Patents by Inventor Kevin Lee VanEyll

Kevin Lee VanEyll 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).

  • Motor starter apparatus with start-up fault detection capability
    Patent number: 10171023
    Abstract: A motor starter apparatus includes at least one semiconductor switch configured to selectively couple a power source to a motor, at least one current sensor configured to generate a current sense signal indicative of a current provided via the at least one semiconductor switch, and a control circuit coupled to the at least one current sensor and configured to cause the at least one semiconductor switch to momentarily couple the power source to the motor and identify a fault based on a behavior of the current sense signal in response to the momentary coupling. The control circuit may be configured to identify the fault responsive to detecting that a rate of change of the current in response to the momentary coupling meets a predetermined criterion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: Eaton Intelligent Power Limited
    Inventors: Kevin Lee VanEyll, Benjamin Stewart Wells, Gary Bruce Tweed
  • MOTOR STARTERS USING PULSE SEQUENCES WITH SUBFUNDAMENTAL MODULATION
    Publication number: 20180062544
    Abstract: A motor starter includes a first switch configured to couple and decouple an AC power source to a motor, a second switch configured to bypass the first switch, and a control circuit configured to operate the first switch to modulate an AC voltage applied to the motor from the AC power source at a frequency that is less than a fundamental frequency of the AC voltage and to operate the second switch to bypass the first switch responsive to operation of the motor meeting a predetermined criterion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 1, 2016
    Publication date: March 1, 2018
    Inventors: Kevin Lee Vaneyll, Benjamin Stewart Wells, Geraldo Nojima
  • MOTOR STARTER APPARATUS WITH START-UP FAULT DETECTION CAPABILITY
    Publication number: 20170317637
    Abstract: A motor starter apparatus includes at least one semiconductor switch configured to selectively couple a power source to a motor, at least one current sensor configured to generate a current sense signal indicative of a current provided via the at least one semiconductor switch, and a control circuit coupled to the at least one current sensor and configured to cause the at least one semiconductor switch to momentarily couple the power source to the motor and identify a fault based on a behavior of the current sense signal in response to the momentary coupling. The control circuit may be configured to identify the fault responsive to detecting that a rate of change of the current in response to the momentary coupling meets a predetermined criterion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2017
    Publication date: November 2, 2017
    Inventors: Kevin Lee VanEyll, Benjamin Stewart Wells, Gary Bruce Tweed
  • Motor starter apparatus with start-up fault detection capability
    Patent number: 9742344
    Abstract: A motor starter apparatus includes at least one semiconductor switch configured to selectively couple a power source to a motor, at least one current sensor configured to generate a current sense signal indicative of a current provided via the at least one semiconductor switch, and a control circuit coupled to the at least one current sensor and configured to cause the at least one semiconductor switch to momentarily couple the power source to the motor and identify a fault based on a behavior of the current sense signal in response to the momentary coupling. The control circuit may be configured to identify the fault responsive to detecting that a rate of change of the current in response to the momentary coupling meets a predetermined criterion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: Eaton Corporation
    Inventors: Kevin Lee VanEyll, Benjamin Stewart Wells, Gary Bruce Tweed
  • MOTOR STARTER APPARATUS WITH START-UP FAULT DETECTION CAPABILITY
    Publication number: 20170170772
    Abstract: A motor starter apparatus includes at least one semiconductor switch configured to selectively couple a power source to a motor, at least one current sensor configured to generate a current sense signal indicative of a current provided via the at least one semiconductor switch, and a control circuit coupled to the at least one current sensor and configured to cause the at least one semiconductor switch to momentarily couple the power source to the motor and identify a fault based on a behavior of the current sense signal in response to the momentary coupling. The control circuit may be configured to identify the fault responsive to detecting that a rate of change of the current in response to the momentary coupling meets a predetermined criterion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2015
    Publication date: June 15, 2017
    Inventors: Kevin Lee VanEyll, Benjamin Stewart Wells, Gary Bruce Tweed