Patents Assigned to VACON OY
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Patent number: 12640644Abstract: An electromagnetic compatibility filter arrangement (100) for connecting to output terminals (202A-202C) of an electric converter (210), such as of a frequency converter or an inverter. The electromagnetic compatibility filter arrangement (100) includes a plurality of electromagnetic compatibility filter devices (101A-101C). Each one of the devices (101A-101C) has a circuit board (11), a first connection element (16) in the circuit board (11) for providing electrical connection to an output terminal (202A-202C) of the electric converter (210), a first connector (14) for connecting to another of the plurality of electromagnetic compatibility filter devices (101A-101C), and at least one capacitor (12) arranged in the circuit board (11) and being electrically connected between the first connection element (16) and the first connector (14).Type: GrantFiled: October 16, 2023Date of Patent: May 26, 2026Assignee: VACON OYInventors: Lasse Aro, Juho Kari
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Patent number: 12614664Abstract: An inductor and a method for producing an inductor are provided where the inductor includes a first core made of a first magnetic material, and at least two windings, configured to be twisted with each other and embedded within the first core, each winding having a pair of terminals extending out of the first core. A method for producing an inductor includes providing a package of the at least two windings twisted and separated from each other, and forming the first core from the first magnetic material over the at least two windings. A method for producing an inductor includes forming a second core from a second magnetic material over the first core.Type: GrantFiled: June 17, 2022Date of Patent: April 28, 2026Assignee: VACON OYInventor: Nicklas Södö
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Patent number: 12494314Abstract: A common mode choke for connecting to DC side of a power converter. The common mode choke includes a choke core having first and second core portions for guiding magnetic flux. The common mode choke also includes a first winding and a second winding for generating magnetic flux, wherein both of the windings have series-connected first and second portions, respectively. The first portion of the first winding and the first portion of the second winding are concentrically around the first core portion, with the first portion of the first winding concentrically wound over the first portion of the second winding as an outer winding, and the second portion of the first winding and the second portion of the second winding are concentrically around the second core portion, with the second portion of the second winding concentrically wound over the second portion of the first winding as an outer winding.Type: GrantFiled: March 30, 2023Date of Patent: December 9, 2025Assignee: VACON OYInventors: Stefan Strandberg, Nicklas Södö
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Patent number: 12396127Abstract: A method for cooling a device such as an electric motor drive or a general power converter, said device comprising a heatsink, electronic components connected to the heatsink, a heat pipe connected to the heatsink, an inlet air temperature measuring device and a cooling fan. According to the method, the drive establishes whether the inlet air temperature is below a first temperature threshold value and operates the cooling fan at a low inlet air temperature speed regime if the inlet air temperature is below the first temperature threshold value. The invention is also directed at a device such as an electric motor drive or a general power converter for performing the cooling method.Type: GrantFiled: May 3, 2022Date of Patent: August 19, 2025Assignee: VACON OYInventors: Nicklas Jan Anders Södö, Tommi Keski-Kujala, Tuomas Yli-Rahnasto
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Patent number: 12274038Abstract: The invention is directed at an electric power converter, such as an electric motor drive for driving an electric motor. The converter includes a cooling system with a heat sink for dissipating thermal energy generated by the converter and with coolant flow means for cooling the heat sink, first measuring means for measuring the coolant inlet temperature, second measuring means for measuring the heat sink temperature, estimating means for estimating the thermal energy transferred to the heat sink, wherein the converter is provided for estimating the thermal resistance of the heat sink based on the measured temperatures and the estimated thermal energy transferred to the heat sink, for comparing the estimated thermal resistance to reference values and for outputting a signal, if the difference between the estimated thermal resistance and the reference values exceeds a threshold value. The invention is also directed at a method for operating the electric power converter.Type: GrantFiled: November 14, 2022Date of Patent: April 8, 2025Assignee: VACON OYInventors: Ari Ristimäki, Juha Norrena, Tuomas Yli-Rahnasto, Pekka Hemminki, Jani Matti Perkiö
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Patent number: 12237790Abstract: The present disclosure is directed at an AC drive for driving an electric motor. The AC drive has a 3-phase diode bridge, an inverter and a snubber board with multilayer printed circuit board elements, wherein the power lane in every layer of every element is connected to only one potential DC? or DC+, each element includes two capacitors of inverted polarity, wherein each element includes two C-shaped bus bars and wherein the C-shaped bus bars of two neighbouring elements are placed in close proximity to each other.Type: GrantFiled: March 14, 2023Date of Patent: February 25, 2025Assignee: VACON OYInventors: Jani Matti Perkiö, Juho Kari
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Patent number: 12188965Abstract: The invention pertains to a shunt resistor for a current measurement apparatus of a busbar, the resistor having a planar resistor body and two connection terminals for measuring voltage across the planar resistor body, wherein each of the two connection terminals is connected to one of two conductive traces provided on opposite sides of the resistor body, and wherein each of the conductive traces includes a measurement portion and a connection portion for connecting the measurement portion to one of the connection terminals. The invention is also directed at a current measurement apparatus including said shunt resistor and a current path provided in parallel to the shunt resistor. The invention is furthermore directed at a busbar with a corresponding current measurement apparatus, wherein the shunt resistor and the current path are provided for connecting the busbar to an electronic component.Type: GrantFiled: December 9, 2022Date of Patent: January 7, 2025Assignee: VACON OYInventors: Magnus Hortans, Trygve Björkgren
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Patent number: 12094635Abstract: An inductor assembly for use in a power converter for transferring power between a DC voltage network and a multiphase AC voltage network. The inductor assembly comprises a core for guiding magnetic flux and coils for generating magnetic flux wherein the core has first legs with differential mode coil wires wound around the first legs and at least one second leg with at least two common mode coil wires wound around said second leg. The winding direction of both AC- and DC-side coils is such that a common-mode electrical current which flows in both coils in the same direction induces in each core leg a magnetic flux which reinforces the total flux circulating in the core.Type: GrantFiled: November 13, 2020Date of Patent: September 17, 2024Assignee: VACON OYInventors: Stefan Strandberg, Nicklas Jan Anders Södö
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Patent number: 12034388Abstract: A method and apparatus for the adaptation of a motor drive system is described. The method includes applying a small signal frequency sweep to a motor drive system wherein the motor drive system includes an inverter, an output filter (e.g. a sine filter) and a motor, acquiring frequency response data in response to said frequency sweep and setting parameters of the motor drive system depending on the acquired frequency response data.Type: GrantFiled: July 27, 2017Date of Patent: July 9, 2024Assignee: VACON OYInventors: Simo Häkli, Nicklas Södö
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Patent number: 11949361Abstract: The present invention relates to a variable speed drive for driving an electric motor and providing a safe torque off (STO) function. The drive includes two parallel signal buffers connected to a safety controller and at least one IGBT gate driver circuit, wherein the signal buffers share the same IGBT gate control signals as inputs and feed them to the same IGBT gate driver circuits and wherein each signal buffer has an own STO control signal for activation and deactivation of outputs. The invention is also directed at a method for diagnosing a corresponding drive.Type: GrantFiled: August 10, 2021Date of Patent: April 2, 2024Assignee: Vacon OYInventor: Antti Samuli Keskinarkaus
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Patent number: 11808814Abstract: The present invention relates to a drive for an electric application such as an electric motor, said drive including at least one microphone for registering noise signals occurring at the drive, wherein the microphone is connectable to a computing device for analysing the registered noise signals. The registered noise signals may be used for a maintenance process of the drive and/or a fine-tuning process of a drive control method of the drive. The present invention also relates to a maintenance process, in particular a predictive maintenance process for a corresponding drive. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a process for fine tuning a drive control method of a corresponding drive.Type: GrantFiled: May 26, 2021Date of Patent: November 7, 2023Assignee: Vacon OYInventors: Ari Pulakka, Jetro Itäniemi, Janne Pakkala, Jussi Pouttu, Nicklas Södö
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Patent number: 11632274Abstract: The invention relates to methods for providing a pulse-width modulated power signal in which control signals are used to define phase states and duration. The invention further relates to a corresponding node and to a corresponding system.Type: GrantFiled: February 8, 2022Date of Patent: April 18, 2023Assignee: Vacon OyInventor: Petri Ylirinne
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Patent number: 11575309Abstract: An electronic appliance such as a low harmonic drive, an active rectifier, a grid converter or any active front end or grid converter with an LCL filter. The converter is a two-level, a three-level or a multilevel inverter. The electronic appliance includes an LCL filter on a grid side of the electronic appliance and an active front end rectifier provided on a load side of the electronic appliance. The LCL filter includes grid side inductors and an active front end rectifier is connected to the LCL filter. A method for damping a corresponding electronic appliance is also disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: August 2, 2021Date of Patent: February 7, 2023Assignee: Vacon OyInventor: Nicklas Jan Anders Södö
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Patent number: 11569732Abstract: A DC-link charging arrangement is described having a DC-link capacitor, rectifier means, and contactor means arranged between supply voltage ports and the rectifier means and having at least one contactor. Such a charging arrangement should enable charging of a DC-link capacitor in a simple way with low losses. To this end a charging capacitor is arranged bridging the at least one contactor.Type: GrantFiled: July 9, 2020Date of Patent: January 31, 2023Assignee: Vacon OyInventors: Stefan Strandberg, Nicklas Södö
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Patent number: 11552820Abstract: An electric system for transmitting serial communication messages with different priorities over a communication link. The data to be transmitted is arranged in serial communication messages comprising a start of packet (SOP) symbol and data symbols. The ongoing transmission of a first message is interrupted if a SOP symbol of a second message is sent before the first message has been completed. Transmission of the first message is continued only after the second message has been sent.Type: GrantFiled: December 21, 2016Date of Patent: January 10, 2023Assignee: Vacon OyInventor: Petri Ylirinne
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Patent number: 11538613Abstract: The disclosure provides an inductor and a method for producing the same. The inductor includes a first core made of a first magnetic material; at least two windings, configured to be twisted with each other and embedded within the first core, each winding having a pair of terminals extending out of the first core.Type: GrantFiled: May 24, 2017Date of Patent: December 27, 2022Assignee: Vacon OyInventor: Nicklas Södö
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Patent number: 11462349Abstract: A resonance damping element for a power converter having a positive busbar and a negative busbar, wherein the resonance damping element comprises a magnetic core formed with two openings through which the positive busbar and the negative busbar of the power converter are to be routed, respectively.Type: GrantFiled: April 21, 2017Date of Patent: October 4, 2022Assignee: VACON OYInventors: Marko Koskela, Jukka Linna, Vesa Väisänen
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Patent number: 11411399Abstract: A method for a direct current (DC) power distribution arrangement and a direct current (DC) power distribution arrangement, comprising a plurality of DC power distribution subsystems. Each DC power distribution subsystem comprises an inverter unit (INU) configured to operate as a subsystem-specific circuit breaker for intercoupling/separating the DC power distribution subsystem to/from the rest of the DC power distribution arrangement.Type: GrantFiled: February 18, 2016Date of Patent: August 9, 2022Assignee: Vacon OyInventors: Stefan Strandberg, Risto Komulainen
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Patent number: 11381158Abstract: A controller (203) comprises a processing system (205) for controlling a power electronic converter during a short circuit taking place in a direct voltage side of the power electronic converter. The processing system recognizes a direction of current in a phase (126-128) of an alternating voltage side of the power electronic converter, sets a high-leg controllable switch (108-110) of the phase to a conductive state while keeping a low-leg controllable switch (111-113) of the phase in a non-conductive state when the recognized direction of the current is outwards from the power electronic converter, and otherwise sets the low-leg controllable switch to the conductive state while keeping the high-leg controllable switch in the non-conductive state. Thermal loadings of freewheeling diodes (114-119) of the power electronic converter are reduced since currents needed to burn input fuses (122) of the power electronic converter are shared between the controllable switches and the freewheeling diodes.Type: GrantFiled: October 8, 2019Date of Patent: July 5, 2022Assignee: VACON OYInventors: Jani Matti Perkiö, Juha Norrena, Nicklas Jan Anders Södö
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Patent number: 11329544Abstract: A filter arrangement in connection with a power converter for transferring power between a multiphase AC voltage network and a DC voltage network. The filter arrangement comprises a differential mode coil coupled between each AC terminal of an inverter bridge and corresponding AC network phase terminal, and a common mode coil coupled between each inverter bridge DC terminal and corresponding DC network terminal. Both inductors are located in the same magnetic core structure such that each of the differential mode winding is wound around its own phase-specific core leg and all common mode windings are wound around their own single core leg. The winding direction of both AC- and DC-side inductor windings is such that a common-mode current which flows along both inductors in the same direction, induces in each magnetic core leg a flux which reinforces the total flux circulating in the magnetic core.Type: GrantFiled: November 13, 2020Date of Patent: May 10, 2022Assignee: Vacon OyInventors: Stefan Strandberg, Nicklas Jan Anders Södö