Patents Examined by Iftekhar Mustafa
  • Patent number: 8872466
    Abstract: A synchronous-machine starting device includes an electric power conversion unit for converting supplied electric power into AC power for supply to the armature of the synchronous machine, a rotor position detection unit for detecting a position of the rotor of the synchronous machine based on an AC voltage in the armature of the synchronous machine detected by an AC voltage detection unit, an electric power conversion control unit for controlling the electric power conversion unit based on the position of the rotor detected by the rotor position detection unit, and an abnormality detection unit detecting a rotation abnormality of the synchronous machine based on the AC voltage detected by the AC voltage detection unit after supply of the field current to the rotor of the synchronous machine is started.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Toshiba Mitsubishi-Electric Industrial Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Shinzo Tamai, Hisanori Taguchi, Akinobu Ando, Yasuhiko Hosokawa
  • Patent number: 8866428
    Abstract: A method for determining a temperature of an electric motor including stator windings includes injecting an AC current into a D-axis current of a stator winding at a frequency that is synchronized with a control frequency of the electric motor, determining a DC-phase current, determining a resistance of the stator winding corresponding to the DC-phase current and an applied voltage, and determining a temperature of the electric motor as a function of the resistance of the stator winding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Lei Hao, Yilu Zhang, Siwei Cheng
  • Patent number: 8836267
    Abstract: A torque detection device includes: a torsion bar that couples a first shaft to a second shaft; a magnet that is fixed to the first shaft; and a pair of magnetic yokes that are fixed to the second shaft and that are arranged to face each other in an axial direction. Each of the magnetic yokes includes a yoke ring and a plurality of lugs that are arranged in a circumferential direction on the corresponding yoke ring. Each yoke ring includes an extending portion that extends radially outward from base portions of the lugs, and a bent portion that is bent in the axial direction from a radially outer end portion of the extending portion. The outer size of the pair of magnetic yokes in the axial direction is larger than or equal to the length of the magnet in the axial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: JTEKT Corporation
    Inventor: Kaname Aoki
  • Patent number: 8823313
    Abstract: The synchronous motors are controlled by a three-phase AC power controller. According to an embodiment of the invention, firing points for the AC power controller are determined. A pair of two or three phases is determined from the angular position of the rotor, for which the firing points can be present for the respective A.C power controller. Actual firing points are determined from the mains voltage phase position of the phases so that only positive torque is produced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Marcel Benecke
  • Patent number: 8816629
    Abstract: A vibration control robot system of the present invention includes: a robot controller (101) transmitting an operation command value and receiving an output value of a pulse encoder of the servo motor, wherein the robot controller includes a controller-side communication unit (5) which transmits the operation command value and the output value of the pulse encoder to a robot vibration controller; and the robot vibration controller (11) including: an acceleration sensor interface (15); a corrected operation command value calculation unit (13) which calculates a corrected operation command value obtained so as to suppress vibration of the robot; and a vibration-controller-side communication unit (12) which transmits the corrected operation command value to the robot controller (101), wherein the robot vibration controller (11) is arranged independently of the robot controller (101).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Fanuc Corporation
    Inventor: Takehisa Sera
  • Patent number: 8803464
    Abstract: A fan speed control circuit is provided. The circuit includes a control chip. The control chip stores a relationship table recording a number of duty cycle intervals and a number of rotational speeds of a fan. Each duty cycle interval corresponds to one rotational speed of the fan. The control chip obtains a preset number of PWM signals outputted by a processing chip; determines the average value according to the duty cycle of the obtained preset number of PWM signals; determines which duty cycle interval the average value is in, according to the relationship table; determines the rotational speed of the fan corresponding to the determined duty cycle interval according to the relationship table; and controls the fan to rotate according to the determined rotational speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chih-Yuan Hsu, Ming-Yu Liao
  • Patent number: 8796972
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for starting an electronic drive circuit for the windings of an electric motor. A control unit, which is connected to a voltage source, is provided as well as a capacitor connected via a system switch element to the connecting terminals of the voltage source. The capacitor is connected across the input terminals parallel to the drive circuit. An operating circuit controls the system switch element. In order to start the motor, the operating circuit closes the system switch element and charges the capacitor and after the charging of the capacitor, opens the system switch element again. A test step is then started by the control unit, the drive circuit being supplied exclusively by the capacitor voltage (UC) during the test step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Andreas Stihl AG & Co. KG
    Inventors: René Wichert, Gernot Liebhard
  • Patent number: 8786222
    Abstract: An open-loop or closed-loop control method for a converter which supplies an electric motor, wherein a current space vector is acquired as motor current, and the motor voltage, in particular a voltage space vector, is set, an induced voltage space vector UI is determined, which is forwarded to an integration element, a flux space vector being generated, whose angular position is perpendicular to the voltage space vector, the amount of the flux space vector corresponding to a predefined nominal value, the difference of the integration result and the flux space vector thus produced being used as feedback in the integration element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: Sew-Eurodrive GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Harald Wolf, Wolfgang Hammel
  • Patent number: 8786224
    Abstract: A sensorless commutation circuit and sensorless driving apparatus for a brushless motor includes a voltage divided unit, a control signal output unit, a switch unit and a comparison unit. The voltage divided unit outputs a voltage divided signal according to a phase voltage signal of the brushless motor. The control signal output unit outputs a filter control signal, wherein the filter control signal has a same switching cycle as a pulse width modulation control signal that drives the brushless motor. The switch unit is coupled to the control signal output unit and the voltage divided unit, and outputs a comparison signal according to the filter control signal and the voltage divided signal. The comparison unit is coupled to the switch unit, and outputs a correct commutation signal according to the comparison signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: I-Shou University
    Inventors: Chii-Maw Uang, Zu-Sheng Ho, Ge-Wei Lee
  • Patent number: 8779708
    Abstract: A brushless motor driving circuit includes a battery for supplying a power to the brushless motor driving circuit; a driver circuit; a bridge circuit including a plurality of N-channel FETs; a control unit for rotating a brushless motor by switching the bridge circuit through the driver circuit based on a rotor position detection signal; a floating voltage generator for applying a voltage to a first group of the FETs of the bridge circuit; and a converter which is powered from the battery. The converter has an output connected to an input of the floating voltage generator for the first group of the FETs of the bridge circuit and an input of the driver circuit for a second group of the FETs of the bridge circuit to dedicatedly supply a power to gates of the FETs, and the control unit is powered from the battery without using the converter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2014
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroshi Miyazaki
  • Patent number: 8779706
    Abstract: A control apparatus for a rotary electric machine has a DC-AC converting circuit with high- and low-potential-side switching elements to compose an inverter. In this apparatus, a connecting/disconnecting circuit is arranged to be electrically opened and closed between the DC-AC converting circuit and a power supply. A determining member determines whether or not the high-potential-side and low-potential-side switching elements have a malfunction. A failsafe performing element opens the connecting/disconnecting circuit and turns on both the high-potential-side and low-potential-side switching elements residing in a part of the inverter, when it is determined that there is caused a malfunction in the switching elements. The turned-on high-potential-side and low-potential-side switching elements realizes a short-circuit state therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2014
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroya Tsuji
  • Patent number: 8766586
    Abstract: A magnetic pole position detecting device includes a calculating unit for correcting a magnetic pole position detected by a magnetic pole position detecting unit. In this magnetic pole position detecting device, an additional phase is added to the magnetic pole position detected by the magnetic pole position detecting unit, in order to move a rotor. In relation to a movement amount before and after this movement, a movement amount detected by the magnetic pole position detecting unit is compared with a movement amount detected by an encoder. When a difference between them is larger than a predetermined threshold, a process of detecting the magnetic pole position is determined as false detection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2014
    Assignee: Fanuc Corporation
    Inventors: Naoto Sonoda, Masato Aochi
  • Patent number: 8742710
    Abstract: A rotary electric machine system includes: a stator that has multi-phase stator coils and that generates stator magnetomotive forces based on respective stator currents having different phases supplied to the multi-phase stator coils; a rotor on which rotor coils are wound such that magnetic poles are formed by rotor currents generated in response to the stator magnetomotive forces generated by the stator; a regulating unit that regulates a flow direction of each of the rotor currents to one direction to thereby regulate a polarity of each of the magnetic poles; and a control unit that controls currents supplied to the stator coils on the basis of a target torque. The control unit superimposes a pulse on the stator currents to adjust the ratio of each of the stator currents and each of the rotor currents so as to minimize a copper loss in the stator and the rotor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Eiji Yamada, Kenji Hiramoto, Hideo Nakai, Norimoto Minoshima
  • Patent number: 8736216
    Abstract: A stator phase circuit for an electric machine includes a phase winding circuit including a plurality of series coupled sub-winding circuits, each sub-winding circuit includes a respective sub-winding coupled in parallel across a respective first controllable switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Sanjeev M. Naik, Lei Hao
  • Patent number: 8716968
    Abstract: A control circuit for a blender provides low-cost power conditioning through the use of a high resistance which provides temporary power for operation of low-voltage logic circuitry and low-voltage switches for a time sufficient to switch the motor on, and a lower resistance which provides sufficient power for maintaining the motor on state indefinitely as instructed by the low-voltage logic circuitry. Low average power dissipation is provided by powering the low-voltage logic circuitry and low-voltage switches using the high resistance in a standby mode and switching in the lower resistance only when the motor is activated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
    Inventors: Eric K. Larson, Andy W. Tucker
  • Patent number: 8704469
    Abstract: A periodic disturbance observer determines real part I^An and imaginary part I^Bn of an estimated current including a periodic disturbance, from value of identification identifying a system transfer function of an nth order torque ripple frequency component from a command torque to a detected torque value, with a one-dimensional complex vector having a real part P^An and an imaginary part P^Bn, a cosine coefficient TAn, a sine coefficient TBn, and the real part P^An and imaginary part P^Bn of the system transfer function; subtracts command compensating current IAn* and IBn* obtained through pulsation extracting filter GF, respectively, from the real part I^An and imaginary part I^Bn of the estimated current, and thereby determines estimated periodic disturbance current real part dI^An and imaginary part dI^Bn to cancel the periodic disturbance current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: Meidensha Corporation
    Inventor: Yugo Tadano
  • Patent number: 8680802
    Abstract: A stator phase circuit for an electric machine includes a phase winding circuit including a plurality of series coupled sub-winding circuits, each sub-winding circuit includes a respective sub-winding coupled in parallel across a respective first controllable switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Sanjeev M. Naik, Lei Hao
  • Patent number: 8680798
    Abstract: A motor control device for driving a brushless motor includes a current detecting unit which detects respective phase currents which flow into the brushless motor; a control calculation unit which calculates instruction values showing respective phase voltages to be applied to the brushless motor, and outputs the instruction values as phase voltage instruction values; a phase resistance calculation unit which calculates respective phase resistance values based on detection values of the respective phase currents detected by the current detecting unit, and the instruction values of the respective phase voltages applied to the brushless motor at the time of the detection of the detection values; a correction unit which corrects the phase voltage instruction values according to the respective phase resistance values calculated by the phase resistance calculation unit; and a driving unit which drives the brushless motor based on the phase voltage instruction values after correction by the correction unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: JTEKT Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi Ueda, Nobuhiro Uchida, Kouya Yoshida
  • Patent number: 8674635
    Abstract: A noise reduction device for a starter includes a positive electrode connected to a power supply line via a branch wire, a grounding electrode connected to ground via a motor body of a motor, two capacitors connected in parallel with each other between the positive electrode and the grounding electrode, and a resin package into which the positive electrode and the grounding electrode are inserted and fixed. The package holds the two capacitors. The two capacitors include a capacitor body and two lead terminals extracted from the capacitor body in the same direction with respect to the capacitor body. The two capacitors are arranged in such a direction that the lead terminals of one thereof face the lead terminals of the other thereof across the positive electrode and the grounding electrode. The two lead terminals are joined to the positive electrode and the grounding electrode by welding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventor: Yoichi Shoji
  • Patent number: 8674639
    Abstract: During operation of a 3 phase BLDC motor it is driven by use of a PWM waveform applied to one of the driven phase (curve a). The other driven phase is connected thereto but no driving signal is applied (curve b). The third phase is left floating (curve c). This allows the back EMF in the third phase to be monitored for the purpose of determining rotor position by detection of zero crossing points. The rapid switching of the PWM pulses causes ringing in the back EMF signal indicated for one pulse by the ringed portions 1 of curve c. The ringing in the back EMF signal introduces inaccuracy into position calculations derived from back EMF signal measurement. In order to reduce this ringing, in the present invention, a reverse pulse is applied to the other driving coil shown (curve b) prior to a PWM on pulse. The reverse pulse has a polarity such that it drives the phase current through the linked coils in a direction opposite to that caused by the PWM on pulse.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: Melexis Technologies NV
    Inventors: Christian Paintz, Thomas Freitag