Abstract: A person support apparatus includes one or more motorized actuators that are braked in different manners depending upon whether or not electrical power is available to the control system. When electrical power is not available, a delay circuit delays closing a first switch that, when closed, short circuits the terminals of one of the motors. When power is available, other switches are opened and closed in a manner that short circuits the terminals of the motor while the first switch remains open. The other switches may be part of an H-bridge. The control system may also detect back emf (electromotive force) generated by the motor when electrical power is available and issue a notification to a technician or other user if an amplitude and/or duration of the detected back emf exceeds a threshold.

Abstract: A motor control device includes an acceleration portion for increasing a target number of rotations of a motor every predetermined calculation cycle until the target number of rotations of the motor reaches an upper limit number of rotations, which is set on the basis of a reached position of a driven object from a reference position, the driven object is driven by the motor so that a position of the driven object is changed, a deceleration portion for decreasing the target number of rotations of the motor every calculation cycle after the target number of rotations reaches the upper limit number of rotations, and a main control portion for controlling a drive of the motor on the basis of the target number of rotations.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a door drive, in particular a garage door drive, with a door control and with a programming unit for programming the door control during operation and/or maintenance of the door drive. In accordance with the invention, the programming unit is configured as an external device, wherein for operation and/or maintenance of the door drive a data transmission connection can be established between the programming unit and the door control.

Abstract: A motor control device includes a recording module and a controlling module. The recording module has a revolution speed table recording a plurality of predetermined revolution speed values. The controlling module receives a reference revolution speed control signal and measures the reference revolution speed control signal to correspondingly generate a reference measuring value. The recording module records the reference measuring value corresponding to one of the predetermined revolution speed values in the revolution speed table.

Abstract: Control of rotational speed of a direct current multi-phase brushless motor is provided using an apparatus and method that works at low speed but does not depend upon Hall effect sensors. An apparatus for accelerating rotation of the motor shaft has a power stage circuit coupled to a back Electromotive Force (EMF) sensor circuit and a microprocessor. The power stage pulses at a duty cycle less than 100% under control of the microprocessor. The back EMF sensor circuit measures an order with respect to voltage of at least one phase relative to one or more other phases during off-time. The microprocessor determines one or more phases to be pulsed, and the polarity of the pulses based on the measured order. A method for sustaining rotation pulses the phases, measures order with respect to voltage of at least one phase relative to one or more other phases, and updates commutation state based on the measured order.

Abstract: Control of rotational speed of a direct current multi-phase brushless motor is provided using an apparatus and method that works at low speed but does not depend upon Hall effect sensors. An apparatus for accelerating rotation of the motor shaft has a power stage circuit coupled to a back Electromotive Force (EMF) sensor circuit and a microprocessor. The power stage pulses at a duty cycle less than 100% under control of the microprocessor. The back EMF sensor circuit measures an order with respect to voltage of at least one phase relative to one or more other phases during off-time. The microprocessor determines one or more phases to be pulsed, and the polarity of the pulses based on the measured order. A method for sustaining rotation pulses the phases, measures order with respect to voltage of at least one phase relative to one or more other phases, and updates commutation state based on the measured order.

Abstract: A stabilizer control device includes a stabilizer having torsion bars and a brushless motor having an exciting coil, a rotating direction switching device switching a rotating direction of the brushless motor, an excitation control device for controlling power supplied to the exciting coil, a vehicle state detecting device, a rotating state detecting device, a roll control device for reducing a rolling movement of the vehicle, a brake mode by which all the switching elements of one of the first switching element group and the second switching element group are controlled to be in a conducting state, and all the switching elements of the other of the first switching element group and the second switching element group are controlled to be in a non-conducting state; and a brake mode executing device for executing the brake mode in accordance with the state of the roll control device.

Abstract: In a gear motor with an inverter, the inverter comprises a communication circuit for communicating with a controller to control the speed of the motor under the control of the controller and a CPU for collecting information from sensors mounted on the gear of the gear motor, performing predetermined determination processing, and transmitting the collected information and the determination processing result to the controller via the communication circuit.

Abstract: Torque is distributed by calculating first and second torque commands using a requested torque and a ratio of speeds of first and second wheels and limiting them in accordance with respective torque command approved ranges and approved change rates; converting the limited torque commands to horsepower commands and limiting them in accordance with respective horsepower command approved ranges and approved change rates; and converting the limited horsepower commands to present torque commands. Maximum horsepower available is determined by using an engine speed to determine a nominal amount of available horsepower; applying a desired load status signal and an actual engine load status signal to a proportional-integral A regulator; and using the nominal amount of available horsepower and an output signal of the regulator to determine the maximum amount of available horsepower.

Abstract: An automatic door system includes a motor which drives a door to open and close. A CPU operating in accordance with a signal from an encoder operatively coupled to the motor detects the position of the door and prepares and applies a control signal based on the detected door position to a motor drive unit. The motor drive unit alternately drives and brakes the motor. The CPU calculates the speed of the door at a particular door position on the basis of the signal from the encoder and operates to make the door speed equal to the aimed speed for the current door position.

Abstract: A servomechanism controller for controlling the movement and positioning of a servomechanism (such as that of an actuator assembly for the read/write heads of a hard disk drive assembly) in accordance with an improved "bang-bang" seek technique includes at least one neural network. In one embodiment, a single neural network, connected to a plant with servomechanism, receives two input positioning signals and provides an output positioning signal. One input positioning signal represents a desired servomechanism position, while the other represents its present position. The output positioning signal represents a positioning time period within which the servomechanism will reach the desired position plus a deceleration time period within the positioning time period upon the termination of which the servomechanism will reach its desired position. In another embodiment, one neural network, connected to the plant, receives an input positioning signal and provides an output positioning signal and a status signal.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for moving a member provides parameters related to a given destination position of the member and corresponding to a switch time, a final time, an acceleration amplitude, and a deceleration amplitude. These parameters are used to specify a piecewise continuous function of time as an input signal. The input signal feeds a motor to move the member. The final time, switch time, acceleration amplitude, and deceleration amplitude are specified by iteratively providing minimal values for the switch time and final time while providing maximum acceptable values for the acceleration amplitude and deceleration amplitude for each possible given change in a characteristic of the movable member. A pre-shaped input signal is thereby provided which is bandwidth limited such that its energy is concentrated below the frequency of the lowest system resonance, since the signal is a piecewise continuous function comprising concatenated raised cosine and constant functions.

Abstract: A motor control device is used for controlling a DC motor for secondary paper feeding in, for example, a copying machine. Secondary paper feeding of paper to a transfer drum is achieved by the dedicated DC motor. The DC motor is rotated at a high speed at the time of starting the secondary paper feeding and is decelerated up to a process speed after a constant time. At the time of the deceleration, the control device applies a short-circuiting brake to the motor. In the short-circuiting brake, there is no variation in braking, thereby to make it possible to reliably decrease the speed of the motor. The braking is released at the timing at which an FG clock corresponding to the rotation of the motor is synchronized with a command clock representing the process speed. Consequently, a braking operation is reliably released the instant the speed of the motor reaches a desired process speed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for operating a train positioner for moving one or more railroad cars of a unit train are disclosed. The positioner is engaged with the train while the positioner is stopped at an initial location. The positioner is moved and the train is accelerated to a constant speed. The energy expended by the positioner in accelerating the train to the constant speed is determined and apparent mass of the train is calculated from this energy. From the apparent mass of the train, a maximum force to which the positioner should be subjected, and a deceleration rate, a deceleration point adequate to stop the train by a predetermined, final location is calculated. The positioner is decelerated beginning at the deceleration point and at the deceleration rate until the train is stopped by a final location. In a preferred embodiment, the deceleration rate is also calculated from the apparent mass of the train and the maximum force to which the positioner should be subjected.

Abstract: In a shunt wound d.c. motor for driving centrifuges, an apparatus for obtaining smooth acceleration by regulating the bottom speed range in accordance to a preset slope current and then accelerating the armature current with full excitation. Smooth braking is also achieved by applying to the field current the full excitation during deceleration and a preset slope current thereafter.

Abstract: Transportation apparatus, such as escalators and moving walks, having controlled stopping characteristics. Deceleration is directly regulated via a deceleration servo loop which provides a current reference signal for an inner current loop. Brake current limiting prior to the controlled stop, as well as mechanically limiting the maximum brake gap, results in faster transient response, and a more linear braking torque versus brake current characteristics. Multiple drive units operate from a common deceleration reference signal, while having independent servo loops each operating from a "local" deceleration signal.

Abstract: A chopper controller for a D.C. motor controls currents flowing in an armature winding and a field winding of the D.C. motor by controlling an armature chopper and a field chopper in accordance with a command from a command generator such as an accelerator pedal. The armature chopper and the field chopper are controlled by chopper control signals from an armature chopper control circuit and a field chopper control circuit, respectively. Those chopper control signals are in a predetermined phase relationship and an interruption request signal is issued in phase-synchronism with one of the chopper control signals. In response to the interruption request signal, computing means computes an armature chopper duty factor and a field chopper duty factor in accordance with the command from the command generator and supplies them to the chopper control circuits.

Abstract: There is disclosed a programmed microprocessor control apparatus and method for a transit vehicle electric motor through operation of a chopper apparatus. The microprocessor program controls the motor braking effort in brake mode through operation of the brake resistors and the motor tractive effort in the power mode through the motor field shunt operation.

Abstract: An electric motor of the direct-current type, especially for automotive vehicles in which the motor is used for so-called motor braking in addition to normal drive, is energized through a time-delay network which ensures that excess voltage will not be applied prematurely. The time-delay network is rendered effective by a sensor responsive to the sense of rotation of the armature.