Patents by Inventor Brian R. Buchholz

Brian R. Buchholz 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).

  • Patent number: 6549434
    Abstract: A harmonic mitigating apparatus connected between a three phase power source and a load provides a multiple-winding reactor for reducing harmonics directed from the load to the source, the apparatus including, for each system phase, first and second line windings in series between the source and load and oriented so as to have the same polarity such that the winding fluxes add thereby increasing total reactance to harmonics directed from the load to the supply, the apparatus also including at least one trap circuit including a series inductance and capacitor for each phase and linked between the first and second line windings and a neutral point (or another phase), the trap circuit characterized by a reactance that is lower than the reactance of the first line winding such that harmonics flow into the trap circuit, for each phase, at least two of the first and second line windings and the trap winding arranged on the same core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2003
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Dongsheng Zhou, Gary L. Skibinski, Walt A. Maslowski, Brian R. Buchholz, Nick N. Guskov
  • Publication number: 20030053320
    Abstract: A harmonic mitigating apparatus connected between a three phase power source and a load provides a multiple-winding reactor for reducing harmonics directed from the load to the source, the apparatus including, for each system phase, first and second line windings in series between the source and load and oriented so as to have the same polarity such that the winding fluxes add thereby increasing total reactance to harmonics directed from the load to the supply, the apparatus also including at least one trap circuit including a series inductance and capacitor for each phase and linked between the first and second line windings and a neutral point (or another phase), the trap circuit characterized by a reactance that is lower than the reactance of the first line winding such that harmonics flow into the trap circuit, for each phase, at least two of the first and second line windings and the trap winding arranged on the same core.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2001
    Publication date: March 20, 2003
    Inventors: Dongsheng Zhou, Gary L. Skibinski, Walt A. Maslowski, Brian R. Buchholz, Nick N. Guskov
  • Patent number: 6385064
    Abstract: A nine-phase AC to DC power converter system may exhibit current unbalance problem among bridges due to two reasons: slight voltage magnitude difference among different sets of three-phase supplies and pre-existing voltage harmonics in the power supply lines. Since the unpredictability of the pre-existing harmonics and manufacturing uncertainty of the nine-phase power supply (it is usually a three to nine phase transformer), all devices in the rectifier bridges are required to carry much higher than necessary current magnitude and have to be designed oversize, as much as 100% up. Here we describe various topologies of harmonic blocking reactors to combat this problem. The described topologies can significantly improve this situation and thus avoid the over-sizing exercise (cost) when such converter system is built. The principle can be easily extended to any multi-phase AC to DC or DC to AC power conversion system of more than nine phases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2002
    Assignee: Rockwell Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Dongsheng Zhou, Gary L. Skibinski, Walt A. Maslowski, Brian R. Buchholz, Bruce A. Hachey, Nickolay N. Guskov
  • Patent number: 6208537
    Abstract: An apparatus to be used with a PWM VSI which is linked by voltage supply cables to either a passive or a dynamic load, the VSI providing voltages on the cables which have at least one primary harmonic component, the apparatus linked to the output terminals of the VSI and including a line inductor between each output terminal and the load and, for each cable, at least one resonant filter branch including an inductor and a capacitor linked to each of the supply lines and to a common node wherein the line inductors are chosen so as to limit filter current and the branch elements are chosen such that a resonant frequency thereof is essentially equal to the frequency of the primary harmonic component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2001
    Assignee: Rockwell Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Gary L. Skibinski, Brian R. Buchholz
  • Patent number: 5956244
    Abstract: An apparatus for converting three phase AC supply line voltages to DC voltage on a DC bus, the apparatus including a master converter subsystem and at least one slave converter subsystem wherein each subsystem includes a current regulator, a PMW modulator and a converter, the master converter linked to the supply lines and the slave converter linked to the supply lines via intermediate lines, each regulator receiving a current command signal and generating modulating signals, each modulator using a carrier signal and modulating signals from a corresponding regulator to generate control signals to control a corresponding converter, the intermediate lines linked to a common mode choke for essentially eliminating common mode currents in the intermediate lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 21, 1999
    Assignee: Allen-Bradley Company LLC
    Inventors: Thomas J. Rehm, Robert L. Pitsch, Timothy J. Martin, Brian R. Buchholz