Patents by Inventor ANDREAS SCHNELL

ANDREAS SCHNELL has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20250253796
    Abstract: A switching arrangement with a B6 bridge for controlling an electric motor is provided. The lower semiconductor switches of each half bridge of the B6 bridge are connected to a motor ground via a common summing shunt. The switching arrangement includes a monitoring device for monitoring a current through the summing shunt based on a voltage that is dropped across the summing shunt. The monitoring device detects, in the event of a reverse current through the summing shunt that is higher than a predefined threshold value and lasts longer than a predefined period, a ground connection on the phase for which the semiconductor switches of the half bridge connected to this phase were last switched over such that the respective upper semiconductor switch is open and the respective lower semiconductor switch is closed. A method for detecting a ground connection of a phase of the electric motor is also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2025
    Publication date: August 7, 2025
    Applicant: Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG
    Inventors: Dominik Will, Marc Arabackyj, Andreas Schnell, Robert Istvan Lorincz
  • Patent number: 11031888
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for operating a rotating electric machine (1) having a rotor (3), a polyphase excitation winding (5) and a commutation apparatus (9) for commutating excitation winding currents of the excitation winding (5) depending on rotor position values (R) for rotor positions of the rotor (3). First measurement values (A) for the rotor positions are detected by means of a first sensor apparatus (13) and second measurement values (B) for the rotor positions are detected by means of a second sensor apparatus (15). For the commutation of the excitation winding currents, the rotor position values (R) are formed from weighted mean values (M) of the first measurement values (A) and the second measurement values (B).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: Vitesco Technologies Germany GmbH
    Inventors: Andreas Schnell, Michael Winkler, Emanoil Iordache
  • Patent number: 10439523
    Abstract: In a method for controlling an operation of an electric motor, electric voltages applied to electric phases of the electric motor are generated and output in a modulation in a controlled manner dependent on a rotor position of the electric motor and a target/actual comparison of at least one first variable which characterizes a load on the electric motor or an actual rotational speed of the electric motor. A rotor position angle, which characterizes the rotor position, is complemented with a specified preliminary control angle and another regulated preliminary control angle component upon reaching a field weakening range of the electric motor so as to form a sum angle. The sum angle is used to characterize the rotor position in the modulation upon reaching the field weakening range. The disclosure also relates to a device for controlling an operation of an electric motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: Conti Temic microelectronic GmbH
    Inventors: Patrick Hinze, Andreas Schnell, Andreas Schulze
  • Publication number: 20180375450
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for operating a rotating electric machine (1) having a rotor (3), a polyphase excitation winding (5) and a commutation apparatus (9) for commutating excitation winding currents of the excitation winding (5) depending on rotor position values (R) for rotor positions of the rotor (3). First measurement values (A) for the rotor positions are detected by means of a first sensor apparatus (13) and second measurement values (B) for the rotor positions are detected by means of a second sensor apparatus (15). For the commutation of the excitation winding currents, the rotor position values (R) are formed from weighted mean values (M) of the first measurement values (A) and the second measurement values (B).
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 5, 2016
    Publication date: December 27, 2018
    Inventors: Andreas SCHNELL, Michael WINKLER, Emanoil IORDACHE
  • Publication number: 20170324356
    Abstract: In a method for controlling an operation of an electric motor, electric voltages applied to electric phases of the electric motor are generated and output in a modulation in a controlled manner dependent on a rotor position of the electric motor and a target/actual comparison of at least one first variable which characterizes a load on the electric motor or an actual rotational speed of the electric motor. A rotor position angle, which characterizes the rotor position, is complemented with a specified preliminary control angle and another regulated preliminary control angle component upon reaching a field weakening range of the electric motor so as to form a sum angle. The sum angle is used to characterize the rotor position in the modulation upon reaching the field weakening range. The disclosure also relates to a device for controlling an operation of an electric motor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2015
    Publication date: November 9, 2017
    Inventors: PATRICK HINZE, ANDREAS SCHNELL, ANDREAS SCHULZE
  • Patent number: 9577568
    Abstract: A method recognizes a wire-break fault during operation of a brushless DC motor. A switch-on delay duration of a transition of an electrical phase potential that rests on the stator winding phase from a switch-off potential to a switch-on potential and a switch-off delay duration of the transition of the phase potential from the switch-on potential to the switch-off potential are detected for a stator winding phase of the stator winding of the motor during each pulse width modulation cycle period. Moreover, a lower deviation limit is defined for a deviation of detected switch-off delay durations from detected switch-on delay durations. A wire-break fault is deduced if the deviations of the detected switch-off delay durations from the detected switch-on delay durations fall below the lower deviation limit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignees: Conti Temic Microelectronic GmbH, Continental Automotive GmbH
    Inventors: Robert Istvan Loerincz, Andreas Schnell
  • Publication number: 20160149533
    Abstract: A method recognizes a wire-break fault during operation of a brushless DC motor. A switch-on delay duration of a transition of an electrical phase potential that rests on the stator winding phase from a switch-off potential to a switch-on potential and a switch-off delay duration of the transition of the phase potential from the switch-on potential to the switch-off potential are detected for a stator winding phase of the stator winding of the motor during each pulse width modulation cycle period. Moreover, a lower deviation limit is defined for a deviation of detected switch-off delay durations from detected switch-on delay durations. A wire-break fault is deduced if the deviations of the detected switch-off delay durations from the detected switch-on delay durations fall below the lower deviation limit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2014
    Publication date: May 26, 2016
    Inventors: ROBERT ISTVAN LOERINCZ, ANDREAS SCHNELL