Patents Examined by Zoheb S Imtiaz
  • Patent number: 11219493
    Abstract: A surgical tool having an elongated shaft having a proximal end and distal end. A surgical end effector is located about the distal end. The surgical end effector has a plurality of effector mechanisms comprising a plurality of degree of freedoms. An effector body is located at the proximal end. The effector body includes a plurality of motor interfaces for driving the plurality of effector mechanisms. A transmission is coupled to the effector body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: INTUITIVE SURGICAL OPERATIONS, INC.
    Inventors: David W. Bailey, Gabriel F. Brisson, Rumen Deyanov, Ray Lathrop, Theodore W. Rogers
  • Patent number: 11218103
    Abstract: An intelligent electronic device (IED) according to the present disclosure can estimate a full load rotor resistance value as a function of motor positive-sequence resistance. The IED may estimate the full load rotor resistance value by measuring zero-crossings of voltage after a motor disconnect. The IED may also acquire motor current and voltage measurements and calculate motor slip using the acquired motor current and voltage measurements and the estimated full load rotor resistance value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Marcos A. Donolo, Jay Hartshorn, Subhash C. Patel, Vinod K. Yedidi, Jianchun Qin
  • Patent number: 11211892
    Abstract: A motor drive apparatus includes: a rectifier; an inverter; a DC link voltage detection unit; an input current detection unit configured to detect input current inputted to the rectifier; a DC link voltage comparison unit configured to compare a DC link voltage with a first voltage threshold value and with a second voltage threshold value; a current comparison unit configured to compare the input current with a current threshold value; and an abnormality detection unit configured, in a case that the DC link voltage is smaller than the first voltage threshold value or that the DC link voltage is greater than the second voltage threshold value, to determine that a first abnormality has occurred when the input current is smaller than the current threshold value and to determine that a second abnormality has occurred when the input current is equal to or greater than the current threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: Fanuc Corporation
    Inventor: Takaaki Tagawa
  • Patent number: 11201540
    Abstract: A motor control circuit with power factor correction capabilities that optimizes the voltage and current load applied to an electric motor for different motor speeds and torque levels. The preferred motor control circuit includes a power factor correction circuit and a step down conversion circuit through which current passes before it reaches the motor. A microprocessor preferably monitors the current supplied to the motor and the motor's speed. If the microprocessor determines that the current supplied to the motor is too high, it can reduce the level of current by either using a pulse width modulation (PWM) digital-to-analog control circuit to instruct the power factor correction circuit to reduce current or it can use a PWM digital control circuit to instruct the step down conversion circuit to reduce current. An output voltage limiter circuit can be used to detect the voltage of current supplied to the motor and turn off current to the motor if the voltage is above a predetermined level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: f'Real! Foods, LLC
    Inventor: Shek Fai Lau
  • Patent number: 11196364
    Abstract: A motor control device is configured to control a motor as a dynamic force source depending on a position of a rotation detection object that rotates while interlocking with the motor, the motor and the rotation detection object being included in a mechanical apparatus including a plurality of constituent elements that interlock with each other. The motor control device includes a computation circuit configured to compute an absolute rotation angle of the rotation detection object, using a relative rotation angle of a first constituent element of the mechanical apparatus that is detected through a relative angle sensor provided in the mechanical apparatus, and a rotation number conversion value resulting from converting an absolute rotation angle of a second constituent element of the mechanical apparatus that is detected through an absolute angle sensor provided in the mechanical apparatus, into a rotation number of the first constituent element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: JTEKT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shouta Zouza, Yuuki Nakashima, Yuji Fujita, Toshihiro Takahashi, Xavier Palandre
  • Patent number: 11190126
    Abstract: Technical solutions are described for controlling operation of a multiphase electric machine using a signal generator configured to generate n number of duty cycle signals of a combination pulse width modulation (PWM) scheme comprising of a continuous PWM scheme and a noncontinuous PWM scheme, with n being an integer greater than 3. A blending coefficient value determines relative weights of each of the continuous and noncontinuous PWM schemes in forming the combination PWM scheme. A blending function determines relative weights of each of the continuous PWM scheme and the noncontinuous PWM scheme used to generate the duty cycle signals. The bending function is calculated piecewise based on a difference between the blending coefficient value and two threshold values. The signal generator uses each of the duty cycle signals to control switching of a DC power to a corresponding phase of the multiphase electric machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: Steering Solutions IP Holding Corporation
    Inventors: Zhe Zhang, Prerit Pramod
  • Patent number: 11190118
    Abstract: A system for controlling electrical power generated by a permanent magnet machine coupled to an internal combustion engine includes a central processing unit configured to determine speed of the machine, and compare the machine speed with a predetermined range of machine speeds, a series power switching circuit connected between the machine and a battery, a bus decoupling power switch connected between a voltage bus and the battery, and a bridge switching circuit connected between the voltage bus and the machine and configured to amplify voltage generated by the machine if the machine speed is less than a predetermined value or fall within a predetermined range thereby charging the battery with amplified voltage even at lower machine speeds. The central processing unit selectively connects the bridge switching circuit with the battery by actuating the bus decoupling switch and/or the series power switching circuit depending upon the machine speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: SEDEMAC MECHATRONICS PVT LTD
    Inventors: Amit Dixit, Arvind Athavale, Anaykumar Joshi
  • Patent number: 11190124
    Abstract: A motor control method includes acquiring n-phase currents, where n is an integer of three or more, of a first inverter, a GND current of the first inverter, n-phase currents of a second inverter, and a GND current of the second inverter, generating a first fault signal indicating presence or absence of a shunt resistor fault in the first inverter based on the n-phase currents and GND current of the first inverter and generating a second fault signal indicating presence or absence of a shunt resistor fault in the second inverter based on the n-phase currents and GND current of the second inverter, referring to a table representing a relationship between a set of levels of the first fault signal and the second fault signal and control modes and selecting one of the control modes, and controlling a motor in accordance with the selected control mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: NIDEC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Ahmad Ghaderi
  • Patent number: 11178992
    Abstract: A motor drive system for operating a mechanism for raising and lowering window coverings includes a motor operating under electrical power and an electrically powered drive system. The motor drive system advances a continuous cord loop in response to positional commands from a controller. An input-output device includes a capacitive touch strip that receives user inputs along an input axis, and an LEDs strip aligned with the input axis. A group mode module communicates the positional commands to other motor drive systems within an identified group to operate respective other mechanisms of the other motor drive systems. A set control module enables user calibration of a top position and a bottom position of travel of the window covering. The input-output device extends vertically on the exterior of a housing for the motor drive system, and the housing supports input buttons of the group mode module and the set control module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: RYSE INC.
    Inventors: Trung Duc Pham, Alan Wing Hor Cheng, Marc Rashad Bishara, Clifton Pereira
  • Patent number: 11175632
    Abstract: An electronic timepiece detects an external magnetic field without using a magnetic sensor. The electronic timepiece has a driver that drives a motor; a current detector that detects a current value flowing through a coil of the motor; a controller that controls the driver to the on state or the off state according to the detected current value; a polarity changer that alternately changes the polarity of the drive current to a first polarity and a second polarity when an on time, which is a continuous time of the on state, meets a specific condition; a counter that counts the number of on states in the first polarity and the number of on states in the second polarity; and an external magnetic field detector that detects an external magnetic field based on a result of comparing the counted number of on states in the first polarity and the second polarity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Inventor: Takashi Kawaguchi
  • Patent number: 11171585
    Abstract: A motor controller used for driving a motor is provided. The motor controller includes a driving circuit, a control unit, an operational amplifier, a comparator, an inverter, a multiplexer, a first resistor, and a second resistor. The first and second resistors are mounted on a printed circuit board. By changing the resistance of the first resistor and the resistance of the second resistor, it is capable of changing the driving direction of the motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: Global Mixed-mode Technology Inc.
    Inventor: Guang-Nan Tzeng
  • Patent number: 11165380
    Abstract: A lead angle estimator is provided for estimating a lead angle of a brushless DC motor. The lead angle is the angle between a phase-voltage-vector of a phase-voltage, and a phase-current-vector of a phase-current. The lead angle estimator comprises a sampling unit and a processing unit. The sampling unit is adapted for obtaining phase-samples, which are a measure of the phase-current. The processing unit is adapted for estimating the lead angle by calculating a difference of the phase-samples in a extremum period around a maximum or around at least the phase-voltage, and by normalizing the obtained difference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: MELEXIS TECHNOLOGIES NV
    Inventor: Marc Lambrechts
  • Patent number: 11159111
    Abstract: An electric machine for a vehicle includes a stator and a rotor, where the rotor is inserted into an interior space of the stator such that the rotor rotates about an axis of rotation during normal operation of the electric machine. The rotor has a receiving area in which a rotor position sensor is received, and the rotor position sensor is configured to supply an output signal to control the electric machine during normal operation of the electric machine, said output signal indicating a rotational position of the rotor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Inventor: Brian McLean
  • Patent number: 11159113
    Abstract: In the fault-tolerant direct thrust-force control (FT-DTC) method, the generalized Clarke transform matrix and its inverse matrix are derived according to the fault-tolerant phase currents. The stator fluxes in ?-? plane are deduced based on these. Based on the requirement of circular stator flux trajectory, virtual stator fluxes are defined, and then compensatory voltages in the ?-? plane are obtained. Actual stator voltages in the ?-? plane are calculated by modulation function of voltage source inverter. Combining with the compensatory voltages, the actual stator voltages and the stator currents, the virtual stator fluxes and the thrust-force are estimated by the flux and thrust-force observers. The thrust-force reference, the stator flux amplitude reference, the observed thrust-force and virtual stator flux are applied to predict virtual stator voltage references.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Assignee: JIANGSU UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Huawei Zhou, Cheng Zhou, Guohai Liu, Duo Zhang
  • Patent number: 11152881
    Abstract: A control device includes: a first power converter applying a voltage to a first winding; a second power converter applying a voltage to a second winding; a first power supply circuit supplying power to the first power converter; a second power supply circuit supplying power to the second power converter; a current command calculator; a first current controller; and a second current controller. The second power supply circuit supplies power at a voltage higher than a voltage of the first power supply circuit. The current command calculator calculates a first voltage usage state, which is an indicator value correlated with a magnitude of the output voltage of the first power converter with respect to a power supply voltage output at a time of supply of power by the first power supply circuit, and calculates the second current command based on the first voltage usage state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Yuya Tsuchimoto, Isao Kezobo, Akira Furukawa
  • Patent number: 11152882
    Abstract: The current document is directed to various types of oscillating resonant modules (“ORMs”), including linear-resonant vibration modules, that can be incorporated in a wide variety of appliances, devices, and systems to provide vibrational forces. The vibrational forces are produced by back-and-forth oscillation of a weight or member along a path, generally a segment of a space curve. A controller controls each of one or more ORMs to produce driving oscillations according to a control curve or control pattern for the ORM that specifies the frequency of the driving oscillations with respect to time. The driving oscillations, in turn, elicit a desired vibration response in the device, appliance, or system in which the one or more ORMs are included. The desired vibration response is achieved by selecting and scaling control patterns in view of known resonance frequencies of the device, appliance, or system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: RESONANT SYSTEMS, INC.
    Inventors: Robin Elenga, Dan Knodle, Brian Pepin
  • Patent number: 11139762
    Abstract: A motor control device includes: a voltage boosting circuit that boosts a power source voltage supplied from an outside; a condenser that smooths a voltage output by the voltage boosting circuit; an inverter circuit that generates a drive voltage of a motor by switching a voltage output by the voltage boosting circuit and smoothed by the condenser; and a control part that causes the voltage boosting circuit to bypass and causes the power source voltage to be supplied to the inverter circuit, and a distance between the voltage boosting circuit and the inverter circuit is a distance with which a parasitic inductance is equal to or less than a predetermined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignee: NIDEC TOSOK CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tadayuki Hatsuda, Yoshihisa Okuhata
  • Patent number: 11139809
    Abstract: A driving apparatus includes a current output unit, a reference voltage output unit, a comparator, and a drive control unit. The current output unit is switchable to either a first ON resistance or a second ON resistance that is N times (N>1) the first ON resistance. The reference voltage output unit outputs a fist reference voltage during a large current time period, and outputs a second reference voltage that is M times (M>1) the first reference voltage during a small current time period. The drive control unit performs control to perform switching to the first ON resistance during the large current time period, and to perform switching to the second ON resistance during the small current time period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventor: Akira Fujita
  • Patent number: 11114957
    Abstract: A vacuum pump and a motor controller that make a safe transition to a regeneration mode while avoiding an overvoltage are provided. A turbo molecular pump includes a power supply unit that converts alternating-current power to direct-current power and outputs the power, the alternating-current power being obtained from an alternating-current power supply, and the motor controller that controls a motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: Edwards Japan Limited
    Inventor: Kou Sato
  • Patent number: 11108350
    Abstract: Provided is an electric power steering device including: a DC power supply; a motor; an inverter circuit configured to convert a DC power output from the DC power supply to an AC power and output the AC power after the conversion to the motor; and a filter circuit, which is provided between the DC power supply and the inverter circuit, and includes a choke coil. The choke coil includes: a core; and one or more conductor sets each including two conductors wound in parallel on the core. A tip on one side of each of the two conductors included in each of the conductor sets is connected to the DC power supply side, and a tip on another side of each of the two conductors is connected to the inverter circuit side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Takahiro Okanoue