Patents by Inventor Naruto Kuwahara

Naruto Kuwahara 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: 5500581
    Abstract: An apparatus for controlling the supply of power to a variable-speed induction motor converts an AC power source voltage to a motor supply voltage at a designated frequency, with the amplitude of the motor supply voltage being controlled in accordance with the motor load such that the degree of slip conforms to a predetermined optimum slip charactistic, whereby high efficiency and stability are maintained over a wide range of load values. The motor supply voltage amplitude is detected to provide an indication of the motor load, an optimum value of an operating parameter of the motor which varies in accordance with degree of slip is derived based on the designated frequency and the detected voltage amplitude, using a predetermined function corresponding to that frequency, and the motor supply voltage amplitude is controlled such as to reduce an amount of difference between the optimum value of the operating parameter and a detected value of that parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 1994
    Date of Patent: March 19, 1996
    Assignee: Arex Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: Takefumi Hatanaka, Naruto Kuwahara
  • Patent number: 5481451
    Abstract: An AC-to-AC power inverter apparatus and a control method thereof are described in which the effects of AC ripple contained in an intermediate DC voltage produced in the apparatus are eliminated from the output AC voltage, thereby enabling the inverter apparatus to function without a large-capacitance smoothing capacitor. The amplitude of the DC voltage, including the AC ripple amplitude, is detected, the amplitude of a reference AC waveform is divided by the detected amplitude, and the value of the resultant ratio is applied to control the duty factor of a PWM signal, which controls a DC-to-AC inverter circuit. Changes in the DC voltage due to AC ripple are thereby prevented from affecting the output AC voltage obtained, which has an average value waveform corresponding to the reference waveform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 1993
    Date of Patent: January 2, 1996
    Assignee: Arex Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Naruto Kuwahara
  • Patent number: 5442271
    Abstract: An induction motor control apparatus, for converting an AC power supply voltage to a motor supply voltage for an induction motor, includes a feedback control loop for controlling the level of the motor supply voltage such that the induction motor operates close to a predetermined value of power factor, and also includes circuits for deriving a signal which varies in accordance with the motor admittance (or impedance), and for differentiating that signal to obtain a parameter variation signal which indicates an amount and direction of any sudden change in the motor load torque. The parameter variation signal is applied to the control loop such as to immediately increase or decrease the motor supply voltage, as required, when any sudden change in load occurs, thereby ensuring rapid control response together with stability of control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 1994
    Date of Patent: August 15, 1995
    Assignee: Arex Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: Takefumi Hatanaka, Naruto Kuwahara
  • Patent number: 5241256
    Abstract: An energy-saving induction motor control apparatus maintains the operation of a motor at an optimum power factor irrespective of changes in motor load, by generating a power factor compensation value which is varied in accordance with the motor supply voltage. The motor supply voltage is controlled such as to reduce any difference between the optimum power factor value and a measured power factor value, thereby ensuring that stable operation with minimum energy consumption are achieved over a wide range of motor load values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 31, 1993
    Assignee: Arex Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: Takefumi Hatanaka, Naruto Kuwahara
  • Patent number: 5204606
    Abstract: An induction motor control apparatus for controlling the power factor at which an induction motor operates includes sensors and circuits for periodically detecting the effective (RMS) values of current and voltage supplied to the motor winding during a fixed number of cycles, e.g. one cycle, and multiplying these to obtain a value of apparent power of the motor, together with circuits for detecting the working power of the motor, with the power factor of the motor being thereby accurately obtained. The detected power factor is compared with an ideal value of power factor, to obtain an error amount that is applied to control the motor voltage. The ideal power factor is obtained by multiplying a designated value of power factor by a compensation amount that is determined in accordance with the motor load, thereby ensuring that stable operation of the motor is achieved even under the no-load condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 1991
    Date of Patent: April 20, 1993
    Assignee: Arex Electronics Corp.
    Inventors: Naruto Kuwahara, Takefumi Hatanaka