Patents Examined by Paul Ip
  • Patent number: 8907597
    Abstract: A battery pack includes: a first battery cell group including at least one high capacity battery cell; and a second battery cell group including at least one high output battery cell and being coupled in parallel to the first battery cell group, wherein the high output battery cell is configured to output a greater current than the high capacity battery cell, the high capacity battery cell is configured to store a greater amount of electric energy compared to the high output battery cell, and the battery pack is configured to operate in one of operational modes including: a high capacity mode for outputting electric energy stored in the first battery cell group; a high output mode for outputting electric energy stored in the second battery cell group; and a mutual charge mode for charging the first battery cell group or the second battery cell group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: Samsung SDI Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jin-Wan Kim, Jong-Woon Yang, Susumu Segawa, Eui-Jeong Hwang, Se-Sub Sim, Han-Seok Yun, Beom-Gyu Kim
  • Patent number: 8907607
    Abstract: A soft start circuit for a forward/reverse rotation fan includes a forward/reverse switch unit, a soft start activation unit, a soft start control unit, a Hall IC and a driver IC, wherein the soft start activation unit comprises a first signal transmission loop and a second signal transmission loop. The soft start circuit activates the soft start control unit via a first instantaneous signal outputted by the first signal transmission loop or a second instantaneous signal outputted by the second signal transmission loop to make the soft start control unit output a control signal to a speed control terminal. When the rotating direction of fan is switched from one direction into another, the fan starts rotation in a soft start mode owing to high level of the control signal transmitted from the soft start control unit to the speed control terminal during initial rotation of the fan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: ADDA Corp.
    Inventor: Ching-Cheng Ma
  • Patent number: 8901869
    Abstract: A method of controlling speed of an electric machine having a rotor and a stator is provided. The method may comprise the steps of monitoring a desired speed and a measured speed of the rotor, generating a torque command based on the desired speed and the measured speed, and controlling phase current to the stator based on a hybrid closed loop analysis of the torque command, the measured speed and an estimated position of the rotor. The estimated rotor position may be derived at least partially from the desired speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Jackson Wai, Jesse Gerdes, James Michael Thorne
  • Patent number: 8901861
    Abstract: Thermal management of various components such as electrical energy storage devices (e.g., batteries, super- or ultracapacitors), power converters and/or control circuits, in electrically powered vehicles may employ active temperature adjustment devices (e.g., Peltier devices), which may advantageously be powered using electrical energy generated by the traction electric motor during regenerative braking operation. Temperature adjustment may include cooling or heating one or more components. The adjustment may be based on a variety of factors or conditions, for instance sensed temperature, sensed current draw, sensed voltage, sensed rotational speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: Gogoro, Inc.
    Inventors: Hok-Sum Horace Luke, Matthew Whiting Taylor
  • Patent number: 8901860
    Abstract: A photovoltaic apparatus according to the present invention includes a photovoltaic module and a tracking control device. The photovoltaic module includes a plurality of series portions coupled in parallel. The series portion includes a plurality of photovoltaic elements coupled in series. The photovoltaic elements coupled in a same straight row of the plurality of series portions are coupled parallel to one another. The tracking control device is configured to perform a maximum power point tracking control on an output of the photovoltaic module. The photovoltaic module includes a temperature sensor that detects a real panel temperature that is a panel temperature when the photovoltaic module is operating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshifumi Yaoi, Kohtaroh Kataoka, Masatomi Harada, Kohichiroh Adachi, Yoshiji Ohta, Hiroshi Iwata
  • Patent number: 8896248
    Abstract: A control system for a motor includes an inverter coupled to the motor. The control system further includes a microcontroller coupled to the inverter. The microcontroller includes a processor programmed to measure an input voltage and acquire a back EMF voltage of the motor. The processor is also programmed to control the inverter to regulate the motor voltage based on the input voltage and the back EMF voltage to facilitate controlling the motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: Regal Beloit America, Inc.
    Inventors: Roger Carlos Becerra, Ludovic Andre Chretien, Mark A. Brattoli, Glen C. Young
  • Patent number: 8896247
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method for setting a current sensor of a vehicle having a drive motor according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include confirming a first condition that a vehicle stops its movement, confirming a second condition that a required torque of a drive motor of a vehicle is 0, stopping a current that is supplied to the drive motor if the first condition and the second condition are satisfied, and compensating offset of the current sensor of a drive motor control unit controlling the drive motor. The offset may be compensated if the first condition and the second condition are satisfied for a predetermined time. Accordingly, an offset of the current sensor is compensated in a predetermined driving condition that the vehicle stops moving and therefore the creep surge and the motor torque ripple that can be generated in the vehicle are prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company
    Inventors: Hyung Jin Yoon, Jinhyung Lee
  • Patent number: 8896249
    Abstract: A position sensorless control methodology for an electrical machine is provided. In particular, one aspect provides a method for position sensorless operation of an electrical machine using direct position error computation from stator flux observation results and stator current measurement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: Vestas Wind Systems A/S
    Inventors: Shu Yu Cao, Bing Li, Anshuman Tripathi
  • Patent number: 8890453
    Abstract: In a power conversion apparatus, a main switching element in one main circuit is controlled to repeat an on-off state, and a diode in the other main circuit is used as a freewheeling diode. Multiple snubber circuits each having a resistor, a capacitor, and a second switching element which are serially coupled are coupled in parallel to the main circuit. The second switching elements are turned-on sequentially before the turn-on or turn-off of the main switching element that repeats the on-off state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kenji Kure
  • Patent number: 8884557
    Abstract: A method for operating a mains-operated electric motor for a power tool includes connecting a first side of an electric motor to a first mains and connecting a second side of the electric motor to a second mains using first and second switches, respectively, in particular semiconductor switches, and monitoring the operational reliability of the switches using an electronic controller for operating safety.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventor: Hans Hermann Rottmerhusen
  • Patent number: 8884566
    Abstract: A position sensorless control methodology for electrical machines using high frequency flux vector signal injection in the estimated rotor flux rotational reference frame is provided. In one aspect, the estimated position error function is derived directly from the stator flux equation without any simplification. The method is applicable for electrical generator motoring mode operation from standstill and power generation mode operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: Vestas Wind Systems A/S
    Inventors: Shu Yu Cao, Bing Li, Anshuman Tripathi, Lars Helle
  • Patent number: 8878477
    Abstract: An electric motor driving apparatus having a failure detection circuit includes: a bridge circuit driving an electric motor; a PWM control circuit generating voltage instruction for driving the electric motor; a PWM signal generation circuit generating a PWM signal; a DC current detection circuit detecting DC current of the bridge circuit; a phase current calculation circuit calculating output phase current of the bridge circuit, based on the DC current and PWM signal; and a failure detection circuit detecting failure of the DC current detection circuit. The failure detection circuit determines failure of the DC current detection circuit from the DC current detected values in a zero voltage period in which the high-potential-side arms of the bridge circuit are all ON and in a zero voltage period in which the low-potential-side arms are all ON.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Kosuke Nakano, Tetsuya Kojima, Satoshi Azuma, Isao Kezobo, Ryuichi Takiguchi
  • Patent number: 8878479
    Abstract: A motor control device main unit includes a pressure command signal generation module, a pressure control module, a speed control module, and a current control module. The pressure command signal generation module of the motor control device main unit generates a pressure command value so that a derivative of the pressure command value is equal to or less than a product of an elastic constant of the pressurized target and a maximum motor speed. The pressure control module carries out pressure control calculation to calculate a motor speed command value based on a deviation between the pressure command value and an actual pressure value, and generates a motor speed command signal, which is a signal of the motor speed command value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Koichiro Ueda
  • Patent number: 8878468
    Abstract: An electric machine assembly with fail-safe arrangement is described. The assembly comprises a stator including a plurality of windings and a cooperating rotor including at least one permanent magnet; a detector configured to detect DC current in at least one of the windings of the stator; and a bypass circuit configured to be activated upon detection of the DC current by the detector and to prevent at least some of the DC current from flowing into the at least one of the windings of the stator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
    Inventor: Kevin Allan Dooley
  • Patent number: 8878480
    Abstract: In sequentially selecting and driving two phases of the three-phase stator windings of a synchronous motor, detect a speed electromotive voltage of a de-energized phase, relate the speed electromotive voltage to rotor position information beforehand, then count rotor position information backward based on the detected the speed electromotive voltage to estimate rotor position; and then detect rotation speed from the change rate of the rotor position information so as to achieve highly accurate position and speed control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshitaka Iwaji, Shigehisa Aoyagi, Kazuaki Tobari, Ryoichi Takahata, Masaki Hano
  • Patent number: 8872468
    Abstract: Method and device for operating an asynchronous motor having increased efficiency. According to the invention, ranges for a motor size of the asynchronous motor are specified. In addition, a value of the motor size is calculated depending on at least one measurement value of a measurement parameter during the operation of the asynchronous motor, wherein the respective calculated value of the motor size is allocated to one of the ranges. Furthermore, a control parameter is changed depending on the range to which the calculated motor parameter is allocated to provide an optimised control parameter such that the control parameter is changed beginning from a starting value specified for the respective range of the motor size until a predetermined criterion for a specific motor size is reached. Furthermore, the optimised control parameter is stored as a support point of a continuous optimal characteristic curve for the control parameter depending on the range to which the calculated motor size is allocated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: MK Regeltechnik AG
    Inventors: Bernd Nitz, Norbert Rudiger Klaes
  • Patent number: 8872450
    Abstract: The power circuit comprises a voltage conversion part converting an input voltage entered in accordance with a voltage of a power source to generate an output voltage and outputting the generated output voltage to the motor and a current detection part outputting a first signal in accordance with a current flowing through a given part of the power circuit. The voltage conversion part lowers the voltage value of new output voltage being generated when the current detection part outputs the first signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Hitachi Koki Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Funabashi, Nobuhiro Takano
  • Patent number: 8872463
    Abstract: A sinusoidal command is added to a torque command of a controller to acquire a velocity and a current value of an electric motor. An estimated coupling torque value is calculated by calculating an input torque value from the current value and a torque constant of the electric motor and further calculating a coupling torque value from a velocity difference, motor inertia, and the input torque. An estimated torque error is then calculated from the estimated coupling torque value and the coupling torque value, and inertia, friction, and a spring constant are estimated from the estimated torque error, the velocity, and the coupling torque value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Fanuc Corporation
    Inventors: Naoto Sonoda, Yukio Toyozawa
  • Patent number: 8872462
    Abstract: A motor control device includes a vibration-damping-control setting unit to designate one of a plurality of candidate frequencies of a vibration-damping frequency, a signal-for-estimation computing unit to output, based on an operation signal related to a controlled object, a signal for estimation in which signal components of the other candidate frequencies excluding the designated one candidate frequency are reduced from a vibration component of a control system, and a resonance-characteristic estimating unit to estimate one resonance frequency from the output signal for estimation. The vibration-damping-control setting unit designates each of the candidate frequencies individually as one candidate frequency and sets, in a feedforward control unit, each of resonance frequencies estimated by the resonance-characteristic estimating unit related to the individually designated each one candidate frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Sekiguchi, Hidetoshi Ikeda, Takashi Isoda, Shuya Sano
  • Patent number: 8866425
    Abstract: Complete drive system, called motor-drive unit, for use in remote locations with limited radial space like downhole, narrow tunnels, pipelines and other applications with similar conditions. Given the spatial limitations the unit must have elongated shape. It includes a number of motors connected mechanically in series and a lower number of inverters, driving groups of the motors so that load is equally distributed along axis of the unit. Motors within each group can be electrically connected in series or in parallel. The motor-drive unit is supposed to be fed by DC voltage via a cable with length up to several km; therefore, it includes a buck converter for stabilization of voltage inside the unit and a power-line communication module to be controllable from the surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: SmartMotor AS
    Inventors: Richard Lund, Alexey Matveev, Roy Nilsen, Sigurd Övrebö