Switching Circuit Structure Or Component (e.g., Inverter, Bridge Circuit, Etc.) Patents (Class 318/400.26)
  • Patent number: 12034389
    Abstract: A brushless DC motor control system for a ceiling fan is electrically connected to a brushless DC motor, and includes a first switch, a detection module, a timer, a processing module, and a driving module. The first switch sends a first switch signal to the detection module for detection. The detection module outputs an operating electric potential detection signal to the timer. The timer outputs an operating electric potential timing signal to the processing module, so that the processing module outputs a first control signal and a second control signal to the driving module for controlling the brushless DC motor to change the rotational speed and the rotational direction respectively, increasing the convenience of use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2024
    Assignee: AIR COOL INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Shih-Ming Chen
  • Patent number: 12027995
    Abstract: A power converter includes a rectangular casing that houses a semiconductor module, and bosses extending outward from three of four side walls of the casing excluding a rear side wall. The bosses include a first boss provided on a first side wall facing frontward, a second boss provided on a second side wall facing in a width direction of the mobile object orthogonal to an up-down direction and a front-rear direction, and a third boss provided on a third side wall opposite to the second side wall. The third boss is smaller in cross-sectional area than the second boss.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2024
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Seiichiro Nishimachi
  • Patent number: 11965499
    Abstract: A motor includes: a central shaft; a stator extending in an axial direction around the central shaft; a rotor facing an outer side in a radial direction of the stator and configured to rotate around the central shaft; a substrate located on one side in the axial direction with respect to the rotor and on which a rotation position detection circuit detecting a rotation position of the rotor is mounted; and a case located on one side in the axial direction with respect to the substrate and supporting the stator. The stator includes a restricting portion restricting a position in a circumferential direction of the substrate. The case includes a fixing portion fixing the substrate. The substrate includes a restricted portion whose position in the circumferential direction is restricted by the restricting portion, and a fixed portion fixed to the fixing portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Max Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Tanaka, Takashi Ando, Tomohide Tsutsui, Hisami Oguri
  • Patent number: 11888422
    Abstract: A motor can be driven so that the total loss of a loss of a motor and a loss of an inverter decreases. In a relationship between an optimum carrier frequency at which the total loss is minimized and a torque of a motor M, a lowest value of the optimum carrier frequency is derived, and a relationship between the torque of the motor M and the carrier frequency is determined to have a portion in which the carrier frequency is substantially constant or decreases as the torque of the motor M increases in a range equal to or less than the torque of the motor M corresponding to the lowest optimum carrier frequency and a portion in which the carrier frequency is substantially constant or increases as the torque of the motor M increases in a range equal to or more than the torque of the motor M corresponding to the lowest optimum carrier frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yasuo Ohsugi
  • Patent number: 11716048
    Abstract: A current detection unit includes current detection elements provided to phases on a high potential side of an upper arm element or on a low potential side of a lower arm element. A detection target element is the upper arm element or the lower arm element to which the current detection elements are provided. A target duty is a duty ratio of the detection target element. The control unit includes a current acquisition unit, an energization control unit, and an abnormality determination unit. The current acquisition unit acquires a current detection value from the current detection unit. The abnormality determination unit performs an abnormality determination based on the current detection value. The abnormality determination unit varies a determination threshold, which is used for the abnormality determination based on the current detection value, according to the target duty.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2023
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kouichi Nakamura, Nobuyori Nakazima, Go Endoh
  • Patent number: 11705804
    Abstract: A voltage source converter as well as a method and computer program product for controlling the converter. The converter includes at least one phase leg connected between a first DC terminal having a first voltage and a second DC terminal having a second voltage, the phase leg including an upper arm and a lower arm with cells, where a junction between the arms is connected to a corresponding AC terminal. The converter also includes a control unit configured to control the cells to output a train of pulses of trapezoidal shape where the generation of a first control signal for a first cell used to initiate a transition between two levels of a pulse coincides with the decision that a transition is to be made.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG
    Inventors: Alexandre Christe, Yuhei Okazaki, Michele Luvisotto
  • Patent number: 11668393
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a vehicle transmission system that includes a transmission component and an electro-mechanical actuator coupled to the transmission component. The electro-mechanical actuator includes an electric motor and a solenoid that are configured to maintain the transmission component in one of a park position and a non-park position upon receipt of a command. The electric motor and the solenoid are also configured to prevent the transmission component from returning to the park position upon receipt of the command. Further, the electric motor and solenoid are configured to receive the command from a vehicle control system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Kristen R. Mannion, Emad Al-Regib
  • Patent number: 11648851
    Abstract: An electrical on-board power system for an electrically driven transportation vehicle having a traction battery with a first battery terminal and a second battery terminal, a first current path between the first battery terminal and a first terminal, and a second current path between the second battery terminal and a second terminal. An electrical or electromagnetic first switch is connected in the first current path and an electrical or electromagnetic second switch is connected in the second current path. The on-board power system has a DC-to-DC voltage converter connected at output to a low-voltage system, wherein a first input of the DC-to-DC voltage converter is connected to a first tap in the first current path and the first switch, and a second input of the DC-to-DC voltage converter is connected to a second tap between the second switch and the second load terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Inventors: Markus Stolz, Rainer Fleischer
  • Patent number: 11626785
    Abstract: A motor commutation waveform generating circuit is provided. The motor commutation waveform generating circuit includes: an edge detection circuit, configured to receive sensing signals of the motor and derive a clock signal indicating a commutation switching point of the motor; an angle cutting circuit, controlled by the clock signal to generate an angle indication pulse indicating a rotation angle of the motor; a synthetic wave generating circuit, using the angle indication pulse to sequentially change waveform voltages corresponding to required angles and output them in segments; and a signal combining circuit, controlled by the clock signal to combine waveform voltage signals generated by the synthetic wave generating circuit, thereby obtaining a plurality of synthetic waveforms provided to a drive control system of the motor for drive control after pulse width modulation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2023
    Assignee: HOYI ELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Chi-Yang Chen, Min-Fu Hsieh
  • Patent number: 11515809
    Abstract: A power conversion device includes three inverters configured to convert DC power of DC buses into single-phase AC power, and a controller configured to control the three inverters so as to generate three-phase AC power. The controller is configured to generate a fundamental wave command for generating one-phase AC power constituting the three-phase AC power, and to generate an adjustment wave command having triple the frequency of the fundamental wave command. Additionally, the controller is configured to output a phase voltage command, in which the adjustment wave command is superimposed on the fundamental wave command, and to determine an initial phase of the adjustment wave command to be offset from an initial phase of the fundamental wave command so as to reduce a voltage ripple occurring in the DC buses at double the frequency of the fundamental wave command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Inventors: Satoshi Watanabe, Taisuke Katayama
  • Patent number: 11387761
    Abstract: A motor drive that outputs a sinusoidal waveform utilizes power switching devices operable at high switching frequencies. The switching devices may be operated, for example, between twenty kilohertz and one megahertz. A first filter is included at the output of the motor drive which has a bandwidth selected to attenuate voltage components at the output which are at the switching frequency or multiples thereof such that the output voltage waveform is generally sinusoidal. Additional filtering is included within the motor drive to establish a circulation path for common mode currents within the motor drive. Further, a shield is provided adjacent to those components within the motor drive that may experience voltage or current waveforms at the switching frequency or multiples thereof to cause radiated emissions to establish eddy currents within the EMI shield rather than passing through the shield into the environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Zoran Vrankovic, Gennadi Sizov, Gary L. Skibinski, David A. Figie, Yao Da, Todd M. Oestreich, Adam M. Shea
  • Patent number: 11381195
    Abstract: Provided is an apparatus for operating a phase cut switch in a motor driven power steering apparatus. The apparatus for operating a phase cut switch in a motor driven power steering apparatus includes: a phase cut switch installed for an inverter for converting a voltage into 3-phase power and driving a driving motor and for each phase of input terminals of the driving motor; a gate driving unit configured to receive a driving signal from a control device and operate the phase cut switch; and a current circulation unit configured to circulate a counter electromotive force of the driving motor at an output terminal of the gate driving unit and an output terminal of the phase cut switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: HYUNDAI MOBIS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Jin Woo Lee
  • Patent number: 11368064
    Abstract: An outer rotor direct drive motor with a position encoder includes an outer rotor and a stator disposed in the outer rotor, wherein the stator includes: a stator chassis; a stator printed circuit board disposed on an side of the stator chassis, at least an excitation coil and a receiving coil being printed at the stator printed circuit board; and a stator winding disposed on the stator printed circuit board; wherein the outer rotor changes a coupling strength between the excitation coil and the receiving coil. The present invention has the following advantages: the installation method is flexible, and supports through-shaft installation without occupying too much space of the motor body; the sensor structure is stable, the rotor scale area and the induction coil are all printed on the printed circuit board, even in the case where the rotational speed is too fast, deformation or cracking will not be occurred.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2022
    Assignee: SEMIMENT TECHNOLOGIES (SHANGHAI) CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Cheng Tao, Ying Yang, Honggang Song
  • Patent number: 11333156
    Abstract: A method for controlling an angular speed of a fan of a computer system includes obtaining an error value; obtaining an adjusted error value by adjusting the error value using an adjustment constant when an absolute value of the error value is not larger than a predetermined value; obtaining a total output value according to at least the adjusted error value; and controlling the angular speed of the fan according to the total output value. The total output value is positively related to a pulse width modulation value, and the angular speed of the fan increases when the pulse width modulation value increases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignees: Inventec (Pudong) Technology Corp., Inventec Corporation
    Inventors: Cheng-Ming Lee, Kai-Yang Tung
  • Patent number: 11309818
    Abstract: Disclosed are a motor variable frequency driving system and a multi-split central air conditioner. The motor variable frequency driving system includes: a three-phase alternating-current input, a rectification module, a thin-film capacitor, an inverter, a vector control module, an A/D sampling module and a steady state processing module. The rectification module is connected to the three-phase alternating-current input; the thin-film capacitor is arranged between output ends of a direct current output; an input end of the inverter is connected to an output end of the direct current output; an output end of the inverter is connected to a three-phase alternating current motor; the vector control module is connected to the inverter; the A/D sampling module is used for collecting direct current bus voltages of two ends of the thin-film capacitor; and the steady state processing module is connected to the A/D sampling module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignees: GD Midea Heating & Ventilating Equipment Co., Ltd., Midea Group Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chao Zhou, Takeshi Kokura, Xiong Qian
  • Patent number: 11196373
    Abstract: There is provided a control device for a synchronous electric motor that controls a drive of the synchronous electric motor. The control device includes: a limit value setting part configured to set a limit value for an output torque related value that is related to an output torque of the synchronous electric motor according to a rotation speed of the synchronous electric motor; a command generator configured to generate a voltage command based on an input command and the limit value without feeding back a current flowing through the synchronous electric motor; a PWM signal generator configured to generate a PWM signal for controlling the drive of the synchronous electric motor based on the voltage command; and a drive controller configured to control the drive of the synchronous electric motor using the PWM signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: Sinfonia Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Makoto Maruyama
  • Patent number: 11114972
    Abstract: An active reflected wave canceller (ARWC, or RWC) can attached to each phase at the output of a motor drive (i.e., inverter). The reflected wave canceller is generally comprised of a pulse generator and a power inductor. The power inductor is used to by-pass the load current, so it doesn't flow through the pulse generator. The pulse generator injects an accurately controlled nanoseconds narrow-width pulse into the system. The injected narrow pulse breaks the rising and falling edge of the inverter output voltage into two steps, which generates two traveling waves along the cable that cancel each other at the motor terminals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: The Florida State University Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: Hui Li, Yu Zhang, Yanjun Shi
  • Patent number: 11025179
    Abstract: A motor control system includes a plurality of inverters each configured to be connected to a corresponding one of a plurality of motors, a plurality of current samplers coupled to the plurality of inverters, respectively, and each configured to sample a phase current of a corresponding one of the plurality of motors to generate a phase current signal for the corresponding one of the plurality of motors, and an operation controller including an analog-digital (AD) sampling circuit. The operation controller is configured to synchronously generate a plurality of triangular carrier signals each corresponding to one of the plurality of motors, and sample the phase current signals of the plurality of motors in a time sharing manner through the AD sampling circuit in rising half cycles or falling half cycles of the plurality of triangular carrier signals, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignees: GD MIDEA AIR-CONDITIONING EQUIPMENT CO., LTD., MIDEA GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Junya Huo, Zhaobin Huang
  • Patent number: 11018617
    Abstract: Provided is a rotation angle detection device, including: a rotation angle sensor; an input circuit configured to output a rotation angle signal and an abnormality signal; a calculation processing unit con tired to calculate a rotation angle calculation value and a rotation speed calculation value based on a rotation angle detection value at a predetermined preset calculation timing; and a rotation angle estimation processing unit configured to calculate a rotation angle estimation value after the calculation timing based on the rotation angle calculation value and the rotation speed calculation value. When the abnormality signal is received, the calculation processing unit calculates the rotation angle calculation value and the rotation speed calculation value based on the rotation angle estimation value, in place of the rotation angle detection value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Hayato Kamizawa, Kiyohiro Morita, Michitaka Fujiwara
  • Patent number: 10951144
    Abstract: A thyristor starter is configured to accelerate a synchronous machine from a stop state to a predetermined rotation speed by sequentially performing a first mode of performing commutation of an inverter by intermittently setting DC output current of a converter to zero and a second mode of performing commutation of the inverter by induced voltage of the synchronous machine. In a first case in which a first synchronous machine having a first inductance is started, a switching rotation speed for switching from the first mode to the second mode is set to a higher rotation speed, compared with a second case in which a second synchronous machine having a second inductance larger than the first inductance is started.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: TOSHIBA MITSUBISHI-ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasuaki Matsumoto, Hiroshi Ogino, Hironori Kawaguchi, Akinobu Ando
  • Patent number: 10715063
    Abstract: A motor drive control device for driving a single phase motor having a coil of a first system and a coil of a second system includes a first drive circuit configured to control energization to the coil of the first system, a second drive circuit configured to control energization to the coil of the second system, and an adjustment circuit to which a first monitor voltage output from the first drive circuit and a second monitor voltage output from the second drive circuit are input. One or both of the first and second drive circuits has at least one of an input terminal and an output terminal. The adjustment circuit performs an adjustment operation of applying a predetermined voltage to at least one of the input terminal and the output terminal based on the first and second monitor voltages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: MINEBEA MITSUMI INC.
    Inventor: Toshihiro Tamitsuji
  • Patent number: 10703404
    Abstract: In an electric power steering device, if a semiconductor switching element is used between a battery and a bridge circuit for opening and closing a current path, this arises a problem of generation of heat by an ON resistance; for this reason, a current flowing through the semiconductor switching element is limited if a difference between the gate voltage and the source voltage of the semiconductor switching element is smaller than or equal to a predetermined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2020
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Munenori Yamamoto, Hiroshi Nishimura
  • Patent number: 10581350
    Abstract: Provided are a synchronous machine control device SMCD including a converter configured to boost a voltage of a direct current power source DCPS in which, when the SMCD returns to operation after the operation stopping, fail-proof return to operation through the prevention of damage to the DCPS and the shortening of the time required for the return to operation are balanced. When returning to operation, the SMCD issues an operation enable command to an inverter and the converter simultaneously in the case where a calculated electric power value calculated from a rotational speed and a torque command is equal or higher than a threshold and, in the case where the calculated electric power value is less than the threshold, issues an operation enable command to the converter after an operation command that makes the electric power of the inverter equal or higher than a threshold is issued.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Daiki Matsuura, Noriyuki Wada
  • Patent number: 10581310
    Abstract: An electromechanical converter for automatically adjusting driving torque from an engine of a vehicle comprises a rotor, a stator, and a set of windings. The set of windings comprises main windings, subsidiary windings, and auxiliary windings. The rotor is housed within a stator, comprises a pole. A hub of the stator shaft is engaged to auxiliary stator and transfers energy from the engine to output. Each coil of the main and subsidiary windings is wound on each pole. Each coil of the auxiliary windings is wound between poles. The stator is separated from the rotor by gap. An output shaft is connected to auxiliary stator and it is engaged to the stator shaft. The comparative rotating of the rotor and stator creates current at the windings of the rotor and the stator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Inventor: Meghdad Rezaee
  • Patent number: 10525836
    Abstract: A motor driving apparatus incudes a driving circuit outputting a three-phase alternating current and a main controller, wherein the driving circuit comprises a U-phase electric driving circuit, a V-phase electric driving circuit, and a W-phase electric driving circuit, each of the electric driving circuits comprises n storage batteries and n corresponding electric driving, and wherein input ends of the n electric driving units are connected to the corresponding storage batteries and output ends of the n electric driving units are cascaded to output one phase of the three-phase alternating current. The main controller is connected to signal ends of the n electric driving units and determines an output voltage adjustment coefficient of each of the n electric driving units in the electric driving circuit based on voltages of the n storage batteries in the electric driving circuit, and outputs the output voltage adjustment coefficient to the corresponding electric driving unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jie Tang, Lizhou Yang, Jie Yi
  • Patent number: 10511247
    Abstract: In a linear conveyor device, each driver in each of sensor structural bodies includes a sensor position calculation part, a position identification part and a power supply control part. The sensor position calculation part calculates sensor position data of a sensor which forms a sensor structural body to which the sensor position calculation part per se belongs based on first sensor distance data which is stored in a data storage part. The position identification part identifies the position of a slider based on addition data obtained by adding sensor position data by the sensor position calculation part and detection data by a sensor which forms the sensor structural body. Then, the power supply control part drives a linear motor by performing a power supply control of a linear motor stator corresponding to the sensor structural body based on an identification result obtained by the position identification part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2019
    Assignee: YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Masayuki Mukai
  • Patent number: 10498253
    Abstract: A multi-inverter system with at least a string of inverters sharing a DC bus and outputting to a shared AC bus. Inverters are hot-swappable and configured to be turned on or off during powered cycles. Central control may comprise reducing power point tracking redundancies or promoting other operational changes at individual inverters of a group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: SunPower Corporation
    Inventors: Patrick L. Chapman, Zachary S. Judkins, Jacob Marshall
  • Patent number: 10491143
    Abstract: The invention relates to a circuit for selectively supplying precisely one motor of a plurality of motors with energy which is provided by precisely one converter. The circuit has a plurality of multiphase motor terminals for connecting motors, with precisely one multiphase converter terminal for connecting precisely one converter, and a plurality of electrical connections, wherein each of the electrical connections respectively comprises a plurality of phase lines, wherein each of the electrical connections is connected to the converter terminal, and wherein precisely one of the electrical connections is respectively connected to precisely one of the motor terminals, wherein precisely one MOSFET for selectively switching the respective phase line is respectively arranged in each phase line of an electrical connection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: WITTENSTEIN SE
    Inventor: Oliver Barth
  • Patent number: 10404159
    Abstract: An electric circuit device includes a noise generating circuit unit which generates noises, a housing which stores the noise generating circuit unit thereinside, is electrically earthed, and includes an opening, a control board which is provided with a connector to connect a wiring to an outside, a base plate which is disposed between the noise generating circuit unit and the control board to cover the opening of the housing, and a high impedance component which has impedance higher than the base plate against the noises. The base plate includes a first base plate which supports the control board, and a second base plate which is separated from the first base plate. The first base plate and the second base plate are disposed to interpose the high impedance component therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Jia Li, Keisuke Fukumasu, Yuji Sobu, Hiroki Funato
  • Patent number: 10404188
    Abstract: A power conversion device that includes an inverter circuit in which arms are connected in parallel to each other between a DC positive terminal and a DC negative terminal in accordance with a number of phases of alternating currents of the plurality of phases, the arms for respective phases each including two switch sections that are connected in series and to be brought into conduction in an on state and out of conduction in an off state, and a connection point between the two switch sections of each of the arms is set as an AC input or output point of each phase; and a controller that outputs switching control signals for performing switching control on the switch sections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: AISIN AW CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Subrata Saha, Arinori Shimada, Yutaka Hotta
  • Patent number: 10340823
    Abstract: A method of determining the position of a rotor of a brushless permanent-magnet motor is provided. The phase winding is freewheeled when a phase current exceeds an upper threshold. The method further includes measuring a parameter that corresponds to either: (i) the magnitude of the phase current during or at the end of freewheeling when the phase winding is freewheeled for the fixed period of time, or (ii) the time interval between the start and end of freewheeling or the start and end of excitation when the phase winding is freewheeled until the phase current falls below the lower threshold. The measured parameter is then used to define a saturation threshold. The phase winding is subsequently excited and freewheeled in the same manner, and the parameter is measured again. The method then compares the measured parameter against the saturation threshold, and determines that the rotor is at a predetermined position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: Dyson Technology Limited
    Inventor: Libo Zheng
  • Patent number: 10340826
    Abstract: A method of controlling a brushless permanent-magnet motor that includes sequentially exciting and freewheeling a phase winding of the motor is provided. The phase winding is freewheeled when the phase current exceeds an upper threshold. The method further includes measuring a parameter that corresponds to either: (i) the magnitude of the phase current during or at the end of freewheeling when the phase winding is freewheeled for the fixed period of time, or (ii) the time interval during freewheeling or during excitation when the phase winding is freewheeled until the phase current falls below the lower threshold. The measured parameter is then compared against a saturation threshold, and the rotor is determined to be at a predetermined position. In response to determining that the rotor is at the predetermined position, the phase winding is commutated after a commutation period has elapsed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: Dyson Technology Limited
    Inventor: Libo Zheng
  • Patent number: 10333451
    Abstract: A blockage detector for detecting a blocked state of an electrical machine has: a first power determiner and a second power determiner for determining a first power consumption and a second power consumption of the electrical machine while a first phase voltage and a second phase voltage for operating at a first rotating field speed and a second rotating field speed are applied to the electrical machine, a quotient former for producing a power quotient between the first power consumption and the second power consumption; and a comparator for comparing the power quotient with a threshold value for the power quotient. The invention also relates to an inverter controller, an inverter, a drive, ventilation or air-conditioning system and a vehicle having a blockage detector according to the invention. In addition, the invention relates to a corresponding method for detecting a blocked state of an electrical machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: MAGNA POWERTRAIN BAD HOMBURG GMBH
    Inventor: Dierk Ortmann
  • Patent number: 10333303
    Abstract: A power supply device includes an output circuit configured to be supplied with electric power from a power supply, and to output a current, a driving circuit configured to control an output operation of the output circuit to output a current, an overcurrent detection circuit configured to output a detection signal to a first node when detecting an overcurrent in the output circuit, an off-state fixing circuit configured to output an off-state fixing signal to the driving circuit for performing a forcible suspension of the output operation of the output circuit based on a detection signal inputted to the first node, regardless of whether a control signal is outputted, and a control unit configured to receive the detection signal and to output the control signal for controlling the output operation to the driving circuit in order to cause the driving circuit to control the output operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: SHINDENGEN ELECTRIC MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshinori Kobayashi, Kazuo Yamashita
  • Patent number: 10250169
    Abstract: A robot system includes a motor, an inverter, a first control portion, and a second control portion. The motor includes stator windings for three phases. The inverter includes series-connection bodies of a high-side switch and a low-side switch for three phases. A connection point of the high-side switch and the low-side switch for each of the phases is connected with the corresponding stator winding. One of the high-side switch and the low-side switch for each of the phases works as a brake switch. The first control portion and the second control portion performs a driving control of the brake switches. Each of the first control portion and the second control portion has a function of monitoring the robot system, and turns on the brake switches for at least two phases when detecting that an abnormality occurs in the robot system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED
    Inventor: Hideyuki Nishino
  • Patent number: 10229710
    Abstract: An apparatus and associated method that contemplate spinning up an electric motor to an operational speed by accelerating the motor with a primary power, and before the motor is accelerated to the operational speed, boosting the primary power with an auxiliary power for a predetermined interval.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignee: SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY LLC
    Inventor: Alexey Nazarov
  • Patent number: 10211764
    Abstract: A short-circuit detection circuit is adapted to a full-bridge driver which includes the first and second high-side transistors respectively coupled from a supply voltage to the first and second output nodes and the first and second low-side transistors respectively coupled from the first and second output nodes to a ground. The short-circuit detection circuit includes the first and second voltage dividers respectively receiving voltages of the first and second output nodes to respectively generate the first and second voltages, the high-side and low-side selectors respectively selecting the first voltage and the second voltage to respectively generate a high-side voltage and a low-side voltage, a high-side comparator generating a high-side short-circuit signal when the high-side voltage is lower than a high-side reference voltage, and a low-side comparator generating a low-side short-circuit signal when the low-side voltage exceeds the low-side reference voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2019
    Assignee: PRINCETON TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Wen-Jan Lee
  • Patent number: 10211762
    Abstract: A drive circuit for an electric motor having a wound stator and a permanent magnet rotor, includes a controllable bidirectional AC switch connected in series with a stator winding between two terminals for connecting to an AC power supply. First and second position sensors detect the position of magnetic poles of the rotor. A voltage regulating circuit is connected between the two terminals and the controllable bidirectional AC switch and configured to supply power to the first sensor during the positive cycle and to the second position sensor during the negative cycle of the AC power supply such that the controllable bidirectional AC switch is switched between a conductive state and a non-conductive state in a preset manner, thus enabling the stator to rotate the rotor in only one predetermined direction during start-up.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2019
    Assignee: JOHNSON ELECTRIC INTERNATIONAL AG
    Inventors: Yue Li, Chi Ping Sun, Bao Ting Liu, En Hui Wang, Fei Xin, Shing Hin Yeung, Xiu Wen Yang, Yan Yun Cui, Shu Juan Huang
  • Patent number: 10135368
    Abstract: A system for reducing a torque ripple cancellation command is provided and includes a current regulator that provides motor voltage commands to a motor, and a torque ripple cancellation module that generates a torque ripple cancellation command based on input currents to the current regulator. A ramp-down command generator module that provides a ramp-down command to the torque ripple cancellation module is also provided. The ramp-down command is based on a voltage saturation indicator, and a voltage saturation indicator generator that generates a voltage saturation indicator signal. The voltage saturation indicator signal is based on a supply voltage signal and a motor voltage command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: STEERING SOLUTIONS IP HOLDING CORPORATION
    Inventors: Siddharth Ballal, Prerit Pramod, Julie A. Kleinau
  • Patent number: 9960702
    Abstract: A switch device in a power conversion device is located between a power supply and a load, wherein the power conversion device includes a shunt resistance and a switching element and is capable of executing stable control, the switch device includes a switching element that includes a gate terminal, a gate drive circuit that applies a drive voltage Vcc to a gate terminal of the switching element, and a control unit that generates a drive signal to the gate drive circuit, wherein a value obtained by subtracting a threshold voltage Vth of the switching element from the drive voltage Vcc to be applied to the gate terminal of the switching element is greater than a product of a resistance value Rsh+Rdc from an emitter of the switching element to a negative electrode of the gate drive circuit and a maximum current value Ipeak that flows through the switching element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Keisuke Uemura, Takuya Shimomugi, Koichi Arisawa, Yosuke Shinomoto, Shigeo Umehara, Shinichiro Ura, Makoto Tanikawa
  • Patent number: 9847701
    Abstract: An electric machine assembly includes an electric machine including a rotor. A controller operatively connected to the electric machine and configured to receive a torque command. The rotor is configured to rotate at a rotor speed (?) based at least partially on the torque command. The controller has a processor and tangible, non-transitory memory on which is recorded instructions for executing a method for determining a cumulative rotor fatigue (FC) based at least partially on the rotor speed. The controller is operative to control at least one operating paramater of the electric machine based at least partially on the cumulative rotor fatigue (FC). The controller is configured to record respective occurrences of the rotor stress value exceeding respective predefined stress levels in chronological order to create a cycle dataset, such that the cycle dataset preserves a time order of the respective occurrences.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Steven L. Hayslett, Chad A. Freitas, Matthew D. Laba
  • Patent number: 9712089
    Abstract: The present invention inhibits the voltage jump of a source voltage or an output voltage by an approach which is different from a conventional one. A logic circuit allows an H bridge circuit to be shifted among a plurality of states in a specific sequence. A compulsory regenerating circuit is configured to be switched between an enabled state and a disabled state; while being in the enabled state, the current that flows in from a ground line via the H bridge circuit and a motor coil to a power line back-flows to the ground line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: ROHM CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yuki Gohara, Tomofumi Mishima
  • Patent number: 9584049
    Abstract: An H-bridge circuit controls a motor and includes a first series circuit of switching elements and a second series circuit of switching elements connected in parallel to the first series circuit. A motor driving control method includes a step of turning each of the switching elements Q2, Q3 off and turning-on or performing PWM control on the switching element Q1 and also turning the switching elements Q4 on; a step of performing PWM control on Q1; a step of turning off Q1; a step of repeating for a predetermined number of times a first kickback suppression period during which Q2 is turned on and Q4 is turned off and a second kickback suppression period during which Q2 is turned off and Q4 is turned on; and a step of turning Q2 on and turning on or performing PWM control on Q3.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: Minebea Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masato Aoki
  • Patent number: 9577566
    Abstract: A motor driving circuit is provided, which selects a Hall sensor or a Sensor-less controller to achieve the phase commutation of a magnetic pole of a motor through a hall positive terminal and a hall negative terminal of a hall control device. When the hall positive terminal and the hall negative terminal receive a first hall signal and a second hall signal generated by the Hall sensor, the motor driving circuit selects the Hall sensor and then accordingly drives the motor. When the hall positive terminal and the hall negative terminal are floating, or one of them receives a high-voltage, the motor driving circuit selects the sensor-less controller and then accordingly drives the motor. Accordingly, the motor driving circuit can select different sensing devices to achieve the phase commutation of the magnetic pole of the motor according to the motor characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: ANPEC ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kun-Min Chen
  • Patent number: 9559574
    Abstract: An electric motor comprises a stator, rotor and powering circuit. A first stator pole is operable to attract a first rotor pole to rotate the rotor when the first stator pole is energized, and a second stator pole is operable to attract a second rotor pole when energized. The circuit comprises a plurality of charge storage devices including a first subset and a second subset which in a first mode of operation is operable to discharge the first subset to both energize the first stator pole and charge the second subset, with the first subset connected in series and the second subset connected in parallel, and in a second mode of operation, the circuit is operable to discharge the second subset to both energize the second stator pole and charge the first subset, with the second subset connected in series and the first subset connected in parallel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Apparent Energy, Inc.
    Inventors: Hani Henri Hajje, Brett C. Belan
  • Patent number: 9531365
    Abstract: A semiconductor apparatus may include a signal generator, and may operate by receiving two or more external power voltages. The signal generator may include a duty cycle circuit. The duty cycle circuit may include a duty control circuit and a duty cycle adjustment circuit. The duty cycle adjustment circuit may be configured to compensate a duty change of an output signal when a power voltage domain changes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: SK HYNIX INC.
    Inventor: Kwan Su Shon
  • Patent number: 9502999
    Abstract: There is provided an apparatus for driving a motor including: a converter applying an input voltage to each phase winding of the motor; and a processor controlling a phase current flowing to the phase winding to which the input voltage is applied to be increased or decreased in a preset reference range and controlling phase commutation of the motor based on a change in the phase current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Assignee: IUCF-HYU (INDUSTRY-UNIVERSITY COOPERATION FOUNDATION HANYANG UNIVERSITY)
    Inventors: Keun Soo Ha, Rea Young Kim, Joung Ho Son, Min Jae Ahn, Jae Hoon Kim, Mu Seon Woo
  • Patent number: 9473052
    Abstract: A motor drive method of the invention is to drive a brushless motor having a rotor, a stator, and a hall element used as a position detecting sensor. While driving the brushless motor, when executing a correction process for a rotation speed of the rotor, the correction process is skipped for a predetermined number of times according to a position detection signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2016
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Daisuke Sato
  • Patent number: 9438098
    Abstract: A technology is disclosed for controlling switching of power converters included in a power converting system. Phase angles are allocated to a plurality of sub-units corresponding to the power converters, and the respective sub-units create local switching carriers based on the allocated phase angles. The sub-units compare a reference AC voltage with the local switching carriers, and switch the power converters according to the result of the comparison.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2016
    Assignee: HYOSUNG CORPORATION
    Inventors: June-Sung Kim, Jong-Yun Choi
  • Patent number: 9372210
    Abstract: Various techniques for dynamic power FET switching are disclosed. In some embodiments, a device comprises an array of two or more independently switchable power MOSFETs that are configured to sense current in a high current mode and a low current mode as well as circuitry for automatically switching from the low current mode to the high current mode when sensed current is above a threshold to switch to the high current mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: Silego Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: John Othniel McDonald, Jay Li, Nathan Willis John