Patents Examined by Antony M. Paul
  • Patent number: 11241786
    Abstract: A servo control device for controlling a motor based on a position command when an operation target is connected to the motor via a wave gear reduction mechanism may include a position control system configured to detect a shaft angular position of the motor to perform a closed-loop control based on the shaft angular position; an inverse control element having an inverse characteristic of dynamics of the position control system; and a compensation amount generation unit configured to generate a compensation amount for compensating for an angular transmission error of the wave gear reduction mechanism. The inverse control element is configured to apply compensation amount to the position control system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Assignee: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akihiro Ito, Shunya Yazawa
  • Patent number: 11239775
    Abstract: The invention provides a separately excited direct current motor drive apparatus and electric equipment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: University of Shanghai for Science and Technology
    Inventors: Aijuan Jin, Shaolong Li
  • Patent number: 11239787
    Abstract: A control system and method of controlling a multi-phase electric machine for controlling the flow of electrical current between a voltage source and the multi-phase electric machine or other application/load. The control system includes, between each phase of the multi-phase electric machine and the voltage source: a high side diode and a high side switch positioned in parallel between a positive terminal of the voltage source and the electric machine with the high side diode being reverse biased with regard to the positive terminal; and a low side diode and a low side switch positioned in parallel between a negative terminal of the voltage source and the electric machine with the low side diode being reverse biased with regard to the electric machine. The control system operates the high side and low side switches to provide efficient operation of the electric machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: BorgWarner Inc.
    Inventor: Caleb W. Secrest
  • Patent number: 11228270
    Abstract: A drive apparatus is provided for driving a multi-phase rotating electric machine. The rotating electric machine includes a plurality of winding groups for respective phases. The drive apparatus includes a first inverter connected with start terminals of the winding groups of the rotating electric machine, a second inverter connected with intermediate terminals of the winding groups, and an energization controller configured to selectively perform energization of the winding groups by the first inverter and energization of the winding groups by the second inverter. Each of the first and second inverters includes a plurality of switch pairs respectively corresponding to the winding groups and each consisting of an upper-arm switch and a lower-arm switch that are connected in series with each other. Moreover, each of the upper-arm and lower-arm switches of the first inverter is configured to have bidirectionally-conducting and bidirectionally-blocking functions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2022
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hirofumi Kinjo, Yuji Ito, Makoto Taniguchi
  • Patent number: 11223194
    Abstract: A motor control apparatus includes: a main power conversion circuit that converts power that is supplied from a power supply into alternating current power for driving a motor, and outputs the alternating current power; a counter electromotive force protection circuit including a rectifier unit that rectifies alternating current power based on counter electromotive force of the motor and outputs direct current power, a short-circuit unit that short-circuits terminals on a direct current output side of the rectifier unit, and an alarm signal output unit that outputs an alarm signal at occurrence of an abnormality; a monitoring unit that monitors whether the alarm signal is output from the alarm signal output unit; and a protection operation unit that performs a protection operation for preventing damage to the main power conversion circuit when the monitoring unit determines that the alarm signal is output from the alarm signal output unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: Fanuc Corporation
    Inventors: Hironao Tanouchi, Naoki Masuda, Masato Watanabe, Hirokazu Nagai
  • Patent number: 11211890
    Abstract: A power conversion apparatus includes a rectifier circuit, an inverse conversion circuit, and a capacitor. The rectifier circuit rectifies alternating current power of the alternating current power supply. The inverse conversion circuit inversely converts a voltage Vdc rectified by the rectifier circuit into an alternating current voltage having a certain frequency and applies the alternating current voltage to a motor whose maximum power consumption Pmax is 2 kW or larger. The capacitor is provided between the rectifier circuit and the inverse conversion circuit and has a capacitance C that satisfies a condition of a following expression in relation to an alternating current voltage Vac of the alternating current power supply and the maximum power consumption Pmax. C ? 350 × 10 - 6 ? P ? ? max Vac 2 .
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Masaki Kouno, Hirotaka Doi, Yukihide Yamane
  • Patent number: 11205981
    Abstract: A stepping motor includes a slit rotating plate that rotates together with a rotor and two photo interrupters. A motor control device includes a rotation phase detection unit that acquires an output of the photo interrupter and detects a rotation phase of the rotor, and a drive waveform generation unit that generates a drive waveform of the stepping motor. An advance angle control unit performs speed control of the stepping motor by detecting an advance angle corresponding to a phase difference between the rotation phase of the rotor and the drive waveform and setting an advance angle at which a relationship between an amplitude and an advance angle of the drive waveform changes abruptly as a target advance angle to control an amplitude of the drive waveform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2021
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Daisuke Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 11205980
    Abstract: A motor driving control device has a motor driving unit configured to supply a current to coils of a motor, and a control unit configured to control an operation of the motor driving unit in a vector control mode. The control unit includes a state signal output unit configured to output a pulse signal indicating a predetermined value corresponding to a state of the motor or a control state of the control unit among values generated in a process of calculation processing in the vector control mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2021
    Assignee: MINEBEA MITSUMI INC.
    Inventors: Shuhei Nishi, Tomohiro Inoue
  • Patent number: 11205983
    Abstract: A motor control device includes a first storage configured to store indicated values of control parameters, motor control circuitry configured to control a motor based on the indicated values stored in the first storage, primary setting circuitry configured to set in the first storage at least one indicated value among the indicated values as a primary indicated value which corresponds to specific parameter among the control parameters, secondary setting circuitry configured to replace, based on a change instruction input via a terminal, the primary indicated value stored in the first storage with a secondary indicated value in accordance with the change instruction, and resetting circuitry configured to replace the secondary indicated value stored in the first storage with the primary indicated value when a return requirement is satisfied after the secondary setting circuitry has replaced the primary indicated value with the secondary indicated value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2021
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA YASKAWA DENKI
    Inventors: Koichi Nitta, Mitsunori Sato, Hiroyuki Imayoshi, Tadanori Matsushita
  • Patent number: 11201576
    Abstract: In a motor driving apparatus including a DC power supply circuit of variable output voltage value, an inverter of variable frequency, and a connection switching device for selecting connection, switching of the connection switching device is performed in a state where an output voltage of the DC power supply circuit is increased, a rotational speed of a motor is increased, and a current flowing through the motor is made not greater than a predetermined threshold. For example, the switching of the connection switching device is performed in a state where the current through the motor is made zero. For example, the switching is performed in a state where the output voltage of the DC power supply circuit is set at a value corresponding to the rotational speed of the motor during the switching. It is possible to prevent increase in apparatus size and switch the connection of windings while the motor is rotating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Shinya Toyodome, Kazunori Hatakeyama
  • Patent number: 11196376
    Abstract: An electric machine has at least two sub-machines, each having the same number of phases and being designed to generate a magnetic rotary field independently of one another to rotate the rotor. The machine has a power output stage for each sub-machine, each being designed to energize the sub-machines independently of one another. The machine also has at least one or only one control unit which is connected to the power output stages and is designed to generate a PWM signal in order to actuate the power output stages. The control unit is designed to generate the PWM signal for the sub-machines such that each of the PWM pulses for a sub-machine begins at a starting time of a PWM period and/or to generate the PWM pulses for another sub-machine such that each of the PWM pulses ends at an end time of the PWM period for the other sub-machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Jochen Kurfiss, Ulrich Vollmer
  • Patent number: 11190115
    Abstract: A motor starter apparatus includes an enclosure, a bypass contactor configured to be installed in the enclosure and configured to selectively couple a power source to a motor, and a reduced voltage soft starter (RVSS) circuit assembly (e.g. a wheeled truck) configured to be installed in the enclosure, to be coupled to the power source and to apply a variable voltage to the motor. The bypass contactor is configured to preserve a connection of the bypass contactor to the power source and the motor when the RVSS circuit assembly is removed from the enclosure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Inventor: Thomas A. Farr
  • Patent number: 11190119
    Abstract: A control device includes: an output unit configured to select a motor and output a drive command to a motor drive unit that should be connected to the selected motor so that the selected motor executes a predetermined feed operation; an acquisition unit configured to acquire feedback information from each of the multiple motor drive units; and a wire connection determination unit configured to determine, based on the feedback information, whether the selected motor is connected to the motor drive unit that should be connected to the selected motor, by a power line and a feedback line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuuki Shirakawa, Satoshi Ikai, Wei Luo
  • Patent number: 11183962
    Abstract: There is provided a driving system including a motor; an inverter configured to drive the motor; a power storage device connected with the inverter via a power line; a smoothing capacitor mounted to the power line; a voltage sensor configured to detect a voltage of the smoothing capacitor; a current sensor configured to detect an electric current of each phase of the motor; and a control device configured to control the inverter, based on a detected value of the current sensor. The control device performs Fourier series expansion of a detected value of the voltage sensor to calculate an electrical first variation component of the voltage of the smoothing capacitor. The control device controls the inverter, such that the electrical first variation component of the voltage of the smoothing capacitor becomes equal to a value 0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koji Irie, Hiroyuki Oyanagi, Toshifumi Yamakawa
  • Patent number: 11183833
    Abstract: A multi-port power converter including a housing comprising a plurality of ports structured to electrically interface to a plurality of loads, the plurality of loads having distinct electrical characteristics; a plurality of solid-state components configured to provide selected electrical power outputs and to accept selected electrical power inputs; a plurality of solid-state switches configured to provide selected connectivity between the plurality of solid-state components and the plurality of ports; and a controller, the controller comprising: a component bank configuration circuit structured to interpret a port electrical interface description comprising application requirements for a selected mobile electric application, the port electrical interface description comprising a description of at least a portion of the distinct electrical characteristics; and a component bank implementation circuit structured to provide solid switch states in response to the port electrical interface description, and wherein
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: Eaton Intelligent Power Limited
    Inventors: Jalpa Shah, Meng Wang, Damrongrit Piyabongkarn
  • Patent number: 11177753
    Abstract: An electric machine control system adapted to a motor includes a voltage detector, a power module, a current detector and a controller. The voltage detector detects a bus voltage to generate a voltage detection signal. The power module generates a first phase current, a second phase current and a third phase current to drive the motor according to the bus voltage and a PWM signal. To generate the current detection signal, the current detector detects at least two of the following: the first phase current, the second phase current and the third phase current. When the motor is operating in a steady state and blocked, the controller calculates the DC offset error of the motor according to the voltage detection signal and the current detection signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: DELTA ELECTRONICS, INC.
    Inventor: Shao-Kai Tseng
  • Patent number: 11171593
    Abstract: A brushless DC motor identification method capable of identifying information on a brushless DC motor, particularly without performing any handshaking, includes supplying an input voltage from an identifier to a brushless DC motor including at least one resistor connected between a power supply line and a GND line, reading a resistance value of at least one resistor in a state where the inverter of the brushless DC motor is off, and identifying information on the brushless DC motor based on the read resistance value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: NIDEC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hideyuki Takemoto
  • Patent number: 11165377
    Abstract: A control device for a stepping motor capable of hold control that can smoothly reduce an excitation current at a rotation stopping time of the stepping motor is provided. A control device (10) for a stepping motor (20) causes an excitation current to flow in a plurality of coils to rotate a rotor. The control device (10) includes a driving circuit (40) that applies a driving voltage to the coils, and a control circuit (30) that controls the driving voltage. The control circuit (30) performs hold control to move the rotor to a predetermined stop position by changing a magnitude of the excitation current flowing in the coils so that the magnitude of the excitation current becomes close to a target current value that gradually decreases, in a hold time period at a rotation stopping time of the stepping motor (20).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: MINEBEA MITSUMI INC.
    Inventors: Ayaka Shimada, Kazuo Takada, Kei Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 11159008
    Abstract: A mobile application including a motive power circuit including a power storage device and an electrical load; a power distribution unit (PDU) electrically interposed between the power storage device and the electrical load, wherein the PDU includes a breaker/relay positioned on one of a high side and a low side of the power storage device; wherein the breaker/relay includes: a fixed contact electrically coupled to the power bus; a movable contact selectively electrically coupled to the fixed contact; an armature operationally coupled to the movable contact; a first biasing member biasing the armature into one of the first position or the second position; and a means for selecting a down force value of the movable contact, thereby providing for a physical opening response of the breaker/relay in response to a selected current value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Assignee: Eaton Intelligent Power Limited
    Inventor: Brandon William Fisher
  • Patent number: 11152887
    Abstract: A temperature abnormality of the power module is accurately detected. A power conversion device including a power semiconductor module with a switching element, includes: a gate driver circuit configured to drive a switching element and transmitting a response signal upon a switching operation of the switching element; a control unit device configured to output to a gate driver circuit an instruction signal for switching; a temperature detection unit configured to calculate a bonding temperature of the switching element based on a response signal to the instruction signal; and a calculation unit configured to determine a state of a power semiconductor module according to a bonding temperature calculated by the temperature detection unit and the response signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshinobu Kimura, Kazuki Tani, Takashi Ogawa, Hiroshi Suzuki, Junichi Sakano