Abstract: Disclosed herein is a battery charger control circuit having a voltage detector to generate a signal indicative of a source voltage level to select one of a first charging mode and a second charging mode, and a charge controller coupled to the voltage detector to enable charging in accordance with one of the first charging mode and the second charging mode based on the signal from the voltage detector. The first and second charging modes establish charging at differing, non-zero rates. The source voltage level may be sampled at a sampling rate to minimize power consumed by monitoring the source voltage level.

Abstract: A system and method of ensuring legitimacy of a sensor signal received from a rotor position sensor in a motor is provided that includes polling the sensor to determine a first state of the sensor signal, determining a first time delay by summing a first plurality of time constants, and initiating a first time delay. Also included is re-polling the sensor to determine a second state of the sensor signal, determining a second time delay by summing a second plurality of time constants, initiating a second time delay if the second state of the sensor signal is the same as the first state of the sensor signal, re-polling sensor to determine a third state of the sensor signal, and considering the sensor signal as a legitimate signal if the third state of the sensor signal is the same as the first and second states of the sensor signal.

Abstract: A control circuit for a motor includes a voltage regulator having a thermal shutdown apparatus that turns off the voltage regulator when the temperature of the control circuit rises above a pre-determined threshold level, wherein the voltage regulator is used to provide power to a plurality of insulated gate bipolar transistors controlling a plurality of stator windings of the motor. Thus the voltage regulator prevents the control circuit and the various components on the control circuit from being damaged from overheating. An embodiment of the control circuit is adapted to generate an error code in response to the shutdown of the voltage regulator and to monitor the operation of the motor to ensure that the motor has been turned off and then on before turning on the power supply to a plurality of phase windings.

Abstract: A system and method of restarting a switched reluctance motor after a cycling of power provided to the motor is provided that includes receiving at the motor a power-off signal followed by a power-on signal, determining a rotational speed of a rotor, and energizing a stator only when the rotational speed of the rotor is determined to be less than a threshold speed.

Abstract: A circuit breaker includes a normally open switch having first and second contacts and a movable leaf spring supporting the first contact. The leaf spring is normally oriented in a first position wherein the first contact is not in electrical contact with the second contact. The leaf spring is deformable into a second position wherein the first contact is in electrical contact with the second contact. An armature is movable between an open and a closed position and is located adjacent an electric coil which generates a magnetic field which moves the armature into the closed position when the coil is energized. The leaf spring biases the armature into its open position when the coil is not energized. The armature causes the leaf spring to deform into the second position, so as to place the first contact into electrical contact with the second contact, when the coil is energized.