With Sensor Structure (e.g., Tachometer, Reed Switch, Cam-controlled Switching, Etc.) Patents (Class 318/400.37)
  • Patent number: 8324852
    Abstract: It is an object to detect the axial position of a rotor without using a sensor. A method for detecting the position of a motor including a rotor and a stator around which armature windings of a plurality of phases are wound is provided, wherein a position detecting coil is disposed on one axial end face of a stator core, an induced voltage generated in the position detecting coil is detected, and the axial position of the rotor is detected on the basis of the detection result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.
    Inventors: Yohei Kakiuchi, Takeshi Okubo, Yasuharu Yamamoto, Tatsuya Hidaka
  • Patent number: 8312590
    Abstract: Embodiments of a switched reluctance (SR) motor for use in a integrated vacuum system for a vehicle are disclosed. The SR motor may receive input voltage directly from an electrical storage device used to start up an engine of the vehicle. The SR motor may include an encoder that triggers an optical sensor to provide signals to a motor controller. The motor controller may energize stator poles based on the received signals. The encoder may be mechanically phase-advanced with respect to poles of the rotor to ensure proper start-up of the SR motor. Commutations of the motor may occur before a point of maximum inductance where the rotor and stator are aligned. In a preferred embodiment, the input voltage received by the SR motor is in a range of 9-16 Volts DC, a maximum drawn current is 36 amps, and the phase advance is between 9-11 degrees.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: Shop Vac Corporation
    Inventors: Neil N. Norell, Matthew L. Huff, James M. Robitaille
  • Patent number: 8305021
    Abstract: An apparatus is disclosed for simultaneously measuring the rotational speed and/or direction of a shaft, and providing control power in accordance with the shaft rotation. The apparatus includes a permanent magnet machine (PMM) having a multipole rotor and a stator. The rotor has a plurality of permanent magnet poles and connection to the rotating shaft; the stator includes a winding and electrical connections, so that motion of the rotor with respect to the stator causes a voltage signal at the electrical connections. The apparatus also includes a circuit including a power conversion portion and a speed/direction sensing portion. The circuit receives the voltage signal from the PMM, and simultaneously outputs control power from the power conversion portion and a signal indicating the rotational speed and/or direction of the shaft from the sensing portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Astronics Advanced Electronic Systems Corp.
    Inventor: Steven D. Meyer
  • Publication number: 20120242265
    Abstract: In a method for operating an electric machine of a drive device, which electric machine has a rotor and a stator, and which drive device has a drive unit, an angular position of the rotor with respect to the stator is determined on the basis of an angle-of-rotation encoder associated with the drive unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2010
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Inventors: Boyke Richter, Torsten Heidrich
  • Patent number: 8269445
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for a limp home operational mode for an electric motor system. The method includes determining whether a resolver has failed. When the resolver has not failed, operation of the electric motor system uses resolver signals. When the resolver fails, operation of the electric motor system uses sensorless rotor position and rotor speed signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Nitinkumar R. Patel, Peter J. Savagian, Yo Chan Son, Rostam Dehmoobed Nasrabadi
  • Patent number: 8264180
    Abstract: The invention relates to an adjustment drive of a motor vehicle, wherein the adjustment drive includes a drive motor having a motor magnet that generates a magnetic exciter main field and having a motor armature that is rotatably arranged between a plurality of magnet poles of said motor magnet. The adjustment drive also includes a magneto-sensitive sensor positioned in such a way that during a rotation of the motor armature it senses a change in a magnetic flux density of the exciter main field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2012
    Assignee: Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Carsten Abert, Helmut Sesselmann
  • Patent number: 8248006
    Abstract: The Brushless Multiphase Self-Commutation Controller or BMSCC is an adjustable speed drive for reliable, contact-less and stable self-commutation control of electric apparatus, including electric motors and generators. BMSCC transforms multiphase electrical excitation from one frequency to variable frequency that is automatically synchronized to the movement of the electric apparatus without traditional estimation methods of commutation and frequency synthesis using derivatives of electronic, electro-mechanical, and field-oriented-control. Instead, BMSCC comprises an analog electromagnetic computer with synchronous modulation techniques to first establish magnetic energy and then dynamically share packets of magnetic energy between phase windings of a multiphase, position dependent flux, high frequency transformer by direct AC-to-AC conversion without an intermediate DC conversion stage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Inventor: Frederick William Klatt
  • Patent number: 8228020
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for controlling a hybrid motor, The hybrid motor, uses a permanent magnet instead of a field coil for a rotor, winds a coil round a stator in a multi-phase independent parallel manner, fixes a rectifying type encoder to the rotor and connects a sensor to a driving circuit. The apparatus comprises: an encoder attached to a rotor in cooperation with a pole sensor a speed input unit for generating a speed instruction signal a power switching circuit to generate motor driving signals; a drive module receiving the speed instruction signal and the sensor signal and outputting the speed instruction signal synchronized with the sensor signal as a driving motor signal; a power supply for applying a DC voltage to the power switching circuit; A logic power supply for converting the DC voltage into a logic voltage, and applying logic voltage to the drive module. The motor has n phases, n power switching circuits and n drive modules.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: Eni Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Dong-Ryul Shin, Pyeong-Hun Cho
  • Patent number: 8212504
    Abstract: An inverter controller for driving a brushless DC motor, of which rotor is provided with permanent magnets, includes an inverter circuit, a position sensing circuit, a DC voltage sensor, and a conduction angle controller. The inverter circuit is connected to the brushless DC motor for driving this motor. The position sensing circuit senses a rotor position with respect to a stator from an induction voltage of the brushless DC motor. The DC voltage sensor senses a voltage value of a DC power voltage supplied to the inverter circuit. The conduction angle controller changes a conduction angle of the inverter circuit within a range less than 180 degrees in electric angles in response to a rate of change in the DC power voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventor: Hideharu Ogahara
  • Patent number: 8212510
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for a controlling an electric motor that is at least partially disposed within a motor housing. The rotational speed and position of the electric motor are sensed, and a temperature of the electric motor is sensed. The sensor signals are converted to optical signals and are propagated in a fiber optic cable. The electric motor is controlled based, at least in part, on the propagated optical signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Jeremy B. Campbell, Jim R. Switzer, Steven E. Schulz
  • Patent number: 8198846
    Abstract: A motor control device that controls the driving of a motor having a permanent magnet provided at a rotor has: an angle detector that detects the angle of the rotor by use of an angle sensor; a current detector that detects, as a detected current, the outflow current from or inflow current to a direct-current power source serving as the source for driving the motor; and an angle corrector that corrects the detected angle based on the detected current. The driving of the motor is controlled by use of a corrected angle obtained through the correction by the angle corrector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: SANYO Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Naoya Iwasaki, Hiroshi Takao
  • Publication number: 20120139465
    Abstract: A reluctance machine is disclosed. The reluctance machine includes a stationary member including a housing, a plurality of windings disposed in the housing, a plurality of electrical connections each electrical connection coupled to a corresponding winding of the plurality of windings, and a plurality of teeth coupled to the housing, a rotating member having a center including a mechanical coupling member formed about the center, and a plurality of outwardly protruding poles centrally located within the stationary member each outwardly protruding pole having a continuous outer surface adjacent to at least one tooth of the plurality of teeth, wherein each outer surface of each outwardly protruding pole having a first portion being a first distance away from the center and a second portion being a second distance away from the center.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 22, 2011
    Publication date: June 7, 2012
    Applicant: PURDUE RESEARCH FOUNDATION
    Inventors: Cahya Harianto, Scott Sudhoff
  • Publication number: 20120055148
    Abstract: A magnetic motor automobile carries a magnetic motor and star rotor compressor to pack high-pressure input air into its on-board storage tanks. The compressor and storage tanks deliver the high-pressure working air and operational flows to several stages of compressors that boost the pressures during driving to very high-pressure, then ultra high-pressure, then super high-pressure, and finally to extremely high-pressure. A pneumatic torque converter uses jets of the extremely high-pressure to turn an input shaft of a transmission and differential. These, in turn, drive the powered wheels of a car.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 11, 2011
    Publication date: March 8, 2012
    Inventors: Steven Leonard, Paul Donovan
  • Patent number: 8089231
    Abstract: The electric motor includes a coil array having a plurality of magnetic coils; a magnet array having a plurality of permanent magnets; a magnetic sensor outputting an output signal that changes in analog fashion depending on relative location of the magnet array and the coil array; a drive control circuit; and an output waveform correcting unit. The output waveform correcting unit corrects the waveform of the output signal of the magnetic sensor based on the voltage level of the output signal of the magnetic sensor, in such a way that the output signal of the magnetic sensor is shaped to prescribed waveform shape during operation of the electric motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Kesatoshi Takeuchi
  • Patent number: 8089233
    Abstract: A first sensor element outputs a first output signal in correspondence to a direction of the magnetic flux lines acting from the outside. A second sensor element outputs a second output signal associated with the first output signal in correspondence to a direction of the magnetic flux lines acting from the outside. A first conversion processing section converts the first output signal output from the first sensor element and the second output signal output from the second sensor element into the second physical quantity. A second conversion processing section converts the first output signal output from the first sensor element and the second output signal output from the second sensor element into a signal representing the rotation angle of the motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2012
    Assignee: HItachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuyasu Kanekawa, Masamichi Yamada, Shoji Sasaki, Katsuaki Fukatsu, Kenji Nakabayashi, Daisuke Terada
  • Patent number: 8078425
    Abstract: A device for detecting the angular position of a rotor of a polyphase rotary electrical machine contains a stator and a plurality of magnetic field sensors (200) delivering first signals (2001-2003) representing a magnetic field. The device includes means (201) for generating, from linear combinations of the first signals, first (2010) and second (2011) sinusoidal signals, phase-shifted by a determined value ? representing an angular position of the rotor, referred to as real. The device includes means for detecting a value for an angular position of the rotor referred to as estimated (221) by locking between the real and the estimated angular positions using a feedback loop known as a “tracking” loop (214-216, 215-207). The device may relate to a polyphase rotary electrical machine containing such a device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignee: Valeo Equipements Electriques Moteur
    Inventors: François-Xavier Bernard, Christophe Louise, Hugues Doffin
  • Publication number: 20110291599
    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: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2010
    Publication date: December 1, 2011
    Inventors: Ahmed Mostafa El-Antably, Robert Dean King, Ayman Mohamed Fawzi El-Refaie
  • Publication number: 20110266990
    Abstract: A drive unit, which can be included in an image forming apparatus with peripherals disposed thereto and use a control method therefore, includes an inner rotor brushless DC motor, a driver, a rotation detector, and a controller. The driver supplies power to drive the brushless DC motor. The rotation detector detects an amount and direction of rotations of an output shaft. The controller controls the rotations of the brushless DC motor and obtains a target drive signal of the brushless DC motor externally and a detection signal from the rotation detector and outputs a signal to the driver. The controller controls a speed of rotation of the brushless DC motor by varying the signal output to the driver based on the target drive signal and the detection signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 8, 2011
    Publication date: November 3, 2011
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takuya Murata, Shogo Sakamoto, Kenji Tomita
  • Publication number: 20110241582
    Abstract: A control device is for a motor, especially a brushless DC motor. The control device contains a bridge circuit for generating a rotating field for the motor and a sensor system for detecting a position of a rotor of the motor, a control signal for the bridge circuit being derivable from the signal representing the rotor position. The sensor system includes an absolute value transmitter which detects the absolute position of the rotor and which is configured to derive at least one incremental signal from the absolute position and to make it directly available to a control component for controlling the bridge circuit for commuting the motor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2009
    Publication date: October 6, 2011
    Applicant: CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE GMBH
    Inventors: Thomas Maier, Christoph Schikora, Thomas Wiercioch
  • Patent number: 7999496
    Abstract: A control system and method to determine position of a rotor relative to a stator for a synchronous multipole electrical machine is presented, including one for application on a fuel/electric hybrid powertrain for a vehicle. The machine includes a stator, a rotor, and a rotor position sensing mechanism. The control system controls the electrical machine, in conjunction with an electrical storage device and an inverter, using algorithms and calibrations which derive a rotor position based upon a sensorless position sensing technique, and determine an offset from a sensed rotor position. Electrical output from the inverter to the machine is controlled based the offset, which is stored non-volatile memory. A rotor position is derived based upon a sensorless position sensing technique during initial machine operation after startup of the machine, and includes operation in a torque-generative mode and in an electrical energy-generative mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2011
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Sean E Gleason, Steven E. Schulz, Patrick M. Prihoda
  • Publication number: 20110175561
    Abstract: It is an object to detect the axial position of a rotor without using a sensor. A method for detecting the position of a motor including a rotor and a stator around which armature windings of a plurality of phases are wound is provided, wherein a position detecting coil is disposed on one axial end face of a stator core, an induced voltage generated in the position detecting coil is detected, and the axial position of the rotor is detected on the basis of the detection result.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2009
    Publication date: July 21, 2011
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Yohei Kakiuchi, Takeshi Okubo, Yasuharu Yamamoto, Tatsuya Hidaka
  • Patent number: 7973503
    Abstract: A system has a sensor assembly mounted adjacent to a moving magnetic member such as a motor rotor to sense its position. The sensor assembly includes Hall-effect sensors each having a binary output, configured such that distinct positions of the moving magnetic member correspond to distinct digital patterns of the outputs of the Hall-effect sensors. Encoding circuitry is coupled to the outputs of the Hall-effect sensors to generate a multi-valued analog output, distinct values of the multi-valued analog output representing corresponding distinct digital patterns of the outputs of the Hall-effect sensors. The encoding circuitry may employ a ladder network with weighted-value resistors contributing different components of an analog current sensed by the controller. The sensed current can be converted to digital position information using suitable analog-to-digital conversion circuitry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2011
    Assignee: Wooward HRT, Inc.
    Inventors: Raymond Y. Liu, Estella C. Chung
  • Publication number: 20110109256
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for a controlling an electric motor that is at least partially disposed within a motor housing. The rotational speed and position of the electric motor are sensed, and a temperature of the electric motor is sensed. The sensor signals are converted to optical signals and are propagated in a fiber optic cable. The electric motor is controlled based, at least in part, on the propagated optical signals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2009
    Publication date: May 12, 2011
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS, INC.
    Inventors: JEREMY B. CAMPBELL, JIM R. SWITZER, STEVEN E. SCHULZ
  • Patent number: 7915888
    Abstract: Methods and systems for detecting an angular position of an electric motor are disclosed, including sending an electrical pulse through a stator coil of the electric motor, determining an approximate angular position of a rotor of the electric motor in response to detecting an timing of a returning electrical pulse from the stator coil, the timing of the returning electrical pulse being indicative of the angular position of the rotor; and determining an accurate position of the rotor in response to sensing a transition of a digital sensor in response to the rotor rotating relative to the stator, the transition being indicative of the accurate position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2011
    Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Patrick A. O'Gorman, Rene Vivanco, Alex Kurnia
  • Publication number: 20110037423
    Abstract: An inverter controller reduces a conduction angle of inverter circuit (204) within a range greater than 120 degree in electric angles when a time difference between intervals between each of position sensing and a total time of a time from an occurrence of a position sensing signal until the start of a commutation work to be done by inverter circuit (204) plus a time duration of a spike voltage becomes shorter than a predetermined reference time. This reduction of the conduction angle allows increasing a position sensible range, so that a position of magnetic poles of a rotor cannot be missed. The inverter controller thus can prevent a motor from falling into out-of-sync caused by a change in load or in voltage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 16, 2009
    Publication date: February 17, 2011
    Applicant: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Atsushi Koda, Hideharu Ogahara
  • Publication number: 20110031424
    Abstract: An electromechanical actuator is provided for converting rotary action into linear action, and includes an electric motor, a cable yoke, an output shaft, and a pair of cables. The electric motor is adapted to be selectively energized and is configured, upon being energized to generate a drive torque. The cable yoke is coupled to receive the drive torque and is configured, upon receipt thereof, to rotate about a rotational axis. The output shaft is coupled to receive a drive force and is configured, upon receipt thereof, to translate along a linear axis that is disposed at least substantially perpendicular to the rotational axis. Each cable is wound, in pretension, on a portion of the cable yoke and around a portion of the output shaft. The pair of cables is configured, upon rotation of the cable yoke, to supply the drive force to the output shaft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 4, 2009
    Publication date: February 10, 2011
    Applicant: HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Casey Hanlon, Steve Abel, David M. Eschborn, Doug Kortum, Don Christensen
  • Publication number: 20100327678
    Abstract: A drive apparatus has a motor device having a tubular motor case. A stator is arranged radially inside the motor case. A rotor is arranged radially inside the stator. A shaft is rotatable with the rotor. An electronic circuit is arranged in the central axis direction of the shaft relative to the motor case. A choke coil has a hole in a central part thereof, in which the shaft is inserted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2010
    Publication date: December 30, 2010
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masashi YAMASAKI, Hideki Kabune, Atsushi Furumoto
  • Patent number: 7859105
    Abstract: To provide a power converter equipped with a current detector which is small and can carry out highly accurate current detection, in the power converter equipped with a power module 16 having a power controlling semiconductor element 7 disposed on the power module base 27 with a ceramic substrate 28 interposed, and a control unit 26 for controlling the operation of the power controlling semiconductor element 7, a current detector 40 having a magnetic detecting unit 47 which is disposed in the detection conductor 11, electrically connected to the power controlling semiconductor element 7 and disposed on the power module base 27 with the ceramic substrate 28 interposed, and has a magnetic detecting semiconductor element 43 electrically connected to the control unit 26 is provided in the power module 16; and relative distance between the detection conductor 11 and the power module base 27 is larger than the relative distance between the current detection electrode 42 and the power module base 27.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kinya Nakatsu, Koichi Yahata, Masato Takahashi, Mitsufumi Iwanaka, Ryuichi Saito, Haruki Hamada
  • Publication number: 20100244776
    Abstract: A magnetic motor system includes a brushless motor with interdigitated permanent magnets longitudinally mounted on a rotor at equal radial positions, and stator windings to drive the rotor in response to pulses from a timer/driver, and stationary recapture windings to recover energy that would otherwise go to waste. One set of batteries is used to drive the motor through the timer/driver, and bridge rectifiers connected to the stationary recapture windings provide electrical current to charge a second set of batteries. The rotor shaft output provides kinetic energy to drive electrical generators, air compressors, etc. A shaft encoder connected to the rotor provides the information needed by the timer/driver to know which stator winding should be pulsed and with what polarity. A power pulse is provided at least every 12.5 degrees of rotation, making the motor self starting.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2010
    Publication date: September 30, 2010
    Inventors: Steven Leonard, Paul Donovan
  • Patent number: 7800326
    Abstract: A brushless D.C. motor has a rotor with a plurality of magnets secured to a mounting surface. Each magnet has an RFID tag secured to a magnet surface, with each RFID tag having stored therein a unique identification character serving to identify the magnet. A stator has a plurality of pole teeth separated by slots, each pole tooth having a power coil wound thereabout. A plurality of RFID interrogation antennae are mounted adjacent the pole teeth. An RFID reader generates r.f. interrogation signals broadcast by the antennae to the RFID tags. The RFID tags respond by broadcasting the unique identification character whenever an interrogation signal is sensed as the tag enters the region of a pole tooth. This position and magnet identification information is received by the RFID reader, which processes the information and sends it to a motor controller and driver unit, which supplies operating power to the individual power coils.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2010
    Assignee: Silicon Valley Micro MCorp.
    Inventors: Shengbo Zhu, Su Shiong Huang
  • Publication number: 20100117632
    Abstract: A resolver includes a disc-shaped rotor provided with a detection coil pattern formed in flat shape and a stator formed in flat plate shape placed to concentrically fact the rotor in an axial direction and configured such that a planar first excitation coil pattern to which a cosine wave is supplied and a planar second excitation coil pattern to which a sine wave is supplied, the first and the second patterns being laminated. The first and second excitation coil patterns are placed to face the detection coil pattern. An insulation layer is formed with insulating coating material between the first and second excitation coil patterns.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 5, 2009
    Publication date: May 13, 2010
    Applicant: AISAN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroaki Miyazaki, Takehide Nakamura, Tomoaki Inoue
  • Patent number: 7705551
    Abstract: An actuating device for actuators, such as switching, throttle or swirl flaps, in internal combustion engines for motor vehicles comprises a shaft connected with an actuating motor. The shaft is connected with an actuator, such as a switching flap or the like. In a predetermined position relative to the shaft two pin-type magnets are arranged and preferably connected with a partly toothed gearwheel. When the shaft is rotated, the pin-type magnets move relative to a preferably fixed magnetic field sensor. The magnetic field sensor is a linear Hall sensor. Provision of a linear Hall sensor allows three different shaft positions to be determined. The positions are the two shaft positions defined by the pin-type magnets in which the magnets are arranged opposite the Hall sensor, and a position in which the location of the pin-type magnets does not allow the Hall sensor to detect a magnetic field. In the latter position the linear Hall sensor has a defined bridge voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2010
    Assignee: Pierburg GmbH
    Inventors: Frank Buerger, Norbert Ludwig
  • Patent number: 7615949
    Abstract: A motor control apparatus includes a fan motor, a hall IC, a first power generator, and a second power generator. The hall IC is coupled with the fan motor for detecting the status of the fan motor, such as rotating or stationary. The first power generator is connected with the hall IC for outputting a first voltage to the hall IC to supply the required power for the hall IC. The second power generator is connected with the fan motor for outputting a second voltage to the fan motor to control the rotation speed of the fan motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2009
    Assignee: Enermax Technology Corporation
    Inventor: Chin-Chen Chu
  • Patent number: 7589485
    Abstract: A motor control circuit comprising: a rotation control circuit configured to control rotation of a motor based on a rotation control signal for controlling rotation of the motor and a rotational position detection signal from a Hall element for detecting a rotational position of the motor; a determining circuit configured to determine whether the rotation control signal has been generated for a predetermined time period; and a Hall element control circuit configured to apply a Hall element source voltage to the Hall element when the determining circuit determines that the rotation control signal has been generated for the predetermined time period, and to stop applying the Hall element source voltage to the Hall element when the determining circuit determines that the rotation control signal has not necessarily been generated for the predetermined time period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2009
    Assignees: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd., Sanyo Semiconductor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tetsuya Yoshitomi, Joji Noie, Toshiyuki Imai
  • Publication number: 20090224702
    Abstract: A brushless D.C. motor has a rotor with a plurality of magnets secured to a mounting surface. Each magnet has an RFID tag secured to a magnet surface, with each RFID tag having stored therein a unique identification character serving to identify the magnet. A stator has a plurality of pole teeth separated by slots, each pole tooth having a power coil wound thereabout. A plurality of RFID interrogation antennae are mounted adjacent the pole teeth. An RFID reader generates r.f. interrogation signals broadcast by the antennae to the RFID tags. The RFID tags respond by broadcasting the unique identification character whenever an interrogation signal is sensed as the tag enters the region of a pole tooth. This position and magnet identification information is received by the RFID reader, which processes the information and sends it to a motor controller and driver unit, which supplies operating power to the individual power coils.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2008
    Publication date: September 10, 2009
    Applicant: Silicon Valley Micro M Corporation
    Inventors: Shengbo Zhu, Su Shiong Huang
  • Publication number: 20090195202
    Abstract: The electric motor includes a coil array having a plurality of magnetic coils; a magnet array having a plurality of permanent magnets; a magnetic sensor outputting an output signal that changes in analog fashion depending on relative location of the magnet array and the coil array; a drive control circuit; and an output waveform correcting unit. The output waveform correcting unit corrects the waveform of the output signal of the magnetic sensor based on the voltage level of the output signal of the magnetic sensor, in such a way that the output signal of the magnetic sensor is shaped to prescribed waveform shape during operation of the electric motor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2007
    Publication date: August 6, 2009
    Inventor: Kesatoshi Takeuchi
  • Publication number: 20090174352
    Abstract: A brushless synchronous motor includes a controller producing a plurality of current vectors having different directions, applied to the synchronous motor. The synchronous motor control system includes a sensor for sensing the rotational angle of a synchronous motor, and a computer for generating data describing a plurality of current vectors corresponding to the rotational angle sensed by the sensor. The computer interfaces with a plurality of digital to analogue conversion circuits generating a plurality of control signals. The control signals are applied to amplification circuitry thereby generating a plurality of current vectors to supply the stator coils of the motor. The motor includes two sections of stator coil arrangements; one is arranged interior to the permanent magnets of the rotor, and one is arrange exterior to the rotor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 6, 2009
    Publication date: July 9, 2009
    Inventor: Adam Lockhart
  • Publication number: 20090160373
    Abstract: An electric power tool “A” operates a working part 5 by repeating rotation of a motor 4 in a normal direction and in a reverse direction one or more times. The motor 4 includes a brushless motor. Sensors H for detecting a position of a rotor 15 are provided on the motor 4 so as to be advanced by an electrical angle of 30°±?° from an intermediate position between respective stator teeth 16 in a direction of the normal rotation of the rotor 15. A control part 20 for controlling the rotation of the motor 4 controls a driving signal of the motor 4 based on the results of detection by the sensors H. Moreover, the control part 20 selects a detection signal of the sensors H so that relation between the rotor 15 and the detection signal of the sensors H is equivalent in either of the normal rotation and the reverse rotation of the rotor 15.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 4, 2007
    Publication date: June 25, 2009
    Inventors: Kouji Katou, Kazuya Takeuchi, Ichiro Kusakari, Osamu Itagaki, Takahiro Nagaoka
  • Patent number: 7542879
    Abstract: A method for a virtual sensor system corresponding to a target physical sensor is provided. The method may include selecting a plurality of measured parameters provided by a set of physical sensors based on operational characteristics of the virtual sensor system. The method may also include establishing a virtual sensor process model indicative of interrelationships between one or more sensing parameter and the plurality of measured parameters. Further the method may include obtaining a set of values corresponding to the plurality of measured parameters; calculating a value of the sensing parameter based upon the set of values corresponding to the plurality of measured parameters and the virtual sensor process model; and providing the value of the sensing parameter to a control system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2009
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Anthony J. Grichnik, Michael Seskin
  • Publication number: 20090072776
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for controlling a hybrid motor, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for controlling a hybrid motor, which uses a permanent magnet instead of a field coil for a rotor, winds a coil round a stator in a multi-phase independent parallel manner, fixes a rectifying type encoder to the rotor and connects a sensor to a driving circuit to smoothly start and rotate the hybrid motor, simplifies the configuration of the hybrid motor and reduce the manufacturing cost of the hybrid motor The apparatus for controlling a hybrid motor having a multi-phase independent parallel stator coil comprises: an encoder attached to a rotor of the hybrid motor and operated in cooperation with a sensor in order to sense the pole of the rotor; the sensor for outputting a sensor signal indicating the polo of the rotor, sensed by the encoder; a speed input unit for generating a speed instruction signal for driving the motor; a power switching circuit for generating signal
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2007
    Publication date: March 19, 2009
    Applicant: ENI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Dong-Ryul Shin, Pyeong-Hun Cho
  • Publication number: 20090033169
    Abstract: Provided is a small motor superior in weight/torque balance. A phase stator 10 and B phase stator 12 are disposed to face each other. A rotor is interpositioned between these stators. Electromagnetic coils are provided to the stators evenly in the circumferential direction. A permanent magnet is provided to the rotor evenly in the circumferential direction. The exciting polarity of the electromagnetic coil is alternately opposite, and this is the same for the permanent magnet. A signal having a prescribed frequency is input to the A phase electromagnetic coil and B phase electromagnetic coil. The rotor rotates between the stators as a result thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2008
    Publication date: February 5, 2009
    Inventor: Kesatoshi TAKEUCHI
  • Publication number: 20090026992
    Abstract: In speed control that is performed within a single operating cycle of a printer, three-level control of ON control, OFF control, and chopper control, is performed in place of the two-level control of ON control and OFF control, to effectively suppress speed variations due to load variations within a single operating cycle, even in small printers provided with DC motors having small output torques. In a printer comprising a DC motor 7, a paper feeding unit 5 that includes a paper feeding roller that uses the DC motor as the driving source, and a printing mechanism unit 2, for printing, in use of the printing mechanism unit 2, onto paper that is advanced by a specific amount by the paper feeding unit 5, an encoder 10 for outputting pulse signals according to the rotation of the DC motor 7 is provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2006
    Publication date: January 29, 2009
    Applicant: CITIZEN HOLDINGS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Tsugaru, Gen Matsushima