Switching Circuit Structure Or Component (e.g., Inverter, Bridge Circuit, Etc.) Patents (Class 318/400.26)
  • Publication number: 20120286712
    Abstract: In a motor drive apparatus for driving a three-phase AC motor, a first mounting part of a heat sink is formed along an end. A second mounting part is formed in a direction perpendicular to the first mounting part and includes a first column part and a second column part. Three motor relay FETs are mounted on the first mounting part. Six inverter FETs and two power relay FETs are mounted on the second mounting part. Leads of the FETs are electrically connected to an electric circuit substrate. Heat generated by the FETs is radiated to the heat sink through an insulating and heat radiating sheet. By thus arranging the FETs, the motor drive apparatus is reduced in size.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 3, 2012
    Publication date: November 15, 2012
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takashi Tsuboi, Hiroyuki Kawata, Yasuyoshi Toda
  • Publication number: 20120286711
    Abstract: An embodiment of the invention provides an AC motor that is driven by an AC voltage. The AC motor includes a motor coil, a switch circuit, a position detector and a controller. The motor coil receives the AC voltage to drive an axis of the motor. The switch circuit is coupled to the motor coil and controls a current passing through the motor coil. The position detector detects the position of a motor rotor to output a polarity signal. The controller controls the switch circuit according to the polarity signal and the AC voltage to make the current to be a first current with a first direction or a second current with a second direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 23, 2011
    Publication date: November 15, 2012
    Inventors: Yueh-Lung HUANG, Tsung-Jung HSIEH, Yen-Hung WU
  • Publication number: 20120286713
    Abstract: A frequency converter and a method for determining the position of the rotor of an electric machine are provided. The frequency converter includes a load bridge and a control of the load bridge, for supplying electricity between the load bridge and an electric machine connected to the load bridge. The frequency converter includes a determination for at least one electrical parameter of the electric machine, and includes a determination for the position of the rotor of the electric machine. The load bridge is fitted to supply a first alternating electricity excitation signal, which is formed in relation to the electrical angle of the electric machine, to the electric machine. The frequency converter is further fitted to determine the first alternating electricity response signal corresponding to the first alternating electricity excitation signal, and the position of the rotor is determined on the basis of the first alternating electricity response signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2012
    Publication date: November 15, 2012
    Inventors: Tuukka KAUPPINEN, Lauri STOLT
  • Patent number: 8299732
    Abstract: Power conversion systems and methods are provided for driving a plurality of motor loads, in which an autotransformer receives AC input currents and provides a plurality of multiphase outputs at a non-zero phase angle relative to one another, and the individual multiphase outputs are provided to corresponding motor drives with rectifiers to convert the multiphase outputs to DC electrical power, and inverters to convert the DC power to AC to drive corresponding motor loads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Frederick L. Hoadley, Gary L. Skibinski
  • Publication number: 20120268049
    Abstract: Complete drive system, called motor-drive unit, for use in remote locations with limited radial space like downhole, narrow tunnels, pipelines and other applications with similar conditions. Given the spatial limitations the unit must have elongated shape. It includes a number of motors connected mechanically in series and a lower number of inverters, driving groups of the motors so that load is equally distributed along axis of the unit. Motors within each group can be electrically connected in series or in parallel. The motor-drive unit is supposed to be fed by DC voltage via a cable with length up to several km; therefore, it includes a buck converter for stabilization of voltage inside the unit and a power-line communication module to be controllable from the surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2010
    Publication date: October 25, 2012
    Applicant: SMARTMOTOR AS
    Inventors: Richard Lund, Alexey Matveev, Roy Nilsen, Sigurd Övrebö
  • Patent number: 8294407
    Abstract: A motor controller and an electric power steering system including the motor controller are provided. The motor controller has a microcomputer. When the on time of one of the lower potential-side FETs corresponding to the respective phases in a drive circuit becomes shorter than the detection time for detecting the phase current value, the microcomputer estimates the phase current value of the electric current undetectable phase based on the phase current values of the two phases other than the electric current undetectable phase corresponding to the relevant FET (blind estimation). When electric current detection is performed in the blind estimation, motor control signals are output, by which the switching state of the switching arm of the electric current undetectable phase is maintained and the power loss caused by the switching operation of the FETs in the two phases other than the electric current undetectable phase is compensated for.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: JTEKT Corporation
    Inventors: Satoru Mikamo, Atsuo Sakai
  • Patent number: 8294395
    Abstract: A storage section stores three-phase detection currents and outputs them as three-phase storage detection currents and also stores three-phase voltage commands and outputs them as three-phase storage voltage commands. A second voltage command calculating section outputs three-phase voltage commands on the basis of the three-phase storage detection currents and the three-phase storage voltage commands, which are acquired from the storage section, and the three-phase detection currents acquired from a current detecting means. A voltage command output means outputs, to a voltage application means, three-phase voltage commands acquired on the basis of the three-phase voltage commands from the storage section and the three-phase voltage commands from the second voltage command calculating section. The voltage application means applies a voltage to an AC rotary machine on the basis of the three-phase voltage commands from the voltage command output means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corp.
    Inventors: Yoshihiko Kimpara, Seiji Sawada, Takayuki Kifuku
  • Patent number: 8288978
    Abstract: A motor driver, including a bridge circuit including a switching element and a diode, connecting with a coil terminal of each phase of a polyphase motor; a modulator modulating a voltage value applied to the coil terminal of each phase such that a minimum voltage value applied thereto is zero; a PWM signal generator generating a PWM signal, based on the voltage value applied to each phase, which is modulated by the modulator; and a switching element drive signal generator generating a switching element drive signal to drive the switching signal, based on the PWM signal generated by the PWM signal generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Fumihiro Shimizu
  • Patent number: 8288980
    Abstract: In an apparatus, a norm setter sets, based on a request torque for a rotary machine and a rotational velocity of a rotor, a norm of a vector of an output voltage in a two-phase rotating coordinate system defined in the rotor. A phase setter sets, based on a deviation between a generated torque and the request torque, a phase of the vector of the output voltage of the power converter in the two-phase rotating coordinate system. A drive signal determiner determines, based on the norm set by the norm setter and the phase set by the phase setter, a drive signal, and applies the drive signal to a switching member to thereby drive the switching member such that the generated torque is adjusted to the request torque.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Yamamoto, Takahiro Yamada
  • Publication number: 20120249031
    Abstract: The invention relates to a variable speed drive (1) connected upstream to an electric power grid (R) and downstream to an electric motor (M), the variable speed drive comprising notably a main casing comprising a base (14) and a main closure cover (15) closing on the base (14), a rectifier module (10), an inverter module (11), these modules being inserted inside the casing, and one or more bus capacitors (13). The main closure cover (15) comprises one or more openings (151) each traversed by a bus capacitor (13) and the variable speed drive comprises a secondary closure cover (17) fitting onto the main closure cover (15) and covering the said one or more bus capacitors (13).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2012
    Publication date: October 4, 2012
    Applicant: Schneider Toshiba Inverter Europe SAS
    Inventor: Frédéric LEON
  • Patent number: 8278856
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a system for reducing component noise in a motor in a automobile includes a first gate driver and a second gate driver, a high side FET; a low side FET; a charge pump circuit; a high frequency reduction component; and a timing signal source. The timing source signal interconnected to the charge pump, the first gate driver, and the second gate driver, the first gate driver interconnected with the charge pump, the first gate driver interconnected with the high side FET, the high side FET and the low side FET interconnected with the high frequency reduction component, the timing signal source providing timing signals to the signals to the first gate driver, the second gate driver, and the charge pump circuit such that the PWM slope is dull enough to prevent RE EMC, wherein the timing signal source provides three timing signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: Flextronics Automotive Inc.
    Inventor: Hyeong Han
  • Patent number: 8278852
    Abstract: A motor-driving-circuit comprising: a first to-fourth-transistors; a drive-control-circuit to control a energization-state of a motor coil so as to be a driving-state where either one group of groups of the first-and-fourth-transistors and the second-and-third-transistors is on and the other group is off, or so as to be a regeneration-state where the first-and-third-transistors are off and the second-and-fourth-transistors are on; a set-current-detection-circuit; an overcurrent-detection-circuit; and an overcurrent-protection-circuit to output a regeneration-instruction-signal for shifting the energization-state to the regeneration-state if an overcurrent-state does not occur and output a drive-stop-signal for stopping driving the coil if the overcurrent-state occurs, when a current amount flowing through the coil has reached a set-level in the driving-state, the drive-control-circuit shifting the energization-state to the regeneration-state to be maintained for a predetermined time period and thereafter retu
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignees: Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC, Sanyo Semiconductor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshito Motoki, Yuji Uchiyama
  • Publication number: 20120235613
    Abstract: In a first aspect, the invention is directed to a circuit for powering a gate drive for an electric motor for a vehicle with an electric motor. The circuit provides a primary power supply and a secondary power supply that powers the gate drive in the event the primary power supply fails. The primary power supply may draw power from the 12V battery on the vehicle. The secondary power supply may draw power from a high voltage battery pack on the vehicle that is normally used to provide power to the electric motor. By providing the secondary power supply to the gate drive, a 3-phase short can be applied to the motor in the event that it is needed as a safety measure even if there is a failure in the primary power supply.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2011
    Publication date: September 20, 2012
    Inventor: Fengtai HUANG
  • Patent number: 8264178
    Abstract: A slope counter starts countdown at timing of changing an output voltage of an FET to zero. A controller executes a nonsymmetrical energization control operation to control a PWM generator such that the PWM generator generates a PWM signal based on a count value of the slope counter and outputs the generated PWM signal to the FET. The countdown of the slope counter is terminated when a predetermined time period elapses or when a time period corresponding to an electrical angle of 40 degrees elapses before the elapsing of the predetermined period. Also, at this time, the controller terminates the nonsymmetrical energization control operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2012
    Assignee: Asmo Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Takayuki Kitagawa
  • Publication number: 20120223664
    Abstract: A power switch arrangement (1) for an inverter, particularly a drive inverter, the power switch arrangement (1) having a power semiconductor switch (2) and a protective circuit (3) disposed at the power semiconductor switch (2) protecting against reverse voltage transfer from the three-phase motor (5) that can be connected to the power semiconductor switch. The semiconductor power switch (2) having a control input (2a) and a switch input (2b), and a switch output (2c). The protective circuit (3) includes a series circuit, having a zener diode (7) and a first ohmic resistance (8), connected between the switch input (2b) and the control input (2a), and a series circuit, having a second ohmic resistance (9) and a diode (10), switched between the control input (2a) and the switch output (2c).
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2010
    Publication date: September 6, 2012
    Applicant: ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG
    Inventor: Robert Januschevski
  • Publication number: 20120212168
    Abstract: An AC motor drive control device including: an inverter, having a plurality of switching elements subjected to on-off control, for converting a DC voltage to an AC voltage with a desired frequency to drive an AC motor; a motor opening contactor connected between the inverter and the AC motor; a switching operation beforehand detection unit for detecting a switching operation of the motor opening contactor prior to the contact or detach of main contacts and outputting a switching operation beforehand detection signal; and a control unit having an inverter control unit for performing the on-off control for the plurality of switching elements and switching control for the motor opening contactor, and controlling the inverter based on the switching operation beforehand detection signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2009
    Publication date: August 23, 2012
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Mitsuru Tsukima, Hidetoshi Kitanaka
  • Patent number: 8248012
    Abstract: A method for determining gain of a back-electromotive force amplifier may include setting an electric motor into a tri-state function mode and storing a first quasi steady-state value for back-electromotive force from the difference signal, and forcing a reference current through the electric motor and determining a first value of the gain of the amplifier for equaling a difference signal to the first quasi steady-state value. The method may further include setting the electric motor into a tri-state function mode a second time and storing a second quasi steady-state value for back-electromotive force from the difference signal, and increasing the first value of the gain by an amount proportional to a difference between the second quasi steady-state value and the first quasi steady-state value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.R.L.
    Inventors: Davide Betta, Diego Armaroli, Roberto Trabattoni, Marco Ferrari
  • Patent number: 8232755
    Abstract: A DC motor is provided. The DC motor prevents rush or overload of current in the DC motor during and/or after power input irregularities to the DC motor. A control circuit of the DC motor is configured to control current provided to the DC motor. When power irregularities in the power input to the DC motor are detected by the control circuit, the control circuit stops generating PWM (Pulse Width Modulated) signals and stops the current provided to the DC motor. After the stoppage of PWM signals, the control circuit can perform a soft-start of the PWM signals when the power irregularities are no longer detected. The soft starting of the PWM signals generates gradual increase in current to the DC motor, thus, preventing sudden rush of current that cause malfunction of the DC motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Inventor: Young-Chun Jeung
  • Patent number: 8222845
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for operating a rotating electric machine, wherein the rotating electric machine is connected by phases to a converter circuit having a direct-current circuit for switching at least two voltage levels, and the phases of the converter circuit are connected to the direct-current circuit according to a selected switch state combination of switch states of power semi-conductor switches of the converter circuit. Exemplary embodiments can reduce the switching frequency of the power semi-conductor switches, based on a prediction of further behavior of the overall system, and selection of an optimum switching state combination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: ABB Research Ltd
    Inventors: Georgios Papafotiou, Franz Zurfluh
  • Patent number: 8222857
    Abstract: In a controlling device for a permanent magnet synchronous motor, an asynchronous pulse mode is switched to a synchronous pulse mode in a situation where a modulation factor has become equal to or larger than a first set value or in a situation where an inverter output frequency has become equal to or higher than a second set value. The synchronous pulse mode is switched to the asynchronous pulse mode in a situation where the modulation factor has become smaller than the first set value, and also, the inverter output frequency has become lower than the second set value. By setting the second set value so that the number of pulses included in a half cycle of an output voltage fundamental wave of the inverter is equal to or larger than a predetermined value, it is possible to inhibit current oscillations and torque ripples from occurring in the motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Hidetoshi Kitanaka
  • Patent number: 8217615
    Abstract: One embodiment of the invention includes a disk-drive spindle motor power regulator system. The system includes a switching system comprising at least one power transistor for each of a plurality of phases of a disk-drive spindle motor. The system also includes a switching controller configured to generate a plurality of switching signals configured to control the at least one power transistor for each of the plurality of phases of the disk-drive spindle motor. The system further includes a current monitor configured to measure a magnitude of an individual phase current through at least one of the plurality of phases of the disk-drive spindle motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Wenxiao Tan, Gregory Swize
  • Patent number: 8212512
    Abstract: A vehicle generator motor has a generator motor that is connected to an internal combustion engine and plural sets of three-phase windings, plural sets of inverter portions connected to the respective sets of the three-phase windings, and a control circuit portion for controlling the inverter portions in accordance with the operation state of the generator motor. When the generator motor operates as a motor and a variation value of an output torque or power generation amount thereof exceeds a predetermined value, the control circuit portion controls the inverter portions so as to stop armature current flowing in at least one set in plural sets of three-phase windings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Naohide Maeda, Masahiko Fujita
  • Publication number: 20120153882
    Abstract: An inverter executing a PWM routine is configured to synchronize the switching periods of the PWM routine to an external signal. The external signal is generated, for example, by another inverter, a converter, or a high level controller. The external signal is preferably generated periodically, and the switching period is resynchronized to the external signal each time the external signal is received. Optionally, either the start time or the midpoint of the switching period may be aligned with external signal. Further, the external signal may be sent to multiple inverters. Preferably, a first portion of the inverters align the start time of their respective switching period to the external signal and a second portion of the inverters align the midpoint of their respective switching period to the external signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2010
    Publication date: June 21, 2012
    Inventors: Bok Young Hong, Craig R. Winterhalter
  • Patent number: 8203294
    Abstract: An apparatus for use with a flight control actuator and method for assembling the same is provided. The apparatus includes a motor drive system and a control unit. The motor drive system includes a capacitor-based energy storage configured to store and provide energy within or proximate to the actuator. The control unit is coupled to the motor drive system and is configured to facilitate managing power within or proximate to the actuator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2012
    Assignee: GE Aviations Systems LLC
    Inventors: Hao Huang, David Dimitri Karipides, Arthur Vorwerk Radun
  • Patent number: 8198845
    Abstract: Circuits and methods system for a DC-to-DC conversion using the inductance of a motor coil are disclosed. The invention is especially applicable for mobile electronic devices having a motor and requiring a DC-to-DC conversion. By using the coil of the motor for DC-to-DC conversion and for the purpose of a motor no space for an additional coil is required. For motor control an H-bridge arrangement is provided allowing motor movement in both directions, to brake and free run. By adding two diodes and a capacitor and modulation of a switch of the H-bridge a DC-to-DC conversion has been made possible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Digitál Imaging Systems GmbH
    Inventor: Horst Knoedgen
  • Patent number: 8198853
    Abstract: A motor speed controller and a method of controller a speed of a motor are provided. The system and method include a motor and a motor controller that monitors operation of the motor based on electromotive force (EMF) conditions of the motor. The motor controller cuts a voltage to the motor, measures an electromotive force (EMF) of the motor at a predetermined time after the cutting of the voltage to the motor, and compares the measured electromotive force (EMF) to a table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: BSH Home Appliances Corporation
    Inventor: George Savitz
  • Patent number: 8193750
    Abstract: Electrical machine arrangements have advantages with regard to providing local electrical power and starting. Embedding such electrical machine arrangements in machinery such as gas turbine engines is advantageous in removing mechanical linkages and reducing aerodynamic drag. However, the components utilized must be able to withstand harsh environmental conditions and therefore the DC link capacitor used for smoothing of voltage fluctuations are limited to relatively low capacitance densities. Low density DC link capacitors require large sizes which render electrical machines less acceptable for embedded usage. By providing offset of electrical current in inductance elements such as stator windings and stator coils of electrical machines in dead periods of the cycle a reduction in DC link capacitor requirements is achieved reducing the size, weight and complexity of installing electrical machines in gas turbine engines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2012
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce PLC
    Inventors: David Reginald Trainer, Harsh Agarwal, Stephen Mark Husband, Gareth Edward Moore, David James Powell, Stephen Andrew Long
  • Patent number: 8193749
    Abstract: A control device has a unit for determining a controlled phase of a controlled voltage outputted from an inverter to a generator according to a difference between a target torque and an estimated torque of the generator, a unit for calculating an instructed vector norm of the controlled voltage from the target torque, an electrical angular speed of the generator and parameters indicating characteristics of the generator, a unit for correcting the instructed norm to an adjusted vector norm such that a phase of current flowing through the generator in response to the controlled voltage set at the controlled phase and the adjusted norm is controlled to a phase of an instructed current determined from the target torque, and a unit for controlling the generator by controlling the inverter to output the controlled voltage set at the controlled phase and the adjusted norm to the generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2012
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Yamamoto, Tatsuru Morioka, Junji Miyachi
  • Publication number: 20120126734
    Abstract: An alternating current chopper circuit with low noise is disclosed. The circuit includes a switching circuit, a first freewheel circuit, and a second freewheel circuit. The switching circuit has a control switching unit, which turns on and or off accordingly to a control signal. The first freewheel circuit and the second freewheel circuit are for providing a current-conducting path to the motor, when the control switching unit is turned off.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2011
    Publication date: May 24, 2012
    Applicant: NATIONAL FORMOSA UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Yu-Kai Chen, Chin-Hsiung Chang
  • Publication number: 20120126733
    Abstract: An electric drive system includes a permanent magnet machine having a rotor and a stator and a power converter electrically coupled to the permanent magnet machine and configured to convert a DC link voltage to an AC output voltage to drive the permanent magnet machine. The power converter includes a plurality of silicon carbide switching devices having a voltage rating that exceeds a peak line-to-line back electromotive force of the permanent magnet machine at a maximum speed of the permanent magnet machine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2010
    Publication date: May 24, 2012
    Inventors: Ayman Mohamed Fawzi EL-Refaie, Robert Dean King
  • Patent number: 8183805
    Abstract: The control system comprises a switch (TR) in series with a stator winding (W) between two terminals (A, B) connected to an alternating supply voltage source (V), a first detector circuit (2) capable of providing a signal (Voi) indicating when the current (I) in that winding (W) is zero, a second detector circuit (1) capable of providing a signal (Vw) indicating the magnitude of the supply voltage (V), and a control unit (MC) connected to the first and second detection circuits (2; 1) and designed to control the switch (TR) in such a way as to cause an alternating current (I) of the same frequency as the supply voltage (V) and having alternating positive and negative phases (11, 12) to pass through the winding (W), separated by intervals during which it remains at zero, of a duration (tp) which varies according to an increasing function of the magnitude of the supply voltage (V).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: Askoll P&C S.r.l.
    Inventors: Sebastiano Acquaviva, Piergiorgio Ricco
  • Patent number: 8179066
    Abstract: Method for controlling a load with a predominantly inductive character, whereby in order to feed a phase of the above-mentioned load (3), use is made of at least two connected output voltages, derived from one or several power electronic inverters (11,12;34,35,36), with a given period for switching, modulation or sampling, characterized in that the waveforms of the output voltages concerned are different or have been shifted in time, and in that they are supplied to the load (3) via a differential-mode device (6), whereby during every complete above-mentioned period, at least one of the above-mentioned output voltages is maintained constant and thus is not connected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: Atlas Copco Airpower, Naamloze Vennootschap
    Inventor: Gerd Terörde
  • Publication number: 20120104984
    Abstract: An electrical device has a capacitive storage element and first and second switches. The capacitive storage element and first and second switches are interconnected such that when interconnected with a direct current (dc) voltage supply and first and second windings of an electrical machine: (1) a first operational state exists in which conductive states of the first and second switches cause the dc voltage supply to conduct current through the first winding and the first switch and conduct current through the first and second switches and the second winding, respectively, thereby storing energy within the first and second windings, and (2) a second operational state exists in which non-conductive states of the first and second switches cause each of the first and second windings to discharge stored energy by conducting current through the capacitive storage element, thereby storing energy in the capacitive storage element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2011
    Publication date: May 3, 2012
    Inventor: Krishnan RAMU
  • Patent number: 8169180
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a motor controller of an air conditioner, including a converter for converting a commercial AC power into a DC power, an inverter including a plurality of switching elements, the inverter receiving the DC power, converting the DC power into an AC power through a switching operation and driving a three-phase motor, a gate driver for controlling the switching operation of the switching elements, and a plurality of voltage drop units connected between the converter and the gate driver, the voltage drop units dropping the DC power and supplying driving voltages for an operation of the switching elements. Accordingly, circuit elements within a controller can be protected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Sun Ho Hwang, Han Su Jung, Chung Hun Lee
  • Patent number: 8164292
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a motor controller, including a converter for converting commercial AC power into DC power, an inverter including a plurality of switching elements, the inverter receiving the DC power, converting the DC power into AC power of a specific frequency through switching operations, and supplying the AC power to a three-phase motor, and a noise filter unit connected between the commercial AC power and the converter in order to remove a high frequency current and including normal mode inductors and common mode inductor. Accordingly, the motor control can control the power factor, limit a high frequency current, and eliminate noise components, that is, ripple components of an input current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Gwi Guen Park
  • Patent number: 8164287
    Abstract: In application of a square wave voltage to a motor MG2 to make the motor MG2 output a torque equivalent to a torque command Tm2*, the procedure of square wave control corrects reference phases ?b and ??b as phases for maximizing an absolute value of the output torque of the motor MG2 with a rotational position detection error ?err and sets the results of the correction to an upper limit phase ?ul and a lower limit phase ?ll of the square wave voltage (step S110). A target voltage phase ?* is set within a phase range defined by the upper limit phase ?ul and the lower limit phase ?ll, in order to reduce a torque difference between the torque command Tm2* and a torque estimate Tm2est (steps S120 and S130). An inverter 42 is controlled based on the target voltage phase ?* and a rotational angle ? of the motor MG2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Kenji Yamada, Hirofumi Kako, Takeshi Itoh
  • Patent number: 8154236
    Abstract: An EPC connected between a three phase motor and a battery fixes a voltage of the V phase of the three phase motor to a voltage potential of a positive electrode of the battery. A converter unit is placed for each of the U and W phases of the three phase motor. Each of the converter units has a chopper circuit part and a capacitor. Each of the converter units converts the voltage of the battery to a desired voltage. The voltage of each of V and W phases is adjusted until the voltage of being twice of the voltage of the battery based on the voltage potential at the positive electrode of the battery as a reference voltage. This makes it possible to adjust the absolute value of a line voltage between V and W phases until the voltage of the battery as an upper limit voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventor: Tomonori Kimura
  • Publication number: 20120081053
    Abstract: A control device includes a drive controller that controls the driving of an electromagnetic coil, and a regeneration controller that controls the regeneration of power from the electromagnetic coil. The drive controller includes an excitation interval setting unit that sets excitation and non-excitation intervals such that voltage is applied to the electromagnetic coil during the excitation interval but is not applied during the non-excitation interval. The excitation and non-excitation intervals are symmetrical with centers that respectively correspond to the ?/2 and ? phase points of the induced voltage waveform. The regeneration controller includes a regeneration interval setting unit that sets regeneration and non-regeneration intervals such that power is regenerated from the electromagnetic coil during the regeneration interval but is not regenerated during the non-regeneration interval.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2011
    Publication date: April 5, 2012
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kesatoshi TAKEUCHI
  • Publication number: 20120081052
    Abstract: A power supply circuit includes two half bridge circuits, a controller and two terminals for connecting a motor. The controller includes a signal input terminal, a phase inverter, a wiring board having four soldering pads, and two conductors. The four soldering pads are connected to the signal terminal, an output terminal of the phase inverter, control terminals of lower switches of the two half bridge circuits. Two ends of the first conductor are connected to the first and the fourth soldering pads and two ends of the second conductor are connected to the second and the third soldering pads. Alternatively, two ends of the first conductor are connected to the first and the third soldering pads and two ends of the second conductor are connected to the second and the fourth soldering pads.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2011
    Publication date: April 5, 2012
    Inventors: En Hui WANG, Chi Ping SUN, Fei XIN
  • Patent number: 8148929
    Abstract: A power electronics device with an improved IGBT protection mechanism is provided. More specifically, systems and methods are provided for reducing the switching frequency of an inverter module based on the junction temperature variation of the IGBT.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Lixiang Wei, Masahiro Tsuyoshi, Richard A. Lukaszewski
  • Patent number: 8143835
    Abstract: Under the same target voltage, a basic duty ratio depending on a target ON time is set, and prior and subsequent duty ratios before and after upper arm switching devices or lower arm switching devices are driven with the basic duty ratio are set as a basic duty ratio+? and a basic duty ratio??, respectively. Gate drive signals, having the basic duty ratio and the prior and subsequent duty ratios, are supplied to the upper arm switching devices or to the lower arm switching devices, in order to turn on the upper arm switching devices or the lower arm switching devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Satoshi Taguchi, Hibiki Saeki, Yasushi Kojima
  • Patent number: 8143834
    Abstract: A method and a circuit for controlling an ac machine comprises controlling a full bridge network of commutation switches which are connected between a multiphase voltage source and the phase windings to switch the phase windings between a parallel connection and a series connection while providing commutation discharge paths for electrical current resulting from inductance in the phase windings. This provides extra torque for starting a vehicle from lower battery current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: UT-Battelle, LLC
    Inventor: John S. Hsu
  • Publication number: 20120068646
    Abstract: A voltage control operation unit receives, from a subtraction unit, a value obtained by subtracting a detection value of a voltage from a voltage command value, and performs a control operation for setting the voltage to be equal to the voltage command value. The voltage control operation unit outputs the calculated control amount as a current command value. A current control operation unit receives, from a subtraction unit, a value obtained by subtracting a detection value of a current from a current command value, and performs a control operation for setting the current to be equal to the current command value. A driving signal generation unit generates a signal for driving a boost converter based on a duty command value received from the current control operation unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2009
    Publication date: March 22, 2012
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Naoyoshi Takamatsu, Masaki Okamura, Daigo Nobe
  • Patent number: 8138700
    Abstract: The invention pertains to a synchronous rectification device (10) of the H-bridge type supplying a coil (5) of a phase of a synchronous machine, comprising four switches (21, 31, 22, 32) disposed on the electrical links (11, 12) of this H-bridge and intended to be instructed by an electronic circuit (40), characterized in that each switch comprises at least one transistor (T1) instructed by the electronic circuit (40).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Automotive Electronics
    Inventors: Stephane Monier, Jean-Yves Le Gouil
  • Patent number: 8138705
    Abstract: A circuit arrangement for controlling an electrical load is provided with a bridge circuit which comprises four electronic switches with the load arranged in a transverse leg of the bridge circuit. A control circuit has respective control terminals for the four electronic switches. The control terminal for the first electronic switch is connected to the control terminal for the fourth electronic switch by means of a series connection consisting of a first capacitor and a first resistance, and the control terminal for the third electronic switch is connected to the control terminal for the second electronic switch by means of a series connection consisting of a second capacitor and a second resistance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: Braun GmbH
    Inventors: Torsten Klemm, Ingo Vetter
  • Patent number: 8134315
    Abstract: The servo motor is controlled by a control signal from a control circuit. A common branch line is separated from a positive common line in accordance with information that a safety door is opened. Thus, a first gate drive circuit group is made inoperative. Then, a second gate drive circuit group is operated to thereby short-circuit the U?, V? and W?phases of the motor to place in a regenerative braking state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2012
    Assignee: The Japan Steel Works, Ltd.
    Inventor: Yuji Kamigauchi
  • Publication number: 20120056569
    Abstract: A control device for performing PWM control of an inverter includes a synchronous PWM control circuit for generating a control command for the inverter by performing PWM control based on a comparison between a sinusoidal voltage command signal for operating the AC motor according to an operation command and a carrier signal, and a carrier generating unit for keeping an integer as a synchronization number being a frequency ratio between the voltage command signal and the carrier signal, and producing the carrier signal by switching the synchronization number according to an operation state of the AC motor. The carrier generating unit adjusts a phase relationship between the voltage command signal and the carrier signal according to the synchronization number such that an AC current transmitted between the inverter and the AC motor according to the control command provided from the synchronous PWM control circuit is symmetrical with respect to a boundary between positive and negative portions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2009
    Publication date: March 8, 2012
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Naoyoshi Takamatsu, Masaki Okamura, Takanori Degaki
  • Publication number: 20120049775
    Abstract: A motor drive circuit configured to supply drive currents to drive coils with a plurality of phases of a motor to drive the motor, includes: a trapezoidal wave signal generation circuit configured to output a trapezoidal wave signal whose inclination is changed with a rotation speed of the motor or a target rotation speed of the motor; and a plurality of output transistors configured to output the drive current to the drive coils, respectively, in accordance with the trapezoidal wave signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2011
    Publication date: March 1, 2012
    Applicant: ON SEMICONDUCTOR TRADING, LTD.
    Inventor: Toshiyuki Imai
  • Patent number: 8115434
    Abstract: An electric machine is disclosed comprising a first energy source, a second energy source, and a stator which comprises a first set of windings and a second set of windings. The electric machine has a rotor and a controller, the controller configured to control the first energy source to supply a first current to the first set of windings and control the second energy source to supply a second current to the second set of windings. The controller also detects an angular position of the rotor, detects the first current, detects the second current, and determines an optimum phase shift angle of the first current based on the angular position of the rotor, the first current, and the second current. The controller controls the first energy source based on the optimum phase shift angle to modify the first current supplied to the first set of windings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ahmed Mostafa El-Antably, Robert Dean King, Ayman Mohamed Fawzi El-Refaie
  • Patent number: 8115436
    Abstract: In a motor control apparatus, apparatus all switching devices of all phases of an inverter are kept fixed at OFF in accordance with a value of an all-OFF control pulse signal Poff outputted by a pulse generator. The pulse generator generates at least twice a pulse causing an induced voltage detection signal Pdet to change to an H level. A terminal voltage of a motor is inputted in accordance with the value of the induced voltage detection signal Pdet. Data of the sampling round in which amplitude of the induced voltage signal is great and the signal is not in saturation is selected from the data so inputted and a rotor position is estimated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2012
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Sakamoto, Tomohiro Sugino