Patents Examined by Devon A Joseph
  • Patent number: 10389263
    Abstract: Motor drive power conversion systems are provided including a rectifier and a switching inverter, wherein the switching devices of the rectifier, the inverter and/or of a DC/DC converter are silicon carbide switches, such as silicon carbide MOSFETs. Driver circuits are provided for providing bipolar gate drive signals to the silicon carbide MOSFETs, including providing negative gate-source voltage for controlling the off state of enhancement mode low side drivers and positive gate-source voltage for controlling the off state of enhancement mode high side drivers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin Baumann, Richard Lukaszewski, Rangarajan Tallam, Lixiang Wei, Lee Gettelfinger, Garron Morris, Bruce Weiss, Neil Gollhardt, Navid R. Zargari, William Brumsickle, Robert Wright Reese, Stephen E. Denning
  • Patent number: 10389293
    Abstract: Method for the protection of electric motors from critical operating states wherein, as the electric motor is operating, a motor current value and/or a motor voltage value is/are measured and compared with a permissible operating range wherein an output signal is generated when leaving the permissible operating range and, while the electric motor is operating, the permissible operating range is determined and adjusted continuously from the measured motor current value and/or from the measured motor voltage value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: KRIWAN INDUSTRIE-ELEKTRONIK GMBH
    Inventor: Xiaoming Peng
  • Patent number: 10365628
    Abstract: A positioning control device of an actuator provided with a strain wave gearing has a full-closed control system for feeding back a position of a load shaft, and driving and controlling a motor so as to position the load shaft at a target position. The full-closed control system has an H? compensator designed so that, when a generalized plant having angular transmission error in the strain wave gearing as a disturbance input is assumed, an H? norm of a transfer function from the disturbance input of the generalized plant to an evaluation output is a predetermined value or less. Mechanical vibration during positioning response caused by angular transmission error in the strain wave gearing can be reliably suppressed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2019
    Assignees: Harmonic Drive Systems Inc., Nagoya Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Masafumi Yamamoto, Yoshifumi Okitsu, Makoto Iwasaki
  • Patent number: 10355635
    Abstract: A motor control device includes a movement command generator that outputs a movement command of a motor, a filter that performs filter processing of the movement command and outputs the filtered movement command, and a position controller that performs a position control of the motor. The filter is an infinite impulse response digital filter that is represented by a transfer function H(z): H(z)=(b0+b1·z?1+b2·z?2)/{1?(a1·z?1+a2·z?2)} with filter coefficients a1, a2, b0, b1, and b2. The filter is configured to change the filter coefficient b0 in a first sample period, to change the filter coefficients a1 and b1 in a second sample period which follows the first sample period, and to change the filter coefficients a2 and b2 in a third sample period which follows the second sample period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property
    Inventors: Atsumi Hashimoto, Hiroyuki Nakata, Yasuyoshi Honuchi, Ryosuke Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 10351002
    Abstract: An inverter control device that controls a rotary electric machine drive device that includes an inverter with a plurality of switching elements, where the active short circuit control is executed in a high rotational speed region, and the shut-down control is executed in a low rotational speed region, which is on a low rotational speed side with respect to the high rotational speed region, in accordance with at least a rotational speed of the rotary electric machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: AISIN AW CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Subrata Saha, Takashi Yoshida, Yuki Sugiyama, Yoichi Tajima, Masaya Kokubo
  • Patent number: 10355621
    Abstract: A control apparatus is capable of improving responsiveness in a minute movement of a vibration-type actuator that has a vibration body (a piezoelectric device and an elastic body) and a driven body that pressure contacts with the vibration body. A driving unit moves the driven body by causing a thrust-up vibration in a pressurizing direction and a conveyance vibration in a perpendicular direction in the vibration body by applying alternating voltages to the piezoelectric device. A control unit feedback-controls a position of the driven body by using a first operational parameter that defines an amplitude ratio of the conveyance vibration to the thrust-up vibration and a second operational parameter that defines amplitudes of the conveyance vibration and the thrust-up vibration. A correction unit corrects a control amount of the first or second operational parameter so as to increase as the amplitude ratio decreases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Jun Sumioka
  • Patent number: 10347956
    Abstract: A power source apparatus includes a battery module including a plurality of battery cells, a housing forming a housing chamber to house and arrange a plurality of the battery modules in parallel, a blower to blow air, an inter-module path formed between the battery modules adjacent to each other; and an inter-cell path formed between the battery cells adjacent to each other. The housing includes an intake portion to take the air into the housing chamber, and a sending portion to send the air from the housing chamber. The inter-module path has a first inter-module path serving as a path into which the air is introduced. The sending portion is separated, adjacent to at least one battery module, from the first inter-module path such that the air flows in the inter-cell paths of a plurality of the battery modules arranged next to the first inter-module path and adjacent each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, KUBOTA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshimitsu Inoue, Yuki Shimoike, Shinichi Kawabata, Masahiko Nomura, Hiroaki Nakagawa
  • Patent number: 10333448
    Abstract: An electric motor control system of a vehicle includes a current command module configured to, based on a motor torque request for an electric motor of the vehicle, generate a first d-axis current command for the electric motor and a first q-axis current command for the electric motor. An adjustment module is configured to, based on a speed of a rotor of the electric motor and the motor torque request, selectively determine at least one of a d-axis current adjustment and a q-axis current adjustment based on a temperature of the rotor of the electric motor. An adjusting module is configured to produce a second d-axis current command for the electric motor by adjusting the first d-axis current command based on the d-axis current adjustment and to produce a second q-axis current command for the electric motor by adjusting the first q-axis current command based on the q-axis current adjustment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Anno Yoo, Yo Chan Son, Sangyeop Kwak
  • Patent number: 10320220
    Abstract: A powertrain for a vehicle includes an electric machine and a controller. The electric machine has electrically isolated windings and is coupled with an inverter. The controller may be programmed to configure respective terminals of the windings to form a Y-connection, and responsive to an electrical connection between the vehicle and a 3-phase power grid, reconfigure the respective terminals such that each is coupled to a respective phase of the 3-phase power grid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Baoming Ge, Lihua Chen, Shuitao Yang, Yan Zhou, Fan Xu, Mohammed Khorshed Alam
  • Patent number: 10308225
    Abstract: Method and apparatus are disclosed for accelerometer-based windshield wiper monitoring. A vehicle includes an accelerometer affixed to a vehicle window, a windshield wiper to actuate across the vehicle window, and a processor. The processor is configured to determine an acoustic profile corresponding to the windshield wiper based on structure-borne audio data received from the accelerometer, determine whether a bandlimited decibel level of the acoustic profile exceeds a threshold, and responsively provide an alert via a vehicle display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Joshua Wheeler, Scott Amman, Doug B. Thornburg, Brian Bennie, Mahmoud Ghannam
  • Patent number: 10308136
    Abstract: A control system for a vehicle having two motors is provided to limit damage on rotary members even if an excessive torque is applied from drive wheels. The control system comprises a first motor, a second motor, and a locking mechanism, and a differential mechanism disposed between the first motor and the drive wheels. The locking mechanism halts one of rotary elements of a differential mechanism when torque of the rotary member is small, and allows the rotary element to rotate when the torque of the rotary member is large. A controller is configured to increase power output of the first motor and decrease power output of the second motor during propulsion on an uneven road surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroaki Kimura, Tomohito Ono, Hiroto Hashimoto
  • Patent number: 10298162
    Abstract: Disclosed is a brushless-motor drive apparatus provided with: a current detecting means (6) for detecting currents flowing through armature windings (9) during periods when switching elements (5H, 5L) of a drive circuit are ON; a calculation processing means for comparing a target current value and the detected current value, and calculating voltage command values to be applied to the armature windings (9); and a PWM driving means (4) for controlling the ON/OFF of the switching elements on the basis of the voltage command values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Chiaki Fujimoto, Masahiro Kimata
  • Patent number: 10298158
    Abstract: A feedback amount calculation unit uses a deviation of a current from its command value or a deviation of an air-gap flux from its command value to calculate a feedback amount. A voltage error calculation unit calculates a variation range of a voltage error between a voltage value based on a voltage equation of the electric motor and a voltage command. The presence or absence of step-out of the electric motor is determined by comparison between the variation range of the voltage error and the feedback amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: Daikin Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Hibino, Nobuki Kitano
  • Patent number: 10277114
    Abstract: Typically, power factor is improved by adding a full power factor correction (PFC) stage between the rectifier and the power converter. This disclosure applies line voltage modulation to the control feedback of an isolated full bridge converter, thereby combining the PFC stage with the isolated power stage and forming a single state isolated power converter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: Black & Decker Inc.
    Inventors: Pradeep M. Pant, Michael K. Forster
  • Patent number: 10265849
    Abstract: A holding system includes a force control module configured to generate a force signal to cause a holding device to perform at least one of a hold stroke and a release stroke. The hold stroke includes transitioning a gripping element of the holding device to a first position to grip an object. The release stroke includes transitioning the gripping element to a second position to release the object. The holding device is non-backdrivable. A stall detection module is configured to (i) monitor a sensor signal received from a sensor of an electric motor assembly of the holding device and (ii) detect a first stall condition of an electric motor based on the sensor signal. A shut off module is configured to shut off current to the electric motor based on the detection of the first stall condition during or at an end of the release stroke.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: Delaware Capital Formation, Inc.
    Inventors: Orlando Trujillo, James W. Geary
  • Patent number: 10263547
    Abstract: A method includes monitoring electrical output in an open control loop from a variable speed drive to a remote permanent magnet motor, the variable speed drive electrically connected to the permanent magnet motor via a power transmission line. The method includes, in response to detecting a variation in the electrical output at the variable speed drive, synchronizing a frequency of a rotor shaft of the permanent magnet motor with a constant electromagnetic field frequency of a stator of the permanent magnet motor for a predetermined period of time. After the predetermined period of time, the method includes increasing the electromagnetic field frequency of the stator to an operational frequency threshold to accelerate the frequency of the rotor shaft of the permanent magnet motor. In response to reaching the operational frequency threshold, the method includes determining an internal position of the rotor based on the variable electromagnetic field frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: Direct Drive Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Costin Ifrim
  • Patent number: 10254740
    Abstract: A positioning control system is provided with a state-feedback control system with a state observer as a full-closed control system for driving and controlling a motor so that a load shaft, which is an output shaft of a strain wave gearing, is positioned at a target position on the basis of a load shaft position actually detected. The state observer estimates a motor shaft position and a motor velocity based on a control input for the motor and the load shaft position. The state-feedback control system feeds back the state quantity of the object of control using the load shaft position as well as estimated motor shaft position and estimated motor velocity obtained by the state observer. It is possible to suppress resonant vibration caused by angular transmission error in the strain wave gearing and perform highly accurate positioning.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignees: Harmonic Drive Systems Inc., Nagoya Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Masafumi Yamamoto, Yoshifumi Okitsu, Makoto Iwasaki
  • Patent number: 10234914
    Abstract: A driving circuit of an electric motor includes: a PWM input pin for externally receiving an input pulse modulation signal with an input duty cycle; a duty cycle to digital converter for receiving and converting the input pulse modulation signal into a first digital value; a slope setting pin for receiving information indicative of a slope of an output duty cycle corresponding to the input duty cycle; a slope acquisition unit for acquiring a second digital value corresponding to the information indicative of the slope; a duty cycle computation unit for generating a linearly increased duty cycle instruction value corresponding to the first digital value by referring to the slope; a digital pulse width modulator for generating a controlling pulse having the output duty cycle corresponding to the duty cycle instruction value; and an output circuit for driving the electric fan motor in accordance with the controlling pulse.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: ROHM CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yuki Gohara, Tomofumi Mishima
  • Patent number: 10224857
    Abstract: Provided is a motor controller that controls a motor system including: a power converter, a smoothing capacitor, a three-phase AC motor, and a current sensor. The motor controller is provided with an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit specifies a target phase that is a phase of a second phase voltage command signal having a largest difference from a first phase voltage command signal having a signal level that is neither a maximum nor a minimum signal level, based on three phase voltage command signals generated from the detection value of the current sensor, and corrects the detection value of the current sensor, which detects the phase current of the target phase, such that a terminal voltage of the smoothing capacitor matches the desired voltage value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshifumi Yamakawa, Masaki Okamura, Naoyoshi Takamatsu
  • Patent number: 10211771
    Abstract: A drive apparatus is provided with a motor, a plurality of substrates and a plurality of connectors. The substrates are provided in one side of the motor in the axial direction thereof, the substrates including switching elements and control components mounted thereon. The connectors are provided in an opposite side against the motor across the substrates, the connectors including connector terminals connected to one of the substrates. The substrates include two or more non-overlapped regions where no substrates are overlapped when projecting the substrates in the axial direction. The non-overlapped regions include a connector connecting region connected to the connector terminals, and a motor line connecting region connected to winding groups of the motor corresponding to every phase of each winding group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2019
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masashi Yamasaki