Patents Examined by Zoheb Imtiaz
  • Patent number: 9647581
    Abstract: A motor drive according to the present invention has a dynamic braking circuit. The motor drive includes a motor drive control circuit for applying a voltage to windings of a synchronous motor and the dynamic braking circuit for a predetermined time by switching power transistors connected to a direct current power supply, a current detection circuit for detecting a current value outputted from the power transistor, and a failure determination circuit for determining the presence or absence of a failure in the dynamic braking circuit from the current value detected by the current detection circuit and a predetermined threshold value. When the presence or absence of a failure in the dynamic braking circuit is detected, the resistance of the dynamic braking circuit is changed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: Fanuc Corporation
    Inventors: Sou Saitou, Tsutomu Shikagawa
  • Patent number: 9641109
    Abstract: To provide a brushless DC motor drive circuit operating with low electric power without a hall element, etc., and to provide a drive circuit for brushless DC motor which may be generally started regardless of an amount of load or size of inertia moment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: KOKUSAI DISPLAY KOGYO CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Reijiro Ito
  • Patent number: 9590551
    Abstract: A control apparatus includes an inverter for driving a three-phase AC motor when connected to a DC power source, a smoothing capacitor interposed between the DC power source and an input side of the inverter and connected in parallel to the DC power source, a current sensor for detecting a current of one phase of the motor, and a controller for controlling the motor through the inverter. The controller performs a discharge process to discharge the capacitor, when the DC power source is disconnected from the capacitor. The controller calculates a d-axis voltage command reference value based on d-axis and q-axis current command values. The controller sets a q-axis voltage command reference value to zero. The controller generates d-axis and q-axis voltage command values by correcting at least the d-axis voltage command reference value and outputs the d-axis and q-axis voltage command values to the inverter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ryuji Omata, Takeshi Itoh, Hirofumi Kako
  • Patent number: 9577569
    Abstract: A motor control system of an electric vehicle, a controlling method for the motor control system and an electric vehicle are provided. The motor control system includes: an IGBT module, connected with a motor of the electric vehicle; a detection module, configured to detect a motor speed; a drive module, configured to drive IGBTs in the IGBT module to turn on or off so as to control the motor to work or stop working; a first control module; a second control module communicated with the first control module; and a channel selection module, configured to select a channel of the second control module when the first control module has a fault. When the second control module is selected, it sends a second control signal to the drive module according to the motor speed at a predetermined time before the first control module has the fault, so as to control the motor to stop working.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: BYD Company Limited
    Inventors: Caifang Guo, Bingjian Huang
  • Patent number: 9548684
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling a brushless direct current motor. An H-bridge is configured to couple a direct current power source to windings of the brushless direct current motor. The H-bridge comprises a plurality of switches. A motor controller is configured to close one of the plurality of switches to put the H-bridge in a coast configuration, wherein the windings of the motor are short circuited. A desired direction for a current impulse to the windings is identified. The one of the plurality of switches is opened in response to identifying a first desired direction for the current impulse to provide the current impulse in the first desired direction to the windings. Another of the plurality of switches is closed in response to identifying a second desired direction for the current impulse to provide the current impulse in the second desired direction to the windings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Assignee: THE BOEING COMPANY
    Inventor: Douglas Conrad Cameron, Jr.
  • Patent number: 9543866
    Abstract: A motor drive controller is for controlling a motor having multiple phases and includes: a comparison reference voltage generator that generates a predetermined constant voltage as a comparison reference voltage; a counter-electromotive voltage comparator that compares the comparison reference voltage with a counter-electromotive voltage of each phase of the motor; and a rotation state detector that detects a rotation state of the motor based on positive/negative polarities of counter-electromotive voltages of other phases with respect to the comparison reference voltage at the time of an occurrence of a zero cross between the counter-electromotive voltage of any one phase and the comparison reference voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: Minebea Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Kaidu, Masato Aoki
  • Patent number: 9537431
    Abstract: This disclosure discloses a brake diagnosis device configured to diagnose a brake of a motor with a brake. The brake diagnosis device includes a brake control part, a diagnosis part, and a signal output part. The brake control part is configured to actuate or release the brake. The diagnosis part is configured to diagnose a presence or absence of an abnormality of the brake while the brake is actuated by the brake control part. The signal output part is configured to output a signal related to a brake abnormality after the brake is released by the brake control part in a case that the diagnosis part diagnoses the brake as having an abnormality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA YASKAWA DENKI
    Inventors: Mitsujiro Sawamura, Junichi Watanabe, Daichi Horimai
  • Patent number: 9537436
    Abstract: Disclosed is an alternator overvoltage protection circuit having a TRIAC and a MOSFET. The TRIAC is electrically connected to the MOSFET and the TRIAC is electrically connected to a magneto. The TRIAC is configured to ground the magneto when triggered by the MOSFET. The MOSFET is electrically connected to an alternator and configured to conduct when the alternator operates in an overvoltage condition. Also disclosed is a method of alternator overvoltage protection for a piece of outdoor power equipment, the method including providing a TRIAC and an alternator rotated by an engine having a magneto, wherein the alternator outputs a voltage when rotated by the engine. The method further includes configuring the TRIAC to ground the magneto when the alternator operates in an overvoltage condition, thereby disabling the magneto, which stops the rotation of the engine and stops the alternator from outputting voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: MTD Products Inc
    Inventor: Maynard S. Guadiz
  • Patent number: 9503012
    Abstract: A dynamic inductor system capable of storing usable electrical energy includes a rotor, a stator, a three-phase winding set, and a damping circuit. The damping circuit includes three freewheeling diode sets. Each of the three freewheeling diode sets has a first freewheeling diode and a second freewheeling diode. When the rotor rotates around the stator, the three-phase winding set generates a current passing through the first freewheeling diode of one of the freewheeling diode sets to charge the first damping capacitor, and a current passing through the second freewheeling diode of another one of the freewheeling diode sets to charge the second damping capacitor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Inventors: Fu-Tzu Hsu, Chieh-Sen Tu
  • Patent number: 9503011
    Abstract: The present invention is intended to reduce noise and vibration of a motor. A first duty correction circuit generates a first corrected duty instruction value which changes with an increment same as an increment of a duty instruction value and in which an offset value as a constant is reflected. A second duty correction circuit generates a second corrected duty instruction value which changes with an increment different from an increment of the duty instruction value. A selector outputs, as the corrected duty instruction value, either one of the first corrected duty instruction value and the second corrected duty instruction value in accordance with a magnitude relation between the duty instruction value and a duty reference value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Assignee: RENESAS ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Minoru Kurosawa, Kichiya Itagaki, Seigi Ishiji
  • Patent number: 9465381
    Abstract: A servo control device includes: a speed control loop including a speed command generating unit, a torque command generating unit, and a speed detecting unit; a sine wave disturbance input unit; a frequency response calculating unit estimating a gain and phase of speed control loop input/output signals; a resonance frequency detecting unit; a resonance mode characteristic estimating unit estimating resonance characteristics from the frequency response at a resonance frequency and frequencies therearound; a rigid-body mode characteristic estimating unit estimating rigid-body characteristics from the frequency response in a low-frequency band; a filter attenuating a component in a particular frequency band in a torque command; and a filter adjusting unit making setting so that the filter has specified characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2016
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kazunori Iijima
  • Patent number: 9465305
    Abstract: A method for determining a commutation offset for a mover (250A) of a mover assembly (220C) that moves and positions a stage (220A) relative to a stage base (220B) includes controlling the mover assembly (220C) in a closed loop fashion to maintain the position of the stage (220A) along a first axis and along a second axis with the stage (220A) levitated above the stage base (220B). The method also includes the steps of (i) directing current to a coil array (240) of the mover assembly (220C) so that the mover assembly (220C) imparts a disturbance on the stage (220A); and (ii) evaluating one or more forces generated by the mover assembly (220C) as a result of the disturbance on the stage (220A) created by the mover (250A). Further, a method for generating a compensation map (1402) includes sequentially directing a plurality of excitation signals to the control of the mover assembly (220C) and determining the control commands that result from the plurality of excitation signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2016
    Assignee: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Pai-Hsueh Yang, Scott Coakley, Michael B. Binnard, Kazuhiro Hirano, Bausan Yuan, Shiang-Lung Koo
  • Patent number: 9444387
    Abstract: Control circuitry for inductive loads comprehending a DC power source (DC), electrical switches (A and R) and appropriate electrical conductors to direct current to an inductive load, as the control system includes a primary circuit and a secondary circuit which is partly concurrent with the primary electrical circuit. The primary electrical circuit includes a series of DC power sources (DC), an inductive load in the form of an electric motor (M) or transformer (T) and a capacitor (C), while the secondary electrical circuit includes the inductive loads and capacitor (C), since the two electrical switches (A and R) are so arranged that the power of a first operational phase is driven through the primary electric circuit by the voltage supplied by the DC power source (DC) while the current in another phase of operation runs through the secondary electric circuit by the voltage supplied by the capacitor (C).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2016
    Assignee: A-T HOLDING DA
    Inventor: Dag Antonsen
  • Patent number: 9435264
    Abstract: A thermal stress reduction method includes ramping an electric power generator to start an aircraft engine, for a time period associated with the aircraft engine start sequence toggling a three-level inverter switch array to a three-level pulse width modulation mode, determining if a first time interval in the three-level pulse width modulation mode exceeded a predetermined three-level pulse width modulation mode interval, in response to the first time interval exceeding the three-level pulse width modulation mode interval, toggling the three-level inverter switch array to a two-level pulse width modulation mode, determining if a second time interval in the two-level pulse width modulation mode exceeded a predetermined two-level pulse width modulation mode interval and in response to the second time interval exceeding the two-level pulse width modulation mode interval, toggling the three-level inverter switch array to the three-level pulse width modulation mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2016
    Assignee: HAMILTON SUNDSTRAND CORPORATION
    Inventors: Huazhen Chai, Adam M. White, Mustansir Kheraluwala
  • Patent number: 9435263
    Abstract: A thermal stress reduction method includes ramping an electric power generator to start an aircraft engine, for a time period associated with the aircraft engine start sequence toggling a three-level inverter switch array to a three-level pulse width modulation mode, determining if a first time interval in the three-level pulse width modulation mode exceeded a predetermined three-level pulse width modulation mode interval, in response to the first time interval exceeding the three-level pulse width modulation mode interval, toggling the three-level inverter switch array to a two-level pulse width modulation mode, determining if a second time interval in the two-level pulse width modulation mode exceeded a predetermined two-level pulse width modulation mode interval and in response to the second time interval exceeding the two-level pulse width modulation mode interval, toggling the three-level inverter switch array to the three-level pulse width modulation mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2016
    Assignee: HAMILTON SUNDSTRAND CORPORATION
    Inventors: Huazhen Chai, Adam M. White, Mustansir Kheraluwala
  • Patent number: 9438156
    Abstract: This motor control device generates a voltage command value from a current command value and performs feedback control by means of a detected current flowing through a motor. The motor control device is provided with: a correction control unit that, when the motor is being rotated at a set speed, sets a d-axis current command value and a q-axis current command value to each be zero; a current control unit that generates the integrated value of the deviation between the current command value and the detected current; and an integrated value measurement unit that measures the generated integrated value. The correction control unit adjusts the correction value for the rotational position of the motor by adjusting in a manner so that the measured integrated value becomes a value within a pre-determined range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2016
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Yoshiki Kato
  • Patent number: 9419557
    Abstract: A motor control device includes a measuring unit configured to output a measurement value corresponding to a rotation speed of a motor; and a control unit configured to control driving of the motor such that the measurement value makes closer to a target value. When the measurement value does not exceed a predetermined abnormality determination threshold, the control unit controls the driving of the motor based on a difference between the measurement value and the target value. The abnormality determination threshold is set in a positive direction or in a negative direction with reference to the target value. When the measurement value exceeds the abnormality determination threshold, the control unit controls the driving of the motor based on a difference between a corrected measurement value and the target value. The corrected measurement value is set in the same direction as the direction in which the abnormality determination threshold is set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2016
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Masahiro Ashikawa
  • Patent number: 9407196
    Abstract: Method to command and control an electric motor of an automation unit. The unit comprises a mechanical member, driven by a drive shaft, a central command and control unit, and a position detection mean. The method provides that the central command and control unit receives the position signals of the shaft of the electric motor and/or of the mechanical member from the position detection mean, divides the operating cycle into a plurality of sub-phases equal with respect to each other, consisting of elementary units and, for each of said sub-phases, or multiple of sub-phases, selects predefined or self-learnt current reference values, and generates a signal consisting of an instantaneous current reference (feed forward) for the electric motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2016
    Assignee: GIMA TT S.P.A.
    Inventors: Iuri Monari, Fiorenzo Draghetti
  • Patent number: 9397592
    Abstract: There is provided a motor control device for controlling a motor including plural sets of windings, which is configured so that, when a fault detection means detects a fault, inverters in the normal side other than in the fault side are continued to be controlled by normal-time current control means and further, inverters in the fault side are continued to be controlled by fault-time voltage commands generated by a fault-time current control means configured with a fault-time normal-side command generator and a fault-time fault-side command generator, so as to emphasis a torque ripple of the motor when a winding fault of the motor or an inverter fault occurs, to thereby cause a user to surely recognize the fault.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2016
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Isao Kezobo, Kosuke Nakano, Yoshihito Asao, Akira Furukawa
  • Patent number: 9387895
    Abstract: An apparatus having a self-contained hydraulic power module in operable communication with the apparatus, the module capable of being readily connected and disconnected to the apparatus for ready installation and/or replacement of the module as desired.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: VEENA TECHNOLOGIES, INC
    Inventors: Daniel Theobald, Thomas Allen