812results about "Dynamo-electric motors/converters starters" patented technology

An electric rotary machine is disclosed which can adjust relative angles of sub-rotors continuously and regardless of torque direction without generating an attractive force between the field magnets of the sub-rotors. The electric rotary machine includes: a stator having a winding; a dual rotor which is rotatably disposed with a gap from the stator and divided axially along a shaft into a first rotor and a second rotor each having field magnets with different polarities arranged alternately in a rotation direction; a mechanism for varying the axial position of the second rotor relative to the first rotor continuously; and a non-magnetic member located between the first rotor and the second rotor.

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.

In a multiple power source system of the present invention that has an inverter connected to a reactance, such as three-phase coils in a motor, a high voltage battery is connected with a low voltage battery via one transistor (Tr2) and one diode (D2) included in the inverter and one phase coil (U-phase coil) of the three-phase motor. The transistor Tr2 is turned on to make the electric current flow from the low voltage battery to the U-phase coil. The transistor Tr2 is subsequently turned off at a preset timing, so that the electric energy accumulated in the reactance, that is, the U-phase coil, flows through the diode D1 into the high voltage battery and thereby charges the high voltage battery. This arrangement enables the charging process from the low voltage battery to the high voltage battery without any complicated circuit structure for the voltage step-up. The three-phase motor may be unipolar driven with transistors connected to one side of the inverter. The arrangement of the present invention does not require any complicated structure, which undesirably increases the size of the multiple power source system, in order to ensure mutual supplement of the electric energy between electric systems having a large difference in voltage, for example, an electric system for driving a hybrid vehicle and an electric system for its control circuit.

An adaptive architecture for electric motors, generators and other electric machines. An adaptive electric machine provides optimal performance by dynamically adapting its controls to changes in user inputs, machine operating conditions and machine operating parameters. Isolating the machine's electromagnetic circuits allows effective control of more independent machine parameters, enabling greater freedom to optimize and providing adaptive motors and generators that are cheaper, smaller, lighter, more powerful, and more efficient than conventional designs. An electric vehicle with in-wheel adaptive motors enables delivery of higher power with lower unsprung mass, giving better torque-density. The motor control system can adapt to the vehicle's operating conditions, including starting, accelerating, turning, braking, and cruising at high speeds, thereby consistently providing higher efficiency. A wind powered adaptive generator can adapt to changing wind conditions, consistently providing optimal performance. An adaptive architecture may improve performance in a wide variety of electric machine applications, particularly those requiring optimal efficiency over a range of operating conditions.

A motor drive circuit comprises positive and negative input terminals for connection of the motor circuit to a DC supply, a DC link filter connected between the input terminals: an electric motor having at least two phases, a plurality of motor drive sub-circuits, each connected to a respective phase of the electric motor and which each control the flow of current into or out of the respective phase of the motor that has been drawn from the supply through the DC link filter, and a switching means provided in the electrical path between the DC link filter and the electric motor drive sub-circuits, the switching means being movable between a closed position in which it connects the DC link filter to the motor drive sub-circuits, and an open position which isolates the DC link filter from the motor drive sub-circuits.

Methods, system and apparatus are provided for sensorless control of a vector controlled motor drive system that includes an electric motor used to drive an auxiliary oil pump.

A mini-blind actuator has a motor and a housing that holds the motor and a dc battery. The rotor of the motor is coupled to the baton of the mini-blind for rotating the baton and thereby opening or closing the slats of the mini-blind. Alternatively, the rotor is coupled to the tilt rod of the blind to rotate the tilt rod and thereby open or close the slats of the mini-blind. A control signal generator generates a control signal for completing the electrical circuit between the battery and the motor. The control signal can be generated in response to a predetermined amount of daylight or in response to a user-generated remote command signal. The actuator can be used to rotate the slats of horizontal or vertical blinds, or the sections of a pleated shade. Or, the actuator can be used to rotate the hollow rotatable tube of a roll-up shade.

A voltage application unit applies voltage to windings of a motor without passing though an inverter unit. A first detection unit detects a short circuit failure in switching elements of the inverter unit based on a terminal voltage between each of the switching elements and a corresponding winding and a power voltage of a power supply. Before rotation of the motor, when no short circuit failure is detected and when a switching unit switches at least one of the high and low potential-side switching elements of the inverter unit on and subsequently switches all the switching elements off, a second failure detection unit determines whether the switching unit is incapable of rendering the switching element non-conductive based on the terminal voltage and the power voltage.

A computer system includes a first heat generating element in which a heat generation amount is changed, a second heat generating element, a fan configured to cool the first and second heat generating elements, a first temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of the first heat generating element, a second temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of the second heat generating element, and a controller configured to control a rotation speed of the cooling fan, based on the temperatures detected by the first and second temperature sensors.

A power supply system is provided with a plurality of driving motors, a power converter, and a plurality of power supplies which supply the driving motors with power and have different output voltages. Each power supply is connected with at least one driving motor through the power converter and with at least one driving motor through a path which does not include the power converter.

In a rotary electric system, a switch member includes at least one of a first switch and a second switch. The first switch is connected between a neutral point of multiphase stator windings and a high-side electrode of a direct current power source. The second switch is connected between the neutral point and a low-side electrode of the direct current power source. A controller works to turn the switch member off and on thereby switching control of the multiphase inverter between full-wave driving mode and half-wave driving mode. The full-wave driving mode allows the controller to drive all of the high-side and low-side switching elements per phase of the multiphase stator windings. The half-wave driving mode allows the controller to drive any one of the high-side switching element and the low-side switching element per phase of the multiphase stator windings.

A method and system for estimating a temperature of an electric machine comprising obtaining a temperature value responsive to a temperature signal from a temperature sensor, the temperature sensor is operatively connected to and transmitting the temperature signal corresponding to a measured temperature to a controller. The controller executes a temperature estimation process; and is operatively connected to a switching device, where the switching device is operatively connected between the electric machine and a power source, the switching device being responsive to the controller. Also disclosed is a storage medium encoded with a machine-readable computer program code for estimating an operating temperature of an electric machine. The storage medium includes instructions for causing controller to implement method for estimating an operating temperature of an electric machine as described above. Additionally disclosed is a computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave for estimating an operating temperature of an electric machine. The computer data signal comprising code configured to cause a controller to implement a method for estimating an operating temperature of an electric machine as described above.

A method for monitoring a fan comprises measuring power usage of the fan, determining a derivative of the measured fan power usage, tracking the derivative over time, and predicting impending fan failure based on the tracked fan power usage derivative.

A method and system for estimating a parameter of an electric machine, including a controller and a switching device, the controller executes a parameter estimation process, which is responsive to at least one of: a current value and a torque command and the resultant of the parameter estimation process representing an estimated parameter of the electric machine. The parameter estimation includes a method for estimating a temperature of the electric machine comprising: a temperature sensor operatively connected to and transmitting a temperature signal corresponding to a measured temperature to a controller, which executes a temperature estimation process responsive to a temperature signal from a temperature sensor.

A discharge control device in an electric power conversion system mounted to a motor vehicle turns off a relay in order to instruct an electric power conversion circuit to supply a reactive current into a motor generator, and thereby to decrease a capacitor voltage to a diagnostic voltage. After this process, the discharge control device outputs an emergency discharging instruction signal dis in order to turn on both power switching elements at high voltage side and a low voltage side in the electric power conversion circuit. This makes a short circuit between the electrodes of the capacitor in order to discharge the capacitor, and executes a discharging control to detect whether or not an emergency discharging control is correctly executed and completed. The discharge control device detects whether or not the electric power stored in the capacitor is discharged on the basis of the voltage of a voltage sensor.