Patents by Inventor Takefumi Sawada

Takefumi Sawada 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: 7759888
    Abstract: There is provided an AC motor controller capable of detecting an abnormal state of a motor cable while an AC motor is operating without using a special circuit but using a processor. The AC motor controller includes an AC motor; an inverter for driving the AC motor with a motor current through a motor cable; and a motor current detector for detecting the motor current flowing in the motor cable of the AC motor, in which a processor detects an abnormal state of the motor cable such as an inter-phase short circuit and an open circuit based on the motor current detected by the motor current detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2010
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hirokazu Matsui, Takefumi Sawada, Shigeyuki Yoshihara
  • Patent number: 7541769
    Abstract: An electric power converter which has improved accuracy in compensation of a dead time. A motor driving system employing the electric power converter is also provided. A power module includes a plurality of switching devices connected in series and converts DC power to AC power. A control circuit produces a voltage command value in accordance with a control command inputted from the exterior, and produces gate signals to drive the switching devices of the power module corresponding to a final voltage command value which is obtained from the voltage command value with dead time compensation. A dead time compensation logic circuit calculates a final dead time compensation voltage based on a change rate of the voltage command value, a gain (dead time compensation voltage value), and a polarity of a current, the gain being calculated from a DC voltage value supplied to the electric power converter, a dead time, and a switching frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2009
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masamichi Nawa, Takefumi Sawada
  • Publication number: 20090059446
    Abstract: There is provided an AC motor controller capable of detecting an abnormal state of a motor cable while an AC motor is operating without using a special circuit but using a processor. The AC motor controller includes an AC motor; an inverter for driving the AC motor with a motor current through a motor cable; and a motor current detector for detecting the motor current flowing in the motor cable of the AC motor, in which a processor detects an abnormal state of the motor cable such as an inter-phase short circuit and an open circuit based on the motor current detected by the motor current detector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 15, 2005
    Publication date: March 5, 2009
    Applicant: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hirokazu Matsui, Takefumi Sawada, Shigeyuki Yoshihara
  • Publication number: 20070176575
    Abstract: An electric power converter which has improved accuracy in compensation of a dead time. A motor driving system employing the electric power converter is also provided. A power module includes a plurality of switching devices connected in series and converts DC power to AC power. A control circuit produces a voltage command value in accordance with a control command inputted from the exterior, and produces gate signals to drive the switching devices of the power module corresponding to a final voltage command value which is obtained from the voltage command value with dead time compensation. A dead time compensation logic circuit calculates a final dead time compensation voltage based on a change rate of the voltage command value, a gain (dead time compensation voltage value), and a polarity of a current, the gain being calculated from a DC voltage value supplied to the electric power converter, a dead time, and a switching frequency.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 18, 2007
    Publication date: August 2, 2007
    Applicant: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masamichi Nawa, Takefumi Sawada
  • Patent number: 6914408
    Abstract: A synchronous motor controlling apparatus which can be applied to the carrier synchronized position estimating method as well and have protection-related functions such as detection of inverted magnetic pole position of a motor in a simple method, and an electric motor using the synchronous motor control apparatus. A controller controls a voltage applied to an AC motor with a PWM signal. A magnetic pole position detector of the controller detects a current of the AC motor to estimate a pole position of the AC motor. A fault detector detects a fault in the estimated magnetic position of the AC motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2005
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takefumi Sawada, Satoru Kaneko, Ryoso Masaki, Mitsuyuki Hombu, Hiroshi Katayama
  • Patent number: 6788024
    Abstract: A provide a position-sensorless motor control apparatus comprises a salient-pole AC motor 2, a PWM inverter 3 for applying voltage to the AC motor 2, and a controller 1 for controlling the PWM inverter 3 by means of PWM signals, wherein the controller 1 has a position estimation means 11 which detects motor inductance in the pre-determined direction to the vector direction of the current that flows through the AC motor 2 and estimates the AC motor's rotor position based on the motor inductance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2004
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Satoru Kaneko, Ryoso Masaki, Takefumi Sawada
  • Publication number: 20040051495
    Abstract: A provide a position-sensorless motor control apparatus comprises a salient-pole AC motor 2, a PWM inverter 3 for applying voltage to the AC motor 2, and a controller 1 for controlling the PWM inverter 3 by means of PWM signals, wherein the controller 1 has a position estimation means 11 which detects motor inductance in the pre-determined direction to the vector direction of the current that flows through the AC motor 2 and estimates the AC motor's rotor position based on the motor inductance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2003
    Publication date: March 18, 2004
    Inventors: Satoru Kaneko, Ryoso Masaki, Takefumi Sawada
  • Publication number: 20020117990
    Abstract: A synchronous motor controlling apparatus which can be applied to the carrier synchronized position estimating method as well and have protection-related functions such as detection of inverted magnetic pole position of a motor in a simple method, and an electric motor using the synchronous motor control apparatus. A controller controls a voltage applied to an AC motor with a PWM signal. A magnetic pole position detector of the controller detects a current of the AC motor to estimate a pole position of the AC motor. A fault detector detects a fault in the estimated magnetic position of the AC motor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 10, 2001
    Publication date: August 29, 2002
    Applicant: Hitachi Ltd.
    Inventors: Takefumi Sawada, Satoru Kaneko, Ryoso Masaki, Mitsuyuki Hombu, Hiroshi Katayama
  • Patent number: 6329781
    Abstract: An apparatus for executing field weakening control comprises a means for computing a start rotational speed of field weakening control based on a ratio of a battery voltage used in a normal operation to a detected battery voltage in execution of only field weakening control without generating a torque, and an interpolation means for carrying out linear interpolation on at least two values selectively fetched from a plurality of current tables in accordance with a battery voltage to find a field weakening current. The apparatus provided by the present invention is further characterized in that, in addition to correction of a start rotational speed of the field weakening control, a field weakening current is corrected in accordance with a ratio of a rated battery voltage used in a normal operation to a detected battery voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2001
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hirokazu Matsui, Hiroshi Katada, Takefumi Sawada