Patents Examined by David S Luo
  • Patent number: 10077673
    Abstract: A method for monitoring operation of a power generating installation that has at least one generator that is driven by a rotating machine, in which values of an operating parameter of the generator and/or rotating machine are captured and stored, it is ascertained whether the value of the operating parameter at prescribed checking times lies outside an admissible range, wherein a possible fault is inferred if the value of the operating parameter lies outside the admissible range at two directly successive checking times, an additional check is performed to determine whether the value of the operating parameter is approaching the admissible range in a prescribed checking interval that lies between two directly successive checking times and particularly extends as far as the later of the two checking times, and it is inferred that there is a fault if the value of the operating parameter is not approaching the admissible range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Dirk Wall
  • Patent number: 10079528
    Abstract: A frequency converter includes an enclosure, in which electrical and electronic components (5, 6, 7, 22) are arranged and which at least partly is designed as a Faraday cage. At least two Faraday cages (4, 9, 15, 29) are provided within the enclosure, in order to improve the electromagnetic compatibility (EMC).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignee: GRUNDFOS HOLDING A/S
    Inventor: Christian Wolf
  • Patent number: 10077865
    Abstract: A magnet assisted stage system for scanning applications having a scanning table being moveable from a first position to a second position, a scanning actuator operably associated with the scanning table to move the scanning table along a scanning direction from the first position to the second position, and an actively variable magnetic spring system being operably augmented to the scanning table to exert a magnetic repulsion force upon the scanning table in the scanning direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignee: The Regents of The University of Michigan
    Inventors: Chinedum E. Okwudire, Deokkyun D. Yoon
  • Patent number: 10075119
    Abstract: A system and method for controlling a DC midpoint terminal voltage of a three level inverter is provided. The method includes receiving an input power signal at a three level motor controller system that includes a three level inverter, measuring, using a current sensor in the three level motor controller system, a DC current of the input power signal before the input power signal is provided to the three level inverter, and adjusting a zero-sequence inverter output voltage to adjust a midpoint voltage at the DC midpoint based on the measured DC current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: HAMILTON SUNDSTRAND CORPORATION
    Inventors: Dwight D. Schmitt, Curtis J. Plude, Adam Michael White, John Duward Sagona
  • Patent number: 10070974
    Abstract: Hybrid terrain-adaptive lower-extremity apparatus and methods that perform in a variety of different situations by detecting the terrain that is being traversed, and adapting to the detected terrain. In some embodiments, the ability to control the apparatus for each of these situations builds upon five basic capabilities: (1) determining the activity being performed; (2) dynamically controlling the characteristics of the apparatus based on the activity that is being performed; (3) dynamically driving the apparatus based on the activity that is being performed; (4) determining terrain texture irregularities (e.g., how sticky is the terrain, how slippery is the terrain, is the terrain coarse or smooth, does the terrain have any obstructions, such as rocks) and (5) a mechanical design of the apparatus that can respond to the dynamic control and dynamic drive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: BIONX MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Hugh M. Herr, Rick Casler, Christopher M. Nook, Alexander S. Margolin, Kristin J. Size, Matthew T. Kowalczyk, Robert W. Spaller, Gregory K. Thompson, Timothy M. Dalrymple, Seth S. Kessler, David W. Murray, Christopher E. Barnhart
  • Patent number: 10075108
    Abstract: An integrated circuit, a motor component including the integrated circuit and an application device having the motor component are provided according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The integrated circuit includes a housing, an integrated circuit die arranged inside the housing and multiple pins extended out from the housing. The integrated circuit die has a conductive back plate and an electronic circuit arranged on the conductive back plate. The multiple pins include an input pin and an output pin, each of the multiple pins has a lead frame inside the housing. And the conductive back plate is fixed to the lead frame of at least one ungrounded pin of the multiple pins in a manner of electrical insulation, thereby avoiding an short circuit for the integrated circuit due to an electrical connection between the conductive back plate and the lead frame fixed to the conductive back plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: Johnson Electric S.A.
    Inventors: Chi Ping Sun, Ken Wong, Shing Hin Yeung, Shu Juan Huang, Yun Long Jiang, Gang Qian, Yue Li, Bao Ting Liu, En Hui Wang, Fei Xin, Xiu Wen Yang, Li Sheng Liu, Yan Yun Cui
  • Patent number: 10071762
    Abstract: Technical solutions are described for detecting an error in an inverter associated with a motor of a power steering system and operating the power steering system in response to the error. An example system includes a transistor pair that selectively provides power to a corresponding phase coil of the motor. The system further includes a detection module that detects a resistance error in the transistor pair by monitoring a voltage across a shunt resistor of the transistor pair in response to a gate drive command applied to the transistor pair. The system further includes a mitigation module that selects a mode of operation of the inverter based on the resistance error. The system also includes a motor control module that controls the inverter according to the mode of operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: STEERING SOLUTIONS IP HOLDING CORPORATION
    Inventor: Dennis B. Skellenger
  • Patent number: 10064690
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for coupling a robotic surgical tool with a tool driver of a robotic surgical system via a sterile barrier disposed between the tool and the driver. The tool has an elongate shaft and an end effector coupled thereto, as well as a mating interface member having a plurality of independently movable portions and a plurality of coupling features disposed about a perimeter of an outer wall of the mating interface member. The coupling features are configured to reversibly engage with a proximal end of a corresponding actuation member from a plurality of actuation members of the tool driver. The coupling features reversibly engage with the proximal ends of the actuation members so as to allow the actuation members to move in proximal and distal directions independently from one another to thereby control operation of the end effector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: Ethicon, LLC
    Inventors: Robert L. Koch, Jeffery Kirk, Andrew Beckman, Jeffrey S. Swayze, Mark D. Overmyer, Eric W. Thompson, Kenneth Miller
  • Patent number: 10066538
    Abstract: In an aspect, an electromechanical apparatus is provided, comprising an electromagnet, a magnetically permeable rotor, a drive, a current source, a current sensor and processing logic. The electromagnet includes a magnetically permeable housing and a wire coil disposed therein. The rotor spins and is disposed in the path of a magnetic circuit generated by the electromagnet. The drive rotates the rotor relative to the electromagnet housing. The rotor and electromagnet housing vary the reluctance therebetween as the rotor rotates. The current source applies a current to the electromagnet coil, wherein, during rotation of the rotor, fluctuations in the current result in the electromagnet coil due to the aforementioned varying reluctance are superimposed on the applied current. The current sensor senses fluctuations in current in the electromagnet coil. The processing logic reads the sensed current and determines the frequency of the fluctuations, which are correlated to rotor speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: Litens Automotive Partnership
    Inventors: Yongguang Zhu, Zbyslaw Staniewicz, Noel Abreu, Bashar Yazigi, Roman Tracz
  • Patent number: 10067525
    Abstract: A configurable generic electrical member includes a processor means for performing at least one configured function in order to generate output signals for at least one piece of electrical equipment. The processor means includes a fast processor unit and a slow processor unit in which functional blocks are implemented, which blocks are arranged respectively to perform relatively fast operations and relatively slow operations, in that the functional blocks are independent and parameterizable, and in that the processor units are configurable to parameterize and interconnect the functional blocks selectively in such a manner as to perform the configured function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: SAGEM DEFENSE SECURITE
    Inventors: Antonio Prata, Damien Le Bail, Jean-Luc Manca
  • Patent number: 10069448
    Abstract: A heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system actuator including a stator magnet and a rotor magnet. The rotor magnet turns an axle connected to an airflow door such that rotation of the axle moves the door and generates waveforms. The number of waveforms generated corresponds to how much the axle has rotated. The stator magnet is magnetized to a saturated state, thereby providing the waveforms with a consistent shape that is consistently detectable by a climate control pulse count module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: DENSO International America, Inc.
    Inventors: Katsumi Nishikawa, Young Kwon Lee, Matt Porter
  • Patent number: 10059441
    Abstract: An autopilot actuator includes first and second motors each including a rotatable motor output shaft such that either one or both of the motors can drive an actuator output shaft. An autopilot main unit enclosure is removably mounted to the helicopter proximate to a cyclic control and commonly houses autopilot actuators as well as main autopilot electronics. A cyclic vibration isolator is removably supported by an actuator shaft for co-rotation and coupled to the cyclic control to attenuate a cyclic vibration frequency at the actuator shaft while output rotations of the actuator shaft below a resonant frequency are coupled to the cyclic control. A force limited link includes first and second ends and a variable length between. The force limited link having a relaxed length when less than an unseating force is applied and the variable length changes when an applied force exceeds the unseating force to permit pilot override.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: MERLIN TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: John E. Mercer, Marc Feifel, Mark Marvin, Nicolas Albion
  • Patent number: 10056858
    Abstract: Apparatus is provided comprising an electrical motor comprising a rotor and a stator, the rotor comprising a plurality of rotor teeth and the stator comprising a plurality of stator teeth. The apparatus has a driver circuit to drive the electrical motor comprising a boost converter comprising a charge storage element and coupled to a first terminal of a coil winding on at least one of the plurality of stator teeth, and a buck converter comprising the same charge storage element and coupled to the same first terminal of the coil winding on the at least one of the plurality of stator teeth. An inductive element of the boost converter and the buck converter is provided by the coil winding of the at least one of the plurality of stator teeth, and the charge storage element is referenced to a supply node for coupling the second terminal of the coil winding to an electrical supply.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: ARM Limited
    Inventor: David Victor Pietromonaco
  • Patent number: 10052970
    Abstract: A power converting apparatus for vehicles according to an embodiment controls a plurality of AC motors for vehicle traveling set on a motor setting table. The power converting apparatus includes a plurality of inverter circuits and a plurality of controllers. The plurality of inverter circuits supply three-phase AC power to the AC motors. The plurality of controllers generate control signals for ON/OFF-controlling a plurality of switching elements of the inverter circuits and perform PWM control on the inverter circuits associated with the plurality of controllers among the plurality of inverter circuits. The plurality of controllers perform the PWM control on the associated inverter circuits according to control signals generated using carrier waves having phases different from one another. A phase difference between the carrier waves is based on the number of the plurality of AC motors set on the motor setting table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventor: Takashi Takagi
  • Patent number: 10046790
    Abstract: An electric power steering apparatus includes a torque control system to calculate a current command value and a current control system to control a motor current value passing through a motor based on the current command value. A first calculation period of the torque control system is equal to or longer than a second calculation period of the current control system. The current control system includes a specific frequency band removing section that attenuates a frequency component which multiplies at least one natural number by an approximate half of a calculation frequency of the torque control system to the current command value. The specific frequency band removing section includes notch filters that set an attenuation frequency or includes the notch filters and a phase delay filter that has a cutoff frequency, which is set to a lower frequency side than a frequency which is attenuated by the notch filters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignee: NSK LTD.
    Inventor: Takahiro Tsubaki
  • Patent number: 10050575
    Abstract: A system includes an above-surface control unit and a subsea motor drive unit. The above-surface control unit includes a variable speed motor control circuit configured to generate at least one switch control signal and a first communications circuit configured to transmit the at least one switch control signal over a communications medium. The subsea motor drive unit includes a driver circuit configured to be coupled to an electric motor and comprising at least one semiconductor switch and a second communications circuit coupled to the first communications circuit via the communications medium and configured to recover the transmitted at least one switch control signal and to apply the recovered at least one switch control signal to the driver circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignees: Eaton Intelligent Power Limited, One Subsea IP UK Limited
    Inventors: Geraldo Nojima, Audun Magne Askeland
  • Patent number: 10041496
    Abstract: Between the lower stage in respective phases of inverter circuit and the negative potential side, shunt resistors are inserted for respective phases. The potential differences across shunt resistors occurring by current flowing through shunt resistors are amplified by amplifier unit. From the output of amplifier unit, current detecting unit detects current of each phase flowing through motor formed by a sensorless brushless DC motor. Rotation detecting unit calculates the rotation speed and position of motor based on the current detected by current detecting unit. This structure makes it possible to directly detect solely the current flowing through the windings of motor. Therefore, it becomes possible to accurately detect the current of the motor windings, and the ventilation device can maintain the ventilation air volume from a small air volume to a large air volume always at a constant value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsuraki Nakajima, Harumoto Itou, Masahiro Yamaguchi, Shingo Takenawa, Kazuki Doumoto, Teikyo Ueno
  • Patent number: 10041285
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a sunroof control apparatus for preventing malfunctions. The sunroof control apparatus includes a sunroof motor which opens and closes a sunroof and a control portion which outputs a first control signal which drives the sunroof motor in a direction of opening the sunroof and a second control signal which drives the sunroof motor in a direction of closing the sunroof. Here, the control portion estimates angular velocity, torque, and a torque change rate according to a current voltage of the sunroof motor based on an estimator designed in advance. Also, when the estimated torque change rate is a preset threshold or more, the control portion determined that an object is caught in the sunroof while the sunroof is being closed and outputs the first control signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: HYUNDAI KEFICO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Dae Woo Kim, Yeong Hak Kim, Hyun Kyu Oh
  • Patent number: 10044247
    Abstract: A driving module for vehicles includes a vehicle driving motor, a case configured to accommodate the vehicle driving motor and a gear device transmitting rotary force of the vehicle driving motor to axles, a vehicle interior air conditioning compressor mounted on the case, and an integrated control module mounted on the case and including a first power conversion device to drive the vehicle driving motor and a second power conversion device to drive the vehicle interior air conditioning compressor, the first and second power conversion devices being integrated into the integrated control module, thus having a compact and lightweight structure and minimizing the number of parts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Junggu Lee, Wonrak Bae, Junyoung Lim
  • Patent number: 10040356
    Abstract: A power supply device includes first and second electric power lines, first and second boost converters, and an electronic control unit. The first and second electric power lines are connected to a load and a battery, respectively. The first and second boost converters each transfer electric power between the second and first electric power lines while changing a voltage of the electric power. The electronic control unit is configured to execute both-side driving when a temperature of the battery is equal to or more than a specified temperature and to execute one-side driving when the temperature is less than the specified temperature. The electronic control unit is configured to drive switching elements of the first and second boost converters with driving signals different in phase to execute the both-side driving, and to drive one of the first and second boost converters to execute the one-side driving.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yuki Jojima