Abstract: In one example, a method for determining an out-of-liquid condition of a liquid supply for an inkjet printer. The method includes acquiring, during printing, a sequence of data points, each data point comprising a differential liquid/air pressure at the liquid supply measured with a sensor and a corresponding cumulative amount of liquid delivered from the liquid supply. The method further includes generating a curve using the data points. The method also includes determining, from a predetermined characteristic of the curve, whether the out-of-liquid condition exists. The characteristic is independent of at least one of a gain and an offset of the sensor.

Abstract: In one example, a method for determining an out-of-liquid condition of a liquid supply for an inkjet printer. The method includes acquiring, during printing, a sequence of data points, each data point comprising a differential liquid/air pressure at the liquid supply measured with a sensor and a corresponding cumulative amount of liquid delivered from the liquid supply. The method further includes generating a curve using the data points. The method also includes determining, from a predetermined characteristic of the curve, whether the out-of-liquid condition exists. The characteristic is independent of at least one of a gain and an offset of the sensor.

Abstract: An electric power assisted steering system comprises a motor adapted to apply an assistance torque to a portion of a steering shaft in response to a motor drive signal from a drive circuit, in which the motor comprises a synchronous wound field motor of the kind comprising a stator and a rotor, in which the rotor includes at least one pole and at least one coil winding associated with the pole and the stator comprises a number of phase windings, and in which the drive circuit which is configured to provide current in the coils of the stator and rotor during operation of the motor.

Abstract: An electric power assisted steering system comprises a motor adapted to apply an assistance torque to a portion of a steering shaft in response to a motor drive signal from a drive circuit, in which the motor comprises a synchronous wound field motor of the kind comprising a stator and a rotor, in which the rotor includes at least one pole and at least one coil winding associated with the pole and the stator comprises a number of phase windings, and in which the drive circuit which is configured to provide current in the coils of the stator and rotor during operation of the motor.

Abstract: A control system is provided for an AC electric motor which comprises a rotor and a stator and a plurality of phase windings connected in a star formation, each winding having one end connected to a common neutral point and another end arranged to have a terminal voltage applied to it. The control system comprises switching means arranged to control the terminal voltages applied to the windings and control means arranged to control the switching means so as to switch it between a plurality of states in each of a sequence of PWM periods. The control means is further arranged to measure the voltage at the neutral point at sample times within the PWM periods and to generate from the measured voltages an estimation of the rotational position of the rotor.

Abstract: A stator for a multi-phase electric motor comprises a plurality of teeth for each phase. The windings on two teeth from one phase are formed from a single length of conductor. The windings on a first one of the teeth being formed at least in part from two sections of the conductor spaced apart along the length of the conductor, and the windings on a second one of the teeth being formed from an intermediate section of the conductor between the spaced apart sections.

Abstract: A drive system for a motor having a rotor and a phase winding (a, b, c) comprises; a drive circuit including switch means associated with the winding a, b, c for varying the current passing through the winding; rotor position sensing means arranged to sense the position of the rotor; control means arranged to provide drive signals to control the switch means; a power input for connection to a power supply at a nominal voltage; and boost means in electric communication with the power input and power output, and controllable to boost the nominal voltage to a higher voltage for application to the winding.

Abstract: A power steering system comprises a hydraulic circuit, a pump arranged to pressurize hydraulic fluid and valve means arranged to control the flow of pressurized fluid in the hydraulic circuit to control the steering force provided by the system. The system further comprises a motor arranged to drive the pump and control means arranged to control operation of the motor, and the control means is arranged to determine the position of the motor from a plurality of parameters by means of a position determining algorithm.

Abstract: A control system is provided for an AC electric motor which comprises a rotor and a stator and a plurality of phase windings connected in a star formation, each winding having one end connected to a common neutral point and another end arranged to have a terminal voltage applied to it. The control system comprises switching means arranged to control the terminal voltages applied to the windings and control means arranged to control the switching means so as to switch it between a plurality of states in each of a sequence of PWM periods. The control means is further arranged to measure the voltage at the neutral point at sample times within the PWM periods and to generate from the measured voltages an estimation of the rotational position of the rotor.

Abstract: A rotor structure for a motor comprising a rotor having an end surface; a shaft extending from the end surface; an encoder member attached to the end surface of the rotor; and a coupler coupled to the shaft adjacent to the encoder member for coupling a further member to the shaft, in which the coupler surrounds the shaft and has a lip associated therewith, the lip extending from the coupler towards the encoder member so as to define a void between the coupler and the encoder member. The void defined by the rotor structure may act to contain matters such as swarf that is ejected from the rotor when the encoder member is fixed to the rotor. The rotor may be used in a motor of an electric power assisted steering (EPAS) system.

Abstract: A stator for a multi-phase electric motor comprises a plurality of teeth for each phase. The windings on two teeth from one phase are formed from a single length of conductor. The windings on a first one of the teeth being formed at least in part from two sections of the conductor spaced apart along the length of the conductor, and the windings on a second one of the teeth being formed from an intermediate section of the conductor between the spaced apart sections.

Abstract: A rotor structure for a motor comprising a rotor having an end surface; a shaft extending from the end surface; an encoder member attached to the end surface of the rotor; and a coupler coupled to the shaft adjacent to the encoder member for coupling a further member to the shaft, in which the coupler surrounds the shaft and has a lip associated therewith, the lip extending from the coupler towards the encoder member so as to define a void between the coupler and the encoder member. The void defined by the rotor structure may act to contain matters such as swarf that is ejected from the rotor when the encoder member is fixed to the rotor. The rotor may be used in a motor of an electric power assisted steering (EPAS) system.

Abstract: A drive system for a three phase brushless AC motor is arranged to optimize the transistor switching pattern to improve power output whilst allowing current measurement in all of the phases using a single sensor. This is achieved by defining voltage demand vectors x where more than two states are required to meet a minimum state time requirement determined by the single sensor method, and calculating three or more state vectors which produce the demanded vector x whilst still allowing single current sensing. Various methods of optimising the PWM pattern so as to give maximum output whilst using single current sensing are also disclosed.

Abstract: A drive system for a motor having a rotor and a phase winding (a, b, c) comprises; a drive circuit including switch means associated with the winding a, b, c for varying the current passing through the winding; rotor position sensing means arranged to sense the position of the rotor; control means arranged to provide drive signals to control the switch means; a power input for connection to a power supply at a nominal voltage; and boost means in electric communication with the power input and power output, and controllable to boost the nominal voltage to a higher voltage for application to the winding.

Abstract: A drive system for a three phase brushless AC motor that is operative to optimize a transistor switching pattern to improve power output while allowing current measurement in all of the phases using a single sensor. This is achieved by defining a voltage demand vector where more than two states are required to meet a minimum state time requirement determined by the single sensor and calculating three or more state vectors that produce the demand vector while still allowing single current sensing.

Abstract: An icemaker assembly includes an ice tray having an ice forming compartment, a water line configured to advance water from a water source to the ice tray, a valve operable to selectively block advancement of water through the water line while an actuation signal is generated, a control system operable to generate the actuation signal for a water advancement period, a water level detection system for determining if a level of water in the ice forming compartment is below a threshold value and generating a control signal in response thereto. The control system is further operable to alter a magnitude of the water advancement period in response to generation of the control signal. Water is initially advanced into the ice forming compartment for a first period of time during a first ice making cycle by opening the valve.

Abstract: A water control system for an ice maker includes a capacitive sensor located within a compartment of an ice tray in an ice maker. The capacitive sensor generates a water fill signal corresponding to dielectric changes in the sensor as water fills the compartment of the ice tray. A controller coupled to the sensor generates a water valve control signal in response to the water fill signal received from the capacitive sensor. The controller may initiate a water fill cycle and then close the water valve in response to the water fill signal indicating a change in dielectric caused by the rising water reaching an electrode of the capacitive sensor. Thus, the system of the present invention enables the controller to accurately control the flow of water into the ice tray without reference to a predetermined fill time.

Abstract: Computer users frequently need to search for items, such as inventory, based on specific criteria. The specific criteria used are often dependent upon the task they are performing. For example, if they are looking for books they may search by ‘title’. If they are looking for cars they may look by ‘engine type’. This invention allows a user to create the search screens (with places to enter the values for the pertinent fields) automatically by the use of a software wizard. This invention extracts information about the database, and then creates the steps necessary for the person creating the search screen to create it. The person creating the search screen can control what fields the search screen user will be able to search on, how the data will be filtered and/or manipulated, how it will be formatted, and how it will be presented. This provides a tremendous productivity boost to the search screen user, since much of the filtering and decision-making will have been done before hand.

Abstract: A drive system for a three phase brushless motor uses an algorithm for position sensing which measures the inductance in the motor phases and determines the position from the measured inductances. In order to reduce acoustic noise, the inductances are measured during test periods Tsd, which are conducting states added to the PWM pattern in each PWM period. The test periods have net voltage of zero and therefore do not affect the output of the motor, but are sufficiently long to allow inductance measuring as well as the use of a single current sensor for current sensing.

Abstract: An icemaker assembly comprises an ice tray, an ice ejector and a motor. The ice tray has at least one ice forming compartment that defines a space. The ice ejector has at least one ejector member. The motor has an output shaft coupled to the ice ejector. Rotation of the output shaft causes the ejector member to advance into the space whereby ice located in the space is urged in an ejection path of movement out of the ice forming compartment. The ice forming compartment includes (i) a first planar lateral side surface, (ii) a second planar lateral side surface, and (iii) an arcuate bottom surface interposed between the first lateral side surface and the second lateral side surface.