Patents by Inventor Federico Magni

Federico Magni 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: 9391551
    Abstract: A device may detect the zero-cross event of a BEMF of an electric motor with first, second, and third phase windings driven by respective first, second, and third power driving stages. The device may include a control circuit configured to place at an impedance state the third power driving stage relative to the third phase winding, the third phase winding being coupled to a zero-cross detecting circuit, introduce a masking signal to mask an output signal of the zero-cross detecting circuit in correspondence with each rising edge of a first driving signal of the first power driving stage relative to the first phase winding, and determine whether a first duty-cycle of the first driving signal is such that a duration of a masking window of the masking signal is greater than an on-time period of the first driving signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: STMICROELECTRONICS S.R.L.
    Inventors: Michele Boscolo Berto, Federico Magni
  • Patent number: 9294030
    Abstract: A method of PWM regulating a motor through a half-bridge drive stage includes sampling the motor current to obtain sampled values during driving intervals or during current decay intervals, and comparing a last sampled value with a current threshold. The motor is coupled in a slow decay electrical path for the duration of a current decay interval if the last sampled value does not exceed the current threshold. Otherwise the motor is coupled in a fast decay electrical path for a portion of the duration of the current decay interval, and is coupled in the slow decay electrical path for a remaining part of the duration of the same current decay interval.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: STMICROELECTRONICS S.R.L.
    Inventors: Paolo Pascale, Federico Magni, Ezio Galbiati, Giuseppe Maiocchi, Michele Berto Boscolo
  • Patent number: 9257920
    Abstract: A method of driving a permanent magnet synchronous electric motor includes sensing or estimating a back electromotive force induced in at least a winding of the motor by the rotation of a rotor of the motor; and reading, from a memory, values of a first voltage waveform having a phase angle with respect to the back electromotive force. The method also includes generating a driving voltage corresponding to the sum of values of a control voltage, obtained as product of the values of the first voltage waveform by a first coefficient determined as a function of a desired value of motor torque, and values of a cancelation voltage of the back electromotive force. The method also includes applying the driving voltage at the motor winding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2016
    Assignee: STMICROELECTRONICS S.R.L.
    Inventors: Michele Berto Boscolo, Federico Magni, Paolo Pascale, Ezio Galbiati
  • Publication number: 20150022128
    Abstract: A method of driving a permanent magnet synchronous electric motor includes sensing or estimating a back electromotive force induced in at least a winding of the motor by the rotation of a rotor of the motor; and reading, from a memory, values of a first voltage waveform having a phase angle with respect to the back electromotive force. The method also includes generating a driving voltage corresponding to the sum of values of a control voltage, obtained as product of the values of the first voltage waveform by a first coefficient determined as a function of a desired value of motor torque, and values of a cancelation voltage of the back electromotive force. The method also includes applying the driving voltage at the motor winding.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2014
    Publication date: January 22, 2015
    Inventors: Michele Berto BOSCOLO, Federico MAGNI, Paolo PASCALE, Ezio GALBIATI
  • Publication number: 20150002065
    Abstract: A device may detect the zero-cross event of a BEMF of an electric motor with first, second, and third phase windings driven by respective first, second, and third power driving stages. The device may include a control circuit configured to place at an impedance state the third power driving stage relative to the third phase winding, the third phase winding being coupled to a zero-cross detecting circuit, introduce a masking signal to mask an output signal of the zero-cross detecting circuit in correspondence with each rising edge of a first driving signal of the first power driving stage relative to the first phase winding, and determine whether a first duty-cycle of the first driving signal is such that a duration of a masking window of the masking signal is greater than an on-time period of the first driving signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2014
    Publication date: January 1, 2015
    Inventors: Michele Berto BOSCOLO, Federico MAGNI
  • Publication number: 20140217949
    Abstract: A method of PWM regulating a motor through a half-bridge drive stage includes sampling the motor current to obtain sampled values during driving intervals or during current decay intervals, and comparing a last sampled value with a current threshold. The motor is coupled in a slow decay electrical path for the duration of a current decay interval if the last sampled value does not exceed the current threshold. Otherwise the motor is coupled in a fast decay electrical path for a portion of the duration of the current decay interval, and is coupled in the slow decay electrical path for a remaining part of the duration of the same current decay interval.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2014
    Publication date: August 7, 2014
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics S.r.I.
    Inventors: Paolo PASCALE, Federico Magni, Ezio Galbiati, Giuseppe Maiocchi, Michele Berto Boscolo