Patents Examined by Erick D Glass
  • Patent number: 11451176
    Abstract: Signal processing for determining a rotor position without the use of encoders. To this end, test signals are applied to the electrical currents in the phase connections of an electric machine, and the total currents in the phase connections of the electric machine are measured. The current responses to the test signals are determined by establishing the difference between the measured phase currents and the setpoint-value settings for the phase currents. On the basis of this difference, any method for calculating the rotor angle position can be performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Lei Chen, Sebastian Paulus
  • Patent number: 11444558
    Abstract: A motor system can include a motor, the motor including at least a rotor, and a controller configured to operate the motor. The controller can be configured to perform operations for operating the motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.
    Inventors: Joseph Wilson Latham, Meher Prasadu Kollipara
  • Patent number: 11431273
    Abstract: To provide a controller for a rotary machine which can simplify a configuration required for checking the shutoff function of the switching device, and an electric power steering apparatus therewith. A controller for a rotary machine performs a high potential side forcible shutoff which forcibly shuts off a high potential side switching device of a diagnosis object phase in a drive state where the winding current of the diagnosis object phase becomes positive, or a low potential side forcible shutoff which forcibly shuts off a low potential side switching device of the diagnosis object phase in a drive state where the winding current of the diagnosis object phase becomes negative; and determines failure of the device shutoff unit based on a detection value of current or voltage when performing the high potential side forcible shutoff or the low potential side forcible shutoff.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Akira Furukawa, Tatsuya Mori, Munenori Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 11431274
    Abstract: A closed-loop circuit is detected based on a short-circuit failure of a motor control switching element of a motor drive circuit and a cutoff switching element. A motor control device including a motor, a motor drive circuit (10a) that is connected to a power supply device and the motor and controls the output of the motor, and a processing unit for detecting a closed-loop circuit formed by the motor and the motor drive circuit (10a) based on a short-circuit failure of switching elements arranged in the motor drive circuit (10a).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: NSK LTD.
    Inventor: Mitsunori Okubo
  • Patent number: 11409248
    Abstract: A motorized window treatment system is provided for moving a covering material (e.g., a shade fabric). The motorized window treatment system includes a motor drive circuit configured to generate signals that cause a motor to change a position of the covering material. A sensor circuit is provided to generate one or more sensor signals indicative of the position of the covering material. The motorized window treatment system further includes a control circuit coupled to the sensor circuit to receive the one or more sensor signals. The control circuit is configured to detect a power-down event when a supply voltage is equal to or less than a threshold value, and stores a power-down position and one or more power-down sensor states. The control circuit is configured to determine a present position based on the stored power-down position and the one or more power-down sensor states.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: Lutron Technology Company LLC
    Inventors: Thomas F. Rebbert, Robert J. Thompson
  • Patent number: 11404986
    Abstract: A control system for an induction motor executes an on-board, dynamic model to estimate rotor resistance and control the torque output by the induction motor. The model includes equations to calculate stator and rotor temperatures and/or resistances based on combinations of voltage and current data, electrical frequency, rotor speed, switching patterns, and air flow rates during operation of the induction motor. The control system updates the model based on feedback collected during the operation of the induction motor, including the difference between the actual observed stator temperature and the stator temperature predicted by the model. The model is updated to converge the predicted stator temperature on the actual observed stator temperature, and corresponding updates are made to the rotor resistance estimations to provide more accurate estimations of the rotor resistance and improve the accuracy of the induction motor torque output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Suresh Baddam Reddy, Alexander C. Crosman, III, Thomas Michael Sopko, Jr., Carlos Eduardo Nino Baron
  • Patent number: 11404988
    Abstract: A control method of inverter for driving motor including a magnet, comprises detecting a rotation state of the motor by a rotation sensor, detecting current of the motor by a current sensor, calculating, based on a torque command value, a detection value of the rotation state detected by the rotation sensor, and detection current detected by the current sensor, a voltage command value for controlling a voltage of the motor by a controller for controlling the inverter, specifying a value of at least one of a local maximum value, a local minimum value, and an average value of the torque voltage command value included in the voltage command value as a torque determination target command value by the controller, comparing a demagnetizing determination threshold value with the torque determination target command value by the controller, and determining whether or not demagnetization of the magnet occurs in accordance with the compared result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Nobuaki Yokoyama
  • Patent number: 11394333
    Abstract: A control method for a motor system, the motor system having a battery; a boost converter configured to increase DC voltage supplied by the battery; an inverter connected to the boost converter and configured to execute a conversion between DC power and AC power; and a motor generator connected to the inverter. The control method comprising: a limiting power determination step of determining a limiting power in response to an operating point of the motor generator such that an oscillation of a terminal voltage of the boost converter at a side of the inverter is suppressed; and a controlling step of controlling the operating point of the motor generator such that a passing power of the boost converter does not exceed the limiting power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Toshio Ouchi, Kenichi Mori, Yoshihiro Kondo
  • Patent number: 11390316
    Abstract: A control device for an AC rotary machine includes: a DC power supply; an inverter; a magnetic flux generator; an angle detector; and a control arithmetic unit; wherein the control arithmetic unit is configured to: calculate, based on a positional relationship between a current path and the angle detector, a correction signal for correcting signal errors of a cosine signal and a sine signal, which are caused by a noise magnetic flux component due to at least one of a DC current flowing between the DC power supply and the inverter and multi-phase AC currents flowing between the inverter and armature windings; and control the inverter by using angle information obtained from values after the correction by the correction signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Akira Furukawa
  • Patent number: 11387760
    Abstract: A motor control device includes: a second setting unit configured to set an armature current command value and a current phase angle command value based on a rotation speed and a motor torque command value; and a current vector setting unit configured to set a d-axis current command value and a q-axis current command value based on the armature current command value and the current phase angle command value. The second setting unit is configured to set the armature current command value and the current phase angle command value such that an armature current vector which is set based on the d-axis current command value and the q-axis current command value is included in an area surrounded by an armature current vector locus in maximum torque/current control and a vertical axis in a d-q coordinate system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: JTEKT CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yuta Iwai
  • Patent number: 11374526
    Abstract: The present disclosure is related to ensuring a period for detecting a phase current from a DC bus current of an inverter. A motor control circuit of the present disclosure includes: a voltage command generator and a PWM signal generator. The voltage command generator detects a phase current from a DC bus current of an inverter driving an AC motor, and generating three-phase voltage commands. The PWM signal generator generates three-phase PWM signals to the inverter according to a comparison result of the three-phase voltage commands and a triangular wave signal with a predetermined frequency and outputs the three-phase PWM signals to the inverter. The PWM signal generator corrects a maximum or minimum voltage command by synchronizing the maximum or minimum voltage command with an intermediate command in a first period of multiple consecutive PWM periods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2022
    Assignee: Rohm Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Takashi Esumi
  • Patent number: 11368116
    Abstract: A motor system can include a bearingless stator having a plurality of magnetic windings including rotation windings and suspension windings; a dipole interior permanent magnet (IPM) rotor positioned within the stator, the rotor having a plurality of permanent magnets disposed within a cylindrical structure; one or more position sensors to measure radial and angular position of the rotor; and a controller configured to receive measurements from the one or more position sensors and to generate current commands for the stator to excite the rotation windings to generate torque and to excite the suspension windings to stabilize the rotor within the stator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2022
    Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventors: David L. Trumper, Benjamin Weinreb
  • Patent number: 11362601
    Abstract: A device for driving a plurality of motors, including an inverter connected to a DC terminal; a multi-phase motor connected to the inverter; and a single-phase motor serially connected to the multi-phase motor, wherein a number of frequency of current input to the multi-phase motor when driving the single-phase motor and the multi-phase motor at the same speed is smaller than the number of frequency of current input to the multi-phase motor when driving the single-phase motor and the multi-phase motor at different speeds. Accordingly, a plurality of motors can be simultaneously driven at different speeds, by using a single inverter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Sunku Kwon, Chaseung Jun, Sehwa Choe, Wookjin Lee
  • Patent number: 11362605
    Abstract: A method of driving a three-phase motor includes, while a first phase is energized, driving a second phase using a first drive function which is sinusoidal. The first phase is switched to a non-energized state and a back electromotive force (BEMF) voltage of the first phase is detected. For at least a portion of a time when the first phase is non-energized the driving of the second phase depends on the output of a second drive function different from the first drive function. The second drive function may be non-sinusoidal and may be a cosine function. The second drive function may drive the second phase when the output of the second drive function is a modulation ratio less than 1. When the output of the second drive function is a modulation ratio greater than or equal to 1 the second phase may be driven to a modulation ratio of 1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS INDUSTRIES, LLC
    Inventors: Kazumasa Takai, Fumio Kumazawa, Masaki Yamashita
  • Patent number: 11351874
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a multi-channel DC bus assembly comprising a first channel and a second channel, a first electromechanical device coupled to a positive DC link of the first channel, and a second electromechanical device coupled to a positive DC link of the second channel. A first DC-to-AC voltage inverter is coupled to the positive DC link of the first channel and a second DC-to-AC voltage inverter is coupled to the positive DC link of the second channel. The apparatus further includes a bi-directional voltage modification assembly coupled to the positive DC link of the second channel and a first energy storage system electrically coupled to the first electromechanical device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Robert Dean King, Zhihao Li
  • Patent number: 11356044
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method for detecting motor initial phase and phase sequence and a system for controlling a permanent-magnet synchronous motor. The method is applied to the system and comprises sequentially acquiring, through an encoder, first displacement data which register the encoder's reading when a rotor spins to a Q-axis, second displacement data which register the encoder's reading when the rotor spins from the Q-axis to a D-axis, third displacement data which register the encoder's reading when the rotor spins from the D-axis to a negative Q-axis and fourth displacement data which register the encoder's reading when the rotor spins from the negative Q-axis to the D-axis; obtaining an initial phase of the motor to be detected according to the second displacement data, the fourth displacement data and the encoder's CPR; and determining the phase sequence of the motor based on the first displacement data, the second displacement data and the encoder's CPR.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: QKM TECHNOLOGY (DONG GUAN) CO., LTD
    Inventors: Bin Wang, Chi Sha, Lihui Chen, Rongkui Zheng, Hui Du, Yu Lei, Jiang Liu
  • Patent number: 11349422
    Abstract: A power detecting device includes a vehicle driving system, a battery detecting module and a controlling module. A first stator winding and a second stator winding are synchronized and connected in parallel with each other. A first end of a first current sensor is coupled to a first-phase winding end of the first stator winding for measuring a first-phase current. A first end of a second current sensor is coupled to a second-phase winding end of the first stator winding for measuring a second-phase current. The battery detecting module is coupled to a first power supply for measuring a current signal and a voltage signal. A controller generates a first power according to the current signal and the voltage signal and generates a second power according to a plurality of data from a database. The controller compares the first power with the second power to generate a detecting result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: Universal Scientific Industrial (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chih-Huang Chen, Su-Hui Wang, Chih-Hung Huang, Lee-Han Lin, Chien-Lin Liu
  • Patent number: 11345242
    Abstract: A vehicle drive system includes: a power supply in which a battery and a capacitor are connected in series; a primary drive motor to which a voltage of the battery is provided; secondary drive motors to each of which a total voltage (Vin) of the battery and the power supply capacitor is provided; a charging circuit; and a control circuit that controls charging/discharging of the power supply. The control circuit operates switches SW1, SW2 of the charging circuit so as to control charging/discharging of the battery and the capacitor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akihiro Furukawa, Seiyo Hirano, Hideki Sanai
  • Patent number: 11345243
    Abstract: A method for operating an electrical circuit, wherein the electrical circuit includes a DC converter, an inverter and an electric machine, wherein the inverter is connected on the direct current side to the output of the DC converter and on the alternating current side to the electric machine, wherein the electric machine is operated using a torque specification and/or a rotational speed specification, wherein the level of the output voltage of the DC converter is set as a function of a current torque specification and/or a current rotational speed specification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: AUDI AG
    Inventors: Franz Honkomp, Bastian Heidler
  • Patent number: 11349416
    Abstract: A method for compensating parameter imbalance induced current harmonics in a synchronous motor drive includes reading an output current signal and extracting, based on the output current signal, a signature of a parameter imbalance corresponding to the synchronous motor drive. The method also includes compensating, based on the signature, for the current harmonics induced by parameter imbalance in a closed loop using a feedback path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: Steering Solutions IP Holding Corporation
    Inventor: Prerit Pramod