Patents Examined by Jorge L Carrasquillo
  • Patent number: 12047027
    Abstract: A method of protecting a converter of a wind turbine and a respective protection system are provided. The converter is coupled to a generator of the wind turbine to perform conversion of electrical power produced by the generator, the converter including plural semiconductor components that are operational to provide the conversion of the electrical power. The method includes the performing of a step of estimating a junction temperature of at least one of the semiconductor components by determining a current in the converter associated with power loss in one or more of the semiconductor components; estimating power loss associated with the one or more semiconductor components based on the determined current and on a state of the one or more semiconductor components; and using a thermal model to estimate the junction temperature of the semiconductor components based on the estimated power loss. The estimating step is repeatedly performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2024
    Assignee: Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy Innovation & Technology S.L.
    Inventors: Andres Agudo Araque, Victor Bermejo Hernandez, Fernando Vazquez-Prada Simon
  • Patent number: 12040725
    Abstract: A power conversion device includes a switching signal generation unit that generates switching signals so that time points of at least one of pairs synchronize with each other. A first pair includes a rising time point at a first junction point of a first single-phase leg, and a falling time point at a second junction point of a second single-phase leg. A second pair includes a falling time point at the first junction point and a rising time point at the second junction point. The switching signal generation unit determines time points to turn on or turn off for upper arm switching element and a lower arm switching element based on phase currents respectively at a rising time point and at a falling time point of the terminal voltages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2024
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shota Hanioka, Masahiro Iezawa
  • Patent number: 12034349
    Abstract: A transfer apparatus includes a first linear transfer part which moves a slider in a first direction by using a first fixed linear module fixed on a first base; a module moving part which moves a module holding member holding a movable linear module in a second direction different from the first direction, to position the movable linear module at a first coupling position to couple with the first fixed linear module and cause the slider to transfer between the movable and first fixed linear modules; a linear scale having a scale extending in the second direction and a sensor which detects the scale; and a controller which acquires first module position information indicating a position of the movable linear module relative to the first fixed linear module in the second direction and controls movement of the module holding member based on the first module position information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2024
    Assignee: YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Manabu Katayama, Shunsuke Aoki
  • Patent number: 12034346
    Abstract: A brushless DC motor (1) comprises a rotor comprising magnetic elements twining poles of the electric motor (1) and a control magnet comprising a number of pole pairs equal to three times that of the electric motor (1), a stator having electromagnetic excitation coils, at least one first and one second Hall-effect sensor (17, 17?) configured to detect predetermined angular positions of the rotor, and a control unit configured to apply a predetermined sequence of excitation signals to the coils, wherein the Hall-effect sensors are spaced apart by an angle greater than or equal to 10°, the first Hall-effect sensor (17) is used to determine the switching times of the excitation signals and the second Hall-effect sensor (17?) is used, in combination with the first Hall-effect sensor (17), to determine the direction of rotation of the rotor when the motor starts up, or vice versa.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2024
    Assignee: Valeo Systemes d'Essuyage
    Inventor: Jose-Luis Herrada
  • Patent number: 12028004
    Abstract: A stator of a rotating electrical machine has a slot-less structure. The rotating electrical machine includes a controller. The controller determines a value of a q-axis command current in accordance with requirement information and an input command value for a controlled variable of the rotating electrical machine. The requirement information includes a relationship between values of the q-axis command current and corresponding command values for the controlled variable. The controller performs a task of correcting the value of the q-axis command current to thereby restrict temperature change in a magnet unit from having an influence on the relationship between the command values for the controlled variable and the corresponding values of the q-axis command current. The controller controls an inverter to thereby adjust a value of the q-axis current flowing through an armature winding member to the corrected value of the q-axis command current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2024
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yuki Takahashi
  • Patent number: 12028003
    Abstract: A torque estimation method according to the present disclosure estimates a value of shaft torque of a rotary motion transmitting mechanism. The torque estimation method includes: a step of specifying a maximum value of a torsion angle between an input shaft and an output shaft from the time when a measurement value of the torsion angle is zero to the time when the value of the shaft torque is estimated; and a step of specifying the maximum value of the torsion angle. In the step of specifying the maximum value of the torsion angle, the maximum value of the torsion angle is specified based on a difference between the measurement value of the torsion angle subjected to low-pass filter processing at a first cutoff frequency and the measurement value of the torsion angle subjected to low-pass filter processing at a second cutoff frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2024
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akira Hatano, Taro Takahashi, Naoki Mima
  • Patent number: 12020833
    Abstract: A wire harness includes a first connector portion that matingly connects to a second connector portion. A power cable carries electrical power from a power supply to one or more motors, and includes power segments connecting the first connector portion and the power supply, and the second connector portion and the motor. Power terminals are received within the first and second connector portions, for establishing an electrical connection between the power segments. One or more communication cables carry control signals from a control system to the motor(s) and include communication segments connecting the first connector portion and the control system and the second connector portion and the motors. Optical terminals are received within the first and second connector portions for each communication cable, for establishing a digital optical connection between each of first and second communication segments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2024
    Assignee: Buyers Products Company
    Inventor: Miroslaw Bogdanowicz
  • Patent number: 12018885
    Abstract: A refrigerator is proposed. When a drawer of the refrigerator is completely opened, the center of an opening-detection magnet provided at the lower surface of the drawer may be disposed by exceeding the center of the sensor of a reed switch, in a moving direction of the drawer, installed at the bottom surface of the inside of the cabinet. Accordingly, the sensor may accurately detect the magnet, and even if external impact is applied to the drawer in the completely opened state of the drawer, the malfunction of the drawer which is closed unintentionally may be prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2024
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventor: Sun Kook Ji
  • Patent number: 12021476
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for adaptive rectification for preventing current inversion in motor windings are provided. In the method and apparatus, first and second half bridges of a plurality of half bridges are operated to synchronously rectify and permit passage of current, through the windings of the motor, in a first direction. A change of direction of the current from the first direction to a second direction opposite the first direction is detected. In response to detecting that the current changed direction to the second direction, the first and second half bridges of the plurality of half bridges are operated to quasi-synchronously rectify and block passage of the current through the windings in the second direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2024
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Enrico Poli, Vincenzo Marano
  • Patent number: 12015361
    Abstract: A motor control device includes: a step-down device including a DC-output power conversion device having a first mode for outputting first voltage and a second mode for outputting second voltage lower than the first voltage; a power supply device; and a control device, and controls a motor. When a flying object takes off, the control device controls the power conversion device in the first mode. When the control device judges that flight information which is one or both of information of a motor parameter obtained along with control for the motor and information of an environmental factor relevant to the flight altitude of satisfies a predetermined condition, or when the control device has received an mode signal for which the second mode is selected on the basis of the flight information during control for the motor, the control device controls the power conversion device in the second mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2024
    Assignees: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION, JAPAN AEROSPACE EXPLORATION AGENCY
    Inventors: Kenji Fujiwara, Hisatoshi Fukumoto, Tomoki Takegami, Tetsuya Kojima, Akihiko Iwata, Masahiro Sugahara, Hiroshi Kobayashi, Mari Nishiyama, Akira Nishizawa
  • Patent number: 12009767
    Abstract: A motor control device for controlling a brushless motor including a rotor and a three-phase armature coil includes: a position detection unit which detects the rotational position of the rotor; a control unit which outputs, in a first control mode or a second control mode, a first drive signal or a second drive signal to an inverter at a current-supply timing based on the rotational position of the rotor; and the inverter which outputs a first current-supply signal or a second current-supply signal to the three-phase armature coil when the first drive signal or the second drive signal is input. For any two of the three phases, a duty value when the duty of the applied voltages is the same is larger in the second control mode than in the first control mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2024
    Assignee: MITSUBA Corporation
    Inventors: Ryo Ohori, Naoki Shioda, Masaki Hayata, Takashi Yatsuda, Atsushi Kawasaki
  • Patent number: 12009715
    Abstract: A method includes: selectively actuating switches of an inverter module and first, second, third, and fourth switches of a motor; and charging a battery with power from a charger using at least one of first, second, and third stator windings of the motor, the battery having a first voltage and being electrically connected in parallel with the inverter module, and the charger having a second voltage that is less than the first voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2024
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Rashmi Prasad, Chandra S. Namuduri, Lei Hao, Suresh Gopalakrishnan
  • Patent number: 11994328
    Abstract: An electric control assembly for an air conditioner is provided. The assembly has an electric control board, a fan driving circuit and a compressor driving circuit. A ground end of the fan driving circuit and a ground end of the compressor driving circuit are connected with two reference grounds of the electric control board in one-to-one correspondence. The assembly also has a switch isolation driving circuit, a first input end of which is connected with a control end of the compressor driving circuit. A first output end of the switch isolation driving circuit is connected with a controlled end of the fan driving circuit. A second input end of the switch isolation driving circuit is connected with a control end of the fan driving circuit. A second output end of the switch isolation driving circuit is connected with a feedback end of the compressor driving circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2024
    Assignee: GD MIDEA AIR-CONDITIONING EQUIPMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Jianning Yang, Wenkai Zhang, Wenjie Yi
  • Patent number: 11984837
    Abstract: A method for determining an angular position of a rotating component is disclosed. A sensor system is positioned at a radial distance from an axis of rotation of the rotating component. A magnetic ring is arranged fixedly and concentrically on the rotating component, generating a magnetic field that changes with respect to the sensor system. The sensor system detects the magnetic field in which a signal is captured and evaluated with respect to the angular position. Errors in the measurement of the angular position can be corrected. The signal captured by the sensor system is evaluated with respect to the amplitude information of the magnetic field. A correction parameter is determined from the amplitude information, and an angle error is of the angular position is determined based on the correction parameter. The angle error is used to correct the angular position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2024
    Assignee: SCHAEFFLER TECHNOLOGIES AG & CO. KG
    Inventors: Jie Zhou, Wai-Wai Buchet, Paul Walden
  • Patent number: 11955918
    Abstract: A motor driver having a startup adjusting mechanism is provided. A steady-state detector circuit detects data for driving a motor to stably rotate to output a steady-state detected signal. A startup waveform pattern circuit selects one of a plurality of startup waveform patterns to output a startup waveform pattern signal according to the steady-state detected signal. A startup waveform generator circuit outputs a startup waveform signal according to the startup waveform pattern signal. A motor controlling circuit controls a motor driving circuit to start up the motor according to the startup waveform signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: ANPEC ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Ming-Jung Tsai
  • Patent number: 11949354
    Abstract: A system comprising a synchronous three-phase electric motor and a controller is provided. The synchronous three-phase electric motor comprises a rotor, a stator, a plurality of coils, and a plurality of switching devices. The plurality of coils formed from conductive windings each wound around one or more of a plurality of stator teeth of the stator. The plurality of coils comprises a plurality of permanent coils and a plurality of bypass coils. The plurality of switching devices configured to selectively switch between a tapped position and a primary position. The controller is configured to provide a first switching command to the plurality of switching devices to switch from the primary position to the tapped position based on a transition signal. The transition signal is based on comparing an electrical characteristic associated with one or more input currents to the plurality of switching devices with a threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG
    Inventors: Frederick L. Hoadley, Hoat V. Phung, Timothy S. Collins, Robert F. McElveen, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11946307
    Abstract: A control arrangement for an entrance system has one or more movable door members and an automatic door operator for causing movements of the one or more movable door members between closed and open positions. The door members comprise one or more swing doors. The control arrangement comprises a controller and a plurality of sensors. Each sensor is connected to the controller and is configured to monitor a respective zone at the entrance system for presence or activity of a person or object. Each sensor has an active mode and an inactive mode, wherein the sensor consumes no electric power in the inactive mode or substantially less electric power in the inactive mode than in the active mode. The controller is configured to determine a current operational state of the entrance system among a plurality of possible operational states, and selectively cause at least one of the sensors to be in its active mode or in its inactive mode depending on the determined current operational state of the entrance system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Assa Abloy Entrance Systems AB
    Inventor: Roger Dreyer
  • Patent number: 11949356
    Abstract: A motor vibration control method and an electronic device can implement vibration of a motor when a loading capability of a battery is low. A battery status is obtained when a first motor vibration waveform vibration request is received. The battery status includes a battery temperature, a battery temperature and a battery level, or a battery power supply capability. A motor vibration parameter is switched if the battery status meets a preset condition, where the preset condition is that the battery power supply capability is lower than a first threshold, the battery temperature is lower than a second threshold, or the battery temperature and the battery level are lower than a third threshold array. The motor vibration parameter includes a motor vibration waveform or a motor vibration input voltage. The motor is driven to vibrate based on a switched motor vibration parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tingmin Zha, Bowen Chen, Chunjiang Zhao
  • Patent number: 11940194
    Abstract: A power converting apparatus includes: a rectifying unit configured to rectify an input AC power, a buck converter that is configured to step down a voltage of the rectified power and that is configured to output DC power having the step down voltage, a first inverter that is connected to an output terminal of the buck converter and that is configured to convert the DC power into AC power to drive a first motor, a second inverter that is connected to the output terminal of the buck converter, that is disposed in parallel to the first inverter, and that is configured to convert the DC power into AC power to drive a second motor, and a converter controller configured to control an output voltage of the DC power of the buck converter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Jinho Cho, Taeyoung Park, Jongwon Heo
  • Patent number: 11942888
    Abstract: A power tool includes a power a motor, a driver circuit, a capacitor, a capacitor switch, a temperature detection unit, and a controller. The capacitor is configured to filter out current spikes in a power supply. The capacitor switch is configured to control a working state of the capacitor. The temperature detection unit is configured to detect a temperature of a related object. The controller is configured to: acquire the temperature of the related object; control the capacitor switch to be in a first on or off state such that the capacitor works in a first working state when the temperature is lower than a temperature threshold; and control the capacitor switch to be in a second on or off state such that the capacitor works in a second working state when the temperature is higher than the temperature threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Nanjing Chervon Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jifeng Feng, Chao Xian