Patents Examined by Kawing Chan
  • Patent number: 11569776
    Abstract: In response to a measured value of temperature of a stator by a thermometer exceeding a first temperature threshold, an overheat signal may be output to a rotor of a rotary connector via a communication device. In response to the measured value of the temperature exceeding a second temperature threshold higher than the first temperature threshold, power supply to a transmission coil that transmits power to a receiving coil of the rotor in a non-contact manner is stopped. In response to the overheat signal being received or a measured value of temperature of the rotor by a thermometer exceeding a third temperature threshold, a limit signal for limiting current flowing through a load circuit is output. In response to the measured value of the temperature by the thermometer exceeding a fourth temperature threshold higher than the third temperature threshold, output of power received from the stator is stopped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: OMRON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kohei Fujio, Mitsunori Sugiura
  • Patent number: 11565744
    Abstract: A rotary electric machine control device includes multiple drive circuits provided for respective winding sets in a rotary electric machine, and multiple control units. When combinations of the winding sets and configurations provided correspondingly to the respective winding sets are defined as systems, the control units are provided for the respective systems. Each of the control units controls energization of the winding set provided correspondingly, and monitors an abnormality of a monitoring target. Each of the control units performs an abnormality detection time backup control during a period from detection of the abnormality of the monitoring target to confirmation of the abnormality, and performs an abnormality confirmation time backup control when the abnormality is confirmed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shuji Kuramitsu, Hideki Kabune, Koichi Nakamura, Atsuko Oka, Masaya Taki
  • Patent number: 11562864
    Abstract: A safety switch input diagnosis device includes a circuit formed from a series connection of an emergency stop switch and a line having a resistor. A connection state of the emergency stop switch and failure modes of the lines are diagnosed on the basis of a voltage value at one end of the circuit. Consequently, an operation of the switch and failure modes of a circuit relating to the switch can be diagnosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: HITACHI CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yuichi Kuramochi, Hidefumi Ishimoto, Akiyoshi Kirimura
  • Patent number: 11560753
    Abstract: A motorized shade comprising a motor adapted to lower or raise a shade material for selectively covering an architectural opening based on a position of the sun. The motorized shade comprises a controller adapted to drive the motor phase according to a startup sequence by ramping up amplitude form an initial amplitude to a startup amplitude and ramping up frequency from an initial frequency to a drive frequency, drive the motor phase according to a full drive sequence to move the shade material by driving the motor phase according to a sinusoidal waveform at a set maximum amplitude and at a drive frequency, and drive the motor phase according to a wind down sequence by reducing frequency from the drive frequency to an end frequency and reducing the amplitude from the maximum amplitude to an end amplitude.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: Crestron Electronics, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Campagna, Benjamin Slivka, Luis J. Rivera
  • Patent number: 11554676
    Abstract: A motor device for a vehicle includes a stator, a rotor, a bearing, an inverter, and a controller. The stator is attached into a housing and includes a concentrated winding coil. The rotor includes a permanent magnet. The bearing supports a rotating shaft of the rotor. The inverter controls an energization state of the concentrated winding coil. If a rotational speed of the rotor is greater than a threshold, the controller outputs a control signal to the inverter to execute field weakening control, and thereby makes a potential difference between the housing and the rotating shaft lower than a withstand voltage of the bearing. The control signal controls the energization state of the concentrated winding coil. The field weakening control generates magnetic flux of the concentrated winding coil in a direction of weakening magnetic flux of the permanent magnet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masatoshi Hanaoka, Akihito Katsume, Seiya Morimoto
  • Patent number: 11552581
    Abstract: A board includes a first motor driver control circuit, a first connector, and a second connector. The first motor driver control circuit includes a first H-bridge and a second H-bridge. The first connector includes at least the following: a first pin to which a first output of the first H-bridge is input, a second pin to which a second output of the first H-bridge is input, and a third pin. The second connector is disposed apart from the first connector and includes at least the following: a first pin to which a first output of the second H-bridge is input, a second pin to which a second output of the second H-bridge is input, and a third pin of the second connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ryosuke Nanai, Mitsuhiro Sugeta, Hiroki Hirata
  • Patent number: 11539313
    Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment, a method includes generating a clock signal; generating a switching signal based on the clock signal; generating a synchronization signal having an edge transition corresponding to a predetermined phase of the switching signal; transmitting the synchronization signal to a master controller; receiving a frequency adjustment command from the master controller based on the transmitted synchronization signal; and adjusting a frequency of the clock signal based on the frequency adjustment command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Jens Barrenscheen, Matthias Bogus, Christian Heiling
  • Patent number: 11539305
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a modular arrangement of a converter for the electrical supply of a multi-phase electric motor. The modular arrangement includes multiple output stage modules, each module having a separate first housing. An output stage module is provided for each phase of the electric motor, wherein the output stage module has a phase intermediate circuit and an inverter circuit, together forming a commutation cell. The phase intermediate circuit supplies DC voltage and is electrically connected to the inverter circuit. The disclosure also relates to a motor arrangement and an aircraft having a motor arrangement of this type.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG
    Inventor: Marco Bohlländer
  • Patent number: 11534251
    Abstract: Telerobotic, telesurgical, and/or surgical robotic devices, systems, and methods employ surgical robotic linkages that may have more degrees of freedom than an associated surgical end effector in space. A processor can calculate a tool motion that includes pivoting of the tool about an aperture site. Linkages movable along a range of configurations for a given end effector position may be driven toward configurations which inhibit collisions. Refined robotic linkages and methods for their use are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc.
    Inventors: William C. Nowlin, Paul W. Mohr, Bruce M. Schena, David Q. Larkin, Gary S. Guthart
  • Patent number: 11522481
    Abstract: A memory motor winding multiplexing control method and system for flux linkage observation. The method comprises the following steps: I: when the magnetization state of a memory motor needs to be adjusted, selecting a flux regulation current reference value according to a rotation speed of the motor; II: by means of current feedback control, driving a direct-current flux regulation winding to generate a flux regulation current so as to adjust the magnetization state of a permanent magnet; III: when the memory motor is operating normally, collecting an induction voltage of the flux regulation winding and extracting an induced electromotive force of the flux regulation winding; and IV: using the induced electromotive force of the flux regulation winding to calculate the flux linkage of the permanent magnet for vector control of the motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: SOUTHEAST UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Hui Yang, Guangxu Li, Heyun Lin, Shukang Lv
  • Patent number: 11515821
    Abstract: A control device includes: a current detector that detects rotating electrical machine currents flowing to the rotating electrical machine; a position estimator that estimates a rotor position of the rotating electrical machine based on the rotating electrical machine currents; a controller that calculates drive voltage commands based on the rotating electrical machine currents and information on the rotor position, adds position estimation voltage commands and the drive voltage commands to obtain rotating electrical machine voltage commands. The position estimator extracts position estimation currents included in the rotating electrical machine currents, the position estimation currents being changed according to the position estimation voltage commands, and estimates the rotor position of the rotating electrical machine using a DC component of amplitudes of the position estimation currents extracted, the DC component being not changed according to the rotor position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tetsuya Kojima, Sho Kato
  • Patent number: 11509245
    Abstract: An architecture for an aircraft comprises two air-conditioning systems, two converters, each intended to supply one of the air-conditioning systems, and at least one first electric machine which starts up a first main engine of the aircraft. The electrical architecture is configured such that the two converters can together supply the first electric machine. A method of operating the architecture is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: THALES
    Inventors: Frédéric Lacaux, Stéphane Guguen, Amira Maalouf
  • Patent number: 11504859
    Abstract: A two wheeled throwable robot comprises an elongate chassis with two ends, a motor at each end, drive wheels connected to the motors, and a tail extending from the elongate chassis. The throwable robot includes a pair of torque limiting mechanisms, each torque limiting mechanism being operatively coupled between a motor and a drive wheel. Each torque limiting mechanism comprises a drive flange portion, a driven flange portion and a plurality of rollers. A spring element provides a ring force that biases the rollers toward the driven flange portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: ReconRobotics, Inc.
    Inventor: Alex J. Kossett
  • Patent number: 11505240
    Abstract: A steering control device includes a first control system and a second control system. The first control system includes and a first microcomputer. The first microcomputer is configured to compute a first command value for controlling power supply to a first coil and a second command value for controlling power supply to a second coil. The second control system includes and a second microcomputer. The second microcomputer is configured to compute the first command value and the second command value. The first microcomputer and the second microcomputer are configured to communicate the first command value and the second command value with each other. The cycle of communication between the first microcomputer and the second microcomputer is set to be equal to or shorter than each of the cycles of computations of the first command value and the second command value by the first microcomputer and the second microcomputer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: JTEKT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshi Kawamura, Yuji Fujita
  • Patent number: 11502634
    Abstract: A driving device includes an inverter to output a voltage to coils, a connection switching unit to switch a connection state of the coils between a Y connection and a delta connection, and a controller. The controller causes the inverter to stop outputting, when the connection state of the coils is the Y connection and a current value of the inverter reaches a first threshold A, or when the connection state of the coils is the delta connection and the current value of the inverter reaches a second threshold B. The first threshold A and the second threshold B satisfy B<?3×A.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiro Nigo, Yuji Hirosawa
  • Patent number: 11496082
    Abstract: The present disclosure is constructed on the prior art inverter architecture, a pulse code width modulation (PCWM). This is an open loop motor control system without sensing its rotor position. The present disclosure employs a closed loop method to track the optimum efficiency motor operating point directly. A bench load test is conducted to gather information for an AI type control, which includes both load angle vs. voltage command charts and power factor vs. voltage command charts, with load levels as parameters for certain frequency command ranges. This way, the optimum efficiency motor operating points are generated a priori. The AI type control is mechanized to track the optimum efficiency motor operating points.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: SYSTEM HOMES COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventor: Hozo Yoshino
  • Patent number: 11486404
    Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for providing switch housing remote controls for ceiling fans. The remote receiver in the ceiling fan housing uses existing capacitors installed in the ceiling fan and shares those capacitors with existing mechanical pull chains for the ceiling fan, which eliminates the need for separate capacitors in the remote receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: HKC-US, LLC
    Inventors: Kent Mathis, James P. Burns, Brendan Byrne
  • Patent number: 11482961
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to effectively reduce vibration or noise caused by a motor. An inverter circuit 300 generates an alternating current from a direct current supplied from a direct current power supply 10 by using a plurality of IGBTs 311 which are switching elements, supplies the generated alternating current to a motor 100, and drives the motor 100. This alternating current includes a fundamental harmonic current corresponding to a rotational speed of the motor 100, and a harmonic current of a switching operation of the IGBTs 311. A controller 200 controls a second phase such that a first phase and the second phase are not superimposed on each other at a predetermined motor rotational speed, the first phase being a phase of an excitation force cyclically produced in the motor 100 by the fundamental harmonic current, and the second phase being a phase of an excitation force cyclically produced in the motor 100 by the harmonic current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: HITACHI ASTEMO, LTD.
    Inventors: Katsuhiro Hoshino, Takafumi Hara, Masaru Yamasaki, Yosuke Tanabe, Masanori Watanabe
  • Patent number: 11482942
    Abstract: A three-phase regenerative drive configured for operation from a single phase alternating current (AC) power source, the three-phase regenerative drive including a three-phase converter having inputs for connection to a single-phase AC source, the three-phase converter having three phase legs, a three-phase inverter for connection to a motor, the three phase inverter configured to provide three phase command signals to the motor, and a DC bus connected between the three-phase converter and the three-phase inverter. A first phase leg of the three-phase converter and a second phase leg of the three-phase converter are employed to direct current from the single-phase AC source to the DC Bus and a third phase leg of the three phase legs of the three-phase converter returns current to a return of the AC source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY
    Inventor: Ismail Agirman
  • Patent number: 11460212
    Abstract: An electric motor includes: a control board including circuitry for controlling the electric motor; a cover with an interior space; and a sensor device coupled to the motor and extending into an external environment, the sensor device being thermally isolated from the interior space of the cover and including a sensor configured to measure at least one environmental characteristic of the external environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: MCMILLAN ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Dewain Wasson, David Lawrence Dahlen, Cory Mark Hedlund