Patents by Inventor Marco Palma

Marco Palma 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: 9564843
    Abstract: There are disclosed herein various implementations of a method and a system enabling operation of a motor in reverse. Such a method includes applying a first drive signal to begin rotating the motor in a reverse direction, the first drive signal being applied for a predetermined period of time. The method also includes using a position sensor signal for the motor to control motor drive in the reverse direction when the motor reaches a predetermined reverse speed, and operating the motor in the reverse direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2017
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies Americas Corp.
    Inventor: Marco Palma
  • Publication number: 20130278181
    Abstract: There are disclosed herein various implementations of a method and a system enabling operation of a motor in reverse. Such a method includes applying a first drive signal to begin rotating the motor in a reverse direction, the first drive signal being applied for a predetermined period of time. The method also includes using a position sensor signal for the motor to control motor drive in the reverse direction when the motor reaches a predetermined reverse speed, and operating the motor in the reverse direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2013
    Publication date: October 24, 2013
    Applicant: International Rectifier Corporation
    Inventor: Marco Palma
  • Patent number: 8138697
    Abstract: A speed estimation method for determining the speed of a sensorless permanent magnet brushless motor having one or more phases driven by one or more stages of an inverter, each stage including high- and low-switches connected in series across a DC Bus and having a respective common switched node, the respective switched node being coupled to a respective motor phase terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: International Rectifier Corporation
    Inventor: Marco Palma
  • Patent number: 7948204
    Abstract: According to one disclosed embodiment, a gate driver circuit for sensorless speed detection and driving a switching stage includes high side and low side switches series connected across a DC bus and having a switching node between the series switches, the gate driver having a bootstrap power supply for powering a high side driver driving the high side switch of the switching stage and a low side driver power supply, and further includes a comparator circuit to periodically compare the voltage between the bootstrap and low side driver power supplies with a threshold and to output a first signal, wherein the first signal indicates current sign and frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2011
    Assignee: International Rectifier Corporation
    Inventors: Marco Palma, Christian Locatelli
  • Patent number: 7928677
    Abstract: A method of controlling a motor connected to an unbalanced load in accordance with an embodiment of the present application includes operating the motor for a predetermined period of time with a first performance parameter held constant, monitoring a signal related to a second performance parameter, monitoring electrical rotation within the motor and providing an electrical rotation signal indicative of the electrical rotation angle, sampling the signal related to the second performance parameter at a predetermined angle of electrical rotation, arranging samples provided in the sampling step in predetermined order and generating a mechanical rotation signal representing the mechanical rotation angle of a rotor of the motor based on the arrangement of samples. The mechanical rotation signal is used to control at least one of the first and second performance parameters of the motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2011
    Assignee: International Rectifier Corporation
    Inventor: Marco Palma
  • Publication number: 20090021202
    Abstract: A method of controlling a motor connected to an unbalanced load in accordance with an embodiment of the present application includes operating the motor for a predetermined period of time with a first performance parameter held constant, monitoring a signal related to a second performance parameter, monitoring electrical rotation within the motor and providing an electrical rotation signal indicative of the electrical rotation angle, sampling the signal related to the second performance parameter at a predetermined angle of electrical rotation, arranging samples provided in the sampling step in predetermined order and generating a mechanical rotation signal representing the mechanical rotation angle of a rotor of the motor based on the arrangement of samples. The mechanical rotation signal is used to control at least one of the first and second performance parameters of the motor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2008
    Publication date: January 22, 2009
    Inventor: Marco Palma
  • Patent number: 7474069
    Abstract: A circuit for optimizing power transferred from an inverter circuit to a motor, the circuit using an open loop method to start-up the motor and have it reach a minimum speed, each phase of the motor receiving voltage from the inverter circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2009
    Assignee: International Rectifier Corporation
    Inventors: Marco Palma, Massimo Grasso
  • Publication number: 20080265817
    Abstract: A speed estimation method for determining the speed of a sensorless permanent magnet brushless motor having one or more phases driven by one or more stages of an inverter, each stage including high- and low-switches connected in series across a DC Bus and having a respective common switched node, the respective switched node being coupled to a respective motor phase terminal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2008
    Publication date: October 30, 2008
    Applicant: International Rectifier Corporation
    Inventor: Marco Palma
  • Publication number: 20080252244
    Abstract: A method of determining the speed of a spinning sensorless brushless motor driven by an inverter when the phase terminals of the motor are shorted including determining a voltage related to the voltage developed in a phase leg of the inverter; from the determined voltage, determining the direction of current and providing a first signal determining transitions between current flowing in each of two directions; and from the first signal, determining the frequency of the current and thus the motor speed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2008
    Publication date: October 16, 2008
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL RECTIFIER CORPORATION
    Inventors: Marco Palma, Christian Locatelli
  • Publication number: 20070285047
    Abstract: A circuit for optimizing power transferred from an inverter circuit to a motor, the circuit using an open loop method to start-up the motor and have it reach a minimum speed, each phase of the motor receiving voltage from the inverter circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2007
    Publication date: December 13, 2007
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL RECTIFIER CORPORATION
    Inventors: Marco Palma, Massimo Grasso
  • Publication number: 20070223154
    Abstract: A circuit in a gate driver circuit controlling a half bridge stage having high and low switches, the gate driver circuit having a high side driving circuit for driving the high switch and low side driving circuit for driving the low switch, the circuit ensuring turning OFF of the high side driving circuit and the high switch. The circuit including an input portion for receiving input signals for the high and low side driving circuits and a shutdown signals; and an output portion for providing SET and RESET signals to the high and low side driving circuits, wherein the high side driving circuit is turned OFF when the input signal for the high side driving circuit is inactive and when the input signal for the low side driving circuit becomes active.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2007
    Publication date: September 27, 2007
    Inventors: Christian Locatelli, Marco Giandalia, Marco Palma