Patents Examined by Zoheb Imtiaz
  • Patent number: 10998840
    Abstract: An electric drive system includes a battery pack, a power inverter module (“PIM”), an electric machine, a switching circuit, and a controller. The electric machine has three or more phase legs. The PIM has a DC-side connected to the battery pack, and an alternating current (“AC”)-side connected to the electric machine. The switching circuit includes AC switches, and for each phase leg also includes three or more winding sections each electrically connectable to or disconnectable from the battery pack and PIM via the AC switches. The controller commands a binary switching state of each respective AC switch based on the rotary speed to implement one of three different speed-based operating modes of the electric machine, and to thereby vary a conductive path from the PIM to the electric machine through one or more of the connected winding sections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Lei Hao, Chandra S. Namuduri, Rashmi Prasad
  • Patent number: 10439544
    Abstract: A drive system includes a first energy storage, a second energy storage, a voltage transformer, a drive apparatus, a detector, and circuitry. The first energy storage outputs a first voltage. The second energy storage outputs a second voltage different from the first voltage. The voltage transformer transforms at least one of the first voltage and the second voltage. The drive apparatus is driven with power supplied from at least one of the first energy storage and the second energy storage. The detector detects a fault in at least one of the first energy storage and the second energy storage. The circuitry is configured to control the voltage transformer in a first control mode or in a second control mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Ryota Unno, Masahiro Shimada
  • Patent number: 10389286
    Abstract: A method of controlling a plurality of permanent magnet synchronous motors using a single inverter that includes obtaining an estimate of rotor position and speed individually for a plurality of permanent magnet synchronous motors. The method can include calculating the average rotor position from the obtained estimate of the rotor position for each permanent magnet synchronous motor of the plurality of permanent magnet synchronous motors. The method can include reconstructing a rotor permanent-magnet flux for each permanent magnet synchronous motor and transforming the reconstructed rotor permanent-magnet flux for each permanent magnet synchronous motor to average fluxes and average differential fluxes on an average d-q reference frame. The method can include obtaining the average current reference in the average d-q reference frame for the plurality of permanent magnet synchronous motors; and determining an inverter voltage reference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignees: SCHLUMBERGER TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION, BOARD OF REGENTS/THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SYSTEM
    Inventors: Zhuangyao Tang, Bilal Akin, Xuedong Yang, Maxim Klyuzhev
  • Patent number: 10385934
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for determining and/or controlling a position of an electric motor, in particular in a clutch actuation system of a motor vehicle, wherein the position of a rotor of the electric motor is picked up by a sensor system situated on a stator of the electric motor outside an axis of rotation of the electric motor, and the position signal picked up by the sensor system is analyzed by an analysis unit. In a method in which the rotor position is detected with a high level of certainty, the position signal is transmitted to the analysis unit depending on a transmission distance between the sensor system and the analysis unit by means of an SPI protocol signal for short transmission distances, and/or by means of a PWM signal for longer transmission distances.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: SCHAEFFLER TECHNOLOGIES AG & CO. KG
    Inventor: Markus Dietrich
  • Patent number: 10286787
    Abstract: A mining haul truck driven by electrical wheel motors is operated with all electrical power sources; that is, without a diesel engine. While travelling on the loading site, the mining haul truck is powered by an on-board energy storage system, which can comprise a bank of ultracapacitors. The mining haul truck then moves to the bottom of a trolley ramp and is coupled to trolley lines. While travelling uphill, the mining haul truck is powered by the trolley lines, and the on-board energy storage system is charged by the trolley lines. When the mining haul truck reaches the top of the trolley ramp, the mining haul truck is uncoupled from the trolley lines. While travelling on the unloading site, the mining haul truck is powered by the on-board energy storage system. The on-board energy storage system can also be charged by retard energy generated by the wheel motors during braking.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: SIEMENS INDUSTRY, INC.
    Inventor: Joy Mazumdar
  • Patent number: 10282285
    Abstract: A power electronics device with an improved human interface module (HIM) is provided. More specifically, a motor drive is provided that includes a HIM with a portable memory device that stores the programming configuration of the motor drive. The improved HIM with portable memory enables improved techniques for quickly and efficiently updating the programming configuration of one or several motor drives.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Scott D Braun, Wanda J Miller, Calvin C Steinweg
  • Patent number: 10259491
    Abstract: An electric power steering apparatus that drive-controls a motor by an inverter, and a motor release-switch is connected between the inverter and the motor, comprising: a control section to detect an assist state on a driving control system and to ON/OFF-switch a control of the inverter based on a detection result; a motor rotational number detecting section to detect a rotational number of the motor; an energy calculating section to calculate an energy of a motor back-EMF and a regenerative current based on the rotational number; and a judging section to compare the energy with an area of safety operation of the motor release-switch and to OFF-switch the d motor release-switch when the energy becomes within the area of safety operation. As occasion demands, the area of safety operation is calculated with the temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: NSK LTD.
    Inventors: Naoto Shinkawa, Shigeru Fukinuki, Shin Kumagai, Shigeru Shimakawa, Teruyoshi Kogure
  • Patent number: 10250166
    Abstract: The invention relates to transformers. More particularly, the invention relates to transformers using (preferably electrostatic and more preferably dielectric elastomer) transducers such as generators and actuators. The invention further provides a priming circuit therefor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: Auckland UniServices Limited
    Inventors: Iain Alexander Anderson, Thomas Gregory McKay, Benjamin Marc O'Brien, Emilio Patricio Calius
  • Patent number: 10246929
    Abstract: The present invention provides machine tool having a door of which the position is changed between the time of machining and when nothing is being machined, and where the moving speed of the door can be changed. The machine tool is provided with: a drive unit that can move the door; a control unit that can control the drive unit for moving the door; a safety signal input unit that takes in a safety signal from the outside of the machine tool; and a door opening and closing speed setting unit that can set the moving speed of the door to a first moving speed in the case where a safety signal is inputted into the signal input unit or to a second moving speed in the case where no safety signal is inputted, and is characterized in that the first moving speed is higher than the second moving speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kiwamu Saitou
  • Patent number: 10243491
    Abstract: A power tool includes a multi-phase BLDC motor, a plurality of switches, an input unit, and a controller. For each phase, the controller operates to vary power output to the motor between a first power and a second power by varying a duty cycle of a PWM signal from 0% to 100% while keeping a conduction band (CB) of corresponding motor switches and/or an advance angle (AA) at a predetermined value when the input unit moves between a first position and a predetermined position between the first and a second position. For each phase, the controller operates to increase the power output by the motor to greater than the second power by increasing the CB/AA to greater than the predetermined value while keeping the duty cycle of the PWM signal at 100% when the input unit moves between the predetermined position and the second position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: Black & Decker Inc.
    Inventors: John D. Cox, Tal Gottesman
  • Patent number: 10232875
    Abstract: A motor control unit is provided that controls a motor with multi-system windings via motor driving circuits on winding systems based on a current command value including current detecting circuits to detect at least two-phase or more currents for each of the multi-system windings of the three-phase motor, three-phase/two-phase converting sections to convert the detected phase currents to two-phase currents for the multi-system windings, and a failure diagnosing section to perform a current-calculation of the two-phase currents converted to two-phase for the multi-system windings, and to perform a diagnosis failure by comparing a difference of current-calculated results between the multi-system windings and an accumulating value of the difference with respective thresholds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: NSK LTD.
    Inventors: Yusuke Kikuchi, Gen Kimura, Zhipeng Tu
  • Patent number: 10230548
    Abstract: A motor controller for an electric motor is described. The motor controller is coupled to a power line communication connection and includes a communication device coupled to a memory device. The motor controller is configured to receive, using the communication device, a status query from a server computing device via the power line communication connection. The motor controller is additionally configured to transmit electric motor diagnostic data from the memory device to the server computing device via the power line communication connection. The motor controller is further configured to receive motor configuration data from a client computing device wirelessly coupled to the motor controller. The motor configuration data is for controlling the electric motor. The motor controller is also configured to operate the electric motor in accordance with the motor configuration data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignee: Regal Beloit America, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian Steven Bernard, Paul Steven Mullin, Srinivas Chandu Kutcherlapati
  • Patent number: 10224841
    Abstract: A motor control system is provided for compensating disturbance. The system includes a controller that supplies an input voltage to a motor based on the difference between a current command value to a motor and an actual current of the motor. A motor modeling part outputs a motor output current based on an input voltage from the controller and a disturbance observation part is formed as a reverse model of the motor modeling part to remove current noise using a current differentiation filtering method. Additionally, a disturbance compensation amount determination part determines a disturbance compensation amount based on the disturbance estimated by the disturbance observation part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
    Inventors: Min Woo Han, Woo Je Sung, Jong Ho Lee, Kyung Soo Kim, Yong Hun Kim
  • Patent number: 10221901
    Abstract: An actuator for a vehicle transmission system, comprising: an electrical machine comprising an armature and an inductor, a static converter comprising a plurality of commutation cells, the static converter being arranged so as to electrically connect the electrical circuit of the armature to an electrical energy source, and a system for controlling the commutation cells of the static converter, said system being configured so that the torque constant of the electrical machine can assume at least two different values depending on the control applied to said cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: Valeo Embrayages
    Inventors: Hervé Maurel, Pascal Maurel
  • Patent number: 10207575
    Abstract: A power delivery system utilizing an array of electric generators connected to an array of electric drive motors, which in turn are connected to loads of varying power demand, the generators configured to turn on and off to match the loads of varying power demands. The electric generators may be connected to an array of engines, each engine configured to run at peak efficiency. As load demands change, the engines turn on and off to meet the load demands. The engines and electrical generators may also connect to a battery to maintain the battery charge in response to demands on the battery by the electric drive motor array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2019
    Assignee: 3B TECHNOLOGIES II, INC.
    Inventors: Robert D. Washburn, Arlen E McClanahan
  • Patent number: 10199964
    Abstract: A motor control apparatus applying a sinusoidal drive waveform to a motor and including a position detection unit outputting a signal according to a motor shaft's position; and a control unit: acquiring a phase value of the motor's drive waveform when a signal is output by the position detection unit, changing a cycle of the drive waveform by measuring time from a previously output signal to a presently output signal, comparing the phases of the drive waveform and the motor shaft, and controlling to change to a cycle at which a phase value of the drive waveform matches a target phase value when a travel time corresponding to a phase value for adjustment has elapsed from a present time when a phase value of the drive waveform presently acquired differs from a target phase value acquired when the motor's drive current and drive voltage are in a designated phase relationship.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yoshihiro Mizuo
  • Patent number: 10186997
    Abstract: The invention relates to an overvoltage arrester for an electrical drive, especially a drive for a motor vehicle. The overvoltage arrester is designed to be connected to an on-board power supply system of a motor vehicle. The overvoltage arrester is designed to reduce any overvoltage produced in the on-board power supply system when a load is switched off. According to the invention, the overvoltage arrester is connected to a control unit for an electronically commutated electrical machine. The overvoltage arrester has an input for an on-board power supply system and is designed to detect when a pre-determined voltage value is exceeded and to produce an overvoltage signal depending on whether the voltage value is exceeded. The control unit is designed to transfer the electrical machine from an operating mode in which the machine generates power to an at least partial power-loss mode or to a mode in which it operates as a motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2019
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Jochen Kurfiss, Egon Gaber, Marc Eschenhagen
  • Patent number: 10186855
    Abstract: Unique systems, methods, techniques and apparatuses of a fault detection system are disclosed herein. One exemplary embodiment is a fault detection system comprising a protected device including a DC bus structured to receive AC power and provide AC power; a DC bus sensor structured to measure an electrical characteristic of the DC bus; at least one input sensor structured to measure an electrical characteristic of the AC power received by the protected device; at least one output sensor structured to measure the electrical characteristic of the AC power provided by the protected device; and a monitoring device configured to receive measurements from the DC bus sensor, at least one input sensor, at least one output sensor and determine the existence of a fault condition which originates within the protected device using the measurements of the DC bus sensor, at least one input sensor, and at least one output sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2019
    Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG
    Inventors: Joseph von Sebo, Peter M. Stipan, David R. Holmburg
  • Patent number: 10167012
    Abstract: With an object of allowing steering wheel operation to be carried out easily at a normal time and when an abnormality occurs, the invention includes a motor having two windings and a control unit having two control systems that supply control signals to each winding of the motor and when an abnormality occurs in one winding of the motor or in one system inside the control unit, a supply of current to the winding in which the abnormality has occurred is cut to zero, and the motor is driven by a predetermined current necessary at a normal time being supplied to the other winding, while at a time of a normal drive when no abnormality has occurred, the current supply is shared between the two windings, whereby the motor is driven.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshihito Asao, Akihiko Mori
  • Patent number: 10171012
    Abstract: An air conditioner and a startup control method and system for an outdoor fan of the air conditioner. While in a process of charging a bootstrap capacitor in an actuator of a motor of the outdoor fan, an initial rotation state of the motor is detected in real time, and, when charging of the bootstrap capacitor is completed, startup of the motor is correspondingly controlled on the basis of the detected initial rotation state. This allows real time initial startup work state to be acquired when charging of the bootstrap capacitor is completed, thus allowing the motor to be started smoothly, increasing the success rate in starting the motor, and solving the problem of low success rate in starting the motor of an outdoor fan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: Guangdong Welling Motor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yanchao Fu, Xiaoan Zhao, Jie Sun, Liming Gong