor speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: NXP USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Ivan Lovas, Pavel Sustek, Petr Staszko
  • Patent number: 9722516
    Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment, a drive circuit is provided for driving for a motor wherein the drive circuit includes a first signal generator coupled to a second signal generator. A bias generator is connected to the second signal generator. In accordance with another embodiment, a method for driving a motor is provided that includes comparing a first signal at a first output of a Hall sensor with a second signal at a second output of the Hall sensor to generate a comparison signal. An indicator signal is generated in response to the comparison signal, wherein the indicator signal has a first edge and a second edge. A bias signal for the Hall sensor is generated in response to the indicator signal in response to the indicator signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS INDUSTRIES, LLC
    Inventor: Takashi Ogawa
  • Patent number: 9716456
    Abstract: In a rotary electric machine, a modulation signal generator generates a modulation signal including information indicative of rotation of a rotor based on change of a voltage at an output end of a stator winding, and outputs the modulation signal. A rectifying unit alternately turns on and off the switch to rectify the voltage at an output end of the stator winding, thus generating a rectified voltage. An excitation current supplying circuit is communicably connected to the modulation signal generator via a communication line, and starts a supply of an excitation current to the excitation winding of the rotor to induce a rotating magnetic field in the stator winding when the modulation signal output from the modulation signal generator is input thereto via the communication line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshinori Maruyama, Takatoshi Inokuchi, Masaya Nakanishi
  • Patent number: 9716455
    Abstract: A power conversion device includes an inverter which can convert between DC and AC power by turning on and off bridge-connected semiconductor switching elements with free wheel diodes connected in reverse parallel; and a rotating electric machine, such as an AC generator or motor, which is connected to the AC terminals of the inverter, where when the DC voltage of the inverter is below a specified value when starting the machine, the speed of the machine is detected in a condition where the DC voltage of the inverter is boosted to at least a specified value of the induced voltage of the machine, by intermittently turning on and off at least one of the switching elements, so as to accurately detect the speed of the machine and stably start it even when the DC voltage of the inverter is lower than the induced voltage of the machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Assignee: FUJI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Nobuo Itoigawa, Takao Ichihara
  • Patent number: 9712102
    Abstract: A programming control method for a servo fan and a programming control device thereof are provided in the embodiment of the invention. The programming control device is coupled to a motor. The programming control device includes an input/output interface, a micro processing unit and a function circuit. The function circuit is coupled to the input/output interface and the micro processing unit. The function circuit updates the firmware according to a magnitude of an operation voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: Nuvoton Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Pang-Neng Lee, Yuan-Chuan Yu
  • Patent number: 9705435
    Abstract: A method of controlling a brushless motor that includes storing a lookup table of control values, periodically obtaining a speed-adjusted control value, and exciting a phase winding of the motor. The speed-adjusted control value is then used to define the phase and/or length of excitation. Obtaining the speed-adjusted control value includes measuring the speed of the motor, increasing or decreasing a speed-adjust variable in the event that the measured speed is greater or less than a threshold, selecting a control value from the lookup table using the measured speed, and adjusting the selected control value using the speed-adjust variable to obtain the speed-adjusted control value. Additionally, a control system that implements the method, and a motor assembly that incorporates the brushless motor and the control system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: DYSON TECHNOLOGY LIMITED
    Inventors: Hanping Dai, Yu Chen, Mark Edward Leaver, Samuel Wesley Hinchliffe
  • Patent number: 9705442
    Abstract: Motor drives and drive systems are provided. A motor drive of the subject invention can be an asymmetrical, multi-lane, multi-phase motor drive. The motor drive can include a master lane and slave lane having fewer phases than the master lane has. Each lane can be powered by a single direct current link.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
    Inventors: Ali Mohammadpour, Leila Parsa
  • Patent number: 9702190
    Abstract: An operating control method of a motorized driving device of a home automation installation comprises at least one step for entering a configuration mode of the device, a step for pairing a control point with an electronic control unit of the device, a step for activating at least one selection element of the control point during a predetermined time period beginning after the pairing step and a step for entering a second standby state of a control order receiving module of the electronic control unit. The second standby state of the control order receiving module has a wake-up frequency of the control order receiving module lower than the wake-up frequency of the control order receiving module in a first standby state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: SIMU
    Inventors: Thierry Schneider, Guillaume Pailleret, Vincent Jadot
  • Patent number: 9692327
    Abstract: A controller for controlling a multi-phase motor is described. The controller may include a torque control module and a current control module. The current control module may be configured to receive a reference current from the torque control module, determine a reference voltage, determine a flux correction value based on the reference voltage, a maximum available voltage, and a speed of the multi-phase motor, and output the flux correction value. The torque control module may be configured to receive the flux correction value and update the reference current based on the flux correction value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Radovan Vuletic, Dian Tresna Nugraha
  • Patent number: 9685898
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a switch module that selectively turns on a switch to connect an input power conductor connected to a voltage source to a motor in a sequence. The switch for each phase is turned on for a portion of a cycle of a fundamental frequency of the voltage source. A source phase module determines a phase of the AC voltage source, a back-EMF phase module determines a phase of a back-EMF of the motor, and a torque module determines when a phase difference between the phase of the AC voltage source and the phase of the back-EMF is within a phase range indicative of a positive motor torque. A pulse module enables the switches in response to the phase difference having a phase within the phase range and disables the switches in response to the phase difference having a phase not in the phase range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignee: ROCKWELL AUTOMATION TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Kun Wei, HaiHui Lu, Andrew Jaap, David Messersmith, Randall Langer, Ping Lee
  • Patent number: 9680407
    Abstract: An electric motor control device drives a power converter (30) by two-phase modulation drive based on calculation of a driving method setting and element loss calculation section (16) when an electric motor (4) is equal to or less than a predetermined rotational speed; and switches switching signals from a switching signal generation section (14) to switch a switching operation of the switching elements when a loss integrated value of a first switching element with a large switching loss or a second switching element exceeds a predetermined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Tomohisa Shoda, Yasufumi Ogawa, Yoshimasa Nishijima
  • Patent number: 9680401
    Abstract: A control switch incorporates a solid state transducer, a strain gauge. The transducer responds to a local environmental condition, such as fluid level, or pressure and exhibits a parameter change which can be detected as an electrical output. Control circuits coupled to the transducer can sense the parameter change and switch a source of electrical energy to a load in response thereto.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: Metropolitan Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: John R. Kochan, Casey Barker
  • Patent number: 9680405
    Abstract: There is provided an onboard motor controller that starts a failsafe process in short time at a vehicle collision. A control circuit in the motor controller acquires an acceleration detected by an acceleration sensor. When the acceleration is equal to or higher than a prescribed value, the control circuit determines that a collision of the vehicle has occurred, and executes a switching process of a control mode of a motor. The control circuit immediately switches the control mode of a motor from voltage phase control to current vector control when the collision is detected. The control circuit reads current values from current detectors. When an overcurrent is detected, the control circuit executes a failsafe process to turn off the MOSFETs of an inverter. The control circuit stops a supply of electricity to the inverter by turning off a power supply relay, thereby stopping the rotation of the motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: JTEKT CORPORATION
    Inventor: Takuya Yanagi
  • Patent number: 9650231
    Abstract: A control system for a bucket hoist includes a two-axis master switch configured to generate a first and a second command signal responsive to motion along each axis. Each command signal is provided to one of a pair of motor controllers configured to control one of a pair of motors. The two motors are controlled to raise/lower and open/close the load handling member. When the two-axis master switch is moved to the close position, the closing motor controller is commanded to control its respective motor to begin closing the load handling member. The holding motor controller is configured to generate a current to its respective motor to generate torque at a predefined level. The predefined level of torque is selected such that the load handling member lowers into the material in which it is digging as it is being closed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: Magnetek, Inc.
    Inventor: Kurtis L. Verheyen
  • Patent number: 9654042
    Abstract: An apparatus for controlling an induction motor is provided, the apparatus generates generating a d-axis current command and a q-axis current command of a torque command, estimating speed of a rotor of the motor, and correcting the d-axis and q-axis current commands by using the estimated speed, to enhances the rotor speed and position estimation performance by increasing the slip frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: LSIS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Anno Yoo
  • Patent number: 9645565
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for determining at least one property of a joint, such as a joint (112, 114, 116-119, 180) of a manipulator (110), wherein said joint is configured to be driven by at least one actuator, the actuator being configured to drive said joint (112, 114, 116-119, 180) via a drivetrain. The method comprises: clamping (200) said joint such that motion of the joint becomes constrained, and actuating (210) said drivetrain while monitoring at least one quantity associated with a torque of said actuator and at least one quantity associated with the actuator position in order to determine (220) at least one output value of said actuator, said output value corresponding to at least one joint position and determining (230) the at least one property of the joint based on said at least one output value. The invention further relates to a system for determining the at least one property of a joint.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: COGNIBOTICS AB
    Inventor: Klas Nilsson
  • Patent number: 9616759
    Abstract: An electric vehicle comprises an electric motor which rotates a wheel; a battery which is an electric power supply unit for the electric motor; and a battery accommodating space which is provided in a vehicle body and accommodates the battery therein; wherein the battery accommodating space includes a first accommodating section which stores a standard battery pack including a first battery as the battery, and a second accommodating section which accommodates an optional battery pack including a second battery as the battery such that the optional battery pack is removable from the vehicle body, and wherein a voltage of the first battery is a value corresponding to an activation voltage of the electric motor, and the electric vehicle is capable of driving with an electric power supplied from at least the first battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshimoto Matsuda, Kazuma Waida