Hysteresis Or Reluctance Motor Systems Patents (Class 318/701)
  • Patent number: 7923958
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for driving a 2-phase SRM are provided. The method may include initializing 2-phase SRM based on a detected position of a rotor by an initializing sensor at a time of an initial driving, and normally driving the 2-phase SRM based on a detected position of the rotor by a driving sensor. With this method, a sufficient amount of torque is generated when the 2-phase SRM is driven at a high speed. The apparatus may include an initializing sensor that detects each position of each phase of a 2-phase SRM, and generates an initializing sensor signal based on the detected result; a driving sensor that detects each position of each phase of the 2-phase SRM, and generates a driving sensor signal based on the detected result; and a microprocessor that initially drives the 2-phase SRM based on the initializing sensor signal at the time of an initial driving, and normally drives the 2-phase SRM based on the driving sensor signal at the time of a normal driving.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Sang-Young Kim
  • Patent number: 7923947
    Abstract: Disclosed is an electromotive power steering for a motor vehicle, in which a special type of reluctance motor or series wound motor is used while such an electric motor is electronically commutated. In order to recognize an error condition in the electronic control device and the electric motor, adequate mechanisms are provided in the circuit arrangement (15), the electric motor being cut from the power source by means of a relay (16) or by short-circuiting the power source downstream of a safety device (17) with the aid of a thyristor (18).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: Audi AG
    Inventor: Hans Hermann Rottmerhusen
  • Patent number: 7906923
    Abstract: A control apparatus for a reluctance type synchronous motor wherein slit-shaped gaps or a nonmagnetic material are included within a rotor to provide level differences of the magnetic reluctance in a rotating direction, and a permanent magnet is included at a portion of the slit-shaped gaps or the nonmagnetic material to provide magnetic polarities at a rotor surface. The control apparatus includes a q-axis current calculation unit, a d-axis current calculation unit, a speed coefficient calculation unit, a q-axis current compensation value calculation unit, and an output unit which outputs a compensated q-axis current command value in which the calculated q-axis current compensation value is added to the q-axis current command value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2011
    Assignee: Okuma Corporation
    Inventor: Akiyoshi Satake
  • Patent number: 7906931
    Abstract: The windings of a switched reluctance machine are supplied from a converter which is capable of providing bipolar energization. The energization pattern supplied to the windings is dependent on the number of stator and rotor poles in the machine and is selected to produce unipolar energization in the rotor poles. This in turn reduces the losses in the rotor which would otherwise result from bipolar energization. The machine may also be operated to provide energization patterns which are adapted to provide optimum performance in different parts of its operating speed range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2011
    Assignee: Switched Reluctance Drives Limited
    Inventor: Steven Paul Randall
  • Patent number: 7902787
    Abstract: Disclosed are a driving circuit for a single-phase SRM and a driving method thereof. The driving circuit for the single-phase SRM includes a switched reluctance motor, a voltage source which supplies energy to the switched reluctance motor, and an inverter circuit which is connected to the switched reluctance motor in parallel so as to temporarily store energy of the voltage source, and then supply the energy to the switched reluctance motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: Kyungsung University Industry Cooperation Foundation
    Inventors: Jinwoo Ahn, Donghee Lee
  • Publication number: 20110048821
    Abstract: A reluctance machine includes a stator and a rotor. The stator and rotor have a same number of poles. The rotor is configured to rotate about an axis of rotation. Each stator pole is formed of a primary stator pole and an auxiliary stator pole. The auxiliary stator pole is axially aligned with the primary stator pole in the direction of the axis of rotation. Each rotor pole has a length extending in the direction of the axis of rotation sufficient to at least partially cover the primary stator pole and axially aligned auxiliary stator pole. The primary stator poles are actuated with an alternating magnetic field orientation, and the auxiliary stator poles are also actuated with an alternating magnetic field orientation. The field orientations for the primary and auxiliary stator poles are, however, opposite each other such that a primary stator pole its axially aligned auxiliary stator pole have opposite magnetic field orientations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 2, 2010
    Publication date: March 3, 2011
    Applicant: Everette Energy, LLC
    Inventor: Daniel Christopher Dial
  • Publication number: 20110050149
    Abstract: A reluctance machine includes a stator and a rotor. The stator and rotor have a same number of poles. The rotor is configured to rotate about an axis of rotation. Each stator pole is formed of a primary stator pole and an auxiliary stator pole. The auxiliary stator pole is axially aligned with the primary stator pole in the direction of the axis of rotation. Each rotor pole has a length extending in the direction of the axis of rotation sufficient to at least partially cover the primary stator pole and axially aligned auxiliary stator pole. The primary stator poles are actuated with an alternating magnetic field orientation, and the auxiliary stator poles are also actuated with an alternating magnetic field orientation. The field orientations for the primary and auxiliary stator poles are, however, opposite each other such that a primary stator pole its axially aligned auxiliary stator pole have opposite magnetic field orientations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 2, 2010
    Publication date: March 3, 2011
    Applicant: Everette Energy, LLC
    Inventor: Daniel Christopher Dial
  • Patent number: 7898210
    Abstract: After an AC motor generates a three-phase current, modulate the three-phase current to generate an original voltage space vector, and add three detecting vectors with a sum of zero after the original voltage space vector. While adding the three detecting vectors, sample the current to generate a sampling result. Then adjust the width of pulses generated by a pulse width modulator according to the sampling result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: Prolific Technology Inc.
    Inventors: Tung-Chin Hsieh, Kuang-Yao Cheng
  • Patent number: 7898199
    Abstract: In a predetermined operating state of an electric motor of an axial air-gap type, control is carried out as follows. A phase difference between an electric current supplied to an armature winding of one of the stators and an electric current supplied to an armature winding of the other stator is set so as to suppress a variation in an output torque of the electric motor, and electric currents having the phase difference are supplied to the armature windings of the stators. A variation in output torque can be suppressed only in an operating state where the variation in output torque of the electric motor is to be suppressed, and the output torque and the energy efficiency of the electric motor can be enhanced sufficiently in the other operating states.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hirofumi Atarashi
  • Publication number: 20110025253
    Abstract: An improved single-switch control circuit for use in a multi-phase switched reluctance machine is provided. The control circuit includes at least first and second phase windings, a switch, a capacitor, and a diode. The capacitor may have a polarity opposite that of a power source in the control circuit. The first winding may be connected in series with the switch and connected in parallel with a circuit block comprising the second winding. The second winding may be connected in parallel with the capacitor and in series with the diode. In operation, the switch may be used to redirect current from the first winding to the second winding. The capacitor can become charged by the redirected current until it eventually stores enough energy to essentially discontinue current flow in the first winding. Then, the capacitor can discharge its stored energy as a current through the second winding. In this manner, substantially all of the energy from the first winding can be transferred to the second winding.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 12, 2008
    Publication date: February 3, 2011
    Inventor: Krishnan Ramu
  • Patent number: 7880415
    Abstract: A brushless electrical machine has at least one phase winding which produces magnetic flux in the machine. A controller controls the flux in the machine with reference to a demanded flux and a stabilisation signal which, in combination, enable the controller to operate in a stable manner in the presence of disturbances in the inputs or parameters of the controller. The controller is able to operate with either a hardware rotor position detector or with a sensorless position algorithm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignee: Switched Reluctance Drives Limited
    Inventors: Peter Richard Mayes, Michael James Turner
  • Patent number: 7852037
    Abstract: This application describes a motor designed to operate as a reluctance machine at low speeds and as an induction machine at high speeds. The drive waveform is composed of one or more harmonics to be used to match the reluctance pattern of the stator-rotor, causing the rotor to rotate due to the reluctance effect, and one or more other harmonics to induce current in the rotor, causing the rotor to rotate due to the induction effect and the subsequent interaction of the stator and rotor magnetic fields. The two effects are generally not applied simultaneously.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Assignee: Borealis Technical Limited
    Inventor: Jonathan Sidney Edelson
  • Patent number: 7852040
    Abstract: A motor driver system and its control methods are discussed. Even when a command magnetic flux decreases as a motor operates in a field weakening region, a current angle can be maintained always below a limit value, thereby obtaining the stability of the motor control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Kyung Hoon Lee, June Hee Won, Gil Su Lee, Jun Ho Ahn, Jae Yoon Oh
  • Patent number: 7852038
    Abstract: An improved single-switch control circuit for use in a multi-phase switched reluctance machine is provided. The control circuit includes at least first and second phase windings, a switch, a capacitor, and a diode. The capacitor may have a polarity opposite that of a power source in the control circuit. The first winding may be connected in series with the switch and connected in parallel with a circuit block comprising the second winding. The second winding may be connected in parallel with the capacitor and in series with the diode. In operation, the switch may be used to redirect current from the first winding to the second winding. The capacitor can become charged by the redirected current until it eventually stores enough energy to essentially discontinue current flow in the first winding. Then, the capacitor can discharge its stored energy as a current through the second winding. In this manner, substantially all of the energy from the first winding can be transferred to the second winding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Assignee: Ramu Inc.
    Inventor: Krishnan Ramu
  • Patent number: 7847511
    Abstract: A cleaner that can have the sufficient capability of collecting pollutant particles by a battery voltage as well as a AC voltage. The cleaner uses a switched reluctance motor to rotate a collecting fan. The switched reluctance motor is driven by a motor driver in one of a PWM mode or a pulse trigger mode. The motor driver drives the switched reluctance motor using one of the battery voltage and a DC voltage converted from the AC voltage, depending on whether the AC voltage is received. The PWM mode and the trigger mode are switched depending on whether the AC voltage is received. Accordingly, the cleaner makes it possible to reduce the time taken to clean up pollutant particles using the battery voltage to the time taken to clean up the pollutant particles using the AC voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Myung Keun Yoo, Sang Young Kim, Kwang Woon Ahn, Hyoun Jeong Shin
  • Patent number: 7839113
    Abstract: The synchronous motor driving apparatus including position sensors provided in the synchronous motor, a current polarity detection circuit for detecting the polarities of the currents in the respective phase windings of the synchronous motor, an inverter driving the synchronous motor, a motor speed calculation unit calculating the rotational speed of the synchronous motor depending on the output signals from the position sensors, a speed control unit outputting a first voltage adjusting component (q-axis current command value Iq*) to cause the rotational speed of the synchronous motor to approach a speed command value and a phase control unit outputting a second voltage adjusting component (d-axis current command value Id*) to cause the phase differences between the phases of the position sensor signals and of the currents in the respective phase windings of the synchronous motor to become a predetermined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2010
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Information & Control Solutions, Ltd.
    Inventors: Daisuke Maeda, Tsunehiro Endo, Hidefumi Shirahama, Kenji Sakurai, Hiroyuki Hasegawa, Mitsuhiro Mishima
  • Patent number: 7830105
    Abstract: Embedding electrical machines in gas turbine engines has particular advantages by avoiding the need to provide mechanical connections. However, electrical machines such as switched reluctance electrical machines require relatively large electrical capacitors to accommodate and filter voltage variations in the phases of the electrical machine. Generally, the electrical machine will have a motoring period or generating period with a spacer period between. By injecting electrical current as electrical power in the spacer period, there is limited effect upon net torque within the electrical machine or electrical power generation. However, such stored electrical power in an inductive winding element of the electrical machine augments power pulses provided by a power source incorporating an electrical capacitor. In such circumstances, a smaller sized electrical capacitor can be used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2010
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce PLC
    Inventors: David Reginald Trainer, John James Anthony Cullen, Stephen Andrew Long
  • Publication number: 20100277113
    Abstract: Provided is a method of indirect position estimation in three-phase switched reluctance machines. The method may comprise providing a three-phase switched reluctance machine. A three-phase switched reluctance machine may comprise a rotor and three phases. The method may further comprise producing data about the machine, setting threshold current values for at least a first phase; and sensing rotor position. Sensing rotor position may comprise applying a sensing pulse voltage sufficient to induce a pulse current having some maximum amperage in the first phase, determining the amplitude of the maximum amperage of said pulse current with respect to the thresholds for the first phase, and determining the sector of the rotor based upon the amplitude of the maximum amperage of the pulse current in the first phase.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2009
    Publication date: November 4, 2010
    Applicant: The University of Akron
    Inventors: Iqbal Husain, Gregory Pasquesoone
  • Patent number: 7804269
    Abstract: A switched reluctance machine has salient poles on the stator and rotor. The windings of the machine are supplied from a converter which provides energization at a chosen rate. The windings of the machine may be energized at the rate at which the rotor poles pass the stator poles, or it may be operated at a fraction of that rate by energizing the windings to cooperate with every second, third or fourth rotor pole. This can extend the output of the machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2010
    Assignee: Switched Reluctance Drives Limited
    Inventor: Steven Paul Randall
  • Patent number: 7782007
    Abstract: An electrodynamic machine has a winding and a switching arrangement effectively dividing the winding into individually controllable portions. During a first operating condition, current flows through the entire winding in a manner controlled by the switching arrangement. In a second condition, the switching arrangement restricts current flow to only a portion of the winding. The second condition effectively reduces the inductive capacity of the winding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2010
    Assignee: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation
    Inventor: David G. Halsey
  • Patent number: 7768227
    Abstract: A control method and a control system for single phase induction motors driven by two-power electronic switch inverter are disclosed. The system fulfills two main tasks i.e. precise motor speed control and maximum motor efficiency control over wide ranges of motor load and speed command without a motor speed feedback.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2010
    Inventors: Sadegh Vaez-Zadeh, Bijan Zahedi
  • Publication number: 20100170741
    Abstract: In a ring body of a stator, permanent magnets are arranged in alternate inter-pole magnetic path portions located between an even number of stator poles so that magnetic fields pointing in the circumferential direction of the ring body are generated. Coils are wound around alternate inter-pole magnetic path portions where permanent magnets are not provided so that magnetic fields that oppose the magnetic fields generated by the permanent magnets are generated. When electric power is not supplied to the coils, a ring-shaped magnetic circuit is formed by the permanent magnets, and therefore, magnetic flux does not leak to a rotor. When electric power is supplied to the coils, the magnetic flux of the magnetic fields of the permanent magnets and that of the coils combine with each other and flow from the stator poles to rotor poles of the rotor, whereby strong attraction force is obtained.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 3, 2007
    Publication date: July 8, 2010
    Applicant: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masaharu Yamashita
  • Publication number: 20100156337
    Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus and method for driving a 2-phase SRM. The method comprises initializing 2-phase based on a detected position of a rotor by an initializing sensor at the time of an initial driving, and normally driving 2-phase based on a detected position of the rotor by a driving sensor. Accordingly, a sufficient amount of torque is generated when the 2-phase SRM is driven at a high speed. The apparatus comprises an initializing sensor which detects each position of each phase of a 2-phase SRM, and generates an initializing sensor signal based on the detected result; a driving sensor which detects each position of each phase of the 2-phase SRM, and generates a driving sensor signal based on the detected result; and a microprocessor which initially drives the 2-phase SRM based on the initializing sensor signal at the time of an initial driving, and normally drives the 2-phase SRM based on the driving sensor signal at the time of a normal driving.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 25, 2006
    Publication date: June 24, 2010
    Applicant: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventor: Sang-Young Kim
  • Patent number: 7741795
    Abstract: The present invention provides an electro-mechanical energy exchange system with a variable speed synchronous reluctance motor-generator having an all-metal rotor. A bi-directional AC-to-DC electric power converter interconnects the motor-generator with a DC bus. First and second hybrid controllers provide current regulation for the motor-generator and voltage regulation for the DC bus. Use of both feedback and feedforward control elements provides a controller particularly suited for operating high speed devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2010
    Assignee: Pentadyne Power Corporation
    Inventor: Claude Michael Kalev
  • Patent number: 7741803
    Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus and method for driving a 2-phase SRM capable of individually performing an initial driving by an initializing sensor and a normal driving by a driving sensor, and capable of controlling a rotation speed of the SRM by delaying a phase signal by a half period and then generating a pulse width modulation signal based on the period. The apparatus comprises: a driving sensor which detects a position of a rotor thus to generate a driving sensor signal based on a result of the detection; a microprocessor which generates a 1-phase signal and a 2-phase signal based on a rising time and a falling time of the driving sensor signal at the time of a normal driving; an oscillator which generates first and second pulse width modulation signals delayed by a preset time; and a multiplying unit which multiplies the 1-phase and 2-phase signals with the first and second pulse width modulation signals, and generates 1-phase and 2-phase driving signals based on a result of the multiplication.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2010
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Sang-Young Kim, Yong-Won Choi
  • Patent number: 7733052
    Abstract: A control method for a vehicle drive assembly includes applying a conduction angle set point value to a variable reluctance machine. The method also includes regulating the conduction angle set point value by comparing a table set point torque from an angle table and a torque estimation value to determine a control measurement of torque delivered by the drive assembly. The control measurement of torque is corrected to an additional conduction angle which is added to a set point angle from the angle table to determine the regulated conduction angle set point value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2010
    Assignee: Renault s.a.s.
    Inventor: Serge Loudot
  • Publication number: 20100123426
    Abstract: In a motor, a stationary member is provided with a number M (M is a positive integer) of first poles within 360 electrical degrees at spaces therebetween. A plurality of windings are at least partly wound in the spaces, respectively. A movable member is movably arranged relative to the stationary member and provided with a number K (K is a positive integer) of second poles. The number K of second poles is different from the number M of first poles. A unidirectional current supply unit supplies a unidirectional current to at least one of the windings so as to create an attractive force between at least one of the first poles and a corresponding at least one of the second poles to thereby move the movable member relative to the stationary member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2009
    Publication date: May 20, 2010
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masayuki Nashiki, Tomokazu Ishikawa, Yuichiro Ito
  • Patent number: 7701164
    Abstract: An electrical machine, such as a switched reluctance motor, has a rotor and a controller arranged to energize at least one electrically energizable phase winding in dependence on the angular position of the rotor. The controller may employ a control law table derived by applying a predetermined DC link voltage to the windings. Differences between an applied DC link voltage and the predetermined DC link voltage may be compensated by applying a predetermined correction to the angular position of energization of the phase winding in dependence on the value applied DC link voltage. Such a compensation factor may be derived from a relationship held in memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Dyson Technology Limited
    Inventors: Andrew Charlton Clothier, Stephen Greetham, Hanping Dai
  • Publication number: 20100090640
    Abstract: A motor controller controlling a permanent magnet motor including a rotor provided with a plurality of low coercivity permanent magnets having a coercivity low enough to allow modification in amount of magnetization, the motor controller including a position detector including one or more position sensors to detect a rotational position of the rotor; an inverter circuit connected between a direct current voltage supply source and windings of the permanent magnet motor and configured by a plurality of semiconductor switching elements of multiple phases connected thereto; and a magnetization controller that magnetizes the plurality of low coercivity permanent magnets constituting the rotor by energizing the windings of the permanent magnet motor through the inverter circuit such that all of the low coercivity permanent magnets are magnetized to a uniform level of magnetization by energizing the windings twice at same timings specified based on a sensor signal outputted by the position sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 15, 2009
    Publication date: April 15, 2010
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Sari MAEKAWA, Kazunobu NAGAI
  • Patent number: 7694538
    Abstract: A system and method of determining the temperature of a rotating electromagnetic machine, such as an electric motor or generator. A temperature calibration parameter is calculated based on the temperature of an object situated close to the motor, such as a motor drive connected to the motor, and a first resistance value of the winding. In exemplary embodiments, the motor drive and first resistance value are determined only after the motor has been idle for some predetermined time period. Once the calibration parameter is calculated, the processor uses it along with subsequent resistance measurements to calculate the temperature of the motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2010
    Assignee: Emerson Electric Co.
    Inventors: J Stephen Thorn, Bret S Clark, Joseph G Marcinkiewicz, Vinod Sadasivam, Darko Marcetic, Gregory M Levine
  • Publication number: 20100083461
    Abstract: Disclosed is a system and method for controlling current in a switched reluctance motor by changing a dwell state including starting the motor in a normal mode, measuring current in the motor, comparing the measured current to a first threshold, triggering an interrupt if the measured current exceeds the first threshold, keeping a count of consecutive readings exceeding the first threshold, changing the dwell state from a first state to a second state if the measured current exceeds the first threshold and the count equals a set value, changing the dwell state from a second state to a third state if the measured current exceeds a second threshold, and triggering a fault condition if the measured current in the third state exceeds a third threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2009
    Publication date: April 8, 2010
    Applicant: SHOP VAC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Neil N. Norell, James M. Robitaille, Matthew L. Huff
  • Patent number: 7675254
    Abstract: Disclosed is an electric drive for a vehicle, which is used as a main drive or a hybrid drive. The electric motor of said drive is embodied as a special type of reluctance motor or series wound motor. The rotor of the reluctance motor and the inverse speed motor is provided with an excitation winding to which a transistor is assigned that allows the motor to be braked in a sensitive manner so as to control the field current. The braking current is fed to the source of current by switching operation of the motor during generator operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2010
    Assignee: Audi AG
    Inventor: Hans Hermann Rottmerhusen
  • Publication number: 20100045221
    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 utilised 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: Application
    Filed: March 4, 2009
    Publication date: February 25, 2010
    Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE PLC
    Inventors: David R. Trainer, Harsh Agarwal, Stephen M. Husband, Gareth E. Moore, David J. Powell, Stephen A. Long
  • Patent number: 7667427
    Abstract: Presence/absence of a failure in a feedback control system of a motor is monitored. When a failure is detected in the feedback control system, the motor is driven by switching to an open-loop control. During the open-loop control, the motor is rotated by sequentially switching the motor current supply phase without feeding back encoder count information. The position count is incremented or decremented every time the current supply phase is switched. When the position count has reached a target count, it is determined that the rotor has reached a target position, whereupon the open-loop control is finished.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2010
    Assignees: Denso Corporation, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shigeru Kamio, Kenichi Fujiki, Sumiko Amamiya, Yasushi Kobiki, Yuji Inoue
  • Patent number: 7649332
    Abstract: A motor control system uses an incremental encoder that provides a signal indicative of motor position. If an illegal state change is detected in the same sampling interval, an error event is recorded and an error counter is incremented. When the number of counts exceeds a pre-determined threshold, the motor is disabled so that appropriate corrective action can be taken.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2010
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Thomas D. Lundell
  • Patent number: 7643914
    Abstract: A method for controlling a drive assembly of a vehicle including applying a conduction angle set value greater than 180° to a variable reluctance machine such that the machine operates in a continuous current mode adjustable according to the controlled measurement of operation stability of the machine in the continuous current mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2010
    Assignee: Renault S.A.S.
    Inventors: Serge Loudot, Armando Fonseca
  • Patent number: 7638985
    Abstract: A self-excited, switched reluctance generator obtains excitation energy from a capacitor bank via an excitation bus during normal operation. During a short-circuit or load fault, one or more phases of the generator provide power to the excitation bus while the remaining phases send current to a faulted positive bus. The system does not require an external battery or power source for excitation energy. The system is capable of resuming normal operation after the load bus fault.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2009
    Assignee: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation
    Inventor: Piyush Tandon
  • Patent number: 7633259
    Abstract: A method and associated apparatus for operating an electrical machine includes providing a brushless excitation system including at least one rectifier having at least one diode. The method also includes providing at least one voltage amplitude limiter assembly including at least one resistor and at least one transient voltage suppressor (TVS) electrically coupled with the at least one resistor to form at least one voltage suppression unit. The method further includes transmitting an electrical signal having a current and a voltage to each voltage suppression unit, the voltage having an amplitude. The method also includes electrically coupling the at least one voltage amplitude limiter assembly to the at least one diode. The method further includes transmitting the electrical signal through the rectifier and the voltage suppression unit such that voltage amplitude excursions of the electrical signal are facilitated to be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2009
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: William E. Fish
  • Publication number: 20090302792
    Abstract: In an AC rotating machine, a stator is provided with N-phase stator windings and located relative to the rotor. The N is an integer equal to or greater than 3, and the N-phase stator windings are arranged to be electrically isolated from each other. An inverter circuit is provided with first to N-th full-bridge inverters. Each of the first to N-th full-bridge inverters includes a first pair of series-connected switching elements and a second pair of series-connected switching elements. The first pair of series-connected switching elements and the second pair of series-connected switching elements are connected in parallel to each other. Each of the first to N-th full-bridge inverters is configured to individually apply a single-phase AC voltage to a corresponding one of the N-phase stator windings to thereby create a torque that rotates the rotor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 9, 2009
    Publication date: December 10, 2009
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masahiko Osada, Shigeyuki Morimoto
  • Patent number: 7622882
    Abstract: The invention indicates a correct one of multiple rotor positions. For example, the invention can determine, in a PM machine, which of two possible positions a rotor is in when the position is known only within ±? radians. If the actual rotor position is known to be one of ? and ?+?, for example as indicated by a resolver, the proposed invention can be used to determine whether the actual position is ? or ?+?.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2009
    Assignee: Magna Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Lei Hao, Zilai Zhao
  • Patent number: 7609012
    Abstract: In an automatic transmission position control by a motor, it is determined whether the present instant belongs to a starting period, that is, the present instant is immediately after resetting of a control unit or application of power to it. If it is the starting period, an actual shift position that is detected from an output of an output shaft sensor for detecting a rotation position of a motor is set as an instructed shift position. With this measure, even if the control unit is reset for a certain reason while the vehicle is running, the instructed shift position is not changed in association with the resetting. This prevents trouble that the shift position is switched contrary to the intention of the driver, whereby the reliability of a position switching control can be increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2009
    Assignees: DENSO Corporation, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shigeru Kamio, Kenichi Fujiki, Sumiko Amamiya, Keijiro Ohshima, Yasushi Kobiki, Yuji Inoue
  • Publication number: 20090200980
    Abstract: A single controllable switch (509) drive system for regulating the speed of a two-phase switched reluctance machine (TPSRM) (700) rotor may include a speed control feedback loop (970) component that uses an established speed control signal and a signal indicative of the rotor's speed to dynamically adjust a first parameter. And a current control feedback loop (976) component that uses an established current control signal and a signal indicative of the current flowing through a stator winding (505,508) of the TPSRM to dynamically adjust a second parameter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 3, 2005
    Publication date: August 13, 2009
    Applicant: VIRGINIA TECH INTELLECTUAL PROPERTIES, INC.
    Inventors: Krishnan Ramu, Keunsoo Ha, Sung-Yeul Park
  • Patent number: 7573227
    Abstract: A controller of a permanent magnet type rotary motor of the present invention includes: a current difference calculator decomposing a primary voltage difference which is a difference between a primary voltage of the permanent magnet type rotary motor and a maximum voltage corresponding to a source voltage, into a field-axis voltage difference component and a torque-axis voltage difference component in the rotatory magnetic flux coordinate by the use of a phase angle of the primary voltage, and calculating a field-axis current difference component and a torque-axis current difference component in the rotatory magnetic flux coordinate by the use of the voltage difference component, a field-axis inductance, and a torque-axis inductance; and a target current corrector correcting a field-axis target current and a torque-axis target current in the rotatory magnetic flux coordinate so that current difference components are zero.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2009
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kota Kasaoka, Hideki Inoue
  • Patent number: 7573950
    Abstract: An IBOC broadcasting receiver that uses two different bit error rates as threshold values in receiving hybrid broadcasting in a simultaneous broadcasting format, and switches between digital broadcasting reception and analog broadcasting reception based on the two threshold values. The IBOC broadcasting receiver counts the number of occurrences of switching between digital broadcasting reception and analog broadcasting reception in a specified period of time, and increases a hysteresis width between the two threshold values when the number of occurrences of switching counted exceeds a specified number.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2009
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kenwood
    Inventor: Yasuhiro Shimizu
  • Patent number: 7560894
    Abstract: A method and a system in connection with a speed and position sensorless permanent magnet synchronous machine equipped with an output filter and driven by an inverter, which method comprises the steps of forming a speed-adaptive full-order observer based on the dynamic model of the combination of the permanent magnet synchronous machine (PMSM) and the output filter, measuring the inverter output current (iA), estimating inverter output current (îA), determining the estimate for the electrical angular speed ({circumflex over (?)}m) using the estimated and measured inverter output currents (îA, iA) in an adaptation law, injecting a voltage signal (uc) into the inverter voltage reference (uA,ref 0) to obtain a modified voltage reference (uA,ref), detecting an error signal (?) from the measured inverter output current (iA), and calculating the speed correction term (??) used in the adaptation of the observer from the error signal (?).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2009
    Assignee: ABB Oy
    Inventors: Janne Salomäki, Antti Piippo
  • Publication number: 20090160391
    Abstract: An electro-mechanical device that functions as a motor or a generator and methods for constructing and using such electro-mechanical device are provided. The electro-mechanical device features permanent magnets placed in a magnetically attracting manner and inter-dispersed between control coils. The control coils are energized to create a flux opposing the flux of the permanent magnets and to create a rotational torque on the poles of a salient pole rotor before those poles align with the poles of the energized control coil stator segment. Power can be generated by placing the flux of the control coils in a steady state and mechanically rotating the salient pole rotor. The electro-mechanical device provides little or no cogging forces, high-efficiency operation, and a high power density.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2008
    Publication date: June 25, 2009
    Inventor: Charles J. FLYNN
  • Publication number: 20090153095
    Abstract: Disclosed are a driving circuit for a single-phase SRM and a driving method thereof. The driving circuit for the single-phase SRM includes a switched reluctance motor, a voltage source which supplies energy to the switched reluctance motor, and an inverter circuit which is connected to the switched reluctance motor in parallel so as to temporarily store energy of the voltage source, and then supply the energy to the switched reluctance motor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 19, 2007
    Publication date: June 18, 2009
    Inventors: Jinwoo Ahn, Donghee Lee
  • Patent number: 7541761
    Abstract: An apparatus and a method of manufacture of a DC electric motor operable over a range of voltage by virtue of a DC-DC regulator having an inductance provided by one or more windings on the stator of the motor. A conductor is wound about an interpole of the stator and coupled, as an inductance, to a voltage regulator circuit, allowing operation of the DC motor over a substantial range of input voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2009
    Assignee: Comair Rotron Inc
    Inventor: Fred A. Brown
  • Patent number: 7534395
    Abstract: A system and method for compensating for hysteresis in laboratory liquid handling apparatus. The system comprises a carriage holding a drive gear that meshes with and drives a gear rack. A hysteresis brake is also provided on the carriage and opposes the movement of the drive gear to provide continued positive engagement of the drive gear with the gear rack even when the system is static. When the direction of travel of the gear rack is reversed, the drive gear rotates an additional distance that compensates for the aggregate hysteresis found in the drive train.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2009
    Assignee: Beckman Coulter, Inc.
    Inventors: Matt Briscoe, Rick Spencer, Jonn R. Hitch, Chad Buckles
  • Patent number: 7531982
    Abstract: A map holding unit holds, in the form of a map, a voltage control amount of the q axis in a case where no demagnetization of a permanent magnet motor occurs. Based on a motor revolution number, namely the number of revolutions of the motor provided from a revolution number detection unit, a demagnetized state calculation unit calculates a rotational angular velocity. Then, based on the voltage control amount from the map holding unit, a voltage control amount to be controlled that is provided from a PI control unit and the rotational angular velocity, the demagnetized state calculation unit calculates an amount of demagnetization and outputs, if the amount of demagnetization is greater than a predetermined value, an operation signal for controlling the operation of the permanent magnet motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2009
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masaki Okamura, Takashi Yamashita