Patents Examined by Karen Masih
  • Patent number: 11519931
    Abstract: An apparatus for estimating a motor RPM in an electronic brake system may include: a current signal amplifier configured to amplify a voltage applied across a motor driver by a current which flows while the motor driver is turned on, the motor driver being included in a motor driving circuit configured to apply motor driving power to a motor or remove the motor driving power according to a switch-on/off of the motor driver; and a controller configured to detect a waveform with a one-period time from periodically repeated waveforms by processing the signal waveform amplified by the current signal amplifier, calculate a one-rotation time based on the one-period time and the number of commutators of the motor, and calculate a motor RPM using the one-rotation time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: HYUNDAI MOBIS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Jung Hoon Kim, Bong Ju Ahn
  • Patent number: 11513482
    Abstract: A rotating equipment system with in-line drive-sense circuit (DSC) electric power signal processing includes rotating equipment, in-line drive-sense circuits (DSCs), and one or more processing modules. The in-line DSCs receive input electrical power signals and generate motor drive signals for the rotating equipment. An in-line DSC receives an input electrical power signal, processes it to generate and output a motor drive signal to the rotating equipment via a single line and simultaneously senses the motor drive signal via the single line. Based on the sensing of the motor drive signal via the single line, the in-line DSC provides a digital signal to the one or more processing modules that receive and process the digital signal to determine information regarding one or more operational conditions of the rotating equipment, and based thereon, selectively facilitate one or more adaptation operations on the motor drive signal via the in-line DSC.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: SIGMASENSE, LLC.
    Inventors: Patrick Troy Gray, Gerald Dale Morrison, Daniel Keith Van Ostrand, Richard Stuart Seger, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11515826
    Abstract: A motor drive control device controls driving of a motor by performing PWM control of turning on-off of an arm switching element of a PWM inverter outputting a three-phase AC voltage to the motor, and detects current values of respective phases of the three-phase AC voltage. The motor drive control device turns off a lower arm switching element for a largest phase by causing a first PWM pulse based on a largest phase voltage command and a carrier signal throughout an entire first period during which the carrier signal rises or falls to be at a low level. The motor drive control device turns on a lower arm switching element for a smallest phase by causing a second PWM pulse based on a smallest phase voltage command and the carrier signal throughout an entire second period during which the carrier signal rises or falls to be at a high level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: NIDEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazumasa Ue, Kazuya Matsuzaki
  • Patent number: 11505992
    Abstract: Intelligent building control systems utilize sky information from a camera or cameras to facilitate control of building systems such as lighting, motorized window coverings, electrochromic glazings, HVAC systems, and so forth. Based on the sky information, interior lighting intensity and/or color temperature may be modified, for example in order to achieve a desired circadian effect for building occupants. In this manner, energy efficiency and occupant comfort and convenience are improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: MECHOSHADE SYSTEMS, LLC
    Inventors: Stephen P. Hebeisen, Alex Greenspan, Joel Berman
  • Patent number: 11496079
    Abstract: A motor starter has a housing, a contactor portion disposed within the housing, a motor protection system disposed within the housing adjacent to the contactor portion in a vertical direction, and an actuation system disposed within the housing. The contactor portion may switch between an open position and a closed position, in which, in the open position, current does not flow through the motor starter and, in the closed position, current is allowed to flow through the motor starter. The motor protection system includes a plurality of components that may move the contactor portion to the open position based on a current flow, in which the actuation system may move the contactor portion between the closed position and the open position in response to receiving an input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Thomas Strebel Marzano
  • Patent number: 11485234
    Abstract: A power supply system 1 includes: first power lines (21p, 21n) to which a first battery (B1) is connected; second power lines (31p, 31n) to which a second battery (B2) is connected; a voltage converter (5) which converts voltage; a power converter which converts electric power; a management ECU (71) and converter ECU (73) which operates the voltage converter (5); a smoothing capacitor connected to the first power lines (21p, 21n); and a motor ECU (72) which executes system interruption processing of determining the existence of failure of the contactors (22m, 22s, 32m, 32s) based on a change in voltage of the smoothing capacitor. The management ECU (71) and converter ECU (73) operate the voltage converter (5) so that a state in which the static voltage of the first battery (B1) is higher by at least the determination potential difference than the static voltage of the second battery (B2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Naoto Tagaya, Hirokazu Oguma, Hiroki Sakamoto, Toshihiro Sone, Kenta Suzuki
  • Patent number: 11482954
    Abstract: An apparatus for heating a DC battery in a vehicle including an electric motor. The apparatus comprises an AC generating module coupled to the battery and the electric motor that generates three AC phases. The first, second, and third AC phases are applied to first, second, and third windings of the electric motor, respectively. The first, second, and third AC phases create zero torque in the electric motor because the first AC phase amplitude is equal to the sum of the second and third AC phase amplitudes and the second and third AC phases are 180 degrees out of phase with the first AC phase. The AC generating module creates a heating alternating current in the DC battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Lei Hao, Neeraj S. Shidore, Suresh Gopalakrishnan, Chandra S. Namuduri, Venkatesh Gopalakrishnan
  • Patent number: 11474152
    Abstract: A motor fault detection system is based on coupling injection of high-frequency signal. An input end of the motor is connected with the high-frequency detection signal source circuit through the coupling circuit to inject a high-frequency detection signal into the motor winding; an input end of the high-frequency detection signal source circuit is connected with an output end of the controller to control the output of the high-frequency detection signal; an output end of the response signal processing circuit is connected with an input end of the controller to send the received voltage or current response signal to the controller; and the controller judges whether the motor has a fault and the degree of the fault by analyzing the response signal after applying an excitation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: TIANGONG UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Wei Chen, Shuhai Dong, Xinmin Li, Tingna Shi, Changliang Xia
  • Patent number: 11476786
    Abstract: An electric machine includes a stator having a stator winding disposed thereon. A rotor is electromagnetically exposed to the stator. A field winding and an induction winding are disposed on the rotor. A rectifier is electrically coupled to the induction winding and the field winding. Upon application of a voltage to the stator winding, the stator winding produces a first rotating magnetic field and a second rotating magnetic field that has a different spatial frequency than the first rotating magnetic field. The first rotating magnetic field interacts asynchronously with the induction winding to produce an alternating current in the induction winding. The rectifier changes the alternating current to a direct current that is supplied to the field winding. The field winding interacts synchronously with the second rotating magnetic field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: The Texas A&M University System
    Inventors: Hamid A. Toliyat, Matthew C. Gardner, Dorsa Talebi
  • Patent number: 11473371
    Abstract: Intelligent building control systems utilize sky information from a camera or cameras to facilitate control of building systems such as lighting, motorized window coverings, electrochromic glazings, HVAC systems, and so forth. Based on the sky information, interior lighting intensity and/or color temperature may be modified, for example in order to achieve a desired circadian effect for building occupants. In this manner, energy efficiency and occupant comfort and convenience are improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: MECHOSHADE SYSTEMS, LLC
    Inventors: Stephen P. Hebeisen, Alex Greenspan, Joel Berman
  • Patent number: 11469702
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for adaptive pulse width modulated control of an electrified powertrain of a vehicle. In one example, a method may include perturbing a switching frequency for pulse width modulated control of the electrified powertrain, and, responsive to sound measured in a vehicle cabin indicating a noise improvement after the perturbation, controlling the electrified powertrain with the perturbed switching frequency. In this way, acoustic emissions from an electrified powertrain may be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Chris Wolf, Michael Degner
  • Patent number: 11463004
    Abstract: A boost converter control method in one aspect of the present invention is the control method of the boost converter that boosts a voltage input from a power supply and supplies a boosted voltage to a load-side. The control method of the boost converter is securing an output electric power required according to an operation point of a motor connected to the load-side, calculating a lower limit voltage value at which the output voltage of the boost converter does not oscillate, setting a target output voltage of the boost converter to a value equal to or higher than the lower limit voltage, and controlling the boost converter so as to output a voltage according to the target output voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kenichi Mori, Toshio Ouchi, Yoshihiro Kondo
  • Patent number: 11462982
    Abstract: Described is a hybrid permanent magnet and wire wound starter generator system. The system includes a polyphase stator that converts a rotating magnetic field to electrical energy. The system also includes a rotor including a plurality of permanent magnets and a wound rotor section. The plurality of permanent magnets and the wound rotor section each generate a portion of the rotating magnetic field. Further, the system includes a controller that controls a polarity of the wound rotor section by transitioning the wound rotor section between a magnetic flux enhancement mode and a magnetic flux weakening mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: Safran Power USA, LLC
    Inventors: Lev Sorkin, Matthew Thomas Burger
  • Patent number: 11458845
    Abstract: A control circuit and method are disclosed for controlling a contactor in a motor vehicle. The control circuit includes a driver circuit having an output to couple to a control terminal of a contactor, the driver circuit having a supply input and a control input. A Boolean logic gate has an input coupled to a safety disable control signal, a second input and an output coupled to the control input of the driver circuit. A hold circuit has a first input coupled a loss of propulsion signal, a second input coupled to an pulse width modulation (PWM) control signal and an output coupled to the second input of the Boolean logic gate. Based upon the output of the loss of propulsion detection circuit, the output of the output latch circuit is either maintained at a prior Boolean logic state of the output of the output latch circuit or is based on the PWM control signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: Vitesco Technologies USA, LLC
    Inventors: Emmanuel Barajas Cortes, Alberto Jimenez-Hernandez
  • Patent number: 11453294
    Abstract: A motor is stably driven under an extremely low temperature. A control unit controls an inverter to extract a pulse-like direct current from a battery, in case where a temperature Temp of the battery is below a predetermined value TH at which a power that can drive a motor is continuously extractable, by cyclically repeating an on-period to extract the direct current that can drive the motor from the battery and an off-period in which, after the on-period, the power is not extracted from the battery until the direct current that can drive the motor becomes extractable from the battery again. The inverter converts, to a phase current, the direct current extracted from the battery in the on-period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignee: Marelli Corporation
    Inventor: Teruyoshi Mihara
  • Patent number: 11454464
    Abstract: A fan brake system for controlling an industrial fan system, the fan brake system including a fan brake having a brake pad movable on the fan brake to selectively engage the fan system. An actuator including a motor can be operable to cause the fan brake to perform a braking procedure on the fan system to resist rotational movement of the fan system. A controller can be communicated with the actuator, the controller operable to selectively cause the actuator and the fan brake to perform the braking procedure, wherein the controller is operable to monitor and control power being supplied to the motor of the actuator during the braking procedure to maintain a torque output of the motor according to a predetermined torque profile during the braking procedure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignee: Tex Tenn, LLC
    Inventors: Carl T. Johnson, Thomas K. Best, Brian Alexander Lesniak, Thomas Ray Hendrix, Michael Wayne Sprengel
  • Patent number: 11451173
    Abstract: A board a motor driver control circuit, a first connector, a first wire, a second wire, a third wire, a fourth wire, a fifth wire, and a sixth wire. The motor driver control circuit includes a first H-bridge and a second H-bridge. The first connector is a connector to which an output from the first H-bridge and an output from the second H-bridge are input. The first wire and the second wire input the output from the first H-bridge to the first connector. The third wire and the fourth wire input the output from the second H-bridge to the first connector. The fifth wire is connected to the first wire and outputs the first H-bridge output to another connector. The sixth wire is connected to the second wire and outputs the first H-bridge output to the other connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroki Hirata, Mitsuhiro Sugeta, Ryosuke Nanai
  • Patent number: 11442426
    Abstract: According to semiconductor device includes a domain converter for converting a digitized resolver signal from a time-domain to a frequency-domain, a spectrum analyzer for analyzing a spectrum of the resolver signal converted to a frequency-domain by the domain converter, and an error detector for detecting an error related to the resolver signal based on an output signal from the spectrum analyzer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: RENESAS ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yutaka Oshima, Hisaaki Watanabe
  • Patent number: 11437945
    Abstract: The motor-driven compressor includes an electric motor, a housing, a compression portion, and an inverter device. The inverter device includes an inverter circuit, a current sensor, a coordinate converter, a speed controller, a current controller, a PWM controller, and a rotation angle estimator. The speed controller generates a d-axis current command value and a q-axis current command value such that a necessary torque to drive the electric motor occurs. The inverter device includes a heat-generating current command section that increases a temperature of the electric motor by changing the d-axis current command value and the q-axis current command value. The heat-generating current command section changes the d-axis current command value and the q-axis current command value so as to shift them in a direction in which a d-axis current value increases along a constant torque curve in a d-q coordinate system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOYOTA JIDOSHOKKI
    Inventors: Takuya Naruse, Kazuki Najima
  • Patent number: 11431270
    Abstract: A method for estimating the current flowing through a winding of an electric motor of the type having one winding controllable by a switching device, including the following steps: measuring a voltage at the input of the winding, correcting the measured voltage to produce a corrected voltage determining a resistance of the switching device, estimating the current flowing through the winding by dividing the difference between a control voltage used to control the switching device and the corrected voltage by the resistance. The use of such an estimating method for providing a diagnosis for a current sensor, and an estimating method for controlling an electric motor in fail-soft mode are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Inventor: Michel Parette