Electricity: motive power systems inventions 05/07

20070120509 - Methods and systems for providing pwm control signals to an electronically commutated motor: A method for controlling the operation of an electronically commutated motor (ECM) with an ECM control assembly is described. The method includes applying a single pulse width modulated (PWM) signal to a plurality of inputs of a power output module. The method also includes controlling the state of input/output (I/O)... Agent: Patrick W. Rasche Armstrong Teasdale LLP

20070120510 - Fan speed controlling system: A fan speed controlling system for a power supply comprises a fan having two pins and a voltage comparator connected to the fan. The voltage comparator comprises a first input terminal for receiving a first reference voltage controlled by an external temperature of the power supply and a second input... Agent: PCe Industry, Inc. Att. Cheng-ju Chiang Jeffrey T. Knapp

20070120511 - Electric power steering device: An electric power steering device changes the non-continuous, non-linear component in the duty ratio of the PWM signal versus motor current generated during steering wheel handle return into linear characteristics to suppress noise and allow a smooth and natural feeling during steering wheel handling. The electric control circuit (13) provided... Agent: Sidley Austin LLP

20070120513 - Robot controller system: A robot controller system includes a robot including a first actuator and a second actuator, a main controller for driving the first actuator, and a sub-controller for driving the second actuator. The main controller includes an actuator controller for computing a target drive amount for the first actuator to generate... Agent: Harness, Dickey & Pierce, P.L.C

20070120512 - Method for controlling a robot arm, and robot for implementing the method: In a method for controlling a robot arm, which is particularly suitable for use in medical applications, a robot arm (10) with a redundant number of joints is used. A torque acing in at least one joint (12a, 12b) is sensed. By means of a control device, the torque acting... Agent: Clements Walker

20070120514 - Method for active compensation of oscillations in a machine which processes printing material, and a machine which processes printing material: For the active compensation of oscillations in a machine which processes printing material, a signal which contains an oscillation of the machine or of a part of the machine is measured and at least one counter torque is introduced into the machine to reduce the oscillation. At least one measure... Agent: Lerner Greenberg Stemer LLP

20070120516 - Numerical control system: A numerical control system with shortened communication paths to lower a cost of the system. A plurality of servo amplifiers for respectively controlling a plurality of servomotors are arranged separately from a numerical controller. Pulse encoders for detecting positions/velocities of the servomotors are connected to the numerical controller by optical... Agent: Staas & Halsey LLP

20070120515 - Servo-control system for an unbalanced rotor vibrator: a sensor (C2) for sensing rotation of a rotor of the second pair of rotors, or for sensing the position of the phase shifter mechanism; means for controlling the rotation of the first motor as a function of the phase and the frequency of a force setpoint signal and as... Agent: Young & Thompson

20070120517 - Skew correction system and method of controlling a skew correction system: A system for correcting skew of a web of material being fed through a machine includes first and second pinch assemblies placed at a distance transversely to a direction of feeding. First and second stepper motors drive the first and second pinch assemblies, respectively. A control provides first and second... Agent: Birch Stewart Kolasch & Birch

20070120518 - Electric motor controller for a domestic appliance: The invention relates to a three-phase asynchronous electric motor for domestic appliances, comprising power elements, such as traics or relays, for charge control. The power elements other than the relays are controlled by at least one microcontroller with the aid of an optical insulation means, ensuring electronic programming and also... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20070120519 - System and method for driving synchronous motor: A driving apparatus of a synchronous motor fixes all the switching devices of an inverter at OFF in accordance with a value of an all-OFF control pulse signal outputted by a pulse generator. A motor current keeps flowing through free wheel diodes for a predetermined period even after all the... Agent: Antonelli, Terry, Stout & Kraus, LLP

20070120520 - Motor driving device and automobile using the same: As a boosting-type motor driving device using no reactor, a motor driving device capable of controlling boosting operation and motor driving at the same time is provided, and an automobile using the motor driving device is also provided. The motor driving device is used for driving a motor with a... Agent: Crowell & Moring LLP Intellectual Property Group

20070120521 - Apparatus for power control by phase gating and a method for harmonic reduction: The invention relates to an apparatus for power control by phase gating of an AC voltage, which supplies an electrical load (14), and for reduction of harmonics which are created by the phase gating, in particular up to a region of 4 kHz, preferably in the region of the third... Agent: Harness, Dickey & Pierce, P.L.C

20070114954 - System and method of commonly controlling power converters: A system and method for controlling power converters are disclosed. Briefly described, one embodiment is a method comprising communicating at least one first control signal to an alternating current/direct current (AC/DC) power converter from a multi-converter system controller, the AC/DC power converter and the multi-converter system controller residing in a... Agent: Seed Intellectual Property Law Group PLLC

20070114955 - Driving apparatus for vibration type actuator and driving method for vibration type actuator: A driving apparatus for a vibration type actuator is disclosed, which can boost the power source voltage and can reduce the cost and the size of the apparatus. The driving apparatus comprises an inductor being connected to a power source, a pulse generation circuit generating a first and second pulse... Agent: Cowan Liebowitz & Latman P.C. John J Torrente

20070114956 - Vehicle-mounted drive control apparatus: A vehicle-mounted drive control apparatus capable of effecting boosted escape running while preventing burnout when a reversible motor driven by way of a transistor bridge circuit encounters an abnormal load. A motor driven by a transistor bridge circuit reversibly drives a moving body between a reverse limit stopper and a... Agent: Sughrue Mion, PLLC

20070114957 - Method for controlling the firing angle of an electric motor: A method for controlling the firing angle of a single-phase AC powered electric motor is provided which is triggered by at least one locking electronic switch, such as a triac (T1 and T4) located between the distribution voltage (UV) and at least one motor winding (A, B). According to said... Agent: Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld L.L.P.

20070114958 - Automatic transfer switch apparatus: An Automatic Transfer Switch (ATS) having a switch configured to connect one of two sources to a load, a mechanical drive, an actuator, and a solid state control relay is disclosed. The mechanical drive is configured to drive the switch between a first position and a second position, the first... Agent: Cantor Colburn, LLP

20070114959 - Method and apparatus for controlling the speed of a dc motor: A method and apparatus for controlling the speed of a DC electric motor receives a periodic commutation signal having a fixed duration on cycle and an off cycle. The commutation signal then is modified to form a periodic modified commutation signal having substantially the same period duration as the commutation... Agent: Bromberg & Sunstein LLP

20070114960 - Actuating device for a movable component: An actuating device for a movable component includes a reversible motorized drive for driving the movable component from a normal position into an open position, the movable component being uncouplable from the reversible motorized drive in its open position. The actuating device includes a driving element movably drivable by the... Agent: Cohen, Pontani, Lieberman & Pavane

20070114961 - Activation of an electric motor with continuous adjustment of the commutation angle: In a method for improving commutation of the at least one phase (Pi) of an electric motor (1), the commutation angle (alpha) of the one or more phases (Pi) is continuously varied in accordance with the rotary frequency (f) of the electromagnetic energizing field (F) of the electric motor (1)... Agent: Baker Botts L.L.P. Patent Department

20070114963 - Method and apparatus for quiet fan speed control: An AC motor speed controller includes a plurality of capacitors that may be selectively switched, by means of controllably conductive switches, into series electrical connection with an AC motor and an AC voltage source to control the speed of the motor. To change the speed of the motor, a control... Agent: Ostrolenk Faber Gerb & Soffen

20070114962 - Power-factor correction device for variable speed drive: The invention relates to a variable speed drive for three-phase electric motor, comprising a rectifier module (10) supplying a rectified voltage (15) from a single-phase alternating current network, a voltage step-up module (40) supplying a regulated bus voltage (45), an inverter module (50) supplying a control voltage to the motor... Agent: Oblon, Spivak, Mcclelland, Maier & Neustadt, P.C.

20070114964 - Control of a triac for the starting of a motor: A method and a circuit for controlling a triac intended to be series-connected with a resistive element of positive temperature coefficient or which is at least capacitive, and a winding for starting an asynchronous motor, for supply by an A.C. voltage, the present invention including the steps of: detecting a... Agent: Stmicroelectronics Inc. C/o Wolf, Greenfield & Sacks, PC

20070114965 - Electrically powered vehicle mounting electric motor and control method therefor: A normal map determines a carrier frequency used for switching control of an inverter controlling driving of a motor generator, in accordance with the state of operation of the motor generator in a normal operation. In a stall state in which the driver is pressing both the accelerator pedal and... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20070114966 - Phase current detection method, inverter control method, motor control method and apparatus for carrying out these methods: Apparatus and methods for phase current detection used for driving a motor by supplying outputs from a pulse width modulation (PWM) converter to the motor. One method presented provides detecting a DC link current and a vector pattern, determining whether a voltage vector lengths exceeds a predetermined value, and adjusting... Agent: Birch Stewart Kolasch & Birch

20070108923 - Apparatus and method for driving different fans: A universal driving apparatus of a computer system inputs two control signals of two different duty cycles through a speed control pin of a receptacle for connecting fans with the electricity supplied continuously. The differentiation percentage of the two speeds is compared with a threshold to identify the fan types.... Agent: Birch Stewart Kolasch & Birch

20070108924 - Motor driving device: A motor driving device is disclosed that includes a first drive circuit that drives a first electric motor and increases a rotational speed of the first electric motor according to an increase in a duty ratio of a pulse signal output from an electronic control unit. The motor driving device... Agent: Harness, Dickey & Pierce, P.L.C

20070108925 - Method for testing the serviceability of transducers: The invention relates to a two-wire transducer in automation engineering that outputs a measurement signal as an injected current. For the method to test the serviceability, it is proposed to increase the DC loop current (IS), independently of the measured value, from the minimum value towards the maximum value (ISM),... Agent: Paul R. Katterle Abb Inc.

20070108926 - A/v monitor mounting structure for vehicle: An A/V monitor mounting structure for a vehicle allows a monitor installed on a center console of a vehicle to be received in the center console so that the monitor can be extended out of and retracted into the center console as the occasion demands. The A/V monitor mounting structure... Agent: Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP (sf)

20070108929 - Panel member control system: A panel member control system for controlling a panel member includes a motor, a rotation detecting means, and a pinching detecting means. The rotation detecting means detects a rotational speed of the motor. The pinching detecting means detects an occurrence of pinching of an object by the panel member when... Agent: Posz Law Group, PLC

20070108928 - System for safely opening/closing power window of vehicle: A system for safely opening/closing a power window of a vehicle includes a main opening/closing device provided adjacent to a driver seat so as to open and close a window of a passenger seat. A sub opening/closing device is provided adjacent to a passenger seat so as to open and... Agent: Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP (sf)

20070108927 - Universal controller for automatic door systems: A universal controller for an automatic door system including a door carried on a frame for movement along a predetermined path of movement between open and closed positions. The universal controller includes a housing for mounting the controller in a stationary position relative to the door frame and an assembly... Agent: John W. Harbst

20070108930 - Motor driving apparatus and control method thereof: A motor driving apparatus includes a speed control circuit for outputting a speed control signal on the basis of a target speed command and rotating speed information of a motor, a PWM signal generating circuit for generating and outputting a PWM signal on the basis of the speed control signal,... Agent: Ratnerprestia

20070108931 - Linear drive with travel measurement: The invention concerns a linear drive (1) with a linear stroke for the displacement of movably supported parts, in particular of articles of furniture, comprising a rotary spindle (2) which is driven by a motor and which at the drive output side is in screwthreaded engagement with a thrust tube... Agent: Grossman, Tucker, Perreault & Pfleger, PLLC

20070108932 - Hardware based configurable motion control apparatus and method: Apparatus for generating a motion control algorithm for the control of an AC electric machine, the apparatus comprising a motion control engine comprising a motion control sequencer, a motion control program memory, a port memory, a plurality of motion control modules, and a plurality of motion peripheral modules, the motion... Agent: Ostrolenk Faber Gerb & Soffen

20070108933 - Planar direct drive unit comprising a position measuring system: The invention relates to a planar direct drive unit comprising a passive unit (1), an active unit (3), a bearing unit, and a position measuring system that is provided with a material measure and a measuring sensor which scans the material measure and supplies a position signal. The inventive positioning... Agent: Klaus P Stoffel Wolff & Samson

20070108934 - Application of a switched reluctance motion control system in a chiller system: A chiller system includes a switched reluctance motor for powering the compressor of the chiller system. A variable speed drive with a boost converter provides a boosted voltage to the switched reluctance motor. The switched reluctance motor and the compressor may be disposed within the same hermetic enclosure and driven... Agent: Mcnees Wallace & Nurick, LLC

20070108935 - Method to measure the angular speed of an induction motor: The invention relates to a method for determining the electric angular speed of a rotor of an induction motor, wherein electric power supplied to phases of a stator of the induction motor affects the rotor, comprising the steps of: switching off the electric power supply to the phases of the... Agent: Ip Strategies

20070108936 - Motor drive apparatus: A control device (30) generates, upon receiving an instruction to start engine (ENG) while drive wheels of a hybrid vehicle are driven by a motor generator (MG2), a signal (PWMC) to output the signal to a voltage step-up converter (12), and thereby drives and controls the voltage step-up converter (12)... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20070108937 - Voltage mode control with phase advancing for position controlled electric machines: A method and system for controlling an electric machine using voltage mode control comprising: receiving a voltage command, the voltage command corresponding to a voltage control command for a position control loop, the position control loop configured to control a position of the electric machine; receiving a motor velocity signal;... Agent: Delphi Technologies, Inc.

20070103101 - Rotating electric machine with built-in control device: The invention is intended to obtain a rotating electric machine with a built-in control device in which the control device is kept from receiving heat from a main body of the rotating electric machine and the control device can be cooled in a desirable fashion. A heat sink (13) on... Agent: Sughrue Mion, PLLC

20070103102 - Impulse wrench with angle sensing means: In an impulse wrench there is provided an impulse unit (13) with a motor driven inertia drive member (14), and a movement detecting device (16) arranged to detect the angular movement of the inertia drive member (14), wherein the movement detecting device (16) comprises a rotating disc (17) rigidly connected... Agent: Frishauf, Holtz, Goodman & Chick, PC

20070103103 - Bi-directional motor voltage conversion circuit: A DC motor circuit is provided for an automobile accessory that includes biplolar input lines for driving an accessory motor. A bridge rectifier coupled to the bipolar input lines generates a unipolar output. A transient voltage suppressor is connected in parallel with the bridge rectifier. A voltage regulator is coupled... Agent: Macmillan, Sobanski & Todd, LLC

20070103105 - Control unit for elctric power steering apparatus: In order to solve a problem that a motor generates a noise so as to deteriorate an environment in a vehicle if a field weakening control is executed to the motor of a electric power steering apparatus, in the case that a vehicle speed is high, the same field weakening... Agent: Sughrue Mion, PLLC

20070103106 - Electric vehicle drive control device and control method therefor: An electric vehicle drive control device includes a first electric motor; a second electric motor; a differential device that includes first, second, and third rotational elements, wherein the first rotational element is connected to the first electric motor, the second rotational element is connected to the second electric motor via... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20070103104 - Power torque tool: A power torque tool has an output shaft along which torque pulses are transmitted to a load such as a bolt. The shaft is driven by a mechanism which can be of the impact-type or piston-and-cylinder type. The torque in the shaft is measured by an integral region of the... Agent: Blank Rome LLP

20070103107 - Control device for movable body: An encoder 13 determines the remaining travel distance of a stacker crane to perform deceleration control. When a linear sensor 8 determines an absolute distance from the stop position, the linear sensor 8 performs deceleration control, and when a mark sensor 26 detects a mark 36, the mark sensor 26... Agent: Westerman, Hattori, Daniels & Adrian, LLP

20070096665 - Method and circuit for controlling motor speed: A method of controlling a rotational speed of a fan motor for a heat generating electronic component includes the following steps: (1) obtaining an original PWM pulse in response to an internal die temperature of the electronic component, the original PWM pulse having a first duty cycle which corresponds to... Agent: North America Intellectual Property Corporation

20070096666 - Surgical electrical tool, activation unit and calibration method therefor: A sterilisable surgical power tool and an operating unit for the surgical power tool are described. The operating unit includes a hermetically sealed metal capsule for arrangement in the region of a housing of the surgical power tool, the capsule having a contact surface for a finger on an outer... Agent: Howard & Howard Attorneys, P.C.

20070096667 - Construction machine: In a hybrid construction machine, its display device displays, toward an operator, an artificial engine sound serving as load information according to a magnitude of a workload, instead of an engine sound. Furthermore, the display device issues an alarm sound to surrounding workers when performing an operation by only stored... Agent: Oblon, Spivak, Mcclelland, Maier & Neustadt, P.C.

20070096668 - Vehicle seat, in particular a motor-vehicle seat: The invention relates to a vehicle seat, in particular for a motor vehicle, and equipped with a central control unit, motors, peripheral motor control devices each associated to one motor and connected to the central control unit. To allow rapid and accurate adjustments while providing versatility, the invention provides that... Agent: Shlesinger, Arkwright & Garvey LLP Suite 600

20070096669 - Apparatus and method for controlling rotation speed of a fan: An apparatus and method for controlling a rotation speed of a fan. A comparator is used to detect an analog signal driving the fan. When the analog signal is detected abnormal, a voltage generation circuit generates a particular voltage to maintain a lowest operation voltage of the fan. A protection... Agent: Patterson, Thuente, Skaar & Christensen, P.A.

20070096670 - Servo motor stop controlling method and servo motor controller: A servo motor controller is provided with a motor control section for controlling a servo motor provided with a brake. The motor control section includes a speed command portion for outputting a speed command to increase or reduce the rotation of the servo motor, and a brake switching portion for... Agent: Lowe Hauptman Berner, LLP

20070096672 - Electric power steering apparatus and controller therefor: There is provided a controller for an electric power steering apparatus having a motor which applies a steering assist force to a steering mechanism. The controller includes a torque command value calculating portion which calculates a torque command value based on steering torque generated in a steering shaft, and a... Agent: Sughrue-265550

20070096671 - Inverter: The present invention relates to an inverter and a method for converting direct current voltage to alternating current. The inverter comprises a first input arranged to be connected to the ordinary current supply system of a vessel, where the current supply system comprises a generator connected to a battery, and... Agent: Pearne & Gordon LLP

20070096673 - Robot arm and robot support structure: A robot arm comprises a plurality of joints (10) which are connected to each other by connection elements (12). The connection elements (12) carry heat-generating components (14), particularly electronic components comprising thermally critical parts. For cooling these components, at least one connection element (12) comprises a heat-dissipating element made from... Agent: Clements Walker

20070096674 - Robot control device: A robot control device includes an operation mode change-over switch for switching between a first operation mode for prohibiting an operator from approaching a predetermined area around a robot when power is supplied to a drive motor for driving the robot and a second operation mode for allowing the operator... Agent: Drinker Biddle & Reath (dc)

20070096676 - Mobile robot and mobile robot charge station return system: Disclosed are a mobile robot and a mobile robot charge station return system, the mobile robot having a simplified structure by commonly using a detection sensor capable of both receiving charge station guide signals and obstacle detection signals, the two types of signals having different frequencies. The mobile robot includes... Agent: Greenblum & Bernstein, P.L.C

20070096675 - Mobile robot charge station return system: Disclosed is a mobile robot charge station return system, which may return a mobile robot to a charge station exactly and rapidly according to a charge station position guidance signal emitted from the charge station. The mobile robot charge station return system includes a charge station for transmitting charge station... Agent: Greenblum & Bernstein, P.L.C

20070096677 - Lock mechanism for stage apparatus: A lock mechanism for a stage apparatus, the stage apparatus having a stationary support board and a movable stage relatively movable in a plane parallel to the stationary support board, includes a pair of engaging members projecting from the movable stage; a rotational lock device including a pair of arm... Agent: Greenblum & Bernstein, P.L.C

20070096678 - Positional indicia misplacement compensation: Apparatus and method for compensating for positional indicia misplacements in the positioning of a control object, such as with servo seam misplacements on a data storage device storage medium. An actual position for the control object is determined in relation to a corrected commanded position of the control object and... Agent: Fellers, Snider, Blankenship, Bailey & Tippens

20070096679 - Step motor control circuit and method of generating step motor control signal: A step motor control circuit that does not fix a reference voltage of a step motor control signal. The step motor control circuit may include a digital-to-analog (DAC) signal generator configured to generate first and second DAC signals in response to a step motor error signal, a gain adjust block... Agent: Lee & Morse, P.C.

20070096680 - Circuit for monitoring harmonic distortion in the power supply of a synchronous electrical machine with permanent magnet excitation: The present invention provides a circuit for monitoring harmonic distortion in the power supply of a synchronous electrical machine with permanent magnet excitation that comprises a rotor without a damper cage, a stator with first, second, and third windings, a frequency converter, and control circuits for controlling the frequency converter.... Agent: Weingarten, Schurgin, Gagnebin & Lebovici LLP

20070096681 - Ac motor controller: A system, method, and device for monitoring an AC induction motor are disclosed. The exemplary system provides the architecture of an intelligent motor controller. On one hand, the controller has self-commission and adaptive tuning capability and can provide smooth start and stop for motor driven systems. On the other hand,... Agent: Siemens Corporation Intellectual Property Department

20070096682 - Rotating electric motor for operating an electric component: A rotating electric motor for operating an electric component. The motor is arranged for an operating movement during a limited predetermined angular motion of the rotor of the motor. An electric drive circuit is arranged for the winding of the motor. The electric circuit exhibits at least one branch including... Agent: Venable LLP

20070096683 - Electric motor driving system, electric four-wheel drive vehicle, and hybrid vehicle: An electric four-wheel drive vehicle includes: an internal combustion engine; a generator for outputting DC electrical power; an inverter for converting DC electrical power, output from the generator, into AC electrical power; and an AC electric motor, which is driven by the inverter, for driving rear wheels. An electric motor... Agent: Crowell & Moring LLP Intellectual Property Group