Patents by Inventor Masato Aoki

Masato Aoki 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: 20250125758
    Abstract: The rotation speed of a motor is made to more reliably approach a target rotation speed. A motor drive control device includes: a drive circuit configured to apply an AC voltage converted by switching a DC voltage (VDD) to a coil of a motor based on a drive control signal (Sd) for controlling drive of the motor; and a control circuit configured to perform PWM control for generating a PWM signal as the drive control signal (Sd) in a manner that a rotation speed (Sr) of the motor matches a target rotation speed (Stg) and a sinusoidal current flows through the coil. The control circuit generates the PWM signal by increasing a modulation degree indicating a ratio of a command value of the AC voltage relative to the DC voltage (VDD) when the rotation speed (Sr) has not reached the target rotation speed (Stg).
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 14, 2023
    Publication date: April 17, 2025
    Inventors: Masato AOKI, Hiroyuki KAIDU, Takahiro SUZUKI
  • Publication number: 20250119091
    Abstract: To provide a motor drive control device and a motor drive control method capable of achieving high motor drive efficiency and suppressing the occurrence of vibration. A motor drive control device includes a control circuit unit configured to output a drive control signal (Sd) for PWM-driving a motor, and a motor drive unit configured to drive the motor based on the drive control signal (Sd). The control circuit unit adjusts a PWM frequency of the drive control signal (Sd) such that the PWM frequency is in a predetermined range and the number of PWM pulses per one cycle of an electrical angle of the motor is a desired value in a first rotation speed range of predetermined rotation speed ranges of the motor, and the PWM frequency is in the predetermined range in a rotation speed range other than the first rotation speed range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2022
    Publication date: April 10, 2025
    Inventor: Masato AOKI
  • Publication number: 20250085350
    Abstract: An anomaly detector for detecting an anomaly of a motor includes circuitry configured to acquire a characteristic value related to the motor and process the characteristic value. The circuitry is configured to acquire the characteristic value related to the motor as inspection data, update a statistic of the inspection data, update an amplitude from an updated statistic, update an exponential moving average value of the inspection data, update an anomaly level based on the inspection data, the amplitude, the statistic, and the exponential moving average value, and detect the anomaly of the motor based on the anomaly level.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2024
    Publication date: March 13, 2025
    Inventors: Susumu TERAOKA, Hiroyuki KAIDU, Masato AOKI
  • Publication number: 20250015746
    Abstract: To satisfy a desired air flow-static pressure characteristic while satisfying constraints of a power supply capacity and without over-limiting the drive current. A motor drive control device includes: a control circuit unit configured to generate a drive control signal (Sd) for controlling an actual rotation speed of a motor based on a speed command signal indicating a target rotation speed of the motor; and a motor drive unit configured to drive the motor based on the drive control signal (Sd). The control circuit unit includes a power control unit configured to enable selection of one of: a speed feedback control mode to generate the drive control signal (Sd) so that the actual rotation speed of the motor matches the target rotation speed; and a current feedback control mode to generate the drive control signal (Sd) so that a drive current of the motor matches a target current.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 1, 2022
    Publication date: January 9, 2025
    Inventors: Hiroyuki KAIDU, Tomotaka SAKUMA, Masato AOKI, Tsuyoshi TABATA
  • Publication number: 20240266983
    Abstract: To appropriately detect an abnormal state of a motor without monitoring air pressure. A motor drive control device includes a monitoring control unit for setting a physical quantity related to operation of a drive-target motor as a monitoring parameter, and monitoring an operation state of the drive-target motor based on measurement data of the monitoring parameter and a reference value of the monitoring parameter. The monitoring control unit determines whether the drive-target motor is in an abnormal state based on a comparison result between a deviation of the measured value from the reference value of the monitoring parameter in the drive-target motor and a deviation of the measured value from the reference value of the monitoring parameter in another motor acquired by a communication unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2022
    Publication date: August 8, 2024
    Inventors: Hiroyuki KAIDU, Masato AOKI, Yoshihisa OKABUCHI, Takahiro SAITO, Takayuki SUGAYA
  • Patent number: 11901851
    Abstract: A motor drive control device 1_2 includes a target point determination unit 12_2 determining a target point P of zero crossing of a coil current Iu of a U phase based on a position detection signal Shu, a current zero crossing point estimation unit 14_2 estimating a zero crossing point Q of the coil current Iu of the U phase by detecting a change in a current direction of the coil current Iu of the U phase at a predetermined timing in every cycle of a PWM signal, an adjustment instruction signal generation unit 19_2 generating at least one of a phase adjustment instruction signal Sp for instructing phase adjustment of the coil current Iu and a frequency adjustment instruction signal Sf for instructing frequency adjustment of the PWM signal according to a phase difference ?? between the target point P and the zero crossing point Q such that the phase difference is within a predetermined range, and a drive control signal generation unit 16_2 generating a drive control signal Sd based on at least one of the phas
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: MINEBEA MITSUMI Inc.
    Inventors: Masato Aoki, Hiroyuki Kaidu, Wataru Nogamida, Syu Hayashi, Takahiro Asami
  • Publication number: 20230374995
    Abstract: A motor drive control device has a control circuit that generates a drive control signal for controlling a rotational speed of a motor based on a speed command signal indicating a target rotational speed of the motor, and a motor driving unit that drives the motor based on the drive control signal. The control circuit performs speed feedback control for generating the drive control signal so that the rotational speed of the motor coincides with the target rotational speed when the target rotational speed is lower than a rotational speed threshold value, and generates the drive control signal based on a relationship between current flowing through the motor and a reference current value when the target rotational speed is higher than the rotational speed threshold value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2023
    Publication date: November 23, 2023
    Inventors: Masato AOKI, Yuji OMURA, Takahiro SUZUKI
  • Patent number: 11777430
    Abstract: A motor drive control device includes: a feedback control unit calculating an operation amount (Sad) of a motor such that a rotation speed S3 of the motor matches a target rotation speed S1; a drive control signal generation unit generating a drive control signal Sd based on the operation amount Sad; a current fluctuation detection unit detecting a fluctuation of a current flowing through the motor; a correction instruction unit instructing correction of the operation amount Sad when the fluctuation of the current flowing through the motor is detected by the current fluctuation detection unit; and a correction unit correcting the operation amount Sad and providing the corrected operation amount S2 to the drive control signal generation unit when the correction of the operation amount Sad is instructed from the correction instruction unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: MINEBEA MITSUMI Inc.
    Inventors: Takahiro Suzuki, Masato Aoki, Hiroyuki Kaidu
  • Patent number: 11754084
    Abstract: A motor drive control device has a control circuit that generates a drive control signal for controlling a rotational speed of a motor based on a speed command signal indicating a target rotational speed of the motor, and a motor driving unit that drives the motor based on the drive control signal. The control circuit performs speed feedback control for generating the drive control signal so that the rotational speed of the motor coincides with the target rotational speed when the target rotational speed is lower than a rotational speed threshold value, and generates the drive control signal based on a relationship between current flowing through the motor and a reference current value when the target rotational speed is higher than the rotational speed threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: MINEBEA MITSUMI Inc.
    Inventors: Masato Aoki, Yuji Omura, Takahiro Suzuki
  • Patent number: 11658592
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a motor control circuit enabled to change or adjust functions to be implemented to suppress an increase in cycle time during mass production. A motor control circuit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is a motor control circuit to control a motor driver including a first non-volatile memory and a second non-volatile memory, and the first non-volatile memory stores a control algorithm and a first parameter group to be used by the control algorithm of the motor control circuit, and the second non-volatile memory is enabled to store a second parameter group to be used by the control algorithm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: MINEBEA MITSUMI Inc.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Kaidu, Masato Aoki, Takamichi Kitano, Takahiro Suzuki
  • Patent number: 11539321
    Abstract: The degree of flexibility of a speed curve for a target rotational speed of a motor is to be increased. A motor control circuit 11 measures a duty cycle of an input speed command signal Sc indicating a target rotational speed of a motor 50 to be driven, sets an inflection point In for each duty cycle obtained by equally dividing a possible duty cycle range assumed by the speed command signal Sc based on resolution information 301 indicating a resolution of the duty cycle of the speed command signal Sc, calculates a rotational speed corresponding to the measured duty cycle of the speed command signal Sc based on rotational speed information 302 indicating rotational speeds at the inflection points In on a speed curve and the set inflection points In, and determines the calculated rotational speed as the target rotational speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: MINEBEA MITSUMI Inc.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Kaidu, Masato Aoki, Takahiro Suzuki, Tomotaka Sakuma, Yoshihisa Okabuchi
  • Patent number: 11515814
    Abstract: To provide a motor drive control device capable of determining the rotational direction of a motor using a simple configuration with a reduced number of lead wires from position sensors, and a method for controlling the motor drive control device. A control circuit unit of a motor drive control device includes a first comparator configured to compare the magnitudes of a first positive Hall signal and a first negative Hall signal output from a first Hall element, thereby generating a first position detection signal; a second comparator configured to compare the magnitudes of a second negative Hall signal output from a second Hall element and the first negative Hall signal, thereby generating a second position detection signal; and a rotational direction determination unit configured to compare the transitions of the first position detection signal and the second position detection signal, thereby determining the rotational direction of a motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: MINEBEA MITSUMI Inc.
    Inventors: Masato Aoki, Takahiro Suzuki, Tomotaka Sakuma
  • Publication number: 20220345056
    Abstract: A motor drive control device 1_2 includes a target point determination unit 12_2 determining a target point P of zero crossing of a coil current Iu of a U phase based on a position detection signal Shu, a current zero crossing point estimation unit 14_2 estimating a zero crossing point Q of the coil current Iu of the U phase by detecting a change in a current direction of the coil current Iu of the U phase at a predetermined timing in every cycle of a PWM signal, an adjustment instruction signal generation unit 19_2 generating at least one of a phase adjustment instruction signal Sp for instructing phase adjustment of the coil current Iu and a frequency adjustment instruction signal Sf for instructing frequency adjustment of the PWM signal according to a phase difference ?? between the target point P and the zero crossing point Q such that the phase difference is within a predetermined range, and a drive control signal generation unit 16_2 generating a drive control signal Sd based on at least one of the phas
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2022
    Publication date: October 27, 2022
    Inventors: Masato AOKI, Hiroyuki KAIDU, Wataru NOGAMIDA, Syu HAYASHI, Takahiro ASAMI
  • Publication number: 20220345061
    Abstract: A motor drive control device includes: a feedback control unit calculating an operation amount (Sad) of a motor such that a rotation speed S3 of the motor matches a target rotation speed S1; a drive control signal generation unit generating a drive control signal Sd based on the operation amount Sad; a current fluctuation detection unit detecting a fluctuation of a current flowing through the motor; a correction instruction unit instructing correction of the operation amount Sad when the fluctuation of the current flowing through the motor is detected by the current fluctuation detection unit; and a correction unit correcting the operation amount Sad and providing the corrected operation amount S2 to the drive control signal generation unit when the correction of the operation amount Sad is instructed from the correction instruction unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 15, 2022
    Publication date: October 27, 2022
    Inventors: Takahiro SUZUKI, Masato AOKI, Hiroyuki KAIDU
  • Patent number: 11336291
    Abstract: A semiconductor device has an A/D converter configured to convert an analog signal representing a current flowing in a control target into a digital signal, an overcurrent determination unit configured to, based on the analog signal, determine that an overcurrent has occurred in the control target when the current flowing in the control target has exceeded an overcurrent threshold, and determine that the overcurrent has not occurred in the control target when the current flowing in the control target has not exceeded the overcurrent threshold, a drive control signal generation unit configured to generate a drive control signal for controlling driving of the control target so that the current flowing in the control target is equal to a target current, based on a conversion result of the A/D converter, and generate the drive control signal to reduce the current flowing in the control target when the overcurrent determination unit determines that the overcurrent has occurred, and an overcurrent threshold setting
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: MINEBEA MITSUMI Inc.
    Inventor: Masato Aoki
  • Publication number: 20220109388
    Abstract: To provide a motor drive control device capable of determining the rotational direction of a motor using a simple configuration with a reduced number of lead wires from position sensors, and a method for controlling the motor drive control device. A control circuit unit of a motor drive control device includes a first comparator configured to compare the magnitudes of a first positive Hall signal and a first negative Hall signal output from a first Hall element, thereby generating a first position detection signal; a second comparator configured to compare the magnitudes of a second negative Hall signal output from a second Hall element and the first negative Hall signal, thereby generating a second position detection signal; and a rotational direction determination unit configured to compare the transitions of the first position detection signal and the second position detection signal, thereby determining the rotational direction of a motor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2021
    Publication date: April 7, 2022
    Inventors: Masato AOKI, Takahiro SUZUKI, Tomotaka SAKUMA
  • Publication number: 20220094292
    Abstract: The degree of flexibility of a speed curve for a target rotational speed of a motor is to be increased. A motor control circuit 11 measures a duty cycle of an input speed command signal Sc indicating a target rotational speed of a motor 50 to be driven, sets an inflection point In for each duty cycle obtained by equally dividing a possible duty cycle range assumed by the speed command signal Sc based on resolution information 301 indicating a resolution of the duty cycle of the speed command signal Sc, calculates a rotational speed corresponding to the measured duty cycle of the speed command signal Sc based on rotational speed information 302 indicating rotational speeds at the inflection points In on a speed curve and the set inflection points In, and determines the calculated rotational speed as the target rotational speed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2021
    Publication date: March 24, 2022
    Inventors: Hiroyuki KAIDU, Masato AOKI, Takahiro SUZUKI, Tomotaka SAKUMA, Yoshihisa OKABUCHI
  • Publication number: 20220021322
    Abstract: In a motor drive control device including a machine learning function, appropriate motor drive control in accordance with the usage environment of a motor is realized. A motor drive control device 10 includes: a measurement data generation unit 23 that generates measurement data 300 relating to operation of a motor 50; a training data generation unit 24 that attaches predetermined identification information indicating the operation state of the motor 50 to the measurement data 300 and generates training data 310; a machine learning unit 25 that generates a learned model 320 for determining the operation state of the motor 50 by performing machine learning using the training data 310; and a monitor control unit 26 that monitors the operation state of the motor 50 using the learned model 320.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2021
    Publication date: January 20, 2022
    Inventors: Hiroyuki KAIDU, Masato AOKI, Takamichi KITANO, Takahiro SUZUKI, Tomotaka SAKUMA, Yoshihisa OKABUCHI
  • Publication number: 20210367540
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a motor control circuit enabled to change or adjust functions to be implemented to suppress an increase in cycle time during mass production. A motor control circuit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is a motor control circuit to control a motor driver including a first non-volatile memory and a second non-volatile memory, and the first non-volatile memory stores a control algorithm and a first parameter group to be used by the control algorithm of the motor control circuit, and the second non-volatile memory is enabled to store a second parameter group to be used by the control algorithm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 29, 2021
    Publication date: November 25, 2021
    Inventors: Hiroyuki KAIDU, Masato AOKI, Takamichi KITANO, Takahiro SUZUKI
  • Patent number: 11114961
    Abstract: A motor driving control device includes a motor driving unit, a position detection unit, a current detection unit and a control unit. The control unit includes a change detecting means configured to detect a predetermined phase change in the position signal, a first switching means configured to sequentially switch energization patterns of the coils with the plurality of phases based on a timing when the phase change is detected, and a second switching means configured to, in a state where the change detecting means does not detect the phase change, when a value of the drive current becomes a predetermined first threshold or more during a monitoring time period after a timing when the predetermined phase change in the position signal is expected, perform an operation to forcibly switch to a next energization pattern regardless of the timing of switching the energization pattern by the first switching means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: MINEBEA MITSUMI INC.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Kaidu, Wataru Nogamida, Masato Aoki