Patents Assigned to Nidec Corporation
  • Patent number: 11892705
    Abstract: An optical unit includes an optical element, a holder, a support portion, a swing mechanism, and an elastic portion. The optical element changes the traveling direction of light. The holder holds the optical element. The support portion supports the holder swingably about a swing axis. The swing mechanism swings the holder with respect to the support portion about the swing axis. The elastic portion connects the holder and the support portion. The support portion has a pair of side surface portions on both sides of the holder along the swing axis, and a connection portion connecting the side surface portions with the elastic portion between the holder and the side surface portions. The elastic portion has a convex or concave portion that comes into contact with a concave or convex portion of at least one of the holder and the support portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: NIDEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takayuki Iwase, Tomohiro Egawa
  • Patent number: 11894751
    Abstract: A housing of a drive device includes a refrigerant flow path through which a refrigerant flows. The refrigerant flow path includes a first flow path, a second flow path, a third flow path, and a fourth flow path. The refrigerant to be sent from a pump flows through the first flow path. The refrigerant to be supplied to the motor portion flows in the second flow path. The third flow path supplies a part of the refrigerant flowing through the second flow path to the outer surface of a stator. The fourth flow path supplies the other part of the refrigerant flowing through the second flow path to a hollow portion of a shaft. A minimum flow-path cross-sectional area in the fourth flow path is smaller than a minimum flow-path cross-sectional area in the third flow path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: NIDEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Keisuke Nakata, Yuki Ishikawa, Kouhei Oba
  • Patent number: 11894745
    Abstract: A vibrating motor includes a stationary portion, and a movable portion capable of vibrating with respect to the stationary portion along a center axis extending in a vertical direction. The stationary portion includes a bearing portion which extends along the center axis and supports the movable portion to be able to vibrate along the center axis, and a coil including a conductive wire wound around the center axis. The bearing portion includes a first region including a coil inner region on a radially inner side of the coil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: NIDEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Atsunori Hirata, Hiroaki Hirano, Ryoichi Mitsuhata
  • Patent number: 11888371
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing of the bus bar assembly includes preparing a mold, positioning a bus bar and a shield in the mold, and molding a bus bar holder. The positioning includes inserting first positioning pins into bus bar through holes to cause the first positioning pins to hold the bus bar, providing the shield in the mold in a state where a lower surface of the shield and a distal end of the first positioning pin are in contact with each other, bringing a second positioning pin into contact with an upper surface of the shield and positioning the shield in a vertical direction, and bringing a third positioning pin extending downward from a lower surface of an upper mold into contact with an upper surface of the bus bar to position the bus bar in the vertical direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: NIDEC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Ryo Kamizato
  • Patent number: 11881746
    Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention provides a rotor and a motor having the rotor. By providing a plurality of flux barrier groups and slot groups at intervals in a circumferential direction of the rotor iron core, it is possible to flexibly arrange the numbers of the flux barrier groups and the slot groups so as to meet the requirements for the number of poles of different products. In addition, by flexibly adjusting the quantity ratio between the flux barrier groups and the slot groups and/or the quantity relationship between the flux barriers in the flux barrier group and the slots in the slot group, it is possible to meet the requirements for motor efficiency and starting capacity of different products. Further, since the processing jig of the rotor only requires processing of the structures of the flux barriers and the slots, the manufacturing cost can be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: NIDEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hsin-Nan Lin, Sheng-Chan Yen, Ta-Yin Luo, Guo-Jhih Yan, Yu-Wei Hsu, Cheng-Tsung Liu
  • Patent number: 11881747
    Abstract: A motor includes a rotor configured to rotate about a central axis extending in an up-down direction, a stator located radially outside the rotor, a bracket located above the stator, a circuit board held by the bracket and disposed along a plane perpendicular to an axial direction, and a bus bar held by the bracket and connected to the circuit board at a terminal connection portion. The bracket includes a board support portion supporting the circuit board from below, and a wall portion protruding upward to be higher than the board support portion and surrounding the circuit board. The wall portion has a cutout portion extending downward from an upper end of the wall portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: NIDEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuhei Yamaguchi, Takayuki Makino, Keigo Nakamura, Hisashi Fujihara
  • Patent number: 11876433
    Abstract: A housing of a drive device includes a tubular portion, a side plate portion, a plate portion, and a peripheral wall portion. The tubular portion extends in a first direction and accommodates a motor. The side plate portion has a plate shape intersecting the first direction, and is at one end portion of the tubular portion in the first direction. The plate portion expands from the tubular portion along one of the first direction and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The peripheral wall portion surrounds an inverter accommodation portion that accommodates inverter when viewed from a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction, and is connected to the plate portion. Each of a pump and an oil cooler is at any of one end portion of the peripheral wall portion in the second direction, another end portion of the plate portion in the third direction, and another end portion of the side plate portion in the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: NIDEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuki Ishikawa, Hitoshi Kuroyanagi, Naohiro Wada
  • Patent number: 11873897
    Abstract: A drive apparatus includes a motor that has a motor shaft extending in an axial direction, a transmission mechanism that is connected on one side in the axial direction of the motor shaft, a lock mechanism that restricts driving of the transmission mechanism, a housing that houses the motor, the transmission mechanism, and the lock mechanism, an oil that is stored in the housing, and an oil passage that circulates the oil. The housing includes a motor room that houses the motor, a gear room that houses the transmission mechanism and the lock mechanism, and a partition that is provided between the motor room and the gear room. The oil passage includes a pump that pumps the oil in the oil passage, a first feed flow passage that feeds the oil to the motor, and a second feed flow passage that feeds the oil to the lock mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: NIDEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shuhei Nakamatsu, Shinsuke Mizukami, Tsubasa Tamura, Keisuke Aso
  • Patent number: 11873840
    Abstract: A motor includes a rotor rotatable about a center axis extending vertically, a stator to rotate the rotor, and a housing covering the rotor and the stator from a radially outer side. The housing includes a first housing located on a first side in the axial direction, and a second housing located on a second side in the axial direction. The first housing includes a first opposing surface opposing the second housing in the axial direction, and a first wall portion extending from the first opposing surface to the second side in the axial direction. The second housing includes a second opposing surface opposing the first housing in the axial direction, a second wall portion extending from the second opposing surface to the first side in the axial direction, and a base portion holding the stator. The first wall portion and the second wall portion oppose each other in a radial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: NIDEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Atsushi Michishita, Yuta Yamasaki, Hirofumi Yoneda
  • Patent number: 11876426
    Abstract: A vibrating motor includes a stationary portion, and a movable portion able to vibrate with respect to the stationary portion along a center axis extending in a vertical direction. The stationary portion includes a bearing portion which supports the movable portion to be able to vibrate along the center axis and has a tubular shape extending along the center axis, and a coil which directly or indirectly opposes at least a portion of the movable portion in a radial direction. A lower end portion of the bearing portion has a tubular shape extending along the center axis. A communication hole which penetrates in the vertical direction and allows an outside of the bearing portion and an inside of a portion above the lower end portion of the bearing portion to communicate with each other is provided on a radially inner side of the lower end portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: NIDEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Atsunori Hirata, Hiroaki Hirano, Ryoichi Mitsuhata
  • Patent number: 11876429
    Abstract: A vibration motor includes a stationary portion and a movable portion vibrable in an axis direction with respect to the stationary portion. The stationary portion includes a coil and a housing. The housing includes a first region expanding in a first direction orthogonal to the axis direction, and a second region disposed on one side in a second direction orthogonal to the axis direction and the first direction relative to the first region and expanding in the first direction. In a cross-section across the axis direction, a distance in the second direction between the second region and the first region is longest at a center in the first direction of the first region. In the cross-section, a shape formed by the first and second regions is asymmetric with respect to an axis extending parallel to the first direction through a center of the housing in the second direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: NIDEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Atsunori Hirata, Daisuke Adachi, Hiroaki Hirano, Tomohiro Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 11867926
    Abstract: An optical unit that corrects a shake of an optical module includes: a movable portion having a holder that holds the optical module; and a fixed portion that rotatably supports the movable portion. The movable portion is rotatable relative to the fixed portion in first-third rotation directions correspondingly centered on first-third axes which correspondingly extend in first-third directions. The first direction is parallel to an optical axis direction of the optical module in a state in which the movable portion is stationary. The first direction, the second direction, and the third direction are perpendicular to each other. The movable portion further includes a protrusion protruding toward the fixed portion from an end of the holder closer to the fixed portion in the optical axis direction. The fixed portion includes a support portion that rotatably supports the protrusion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: NIDEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Soichiro Kimura, Kazuhiro Sazai, Keishi Otsubo, Tomohiro Egawa, Genki Tanaka
  • Patent number: 11860003
    Abstract: A method of position estimation including: a signal detection step in which N (where N is an integer of 3 or more) sensors each detect a magnetic field which is in accordance with a position of a mover and output a detection signal as an electrical signal, the detection signals being displaced in phase by an angle obtained by dividing 360 degrees by N; a crossing detection step in which a crossing detection section sequentially detects a crossing at which each detection signal having been output through the signal detection step crosses another; a subdivision detection step in which a subdivision detection section detects a portion of the detection signal that connects from a crossing to another crossing which is adjacent to that crossing, as one or more subdivision signals; and a line segment joining step in which a line segment joining section sequentially joins the subdivision signals and estimates the position of the mover based on the plural subdivision signals having been joined, to generate an estimate
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: NIDEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomohiro Fukumura, Atsushi Fujita, Shota Ishigami
  • Patent number: 11863052
    Abstract: A drive device includes a motor including a rotor rotatable about a central axis, a transmission connected to the motor, and a housing including a motor housing accommodating the motor and a transmission housing accommodating the transmission. A first fluid is accommodated in the transmission housing. The housing includes a first flow path through which the first fluid flows and a second flow path through which the second fluid flows. The first flow path includes a supply flow path that supplies the first fluid in the transmission housing to the inside of the motor housing, and a collection flow path that extends from the inside of the motor housing to the inside of the transmission housing. At least a portion of the second flow path is located radially outside the motor. At least a portion of the collection flow path is located radially outside the second flow path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: NIDEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kengo Takamura, Hibiki Takada, Shohei Fujimoto
  • Patent number: 11863022
    Abstract: A motor includes a rotor magnet, a stator, and a magnetic sensor. The rotor magnet includes magnetized portions in a Halbach array, and having radially magnetized portions whose magnetization direction is a radial direction and non-radially magnetized portions. In first and second radially magnetized portions, magnetic poles on both sides in the radial direction are arranged opposite to magnetic poles on both sides in the radial direction of the first radially magnetized portion. The first and second radially magnetized portions are alternately arranged along a circumferential direction with at least one non-radially magnetized portion therebetween. The magnetic sensor is located on the other side in the radial direction with respect to the rotor magnet. A non-magnetized portion is in an axial portion of the rotor magnet where a magnetic field is detected by the magnetic sensor, and located between the first and second radially magnetized portions in the circumferential direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: NIDEC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Junya Tanaka
  • Patent number: 11863092
    Abstract: A control device includes: an angular velocity detection unit that detects an angular velocity of a motor; a vibration component removal unit that removes a vibration component in a predetermined band from the angular velocity detected by the angular velocity detection unit by filtering; and a current command calculation unit that calculates a current command value of a drive current for driving the motor according to a torque command value and the angular velocity from which the vibration component has been removed by the vibration component removal unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: NIDEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomonari Mori, Linfeng Lan, Ryo Itaba, Yasuki Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 11863043
    Abstract: A rotary electric machine includes a rotor having a hollow shaft, a housing, a current shunter fixed to the housing and in electrical contact with the shaft and the housing, and a nozzle member for feeding a fluid inside the shaft. The shaft has an open end portion on a first axial side. The housing includes a bottom wall on the first axial side from the open end portion, and a peripheral wall protruding from the bottom wall toward a second axial side and surrounding the open end portion. The nozzle member has a feeding tubular part at least partly inserted inside the shaft from the open end portion, and a flange portion protruding radially outward from the feeding tubular part. The current shunter is located radially inside the peripheral wall, and the flange portion is located between the current shunter and the bottom wall in an axial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: NIDEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Keisuke Nakata, Yuki Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 11863093
    Abstract: A first torque estimator determines a first torque estimation value according to a cross product method, and a second torque estimator determines a second torque estimation value according to an energy method. A torque weight adjuster adjusts, using a weighting coefficient calculated in accordance with a predetermined condition, weightings respectively applied to these two types of torque estimation values, and outputs a torque estimation value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: NIDEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomohiro Fukumura, Linfeng Lan
  • Patent number: 11860002
    Abstract: A method of position estimation including: a signal detection step in which N (where N is an integer of 3 or more) sensors each detect a magnetic field which is in accordance with a position of a mover and output a detection signal as an electrical signal, the detection signals being displaced in phase by an angle obtained by dividing 360 degrees by N; a crossing detection step in which a crossing detection section sequentially detects a crossing at which each detection signal having been output through the signal detection step crosses another; a subdivision detection step in which a subdivision detection section detects a portion of the detection signal that connects from a crossing to another crossing which is adjacent to that crossing, as one or more subdivision signals; and a line segment joining step in which a line segment joining section sequentially joins the subdivision signals and estimates the position of the mover based on the plural subdivision signals having been joined, to generate an estimate
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: NIDEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomohiro Fukumura, Atsushi Fujita, Shota Ishigami
  • Patent number: 11855486
    Abstract: A stator core includes a core back having an annular shape around a central axis, teeth extending outward from the core back in a radial direction, and an inner peripheral surface located inside the core back in the radial direction and extending from an upper end to a lower end of the core back around the central axis. The core back includes a plastically deformable portion having an annular shape around the central axis and disposed below the core back in the axial direction. At least a portion of the plastically deformable portion has a different distance from the central axis than another portion of the core back.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: NIDEC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Takeshi Honda