Patents Examined by Jorge Carrasquillo
  • Patent number: 8378617
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method of controlling the current of a high-speed Switched Reluctance Motor (SRM) using an inverter circuit including a first switching element, a second switching element, a first diode, a second diode and a reactor, wherein the first switching element and the first diode, the second diode and the second switching element are connected to a bridge circuit, and one end of the reactor is connected to the junction of the first switching element and the first diode, and the remaining end of the reactor is connected to the junction of the second diode and the second switching element; and excitation mode, free-wheeling mode-1, the excitation mode, and free-wheeling mode-2 are sequentially performed in a unit period T, and, when the control is terminated, demagnetization is performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: Kyungsung University Office of Industry-Academy Cooperation
    Inventors: Jin-Woo Ahn, Dong-Hee Lee
  • Patent number: 8378616
    Abstract: Apparatus, having multiple motor modules, has an MCU module. Each motor module has an electronically controlled motor. The MCU module has an MCU and an interface for connecting to a bus from a CPU. In use the MCU module receives control signals from the CPU and in turn instructs a selected one of the motors to operate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: Johnson Electric S.A.
    Inventors: Chiping Sun, Yanhong Xue
  • Patent number: 8373379
    Abstract: Methods and devices are presented herein for estimating induction motor inductance parameters based on instantaneous reactive power. The induction motor inductance parameters, e.g., the stator inductance and the total leakage factor, can be estimated from motor nameplate data and instantaneous reactive power without involving speed sensors or electronic injection circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2013
    Assignee: Schneider Electric USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Zhi Gao, Larry A. Turner, Roy S. Colby
  • Patent number: 8373374
    Abstract: An apparatus including a DC motor includes a driven member configured to be driven by the DC motor, and a drive control unit configured to define a plurality of predetermined phases of the DC motor as target stop phases and to cause the DC motor to make at least one rotation to perform preliminary driving that rotates the DC motor to each target stop phase by driving and stopping the DC motor, configured to acquire a difference value between the target stop phase and an actual stop phase for each target stop phase, and configured to drive the DC motor so that the driven member is repeatedly moved and stopped in the operation of the driven member and to perform control so that, based on the difference value acquired by the acquisition unit, electric power is supplied to the DC motor in a phase corresponding to a stop position of the driven member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ryoji Kanoyadani, Hideyuki Kido, Tomofumi Nishida, Nobutsune Kobayashi, Shinichi Yukiura
  • Patent number: 8368330
    Abstract: The invention relates to a variable speed drive comprising a direct-current power bus having a positive line (16) and a negative line (17), and an inverter module (14) supplied by the direct-current bus in order to supply a variable voltage to an electric load (M). The drive comprises an energy-recovery device (10) comprising a first direct-current/direct-current converter (20), the output stage of the first converter (20) being connected in series to the positive line of the direct-current bus, a second direct-current/direct-current converter (30), the input stage of the second converter (30) being connected between the positive line and the negative line of the direct-current bus, and an electric energy storage module (Cs) connected in parallel with the input stage of the first converter (20) and with the output stage of the second converter (30).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: Schneider Toshiba Inverter Europe SAS
    Inventors: Philippe Baudesson, Petar Grbovic, Philippe Le Moigne
  • Patent number: 8362721
    Abstract: A battery powered raise climber system is provided that uses Lithium ion batteries to drive a single or double electric drive for an existing raise climber. The batteries offer a faster, safer, quieter and cleaner way to move workers and their equipment to and from the work face in a raise and eliminates the need for adding lengths of hose as the raise climber ascends and eliminates the emission of harmful inhalants. The battery powered system also enables high efficiency area lighting to be used at the work face, and as the raise climber descends in the raise, the electric drives can reverse operation to recharge the batteries.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: J.S. Redpath Limited
    Inventor: Rick T. Jylha
  • Patent number: 8358097
    Abstract: A system for controlling a motorized track light system constrained to travel along a track has a control unit coupled to a motor that causes the track light system to move along the track, a plurality of stop sensors strategically disposed along the track, a sensor activation device located on the track light system, the sensor activation device positioned to interface with the stop sensors, and a light sensor for detecting ambient light of a preset level. The system detects a preset level of ambient light, initiating power to the motor of the track light system, moving the lights along the track until the activation device interfaces with a first of the plurality of stop sensors, stopping movement of the track light system along the track for a preset period of time, and at the end of the preset time period, the electrical power is restored to the motor moving the track light assembly along the track to the next of the plurality of stop sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2013
    Inventor: Brent A. Cartwright
  • Patent number: 8354807
    Abstract: An anti-noise method for the Direct Current Brushless motor System, which includes a startup circuit, phase detective circuit, motor phase commutation circuit, driving circuit, BEMF detective circuit, and frequency detector, utilizes the BEMF detective circuit to detect the BEMF induced from the coils of the outer motor, and utilizes the sampled voltage phase to determine rotation speed and phase of the external motor by the phase detection circuit and frequency detector. Further, the sampling voltage of the BEMF detection circuit is feedback controlled by the frequency detector, utilized to keep good BEMF to noise ratio, and avoids the BEMF sampling error from the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2013
    Assignee: Amtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Teng-Hui Lee, Chan-Chih Liu
  • Patent number: 8339093
    Abstract: A system and method for controlling an AC motor drive includes a control system programmed with an energy algorithm configured to optimize operation of the motor drive. Specifically, the control system receives input of an initial voltage-frequency command to the AC motor drive, receives a real-time output of the AC motor drive generated according to the initial voltage-frequency command, and determines a real-time value of a motor parameter based on the real-time output of the AC motor drive. The control system also inputs a plurality of modified voltage-frequency commands to the AC motor drive, determines the real-time value of the motor parameter corresponding to each of the plurality of modified voltage-frequency commands, and identifies an optimal value of the motor parameter based on the real-time values of the motor parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: Eaton Corporation
    Inventors: Bin Lu, Charles John Luebke, Joseph Charles Zuercher, John Charles Merrison, Thomas M. Ruchti
  • Patent number: 8334668
    Abstract: A machine motion control system includes a number of moving parts for securing test electronic devices, a machine and an axis control card mounted on the machine. The machine includes a number of servo modules and a number of sensing units. The servo modules drive and control the corresponding moving parts on the machine. Each sensing unit is electrically connected to a corresponding moving part; the sensing units are operable to sense and transmit location information of the moving parts and the machine. The axis control card is electrically connected to the moving parts, the machine, and the sensing units. The axis control card receives location information of each moving part and processes the location information to generate a corresponding command signal, and transmits the generated command signal to the servo modules to control and adjust the moving parts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignees: Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (ShenZhen) Co., Ltd., Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jia-Bin Wang, Hua-Yong Xu, Guo-Jun Yu, Teng-Tsung Huang
  • Patent number: 8334667
    Abstract: A permanent magnet rotating electrical machine capable of conducting a variable speed operation at high output in a wide range from low speed to high speed and improving efficiency and reliability in a wide operating range. Two kinds of permanent magnets having different shapes or different magnetic characteristics are embedded in a rotor core, to form a magnetic pole. The permanent magnets arranged at the magnetic pole include a permanent magnet whose product of coercive force and thickness along a magnetizing direction is small and a permanent magnet whose product of coercive force and thickness along the magnetizing direction is large. A magnetic field created by passing a current to an armature coil for a short time is used to irreversibly magnetize the permanent magnet whose product of coercive force and thickness along magnetizing direction is small, thereby changing a total linkage flux amount, and a positive d-axis current is passed when torque is large.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Kazuto Sakai, Kazuaki Yuuki
  • Patent number: 8314577
    Abstract: An energy converter includes magnetic coils of N phases (N is an integer of 3 or more), and a PWM drive circuit for driving the magnetic coils of N phases, wherein the magnetic coil of each phase can be independently controlled by the PWM drive circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kesatoshi Takeuchi, Kazuyoshi Nakamura
  • Patent number: 8314585
    Abstract: A servo system is provided for controlling movement of a flexible structure having multiple masses and elements. Each element couples a respective two of the masses and functions as a spring when the flexible structure is subject to a linear or rotational input at or above a frequency at which the respective element exhibits flexure. The servo system includes multiple sensors, where each sensor is disposed relative to a respective one of the masses to sense a respective acceleration. A motor having a torque input may operatively be configured to output one of a linear or rotational force on the first mass based on a torque signal present on the torque input. A servo controller that receives each sensed acceleration from each sensor may generate a compensation feedback signal based on a sum of sensed accelerations. The torque signal may be output to the motor based on the compensation feedback signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: DRS RSTA, Inc.
    Inventor: Edward Baker
  • Patent number: 8314581
    Abstract: A control system and method for a multi-phase motor substantially reduces or eliminates jitter resulting from drive mismatch by replacing a conventional trapezoidal drive profile with a drive profile that causes the voltage applied across active phases of the motor to match the back-EMF across those phases. In an ideal motor, the back-EMF is substantially sinusoidal, and although the drive profile applied to each phase is not truly substantially sinusoidal, the drive voltage across the active phases is substantially sinusoidal. In a non-ideal motor, the back-EMF is not truly sinusoidal and the drive profiles applied to each phase are calculated to cause the drive voltage across the active phases to match the back-EMF across those phases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: Marvell International Ltd.
    Inventors: Ravishanker Krishnamoorthy, Foo Leng Leong
  • Patent number: 8310196
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for the failsafe monitoring of an electromotive drive without additional sensors, including a drive having a three-phase control of an electric motor, detection of the current and voltage profiles of each of the three phases, as they are forwarded to the motor by drive electronics, determination of the load speed while using the detected current and voltage values, where the determination of the load speed takes place by calculating an observer model with reference to the detected current, to the detected voltage, to the frequency preset by the control and to the characteristic data of the motor and generation of a failsafe switch signal for the motor when the calculated load speed does not correspond to a preset desired speed within the framework of preset tolerances. The load torque can also be determined and monitored with reference to the observer model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: Sick AG
    Inventor: Mathias Ams
  • Patent number: 8299746
    Abstract: A move-sled-home device is used in an optical disc drive. The move-sled-home device includes a processing unit, a motor actuator, a sled, a sled motor, and a current-detecting unit. The processing unit outputs a control signal. The motor actuator generates a driving voltage according to the control signal. The sled motor generates a driving current according to the driving voltage to move the sled. The current-detecting unit is used for receiving and converting the driving current into an indicating signal, and issuing the indicating signal to the processing unit. During a move-sled-home action, the processing unit realizes a magnitude of the driving current according to the indicating signal, thereby determining whether the move-sled-home action is finished.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Sunplus Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Wen-Chun Feng, Yen-Chien Cheng
  • Patent number: 8294410
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for the failsafe monitoring of an electromotive drive without additional sensors, including a drive having a three-phase control of an electric motor, detection of the current and voltage profiles of each of the three phases, as they are forwarded to the motor by drive electronics, determination of the load speed while using the detected current and voltage values, where the determination of the load speed takes place by calculating an observer model with reference to the detected current, to the detected voltage, to the frequency preset by the control and to the characteristic data of the motor and generation of a failsafe switch signal for the motor when the calculated load speed does not correspond to a preset desired speed within the framework of preset tolerances. The load torque can also be determined and monitored with reference to the observer model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Sick AG
    Inventor: Mathias Ams
  • Patent number: 8294392
    Abstract: An arrangement for supplying power to a system includes a first electric drive unit constructed to supply mechanical power to or receive mechanical power from a first coupled system of machines and a second electric drive unit constructed to supply mechanical power to or receive mechanical power from a second coupled system of machines. The first and second coupled system of machines are constructed to receive mechanical power or mechanical energy or to supply mechanical power or mechanical energy. The arrangement further includes a first kinetic energy storage device having a first electrical energy exchange machine which is electrically connected to the first electric drive unit, and a second kinetic energy storage device having a second electrical energy exchange machine which is electrically connected to the second electric drive unit. The first kinetic energy storage device is coupled to the second kinetic energy storage device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Jürgen Krejtschi, Elmar Schäfers
  • Patent number: 8294397
    Abstract: A sensorless starting control method for a brushless direct current (BLDC) motor, comprising a first rotor-positioning step configured to position a rotor in a first position by operating a coil unit in a first excitation state, a second rotor-positioning step configured to operate the coil unit in a second excitation state such that the rotor rotates from the first position to a second position, and an open-looped starting step configured to excite a plurality of coils of the coil unit in sequence so as to drive the rotor to rotate in a predetermined direction, wherein the coil unit generates a back electromotive force (EMF) when the rotor rotates in the predetermined direction. The method further comprises a close-looped operation step configured to control the BLDC motor to attain a predetermined rotational speed via a feedback of the back EMF.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Sunonwealth Electronic Machine Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Alex Horng, Chieh-Feng Lee, Tsung-Hsien Yeh
  • Patent number: 8288979
    Abstract: An apparatus for controlling a wheel motor is provided. A plurality of switches is provided for controlling a direction of current through motor coils of the wheel motor. A brushless motor control circuit is connected to each of the plurality of switches. Responsive to a request to adjust one of an angular velocity and an angular acceleration of the wheel motor, the plurality of switches are activated to place the motor coils in a predetermined configuration to maximize torque or reduce a total back electromotive force (BEMF) from the motor coils.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Allen Keith Bates, Nhan Xuan Bui, Reed Alan Hancock, Wayne Isami Imaino, Daniel James Winarski