Patents Examined by Kawing Chan
  • Patent number: 11462794
    Abstract: An electrical combination, a motorized device system, a motor assembly, a battery pack, and operating methods. The combination may include an electrical device including a device housing, a load supported by the device housing, the load being operable to output at least about 1800 watts (W), and a device terminal electrically connected to the load; a battery pack including a pack housing, battery cells supported by the pack housing, the battery cells being electrically connected and having a nominal voltage of up to about 20 volts, and a pack terminal electrically connectable to the device terminal to transfer current between the battery pack and the electrical device; and a controller operable to control the transfer of current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: MILWAUKEE ELECTRIC TOOL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Samuel Sheeks, Keith Boulanger, Andrew T. Beyerl, Timothy R. Obermann, Carl B. Westerby, Matthew J. Mergener, Cameron R. Schulz, Kyle C. Fassbender, Matthew R. Polakowski
  • Patent number: 11463028
    Abstract: A sensor (110) detects the angle of the output shaft (101a) of a synchronous motor (101). A multiple rotation processing unit (301) converts the angle of one rotation or more that is detected by the sensor (110) into a multiple rotation angle. A phase difference FB unit (305) performs feedback control in such a way that the phase difference between the electrical angle and the mechanical angle of the synchronous motor (101) is a target phase difference (306). A position FB unit (302) performs feedback control in such a way that the multiple rotation angle after conversion by the multiple rotation processing unit (301) is a target position (303).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuya Nishimori, Satoshi Kawamura, Naoki Imamura
  • Patent number: 11456689
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a driving device includes a voltage controller, a parameter setter, and a phase adjuster. The voltage controller causes an electric power converter to apply a drive voltage to the electric motor, the electric power converter converting input electric power to A/C electric power having desired voltage and frequency and supplying the converted electric power to an electric motor. The parameter setter sets at least one of a rotation speed of the electric motor and a parameter related to the rotation speed as speed information. The phase adjuster adjusts a phase of the drive voltage in such a manner that an index calculated based on a current flowing in the electric motor and the speed information set in the parameter setter becomes smaller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation
    Inventors: Takashi Takagi, Toshimitsu Aizawa, Shen Wang
  • Patent number: 11451118
    Abstract: The invention relates to a conductor assembly for transmitting electrical power in a mobile system, in particular in a land, air or water vehicle, comprising an inner conductor (1) and an outer conductor (3) coaxially arranged thereto, which are electrically insulated from each other by means of an insulation layer (2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignees: MOLABO GmbH, UNIVERSITAET DER BUNDESWEHR MUENCHEN
    Inventors: Adrian Patzak, Florian Bachheibl, Gurakuq Dajaku
  • Patent number: 11451183
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a brushless direct current (BLDC) motor overload detection apparatus. The BLDC motor overload detection apparatus includes a measurer for measuring an electrical angle of the BLDC motor, a determiner for determining whether a difference between the electrical angle measured by the measurer and a mechanical angle of the BLDC motor, estimated through current supplied to the BLDC motor, is within a predetermined range, and a driving controller for control of driving of the BLDC motor according to whether the BLDC motor stalls, determined by the determiner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignees: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY, KIA MOTORS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Choong Seob Park
  • Patent number: 11451171
    Abstract: Techniques for monitoring the health of a three-phase induction motor are provided. An expected threshold value is calculated as a function of an expected ratio of current unbalance to voltage unbalance for the three-phase motor. Embodiments determine whether a measured current unbalance exceeds the expected threshold value. Responsive to the measured current unbalance exceeding the expected threshold value, a remedial action may be taken, such as generating diagnostic information or activating one or more protection operations for the three-phase induction motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: Schneider Electric USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin M. Jefferies, Benjamin W. Edwards, Alan E. Freeman, Richard K Weiler, Matthew L. White
  • Patent number: 11451138
    Abstract: Driver circuits are disclosed having a high-side switch and a low-side switch. A pre-charging circuit is provided to pre-charge the low-side switch. In other implementations, methods are disclosed which involve precharging a low-side switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies Austria AG
    Inventors: Eslam Ramadan Mohamed Alfawy, Severin Kampl, Uwe Kirchner
  • Patent number: 11433770
    Abstract: A method for switching off a current-excited synchronous machine of a motor vehicle, the current-excited synchronous machine having a rotor supplied by an excitation circuit of power electronics and a stator supplied via a bridge circuit of the power electronics, the method including interrupting a current supply to the rotor and the stator. The method further includes switching over the excitation circuit of the power electronics to a first freewheeling position, whereby energy contained in the excitation circuit and in the rotor is fed into a first energy store via a first feedback arrangement, and switching over the bridge circuit of the power electronics to a second freewheeling position, whereby energy contained in the bridge circuit and in the stator is fed into a second energy store via a second feedback arrangement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Zakaria El Khawly, Igor Gusyev, Joerg Merwerth, Nuno Miguel Silva Cerqueira, Christian Steinbauer
  • Patent number: 11422511
    Abstract: An electronic watch with a two-coil stepper motor including: a magnetized rotor; a stator including: first and second stator magnetic-pole portions, which are formed so as to oppose to each other through the rotor; and a third stator magnetic-pole portion, which is formed between the first stator magnetic-pole portion and the second stator magnetic-pole portion so as to face the rotor; a coil A to be magnetically coupled to the first stator magnetic-pole portion and the third stator magnetic-pole portion; and a coil B to be magnetically coupled to the second stator magnetic-pole portion and the third stator magnetic-pole portion; and a high-speed drive pulse generation circuit configured to output a drive pulse for driving the rotor to the coil A or the coil B, and wherein the rotor is rotationally driven in increments of 360° due to a drive pulse train formed of the plurality of drive pulses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2022
    Assignee: CITIZEN WATCH CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yu Takyoh, Toshiaki Fukushima, Toshinari Maeda, Daisuke Iri, Daisuke Matsuoh, Masatoshi Nishida
  • Patent number: 11404853
    Abstract: Embodiments of a plug-in unit for an electrical enclosure are disclosed. The plug-in unit includes at least one stab configured to engage a bus, a stab shaft coupled with a base of the at least one stab, and a stab translation mechanism configured to translate the stab shaft such that the at least one stab translates from a retracted position to an extended position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Troy Micheal Bellows, Paul Thomas Krause, Dean Thomas Meyer
  • Patent number: 11397418
    Abstract: Various embodiments of the present technology comprise a method and apparatus for an encoder. In various embodiments, the encoder is configured to perform offset and gain correction. The encoder includes a first correction circuit to perform offset and gain correction and a second correction circuit to perform additional offset and gain correction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2022
    Assignee: SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS INDUSTRIES, LLC
    Inventors: Sreenivasa Murthy Nerayanuru, Jeffrey Dennis Allgood
  • Patent number: 11394335
    Abstract: Described is a sensor-less motor reversal (“SLMR”) apparatus that aids the reversal of motor rotation of a bidirectional motor, such as a brushless DC motor of an aerial vehicle. The SLMR includes an RPM dependent clutch that is rotated by a drive shaft of the motor and that engages an engageable shaft of the SLMR apparatus during a low RPM range of the motor during which indirect measurement of the RPM of the motor through a back-EMF of the motor is unreliable. As the engageable shaft increases in RPM, energy is stored by an energy storage mechanism of the SLMR. As the RPM of the motor decreases as part of a motor reversal, the energy stored by the energy storage mechanism is discharged and aids in the transition of the reversal of the motor from positive to negative, or negative to positive. As described, the SLMR apparatus is stateless.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Szmuk, Marco Antonio De Barros Ceze
  • Patent number: 11393331
    Abstract: A system for moving a barrier includes a motor with an integrated encoder operative to generate pulses as a function of rotation of the rotatable shaft of the motor. A preferred form of encoder is a rotary optical encoder to generate optical pulses as a function of rotational movement of the rotatable shaft. Both a microcontroller to determine door status and a controller to control door movement receive the pulses and separately execute methods in response thereto.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: GMI Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Tim Ikeler, Leroy G. Krupke, Brent Buescher, Brent Alan Rauscher, Gregory D. Matias, Michael Dragomier
  • Patent number: 11387766
    Abstract: A control circuit for an electric power converter includes an abnormality determiner, a voltage determiner and an abnormality-handling controller. The abnormality determiner determines whether an abnormality has occurred in at least one of the electric power converter and a multi-phase rotating electric machine. The voltage determiner determines whether a line-to-line voltage between phase windings of the rotating electric machine is higher than a voltage of a DC power source. The abnormality-handling controller performs, when it is determined by the abnormality determiner that an abnormality has occurred and it is determined by the voltage determiner that the line-to-line voltage is higher than the voltage of the DC power source, an all-phase short circuit control of turning on all of switches of one of an upper-arm switch group and a lower-arm switch group and turning off all of switches of the other of the upper-arm switch group and the lower-arm switch group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Koichi Nishibata
  • Patent number: 11387757
    Abstract: A method for estimating a magnet temperature of a rotor magnet within a rotary electric machine includes, while a rotor of the electric machine is stationary, injecting a high-frequency voltage component onto a control voltage of the electric machine, via a controller, to generate an adjusted voltage command, and extracting a high-frequency component of a resulting current as an extracted high-frequency component. The method also includes calculating an inductance value of the electric machine using the extracted high-frequency component of the resulting current. The magnet temperature is estimated using the calculated inductance value and an angular position of the rotor. The method includes controlling an operation of the electric machine using the estimated magnet temperature. An electric powertrain uses the electric machine and controller noted above.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignees: GM Global Technology Operations LLC, Seoul National University R & DB Foundation
    Inventors: Daniel J. Berry, Anno Yoo, Seung Ki Sul, Hyun-Sam Jung
  • Patent number: 11374513
    Abstract: A system for controlling a motor includes a motor having a plurality of phases, each phase comprising a coil having a first end coupled to a motor neutral point. A motor driver circuit is coupled to a second end of each coil to provide power to each coil. A motor controller circuit is coupled to the motor driver circuit to control the power that is provided to the motor. A comparator is coupled to compare a voltage at the motor neutral point to a voltage at the second end of each coil to detect a back-EMF polarity and produce a polarity signal representing the back-EMF polarity. A back-EMF filter circuit is coupled to receive the polarity signal and invert the polarity signal if the polarity signal does not match an expected value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2022
    Assignee: Allegro MicroSystems, LLC
    Inventors: Kamyar Khosravi, Masahira Kurihara
  • Patent number: 11374508
    Abstract: An electric drive system includes an energy storage system (ESS), a power conversion system, and an alternating current (AC) traction system. The ESS provides or receives electric power. The ESS includes a first energy storage unit and a second energy storage unit. The power conversion system is electrically coupled to the ESS for converting an input power to an output power. The AC traction system is electrically coupled to the power conversion system for converting the output power of the power conversion system to mechanical torques. The AC traction system includes a first AC drive device and a second AC drive device. An energy management system (EMS) is in electrical communication with the ESS, the AC traction system, and the power conversion system for providing control signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2022
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Jian Zhou, Fei Xu, Dong Liu, Hai Qiu, Pengju Kang
  • Patent number: 11356050
    Abstract: A power conversion device includes a first inverter, a second inverter, first and second controller to control the first and second inverters, and a driving circuit to apply a control signal to turn on the low side switch elements of the first inverter when a fault occurs on the first inverter side, and apply a control signal to turn on the low side switch elements of the second inverter when a fault occurs on the second inverter side. The first power voltage generated on the first inverter side is supplied to the driving circuit when a fault occurs on the second inverter side, and the second power voltage generated on the second inverter side is supplied to the driving circuit when a fault occurs on the first inverter side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: NIDEC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Motoki Horiuchi
  • Patent number: 11356036
    Abstract: A power conversion apparatus includes a first inverter, a second inverter, a drive circuit to provide control signals turning on low-side switch elements in the first inverter to the low-side switch elements when a failure has occurred on a first inverter side, and provide control signals to turn on low-side switch elements in the second inverter to the low-side switch elements when a failure has occurred on a second inverter side, and a control circuit. When a failure has occurred on the second inverter side, a first power supply voltage generated on the first inverter side is supplied to the drive circuit, while when a failure has occurred on the first inverter side, a second power supply voltage generated on the second inverter side is supplied to the drive circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: NIDEC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Motoki Horiuchi
  • Patent number: 11349430
    Abstract: Technical solutions are described for controlling operation of an inverter to manage voltage upon a direct current (DC) bus and regenerative power (current) provided to a battery. A control system and method are provided to control operation of an electric machine using a controller. More specifically, the controller is configured to calculate a current-based torque limit to satisfy a regenerative current limit, and a voltage-based torque limit to satisfy a voltage limit constraint of the DC bus. The controller is configured to calculate a torque limit to satisfy the regenerative current and voltage limits of the DC bus, and to command a plurality of switches within the inverter to generate a direct-axis current from the electric machine corresponding to a torque demand and according to the torque limit. The proposed system and method provide for motor current that exceed a demagnetizing current limit of the electric machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: Steering Solutions IP Holding Corporation
    Inventors: Prerit Pramod, Krishna Namburi, Zhe Zhang