Patents by Inventor Richard Thomas Burke

Richard Thomas Burke 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: 10988033
    Abstract: A control system for a vehicle having a first wheel (101) arranged to be driven by a first drive source and a second wheel (101) arranged to be driven by a second drive source, wherein the first wheel and the second wheel are transversely located on the vehicle, the control system comprising a controller (102) and a monitoring device, wherein the monitoring device is arranged to monitor the power differential between the power being applied to the first wheel by the first drive source and the power being applied to the second wheel by the second drive source, wherein upon a determination that the power differential between the power being applied to the first wheel and the second wheel is greater than a predetermined value, the controller is arranged to reduce the power differential.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: PROTEAN ELECTRIC LIMITED
    Inventors: Helen Monkhouse, Richard Thomas Burke, Christopher David Hilton
  • Publication number: 20180272892
    Abstract: A control system for a vehicle having a first wheel (101) arranged to be driven by a first drive source and a second wheel (101) arranged to be driven by a second drive source, wherein the first wheel and the second wheel are transversely located on the vehicle, the control system comprising a controller (102) and a monitoring device, wherein the monitoring device is arranged to monitor the power differential between the power being applied to the first wheel by the first drive source and the power being applied to the second wheel by the second drive source, wherein upon a determination that the power differential between the power being applied to the first wheel and the second wheel is greater than a predetermined value, the controller is arranged to reduce the power differential.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2016
    Publication date: September 27, 2018
    Applicant: PROTEAN ELECTRIC LIMITED
    Inventors: HELEN MONKHOUSE, Richard Thomas Burke, Christopher David Hilton
  • Patent number: 9431939
    Abstract: An electric motor or generator system comprising a rotor having a first set of magnet poles; a stator having a first sensor mounted on the stator and a second sensor mounted in substantially a diametrically opposite position on the stator relative to the first sensor, wherein the first sensor is arranged to output a first signal indicative of a first rotor flux angle associated with the first set of magnet poles as the rotor rotates relative to the stator and the second sensor is arranged to output a second signal indicative of a second rotor flux angle associated with the first set of magnet poles as the rotor rotates relative to the stator; and means arranged to determine a corrected rotor flux angle by averaging the first rotor flux angle indicated by the first sensor and the second rotor flux angle indicated by the second sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2016
    Assignee: PROTEAN ELECTRIC LIMITED
    Inventor: Richard Thomas Burke
  • Patent number: 9423463
    Abstract: A control unit for identifying a fault in an electric motor or generator, the control unit comprising means for measuring a value of a first parameter associated with the operation of the electric motor or generator; means for increasing a counter value if the difference between the measured first parameter value or a value derived from the measured value and a second value is greater than a first predetermined value; means for decreasing the counter value if the difference between the measured first parameter value and the second value is less than the first predetermined value; and means for generating a signal indicative of a fault if the counter value exceeds a second predetermined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2016
    Assignee: PROTEAN ELECTRIC LIMITED
    Inventor: Richard Thomas Burke
  • Publication number: 20150185288
    Abstract: A control unit for identifying a fault in an electric motor or generator, the control unit comprising means for measuring a value of a first parameter associated with the operation of the electric motor or generator; means for increasing a counter value if the difference between the measured first parameter value or a value derived from the measured value and a second value is greater than a first predetermined value; means for decreasing the counter value if the difference between the measured first parameter value and the second value is less than the first predetermined value; and means for generating a signal indicative of a fault if the counter value exceeds a second predetermined value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 11, 2013
    Publication date: July 2, 2015
    Applicant: PROTEAN ELECTRIC LIMITED
    Inventor: Richard Thomas Burke
  • Patent number: 9059659
    Abstract: A control system for an electric motor having a first control device arranged to control current in a first coil set for generating a first torque on a rotor and a second control device arranged to control current in a second coil set for generating a second torque on the rotor, the system comprising a controller arranged to instruct the first control device to control current in the first coil set to generate a torque on the rotor to allow rotation of the rotor; and means for measuring a characteristic associated with the second coil set resulting from the rotation of the rotor from the torque generated by the first coil set while substantially no current is flowing in the coils of the second coil set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2015
    Assignee: Protean Electric Limited
    Inventor: Richard Thomas Burke
  • Publication number: 20140265970
    Abstract: An electric motor or generator system comprising a rotor having a first set of magnet poles; a stator having a first sensor mounted on the stator and a second sensor mounted in substantially a diametrically opposite position on the stator relative to the first sensor, wherein the first sensor is arranged to output a first signal indicative of a first rotor flux angle associated with the first set of magnet poles as the rotor rotates relative to the stator and the second sensor is arranged to output a second signal indicative of a second rotor flux angle associated with the first set of magnet poles as the rotor rotates relative to the stator; and means arranged to determine a corrected rotor flux angle by averaging the first rotor flux angle indicated by the first sensor and the second rotor flux angle indicated by the second sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 3, 2012
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: PROTEAN ELECTRIC LIMITED
    Inventor: Richard Thomas Burke
  • Publication number: 20120206073
    Abstract: A control system for an electric motor having a first control device arranged to control current in a first coil set for generating a first torque on a rotor and a second control device arranged to control current in a second coil set for generating a second torque on the rotor, the system comprising a controller arranged to instruct the first control device to control current in the first coil set to generate a torque on the rotor to allow rotation of the rotor; and means for measuring a characteristic associated with the second coil set resulting from the rotation of the rotor from the torque generated by the first coil set while substantially no current is flowing in the coils of the second coil set.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2010
    Publication date: August 16, 2012
    Applicant: Protean Electric
    Inventor: Richard Thomas Burke