Patents by Inventor Julie A. Kleinau

Julie A. Kleinau 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: 20180215409
    Abstract: A control system for monitoring operation of an electric motor includes a plurality of position sensors configured to measure a position of the electric motor, an indirect position estimation module configured to indirectly estimate the position of the motor, and an error monitoring module. The error monitoring module is configured to perform at least one of: comparing a measured position from the plurality of position sensors to an estimated position from the sensor position estimation module, and detecting a failure of at least one of the one or more position sensors based on the comparison; and calculating a difference between the measured position from one of the plurality of position sensors and the measured position from another of the plurality of position sensors, and causing the indirect position estimation module to initiate estimation of the position of the motor based on the difference.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2017
    Publication date: August 2, 2018
    Inventors: Prerit Pramod, Rakesh Mitra, Jeffery A. Zuraski, Ashok Chandy, Julie A. Kleinau
  • Patent number: 10003285
    Abstract: A method of controlling an electric motor that generates an output current from an input voltage command that includes a sum of a first voltage command and a second voltage command is provided. The method receives the output current from the motor as a feedback. The method determines a first set of gain factors to generate the first voltage command based on the feedback such that the input voltage command causes the motor to generate the output current with reduced influence of variations of a set of operating parameters of the motor. The method determines a difference between the feedback and a desired current. The method determines a second set of gain factors to generate the second voltage command based on the difference such that the input voltage command causes the motor to generate the output current as a first, second or higher order response.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2018
    Assignee: STEERING SOLUTIONS IP HOLDING CORPORATION
    Inventors: Prerit Pramod, Shrenik P. Shah, Julie A. Kleinau, Michael K. Hales
  • Patent number: 9966890
    Abstract: A system for detecting offset error in a power steering system is provided. The system includes a programmable high pass filter module configured to filter a final voltage command and generate a filtered final voltage command. The filtered final voltage command includes the sinusoidal component, a gain and phase compensation module configured to perform a gain compensation and a phase compensation on the filtered final voltage command to generate a compensated final voltage command. An error detection module is configured to determine an offset of the compensated final voltage command in a stator reference frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: STEERING SOLUTIONS IP HOLDING CORPORATION
    Inventors: Prerit Pramod, Siddharth Ballal, Julie A. Kleinau
  • Publication number: 20180097461
    Abstract: A system for reducing a torque ripple cancellation command is provided and includes a current regulator that provides motor voltage commands to a motor, and a torque ripple cancellation module that generates a torque ripple cancellation command based on input currents to the current regulator. A ramp-down command generator module that provides a ramp-down command to the torque ripple cancellation module is also provided. The ramp-down command is based on a voltage saturation indicator, and a voltage saturation indicator generator that generates a voltage saturation indicator signal. The voltage saturation indicator signal is based on a supply voltage signal and a motor voltage command.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2016
    Publication date: April 5, 2018
    Inventors: Siddharth Ballal, Prerit Pramod, Julie A. Kleinau
  • Patent number: 9873450
    Abstract: A system for detecting offset error in a power steering system comprises a programmable high pass filter module configured to filter a final voltage command and generate a filtered final voltage command that includes the sinusoidal component, a gain and phase compensation module configured to perform a gain compensation and a phase compensation on the filtered final voltage command to generate a compensated final voltage command; and an error detection module configured to determine an offset of the compensated final voltage command in a stator reference frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: STEERING SOLUTIONS IP HOLDING CORPORATION
    Inventors: Prerit Pramod, Siddharth Ballal, Julie A. Kleinau
  • Patent number: 9809247
    Abstract: A power steering system includes a torque modifier module that generates a modified torque command in response to a current sensor fault, a magnitude of the modified torque command changes over a time period. The power steering system also includes a feedforward selection module that applies a dynamic feedforward compensation to a motor current command, thereby generating a motor voltage that is applied to a motor of the power steering system, the dynamic feedforward compensation modifies a frequency response of the power steering system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: STEERING SOLUTIONS IP HOLDING CORPORATION
    Inventors: Julie A. Kleinau, Prerit Pramod, Dennis B. Skellenger, Selva Kumar Sengottaiyan
  • Patent number: 9806656
    Abstract: An embodiment of a system for determining a sensor failure in a motor control system with at least three phase current measurements includes a magnitude computation module that determines a magnitude of a diagnostic voltage, the diagnostic voltage represented in a stator frame and based on a difference between an input voltage command and a final voltage command, and a phase evaluation module that determines a phase value of the diagnostic voltage based on the diagnostic voltage. The system also includes a sensor failure identification module that identifies a current sensor failure based on the phase value of the diagnostic voltage, the sensor failure represented by a failure signal, and a current calculation transition module that modifies a calculation scheme for determining a measurement of motor current based on the sensor failure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: STEERING SOLUTIONS IP HOLDING CORPORATION
    Inventors: Prerit Pramod, Nayeem Mahmud, Rakesh Mitra, Dennis B. Skellenger, Julie A. Kleinau
  • Publication number: 20170232999
    Abstract: A system for detecting offset error in a power steering system comprises a programmable high pass filter module configured to filter a final voltage command and generate a filtered final voltage command that includes the sinusoidal component, a gain and phase compensation module configured to perform a gain compensation and a phase compensation on the filtered final voltage command to generate a compensated final voltage command; and an error detection module configured to determine an offset of the compensated final voltage command in a stator reference frame.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 16, 2016
    Publication date: August 17, 2017
    Inventors: Prerit Pramod, Siddharth Ballal, Julie A. Kleinau
  • Publication number: 20170237375
    Abstract: A system for detecting offset error in a power steering system is provided. The system includes a programmable high pass filter module configured to filter a final voltage command and generate a filtered final voltage command. The filtered final voltage command includes the sinusoidal component, a gain and phase compensation module configured to perform a gain compensation and a phase compensation on the filtered final voltage command to generate a compensated final voltage command. An error detection module is configured to determine an offset of the compensated final voltage command in a stator reference frame.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2016
    Publication date: August 17, 2017
    Inventors: Prerit Pramod, Siddharth Ballal, Julie A. Kleinau
  • Patent number: 9663139
    Abstract: A motor control system comprising a motor configured to operate at a rotational velocity and a control module in communication with the motor is provided. The control module is configured to receive a torque command indicating a desired amount of torque to be generated by the motor, obtain a rotational velocity of the motor, receive a desired phase advance angle for driving the motor; and generate a voltage command indicating a voltage magnitude to be applied to the motor based on the rotational velocity of the motor, the motor torque command, and the desired phase advance angle by using a plurality of dynamic inverse motor model equations that (i) allow the desired phase advance angle to exceed an impedance angle of the motor and (ii) specify that the voltage magnitude is a function of a voltage magnitude of a previous voltage command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: STEERING SOLUTIONS IP HOLDING CORPORATION
    Inventor: Julie A. Kleinau
  • Publication number: 20160352276
    Abstract: A system for preventing controller windup in an electric motor includes a limiting module that determines a limited voltage command in response to a commanded voltage exceeding an available voltage of a motor power source, the limited voltage command is applied to an electric motor, a saturation parameter module that determines a saturation parameter based on the limited voltage command, the saturation parameter indicates a magnitude of the commanded voltage exceeding the available voltage, a non-linear processing module that processes the saturation parameter to generate a processed saturation parameter, and a reference current modifier module that generates a modified current command based on the processed saturation parameter, the modified current command is applied to the control system to improve the current command tracking.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2016
    Publication date: December 1, 2016
    Inventors: Prerit Pramod, Julie A. Kleinau
  • Publication number: 20160229449
    Abstract: A power steering system includes a torque modifier module that generates a modified torque command in response to a current sensor fault, a magnitude of the modified torque command changes over a time period. The power steering system also includes a feedforward selection module that applies a dynamic feedforward compensation to a motor current command, thereby generating a motor voltage that is applied to a motor of the power steering system, the dynamic feedforward compensation modifies a frequency response of the power steering system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2016
    Publication date: August 11, 2016
    Inventors: Julie A. Kleinau, Prerit Pramod, Dennis B. Skellenger, Selva Kumar Sengottaiyan
  • Publication number: 20150372623
    Abstract: A method of controlling an electric motor that generates an output current from an input voltage command that includes a sum of a first voltage command and a second voltage command is provided. The method receives the output current from the motor as a feedback. The method determines a first set of gain factors to generate the first voltage command based on the feedback such that the input voltage command causes the motor to generate the output current with reduced influence of variations of a set of operating parameters of the motor. The method determines a difference between the feedback and a desired current. The method determines a second set of gain factors to generate the second voltage command based on the difference such that the input voltage command causes the motor to generate the output current as a first, second or higher order response.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2014
    Publication date: December 24, 2015
    Inventors: Prerit Pramod, Shrenik P. Shah, Julie A. Kleinau, Michael K. Hales
  • Publication number: 20150222210
    Abstract: A method of controlling a motor in a motor control system is provided. The method determines a control voltage budget value based on an operating region of the motor. The method adjusts a supply voltage signal based on the control voltage budget value. The method determines a motor voltage command based on the adjusted supply voltage signal. The method applies a voltage corresponding to the motor voltage command to the motor in order to generate a desired motor torque.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 4, 2015
    Publication date: August 6, 2015
    Inventors: Julie A. Kleinau, Siddharth Ballal
  • Patent number: 8903606
    Abstract: A system for providing enhanced steering pull compensation is provided. The system compensates for steering pull in a vehicle using a signal from a pull compensation signal generator. The signal from the pull compensation signal generator is processed though a processing mechanism. The processing mechanism controls a power steering assist motor through fault and limit logic as a function of the pull compensation signal generator, thereby providing steering pull compensation. The processing mechanism also controls the power steering assist motor based on input from a vehicle speed sensor and a calibration input mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: Steering Solutiions IP Holding Corporation
    Inventors: Julie A. Kleinau, Troy P. Strieter
  • Patent number: 8896244
    Abstract: A motor control system is provided, including a motor and a control module. The motor operates at a rotational velocity, and creates a regenerative current. The motor has a target field weakening current that is configured for limiting the regenerative current to a threshold value. The control module is in communication with the motor. The control module receives a motor torque command. The control module includes control logic for identifying the target field weakening current based upon the motor torque command and the rotational velocity of the motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: Steering Solutions IP Holding Corporation
    Inventor: Julie A. Kleinau
  • Publication number: 20140239860
    Abstract: A motor control system comprising a motor configured to operate at a rotational velocity and a control module in communication with the motor is provided. The control module is configured to receive a torque command indicating a desired amount of torque to be generated by the motor, obtain a rotational velocity of the motor, receive a desired phase advance angle for driving the motor; and generate a voltage command indicating a voltage magnitude to be applied to the motor based on the rotational velocity of the motor, the motor torque command, and the desired phase advance angle by using a plurality of dynamic inverse motor model equations that (i) allow the desired phase advance angle to exceed an impedance angle of the motor and (ii) specify that the voltage magnitude is a function of a voltage magnitude of a previous voltage command.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2014
    Publication date: August 28, 2014
    Applicant: STEERING SOLUTIONS IP HOLDING CORPORATION
    Inventor: Julie A. Kleinau
  • Patent number: 8498781
    Abstract: A method for controlling the response of an electric steering system by implementing damping for over-speed conditions is disclosed. The method includes the step of determining the velocity of an electric motor within the electric steering system, and determining a voltage limit value, wherein the voltage limit value is calculated as a function of the velocity of the electric motor. The method further includes the step of associating the voltage limit value with a motor voltage command in order to produce a limited voltage command, and applying the limited voltage command to the motor in order to provide a braking torque to the motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2013
    Inventors: Steven J. Collier-Hallman, Julie A. Kleinau
  • Publication number: 20130154524
    Abstract: A motor control system is provided, including a motor and a control module. The motor operates at a rotational velocity, and creates a regenerative current. The motor has a target field weakening current that is configured for limiting the regenerative current to a threshold value. The control module is in communication with the motor. The control module receives a motor torque command. The control module includes control logic for identifying the target field weakening current based upon the motor torque command and the rotational velocity of the motor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2011
    Publication date: June 20, 2013
    Applicant: NEXTEER (BEIJING) TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Julie A. Kleinau
  • Patent number: 7725227
    Abstract: A method, system, and apparatus for providing enhanced steering pull compensation are provided. The method compensates for steering pull in a vehicle steering system that includes a handwheel. The method includes monitoring the vehicle to determine whether the vehicle is heading forward along a substantially linear straight-ahead path and, if so, measuring handwheel torque, as a sensed torque signal, to determine an amount of steering pull existing at the handwheel. The method also includes generating a torque assist signal in response to the sensed torque signal and calculating an offset signal for reducing the amount of steering pull to substantially zero. The method further includes producing a modified torque assist signal by adding the offset signal to the torque assist signal, and applying the modified torque assist signal to the vehicle steering system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2010
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations, Inc.
    Inventors: Kathryn L. Pattok, Terrence D. Smith, Ashok Chandy, Julie A. Kleinau, Jeff Zuraski, Mark P. Colosky, Troy P. Strieter