Patents by Inventor Thomas Wiecha

Thomas Wiecha 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: 10236676
    Abstract: The invention is a pulse-controlled inverter with one or more semiconductor switches and freewheeling diodes arranged in parallel to each semiconductor switch. The semiconductor switches are triggered only when the current does not flow through a freewheeling diode that is arranged in parallel to the semiconductor switch. This allows the number of triggering processes for the semiconductor switch to be reduced. The reduced number of triggering processes for the semiconductor switches results in lower power losses and an increased service life of the entire system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Gunther Goetting, Kay Hindorf, Mark Damson, Thomas Wiecha, Daniel Raichle, Jochen Kuehner
  • Patent number: 9837947
    Abstract: Embodiments relate to a control device for an electric motor having at least one phase. The control device includes a power unit having a first switching element and a first flyback element corresponding to the first switching element and a second switching element and a second flyback element corresponding to the second switching element. The first switching element is designed to couple a corresponding power connection of the motor with a positive supply voltage. The second switching element is designed to couple the corresponding power connection of the motor with a negative supply voltage; and a control unit designed to separately detect a first current flowing through the first switching element or second switching element corresponding to the phase, to detect a second current flowing through the flyback element corresponding to the respective second switching element or first switching element, and to control the switching elements of the power unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Thomas Wiecha, Michele Hirsch, Marcel Maur
  • Publication number: 20170310244
    Abstract: The present invention provides a pulse-controlled inverter comprising one or multiple semiconductor switches and freewheeling diodes arranged in parallel to each semiconductor switch. The semiconductor switches are triggered only when the current does not flow through a freewheeling diode which is arranged in parallel to the semiconductor switch. This allows the number of triggering processes for the semiconductor switch to be reduced. The reduced number of triggering processes for the semiconductor switches results in lower power losses and an increased service life of the entire system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2015
    Publication date: October 26, 2017
    Inventors: Gunther Goetting, Kay Hindorf, Mark Damson, Thomas Wiecha, Daniel Raichle, Jochen Kuehner
  • Publication number: 20170047879
    Abstract: The invention relates to a control device for an electric motor having at least one phase, said control device comprising: a power unit which, for each phase of the electric motor, has a first switching element and a first flyback element corresponding to the first switching element, as well as a second switching element and a second flyback element corresponding to the second switching element, wherein the respective first switching element is designed to couple a corresponding power connection of the electric motor with a positive supply voltage, and the respective second switching element is designed to couple the corresponding power connection of the electric motor with a negative supply voltage; and a control unit which is designed to separately detect, in each of the phases, a first current flowing through the first switching element or second switching element corresponding to the phase, and which is designed to detect a second current flowing through the flyback element corresponding to the respective
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2015
    Publication date: February 16, 2017
    Inventors: Thomas Wiecha, Michele Hirsch, Marcel Maur
  • Patent number: 9537426
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for actuating an inverter (10) by means of space vector pulse width modulation, in particular for actuating an electrical machine (14), wherein the inverter (10) has a plurality of controllable switches (S) and is configured to provide a multi-phase electrical voltage (U, V, W) in the form of a voltage space vector (V*), wherein the controllable switches (S) are actuated in such a manner that different duty cycles of the switches (S) are set and a plurality of successive different switching states (V0-V7) of the switches (S) are set up to provide the voltage space vector (V*), wherein the duty cycles of the switches (S) are extended during a pulse width modulation period (T) if a duty cycle of one of the switches (S) falls below a predefined threshold (44) during the pulse width modulation period (T).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Mark Damson, Thomas Wiecha
  • Publication number: 20150188453
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for actuating an inverter (10) by means of space vector pulse width modulation, in particular for actuating an electrical machine (14), wherein the inverter (10) has a plurality of controllable switches (S) and is configured to provide a multi-phase electrical voltage (U, V, W) in the form of a voltage space vector (V*), wherein the controllable switches (S) are actuated in such a manner that different duty cycles of the switches (S) are set and a plurality of successive different switching states (V0-V7) of the switches (S) are set up to provide the voltage space vector (V*), wherein the duty cycles of the switches (S) are extended during a pulse width modulation period (T) if a duty cycle of one of the switches (S) falls below a predefined threshold (44) during the pulse width modulation period (T).
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2013
    Publication date: July 2, 2015
    Applicant: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Mark Damson, Thomas Wiecha