Patents Examined by Bradley R Brown
  • Patent number: 10454396
    Abstract: A polyphase electric motor control device stores a first threshold as a duty cycle at which noise caused by a high potential-side switching element starts to overlap a first measurement period, and a second threshold as a duty cycle at which time when a low potential-side switching element is switched from on to off is after an end of a second measurement period, makes a first judgment for comparing a maximum target duty cycle with the first threshold, and a second judgment for comparing a second greatest target duty cycle with the second threshold, measures a current in the first measurement period when the maximum target duty cycle is smaller than the first threshold, and measures a current in the second measurement period when the maximum target duty cycle is greater than the first threshold and the second greatest target duty cycle is smaller than the second threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: OMRON AUTOMOTIVE ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yoji Mori, Taku Ogasawara, Satoshi Doba
  • Patent number: 10447189
    Abstract: An electric motor control device includes a drive waveform generating unit configured to generate a drive waveform (a sine wave or a pseudo-trapezoidal wave) to an electric motor. A plurality of photo interrupters detect a rotational phase of an electric motor, and a information of rotational speed is detected by an encoder circuit based on a detected signal of the rotational phase of the electric motor. The control unit controls the drive waveform generating unit on the basis of detection information of the rotational phase of the electric motor and performs control so that a phase relationship between the rotational phase of the electric motor and the phase of the drive waveform is kept constant. Furthermore, the control unit sets an amplitude value of the drive waveform generated by the drive waveform generating unit in accordance with a difference between a target speed and the detected information of rotational speed and performs speed control so that a speed of the electric motor is kept constant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yoshihiro Mizuo
  • Patent number: 10439542
    Abstract: An electric power conversion device includes: a converter circuit which includes a boost chopper; a capacitor which is connected between output terminals of the converter circuit; a boost chopper which boosts a terminal voltage of the capacitor; a multiphase inverter circuit; and a boost chopper controller. In a case where the operation of the boost chopper is continuously stopped, the capacitor has a capacitance allowing the terminal voltage of the capacitor to have a pulse frequency twice as high as that of the AC power source. The multiphase inverter circuit has an output power which is allowed to fluctuate in synchronization with a power source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: Daikin Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomoisa Taniguchi, Morimitsu Sekimoto, Yasutaka Taguchi
  • Patent number: 10439505
    Abstract: A power module includes a first circuit structure having a first bus substrate. The first bus structure has a first side on which is disposed a first circuit element. A second circuit structure has a second bus substrate and a second side on which is disposed a second circuit element. The first circuit structure and the second circuit structure are oriented in a stacked configuration such that the first side is disposed facing the second side, and the first circuit element partially overlaps the second circuit element. An output bus is disposed between the first circuit structure and the second circuit structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Ronald W. Young, Terence G. Ward, Marko Jaksic
  • Patent number: 10423154
    Abstract: A robot system including a force-controlled pushing device which causes, when a robot is guided and moved, an object provided at a tip end of the robot to be brought into appropriate contact with another object. The robot system includes the robot, the force-controlled pushing device, a robot operation input measuring part, a robot movement command calculating part, a pushing direction setting part, a target pushing force setting part, a force measuring part, and a force-controlled pushing device movement command calculating part. The pushing direction setting part sets a pushing direction of the force-controlled pushing device, based on at least one of: the position/orientation of the first object; a force-controlled pushing device movement command for moving the first object; the position/orientation of the movement mechanism part of the force-controlled pushing device; the position/orientation of the robot; and a robot movement command for moving the robot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2019
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Takahiro Iwatake
  • Patent number: 10399224
    Abstract: A gripping system which is monitored based on CEMF and a method for controlling the same includes: using a controller to instruct a drive unit to rotate a stepper motor; using the controller to compare the control instruction with a control parameter matrix stored in an access unit; obtaining a CEMF threshold by checking the position of the actual CEMF in the control parameter matrix; using the controller to continuously monitor the actual CEMF; and using the controller to compare the actual counter electromotive force with the obtained corresponding counter electromotive force threshold, stopping the stepper motor and letting the gripper maintain the gripping status when the actual counter electromotive force is smaller than or equal to the counter electromotive force threshold, and maintaining driving of the stepper motor when the actual counter electromotive force is larger than the counter electromotive force threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: Hiwin Technologies Corp.
    Inventors: Chen-Ming Wong, Wei-Shao Chen
  • Patent number: 10386811
    Abstract: To provide a controller capable of exerting acceleration/deceleration control more accurately than has been exerted conventionally and capable of reducing the occurrence of shock and shortening cycle time. A numerical controller outputs a movement command for a drive axis of a machine based on a command in a program for controlling the machine having the drive axis controlled by a servo motor. The numerical controller exerts acceleration/deceleration control over the drive axis so as to satisfy a condition for the acceleration/deceleration in each of a machine coordinate system as an orthogonal coordinate system in the machine and a drive axis coordinate system by normalizing each of acceleration/deceleration related information in the machine coordinate system and acceleration/deceleration related information in the drive axis coordinate system to a value in the drive axis coordinate system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Nobuhito Oonishi
  • Patent number: 10381959
    Abstract: A motor control device includes: an inverter circuit including a semiconductor switching element for drive which drives a motor; a cut-off circuit including a semiconductor switching element for cut-off which cuts off an electric connection between the motor and the inverter circuit; a failure detection unit; a rotation number detection unit; and a control unit. In a case where the failure detection unit detects a failure of the semiconductor switching element for drive, the control unit turns off the semiconductor switching element for drive, and in a case where the number of rotations of the motor which is detected by the rotation number detection unit is less than a predetermined first threshold, the control unit further turns off the semiconductor switching element for cut-off.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2019
    Assignee: OMRON AUTOMOTIVE ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Taiki Yamane, Toshio Saito
  • Patent number: 10363957
    Abstract: Provided is a control device for an electric motor which includes multiple energization systems each including an inverter and coils corresponding to different phases, and which generates a steering assist force in an electric power steering system. Control device diagnoses whether any of inverters 1A and 1B fails, and, when either of the inverters is diagnosed as having failed, reduces the output ratio of the failing inverter to 0% while increasing the output ratio of the normally operating inverter to 100% so as to prevent a drop in the total output from all the inverters after the failure-positive diagnosis. If steering operation is performed after the failure-positive diagnosis, control device performs overheat protection processing for gradually lowering the limit value for the total output from all the inverters in accordance with the sensed temperature of the normally operating inverter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2019
    Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomonobu Koseki, Tomishige Yatsugi, Fumiya Iijima
  • Patent number: 10333455
    Abstract: A system and method for speed regulation of a VFD circuit via an anti-windup control scheme that provides consistent speed response with no overshoot is disclosed. A control system for operating the VFD circuit includes a feedback controller programmed to receive a speed of a motor operating responsive to an initial torque command and process the speed of the motor to generate a feedback controller output. A feedforward controller of the control system is programmed to process a speed reference to generate a feedforward controller output. A command module of the control system is programmed to determine a torque command based on the processed outputs of the feedback and feedforward controllers and operate the VFD circuit to control the motor according to the torque command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: Eaton Intelligent Power Limited
    Inventors: Xiaomeng Cheng, Huaqiang Li, Peijun Zhu, Dongxiao Wu, Kayle Wang, Qian Zhang
  • Patent number: 10308130
    Abstract: A dynamo that is connectable to a wheel of a bicycle may include an electric machine capable of alternatively operating as a generator and as a motor and one or more batteries connected to the electric machine in order to be capable of exchanging energy with this latter. The dynamo may also include a control unit configured for commanding the electric machine according to a first mode, wherein the electric machine acts as a generator and is capable of converting rotational mechanical energy of the wheel into electric energy to be stored in the one or more batteries, and according to a second mode, wherein the electric machine acts as a motor and is capable of delivering additional power to the bicycle wheel by withdrawing energy from the one or more batteries. The dynamo may further include one or more command members connected to the control unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: ZEHUS S.p.A.
    Inventors: Paolo Lisanti, Marcello Segato, Giovanni Alli, Daniele Berretta, Paolo Giudici
  • Patent number: 10312848
    Abstract: A method for checking an operation of an electric machine, which has three phases. For pulses of a first electric variable of the three phases, a pulse width modulation is carried out. Depending in each case on a positioning of electromechanical components of the electric machine with respect to one another, the first electric variable has a pulse with a longest pulse width for a first of the three phases, a pulse with an intermediate pulse width for a second of the three phases, and a pulse with a shortest pulse width for a third of the three phases. A cycle of the pulse width modulation is delimited by two points in time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: AUDI AG
    Inventors: Nico Schobeß, Mohamed Hammam
  • Patent number: 10305407
    Abstract: Controllers, method and programs for controlling machines are provided. For example, A method comprises determining a resistance value for a loss compensation resistor, updating at least one control equation based on an equivalent circuit using the resistance value and controlling the machine based on the updated at least one control equation. The resistance value represents a plurality of electro-magnetic losses of a machine. The resistance value can be determined from an inverse resistance value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2019
    Assignee: BAE Systems Controls Inc.
    Inventors: Robert J. Vovos, Arthur P. Lyons
  • Patent number: 10291166
    Abstract: An improved system and method for tuning a motor controller is disclosed. The improved system and method for tuning a motor controller adjusts controller gains and filter settings in tandem to achieve a desired level of performance. A user terminal is in communication with a motor controller and reads the existing controller gains from the motor controller. The user terminal displays the existing controller gains and at least one user selectable object for adjusting the controller gains. A user adjusts the user selectable object to adjust the controller gains in tandem. The controller gains are adjusted responsive to the user input while maintaining existing relationships between controller gains. The user terminal writes the adjusted values of the gains to the motor controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert J. Miklosovic, Mark Chaffee
  • Patent number: 10284130
    Abstract: A permanent split capacitor (PSC) motor includes a stator defining an axis of rotation and a rotor disposed adjacent the stator. The stator includes a start winding, a capacitor electrically coupled in series with the start winding, a first plurality of windings, and a second plurality of windings. At least one winding of the first plurality of windings is energized in parallel with at least one winding of the second plurality of windings at a first voltage and in series with the at least one winding of the second plurality of windings at a second voltage. The first and second pluralities of windings are energized to produce a plurality of motor speeds. The rotor rotates relative to the stator about the axis of rotation at a selected one of the plurality of motor speeds induced at least partially by a magnetic output of the windings of the stator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: Regal Beloit America, Inc.
    Inventors: Andrea Lena Nelson, Lester Benjamin Manz, Bryan James Stout, Harry Robert Wilson, Aurelio Santiago Garrido, Juan Manuel Amaya Martinez, Fredier Ruiz Arias
  • Patent number: 10284124
    Abstract: A motor driving circuit for receiving a control signal to output at least one output current for driving a motor is provided. The motor driving circuit includes an input module, a gain module, an output module, a first slew rate limiting module, and a second slew rate limiting module. The first slew rate limiting module has a first limiting parameter. The second slew rate includes a second limiting parameter. An output current is outputted by the output terminal. When a rising slew rate of the output current is less than a first slew rate value, the first slew rate limiting module does not operate. When the rising slew rate of the output current is greater than the first slew rate value, the motor driving circuit limits the rising slew rate of the output current based on the first limiting parameter of the first slew rate limiting module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: ANPEC ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kun-Min Chen, I-Lin Chiu