Patents by Inventor Hannu Saren

Hannu Saren 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: 9282677
    Abstract: Power electronics device, such as a frequency converter, which includes liquid-cooled power units (REC5, REC6, AFE5, AFE6, INU4, INU5, DC/DC, DC/AC) and also a substrate arrangement. The power units include at least one power semiconductor component, e.g. an IGBT or a diode, connected to at least one power circuit connecting them. The power units are mechanically separate and they are disposed on at least one substrate provided with liquid cooling ducts. The substrate is common to more than one power unit, wherein the substrate includes liquid cooling interfaces and power circuit interfaces for each power unit that can be connected to it. In addition, the substrate includes one liquid cooling interface and one power circuit interface (DC+, DC?) to outside the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2016
    Assignee: VACON OYJ
    Inventors: Osmo Miettinen, Jukka Jaskari, Stefan Strandberg, Trygve Björkgren, Hannu Sarén, Magnus Hortans
  • Publication number: 20140140005
    Abstract: Power electronics device, such as a frequency converter, which includes liquid-cooled power units (REC5, REC6, AFE5, AFE6, INU4, INU5, DC/DC, DC/AC) and also a substrate arrangement. The power units include at least one power semiconductor component, e.g. an IGBT or a diode, connected to at least one power circuit connecting them. The power units are mechanically separate and they are disposed on at least one substrate provided with liquid cooling ducts. The substrate is common to more than one power unit, wherein the substrate includes liquid cooling interfaces and power circuit interfaces for each power unit that can be connected to it. In addition, the substrate includes one liquid cooling interface and one power circuit interface (DC+, DC?) to outside the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 5, 2013
    Publication date: May 22, 2014
    Applicant: VACON OYJ
    Inventors: Osmo MIETTINEN, Jukka JASKARI, Stefan STRANDBERG, Trygve BJÖRKGREN, Hannu SARÉN, Magnus HORTANS
  • Patent number: 8553432
    Abstract: Method and apparatus for controlling an apparatus transmitting power between two electricity networks or between an electricity network and a polyphase electric machine), and including low-voltage power cells (C), which include a single-phase input/output connection (IN/OUT). The power cells are arranged into groups (G1-GN, GP1-GPN1, GS1-GSN2, G1??-GN??) such that at least one power cell per each phase of the electricity network or of the electric machine belongs to each group, and the input terminals (IN) of all the power cells belonging to the same group are connected to a common transformer, the transformer including its own separate winding that is galvanically isolated. The controllable power semiconductor switches connected to the input connectors (IN) of all the power cells supplying power to the same transformer are controlled cophasally with a 50% pulse ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2013
    Assignee: Vacon OYJ
    Inventors: Risto Komulainen, Hannu Sarén
  • Patent number: 8228698
    Abstract: The shape of the rising and falling edges of AC output voltage pulses of a PWM frequency converter is controlled by reducing a speed of change, and a height, of the AC output voltage pulse. The PWM frequency converter rectifies the alternating voltage of a supply network into a DC voltage which is filtered. A load bridge having power semiconductor phase switches forms an AC output voltage from the DC voltage for controlling the load. An average speed of voltage change of AC output voltage pulses is set using a phase switch to control at least one power component to be conductive and non-conductive in turn for a period of at least about one microsecond to change a pulse edge of the AC output voltage pulses into at least one micropulse, the width of which is controlled to increase towards a final state of the phase switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: Vacon Oyj
    Inventors: Hannu Sarén, Kimmo Rauma, Juha-Pekka Ström, Magnus Hortans
  • Publication number: 20100327793
    Abstract: Method and apparatus for controlling an apparatus transmitting power between two electricity networks or between an electricity network and a polyphase electric machine (M/G), which electricity networks can be polyphase alternating-current networks or one of them can be a single-phase direct-current network, and which apparatus comprises low-voltage power cells (C), which comprise a single-phase output connection (OUT). The power cells also comprise a single-phase input connector (IN), the power cells are arranged into groups (G1-GN, GP1-GPN1, GS1-GSN2, G1??-GN??) such that at least one power cell per each phase of the electricity network or of the electric machine belongs to each group, and the input terminals (IN) of all the power cells belonging to the same group are connected to a common transformer, which transformer comprises its own separate winding that is galvanically isolated from the others for the power cell connected to it.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2010
    Publication date: December 30, 2010
    Inventors: Risto Komulainen, Hannu Sarén
  • Patent number: 7742321
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for measuring the output currents of a frequency converter, preferably a vector-controlled frequency converter, which comprises a mains bridge (10) connectable to an alternating-current network and a load bridge (11) connectable to an alternating-current load and between these a direct-voltage intermediate circuit, by using current samples obtained from a current measuring sensor in the intermediate voltage circuit, wherein a sample is taken from the signal of the current measuring sensor substantially simultaneously with a point of change of the output voltage vector and upon the lapse of a predetermined delay after the point of change after the switching effects have settled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2010
    Assignee: Vacon OYJ
    Inventors: Risto Komulainen, Hannu Saren, Jaakko Ollila
  • Publication number: 20080316780
    Abstract: Method and arrangement for controlling the output voltage pulses of a PWM frequency converter, in which PWM frequency converter is a network bridge (10) for rectifying the alternating voltage of the supply network into the DC voltage (UDC) of the DC intermediate circuit, which is filtered with a filtering capacitor (CDC), a load bridge (11) comprised of phase switches implemented with power semiconductor components, which forms the AC output voltage (U, V, W) from the DC voltage of the intermediate circuit for controlling the load (M), in which for setting the average speed of change in the output voltage in connection with each change of state of the output voltage at least one power component controlled by a phase switch is controlled such that before the output voltage remains in its position subsequent to the change of state it is on at least once for a short period, typically of less than 1 ?s (a micropulse), in the position prevailing before the change of state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2008
    Publication date: December 25, 2008
    Inventors: Hannu Saren, Kimmo Rauma, Juha-Pekka Strom, Magnus Hortans
  • Publication number: 20070279958
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for measuring the output currents of a frequency converter, preferably a vector-controlled frequency converter, which comprises a mains bridge (10) connectable to an alternating-current network and a load bridge (11) connectable to an alternating-current load and between these a direct-voltage intermediate circuit, by using current samples obtained from a current measuring sensor in the intermediate voltage circuit, wherein a sample is taken from the signal of the current measuring sensor substantially simultaneously with a point of change of the output voltage vector and upon the lapse of a predetermined delay after the point of change after the switching effects have settled.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 1, 2007
    Publication date: December 6, 2007
    Inventors: Risto Komulainen, Hannu Saren, Jaakko Ollila
  • Patent number: 7294989
    Abstract: A method of protecting a frequency converter against overvoltage by controlling an AC motor during braking or during light load and a frequency converter, wherein the frequency converter is a voltage-controlled PWM frequency converter operating in single quadrant (1Q) and comprising at least one uncontrolled rectifier bridge (10) to be connected to a AC supply line (UL1, UL2, UL3), a direct-voltage intermediate circuit and at least one controlled inverter bridge (11) for feeding an AC motor (12) with an alternating voltage (Uu, Uv, Uw) of varying magnitude and frequency, in which method: the angle (??) between the output voltage vector (Us) and current vector (Is), i.e. the power factor, is measured, the angle (??) between the output voltage vector (Us) and current vector (Is), i.e. the power factor, is controlled on the basis of the measurement, and the angle (??) between the output voltage vector (Us) and current vector (Is), i.e.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2007
    Assignee: Vacon Oyj
    Inventor: Hannu Saren
  • Patent number: 7190597
    Abstract: A modulation method for a pulse width modulator in the inverter section (11) of a frequency converter provided with a voltage intermediate circuit, said frequency converter comprising a single-phase mains bridge (10) to be connected to a single-phase alternating current source (UL, N), a direct-voltage intermediate circuit and a controlled load bridge (11) for feeding a three-phase alternating voltage (UR, US, UT) of varying frequency and amplitude into a load (13), for controlling the semiconductor switches of the inverter section, in which low-capacitance direct-voltage intermediate circuit the waveform of the intermediate-circuit voltage in a normal load situation follows the absolute value of the supply network voltage, and wherein the modulation is implemented using an estimate value of the intermediate-circuit voltage to control the semiconductor switches of the inverter section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2007
    Assignee: Vacon OYJ
    Inventor: Hannu Saren
  • Patent number: 7190601
    Abstract: A space-vector pulse-width modulation method for a frequency converter provided with a voltage intermediate circuit, said frequency converter comprising a mains bridge (10) to be connected to an alternating current source (UU, UV, UW), a direct-voltage intermediate circuit and a controlled load bridge (11) for supplying a variable-frequency alternating voltage (US, UR, UT) to a load (12), and in which method the modulator performing the modulation is given a reference. The load bridge modulator is given a reference consisting of the references for the flux linkage changes produced by the voltage vectors, the flux linkage change is calculated on the basis of measured intermediate-circuit voltage, and the currently active voltage vector is kept turned on until the reference value is reached.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2007
    Assignee: Vacon Oyj
    Inventors: Julius Luukko, Hannu Saren
  • Publication number: 20060113939
    Abstract: A method of protecting a frequency converter against overvoltage by controlling an AC motor during braking or during light load and a frequency converter, wherein the frequency converter is a voltage-controlled PWM frequency converter operating in single quadrant (1Q) and comprising at least one uncontrolled rectifier bridge (10) to be connected to a AC supply line (UL1, UL2, UL3), a direct-voltage intermediate circuit and at least one controlled inverter bridge (11) for feeding an AC motor (12) with an alternating voltage (Uu, Uv, Uw) of varying magnitude and frequency, in which method: the angle (??) between the output voltage vector (Us) and current vector (Is), i.e. the power factor, is measured, the angle (??) between the output voltage vector (Us) and current vector (Is), i.e. the power factor, is controlled on the basis of the measurement, and the angle (??) between the output voltage vector (Us) and current vector (Is), i.e.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2005
    Publication date: June 1, 2006
    Applicant: VACON OYJ
    Inventor: Hannu Saren
  • Publication number: 20050281060
    Abstract: A modulation method for a pulse width modulator in the inverter section (11) of a frequency converter provided with a voltage intermediate circuit, said frequency converter comprising a single-phase mains bridge (10) to be connected to a single-phase alternating current source (UL, N), a direct-voltage intermediate circuit and a controlled load bridge (11) for feeding a three-phase alternating voltage (UR, US, UT) of varying frequency and amplitude into a load (13), for controlling the semiconductor switches of the inverter section, in which low-capacitance direct-voltage intermediate circuit the waveform of the intermediate-circuit voltage in a normal load situation follows the absolute value of the supply network voltage, and wherein the modulation is implemented using an estimate value of the intermediate-circuit voltage to control the semiconductor switches of the inverter section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2005
    Publication date: December 22, 2005
    Inventor: Hannu Saren
  • Publication number: 20050046508
    Abstract: A space-vector pulse-width modulation method for a frequency converter provided with a voltage intermediate circuit, said frequency converter comprising a mains bridge (10) to be connected to an alternating current source (UU, UV, UW), a direct-voltage intermediate circuit and a controlled load bridge (11) for supplying a variable-frequency alternating voltage (US, UR, UT) to a load (12), and in which method the modulator performing the modulation is given a reference. The load bridge modulator is given a reference consisting of the references for the flux linkage changes produced by the voltage vectors, the flux linkage change is calculated on the basis of measured intermediate-circuit voltage, and the currently active voltage vector is kept turned on until the reference value is reached.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2004
    Publication date: March 3, 2005
    Applicant: VACON OYJ
    Inventors: Julius Luukko, Hannu Saren