| Class / Patent application number | Description | Number of patent applications / Date published |
|---|
| 318472000 | Of motor control means | 42 |
| 20090021204 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THERMAL SENSING IN AN ELECTRICALLY COMMUTATED MOTOR - A control circuit for a motor includes a voltage regulator having a thermal shutdown apparatus that turns off the voltage regulator while retaining power to a micro-controller preventing an automatic restart of the motor absent a recycling of power when the temperature of the control circuit rises above a pre-determined threshold level, wherein the voltage regulator is used to provide power to a plurality of insulated gate bipolar transistors controlling a plurality of stator windings of the motor. Thus the voltage regulator prevents the control circuit and the various components on the control circuit from being damaged from overheating. An embodiment of the control circuit is adapted to generate an error code in response to the shutdown of the voltage regulator and to monitor the operation of the motor to ensure that the motor has been turned off and then on before turning on the power supply to a plurality of phase windings. | 01-22-2009 |
| 20090051307 | EXCESSIVE TEMPERATURE DETECTING SYSTEM OF ELECTRIC MOTOR CONTROLLER - An electric motor controller for a vehicle has a voltage detecting section for detecting the voltage of a filter capacitor inserted on a direct current side of an inverter device including a semiconductor element for large electric power; an electric current detecting section for detecting an output electric current of the inverter device; and a temperature detecting section arranged in a cooling means of the semiconductor element for large electric power. Loss generated by a switching operation of the semiconductor element for large electric power is sequentially calculated by outputs of the detecting sections. Excessive temperature is detected when junction temperature of the large electric power semiconductor element calculated by this loss reaches an allowable temperature. | 02-26-2009 |
| 20090261769 | METHOD FOR CONTROLLING FAN SPEED - A method for controlling a fan speed is disclosed. The fan cools a CPU in a computer. The method includes defining a CPU-max-temp value of a CPU, such that the first fan speed is linearly enhanced with the increase of a real temperature value of the CPU, when the real temperature value of the CPU is lower than the CPU-max-temp value, and changing the CPU-max-temp value to a higher CPU-max-temp value in a basic input output system. A second fan speed is linearly enhanced with an increase of the real temperature value, when the real temperature value is lower than the higher CPU-max-temp value. The second fan speed is less than the first fan speed at the real temperature value. | 10-22-2009 |
| 20100066292 | Retarding energy calculator for an electric drive machine - A cooling system for a retarding system of an electric drive machine ( | 03-18-2010 |
| 20100117580 | Rechargeable electric power tool - In a rechargeable electric power tool, upon changeover of a trigger switch, a microcomputer determines the magnitude relation between the detected temperature outputted from the first thermistor and the first temperature threshold value, the second temperature threshold value and the third temperature threshold value, and the magnitude relation between the first calculated temperature increase rate and the first preset temperature increase rate. If the detected temperature is determined to be greater than the first temperature threshold value or if the first calculated temperature increase rate is determined to be greater than the first preset temperature increase rate after the detected temperature has been determined to be greater than the second temperature threshold value, the microcomputer is set in a limited operation mode in which the revolution number of the motor is limited to a predetermined value or less. | 05-13-2010 |
| 20100117581 | Rechargeable electric power tool - A rechargeable electric power tool includes a motor driven by a secondary battery, a switching element for regulating power distribution to the motor, a motor control unit for controlling rotation of the motor through the switching element, a lead wire for supplying a drive current to the motor therethrough and a trigger switch changed over by a user for turning on or off the drive current supplied to the motor through the lead wire. In the rechargeable electric power tool, upon changeover of the trigger switch, a microcomputer determines a magnitude relation between a detected temperature outputted from a first thermistor and a first temperature threshold value. If the detected temperature is determined to be greater than the first temperature threshold value, the microcomputer is set in a limited operation mode in which a revolution number of the motor is limited to a predetermined value or less. | 05-13-2010 |
| 20110037424 | CONTROL CIRCUIT FOR FAN - When the fan inserted in the fan header is a 4-pin fan, the control chip outputs PWM signals with different duty factors to the control pin of the fan header, to automatically change the rotary speed of the 4-pin fan. When the fan inserted in the fan header is a 3-pin fan, the control chip outputs the PWM signals whose duty factor changes with temperature of a chip under the fan to control the first power source to provide a voltage to the adjusting circuit. The adjusting circuit rectifies the voltage output from the first power source as an analog voltage signal to the control circuit. The control circuit controls the third power source to output a changeable driving voltage to the power pin of the fan header to control the rotary speed of the 3-pin fan. | 02-17-2011 |
| 20110089880 | FAN CONTROL SYSTEM - A fan control system includes a temperature detecting circuit and a rotation rate control circuit. The detecting circuit includes a first amplifier, a second amplifier, and a thermistor. The control circuit includes a first terminal, a second terminal, and a third terminal. The detecting circuit detects temperature and outputs a voltage signal. The control circuit receives the voltage signal and controls the rotation rate of the fan according to the voltage signal. | 04-21-2011 |
| 20110089881 | ELECTRIC COMPRESSOR - Provided is an electric compressor whose manufacturing cost is reduced and in which a motor driving circuit can be positively protected. A temperature sensor is provided in the vicinity of a power semiconductor element whose temperature becomes highest among a plurality of power semiconductor elements and control of the number of revolutions of a motor is performed on the basis of temperatures detected by the temperature sensor, whereby it is possible to change the number of revolutions of the motor by using a temperature in the vicinity of a power semiconductor element in a position under the worst temperature conditions as a reference, and it becomes possible to positively protect an inverter circuit without the need for a plurality of temperature sensors. | 04-21-2011 |
| 20110101903 | FAN CONTROL SYSTEM - A fan control system includes a temperature detecting circuit and a rotation rate control circuit. The detecting circuit includes an amplifier and a thermal diode. The detecting circuit detects temperature and outputs a voltage signal. The control circuit receives the voltage signal and controls the rotation rate of the fan according to the voltage signal. | 05-05-2011 |
| 20110204837 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING DUTY CYCLE OF CPU FAN - A fan duty cycle controlling system and method are implemented by a computing device. The fan duty cycle controlling system obtains an optimum duty cycle range of a fan around a central processing unit (CPU), and controls the fan to operate at the optimum duty cycle range. By implementing the system and method, the computing device can obtain an optimum cooling efficiency of the computer system, and reduce system noise generated by the fan when the fan operates at the optimum duty cycle range. | 08-25-2011 |
| 20120007531 | FAN MOTOR CONTROL SYSTEMS - A fan system includes a motor control module external to a motor housing of a fan assembly. The motor control module includes a speed control module. The fan assembly includes a fan and the motor housing. One or more first conductors are configured to connect the motor control module to a motor in the motor housing. One or more second conductors are configured to connect the motor control module to a host device control module. The host device control module is separate from the motor control module and is configured to generate a control signal. The speed control module is configured to control speed of the fan based on the control signal. | 01-12-2012 |
| 20120068652 | FAN DRIVE CIRCUIT FOR ELECTRONIC DEVICE - A fan drive circuit for driving a fan used in an electronic device to rotate includes a heat detector, a control unit, an integrating circuit, a regulating circuit; and a power supply. The power supply cooperates with the regulating circuit to drive the fan to rotate, the control unit detects the temperature of the one or more components of the electronic device using the heat detector and cooperates with the integrating circuit to generate a speed control voltage that changes with change of the temperature, and the speed control voltage is input to the regulating circuit to regulate a rotation rate of the fan. | 03-22-2012 |
| 20120081056 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING SPEED OF FAN IN COMPUTER - An apparatus and method controls a speed of a fan in a computer. The apparatus includes a signal generator, a signal buffer, a signal switch, and an integrated baseboard management controller (IBMC). The IBMC includes a general purpose input output (GIPO) pin and a signal output port. The IBMC determines whether the IBMC operates normally by detecting a voltage status of the GIPO pin. The signal generator generates a first pulse width modulation (PWM) signal according to a system temperature of the computer when the IBMC does not operate normally. The IBMC generates a second PWM signal to according to the system temperature of the computer when the IBMC operates normally. The signal switch controls the speed of the fan according to the first PWM signal or the second PWM signal. | 04-05-2012 |
| 20120086379 | ROTATION DIRECTION CONTROL METHOD FOR A COOLING FAN AND ROTATION DIRECTION CONTROL CIRCUIT THEREOF - A rotation direction control method of a cooling fan is disclosed. The rotation direction control method includes a detection step, a determination step and a driving step. The detection step receives a temperature control signal from a temperature detection unit by a rotation direction control unit when a predetermined dust-expelling time period begins. The determination step determines whether a detected temperature is higher than a predetermined value based on the temperature control signal by the rotation direction control unit. The driving step controls the rotation direction control unit to keep outputting a cooling signal so as to drive a motor of the cooling fan for a cooling operation when the determination of the determination step is positive. | 04-12-2012 |
| 20120139467 | LOAD DRIVE CONTROL DEVICE AND LOAD DRIVE CONTROL METHOD - A load drive control device includes a driver that drives a load which is operable by a DC drive and a pulse modulation drive, a protecting section that detects an electric current flowing in the driver, a temperature detecting section that detects a high temperature state of the driver, and a control section that determines whether the load is operated by the DC drive or the pulse modulation drive, based on outputs from the protecting section and the temperature detecting section. The control section switches the driver in the DC drive and measures the electric current flowing in the driver when a temperature equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature is detected during the pulse modulation drive. | 06-07-2012 |
| 20120161683 | FAN SPEED CONTROL CIRCUIT - A fan speed control circuit includes a voltage input terminal, a thyristor, a thermistor, and first and second switches. The terminal is grounded through a first resistor and the thermistor, connected to an anode of the thyristor, and connected to a second terminal of the second switch through a second resistor. A node between the resistor and the thermistor is connected to a control terminal of the first switch. A second terminal of the first switch is grounded. A first terminal of the first switch is connected to a control terminal of the thyristor through a third resistor. A fourth resistor is connected between the anode and control terminal of the thyristor. A control terminal of the second switch is connected to the control terminal of the thyristor. A first terminal of the second switch is connected to a cathode of the thyristor and a voltage pin of a fan. | 06-28-2012 |
| 20120194116 | FAN CONTROL SYSTEM - A fan control system includes a temperature detecting circuit and a rotation rate control circuit. The detecting circuit includes a first amplifier, a second amplifier, and a thermistor. The rotation rate control circuit includes a first terminal, a second terminal, and a third terminal. The detecting circuit detects temperature and outputs a voltage signal. The rotation rate control circuit receives the voltage signal and controls the rotation rate of the fan according to the voltage signal. | 08-02-2012 |
| 20120194117 | FAN CONTROL SYSTEM - A fan control system includes a temperature detecting circuit and a rotation rate control circuit. The detecting circuit includes a first amplifier, a second amplifier, and a thermistor. The rotation rate control circuit includes a first terminal, a second terminal, and a third terminal. The detecting circuit detects temperature and outputs a voltage signal. The rotation rate control circuit receives the voltage signal and controls the rotation rate of the fan according to the voltage signal. | 08-02-2012 |
| 20120223666 | PULSE WIDTH MODULATION FAN CONTROLLER - A pulse width modulation (PWM) fan controller includes a sensor, a generator, a selector, and a multiplexer. The sensor is configured for sensing a current temperature of an electronic device. The generator is configured for generating different PWM signals, each of which is suitable for regulating the rotational speed of a fan for dissipating heat for the electronic device of a corresponding temperature. The selector is configured for generating a selection control signal based upon the current temperature of the electronic device. The selection control signal is used for selecting a PWM signal corresponding to the current temperature of the electronic device from the PWM signals from the generator. The multiplexer is configured for performing the selection of the PWM signal. | 09-06-2012 |
| 20120268051 | PULSE WIDTH MODULATION FAN CONTROLLER - A pulse width modulation (PWM) fan controller is used for an electronic device. The PWM fan controller includes a number of PWM signal generators, a number of PWM signal output elements, and a control unit. The control unit includes a number of outputs. An input of each PWM signal generator is electrically connected to a corresponding output of the control unit. An input of each PWM signal output element is electrically connected to an output of a corresponding PWM signal generator. An output of each PWM signal output element is electrically connected to a corresponding fan of the electronic device. The control unit is configured to control the PWM signal generators to sequentially generate a PWM signal to drive a corresponding fan to rotate in a preset time. | 10-25-2012 |
| 20120274255 | FAN SPEED CONTROL CIRCUIT - A fan speed control circuit for controlling the rotation speed of a fan motor unit. The speed control circuit includes a resistor, a voltage stabilizing unit, a transistor and a thermal resistor. The resistor is connected to a power source of the fan motor unit, the voltage stabilizing unit is connected between the resistor and ground. The collector of the transistor is connected to the fan motor unit, the base is connected to a node between the resistor and the voltage stabilizing unit. The thermal resistor is connected between an emitter of the transistor and ground. | 11-01-2012 |
| 20120319635 | METHOD AND CIRCUIT FOR CONTROLLING MOTORS - A method for controlling a motor comprises steps of: first, determining whether a switch of a motor control circuit in an electronic system is in a first state; then, operating the motor at a fanless operation mode when a temperature inside an enclosure of the electronic system is higher than zero and lower than a first threshold temperature, wherein the rotation speed of the motor is zero rpm; operating the motor at a silent operation mode when the temperature is higher than the first threshold temperature and lower than a second threshold temperature, wherein the rotation speed of the motor is a constant rotation speed; and operating the motor at a cooling operation mode when the temperature is higher than the second threshold temperature, wherein the rotation speed of the motor is a function of the temperature and varies between the constant rotation speed and a maximum rotation speed. | 12-20-2012 |
| 20130033213 | FAN CONTROLLING CIRCUIT FOR SERVER COMPUTER - A circuit for controlling fans of a server computer includes a temperature sensing module configured to sense a temperature inside the server computer and a complex programmable logic device (CPLD) connected to the temperature sensing module. The CPLD includes a pulse width modulation (PWM) module connected to the fans. The PWM module is configured to output a plurality of PWM signals having different duty cycle values to control a rotating speed of each of the fans. The CPLD is configured to determine whether the temperature exceeds a tolerable value. | 02-07-2013 |
| 20130119912 | Power Conversion Device and Temperature Rise Calculation Method Thereof - A temperature rise of a semiconductor switching element, which is part of a power conversion device such as an inverter, is estimated by an extremely simple method to assess the degradation and remaining lifetime of the semiconductor switching element. | 05-16-2013 |
| 20130169207 | METHOD AND DEVICE FOR PROTECTING AN INVERTER POWER SWITCHING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE FROM THERMAL CYCLING - A method and device for protecting a power switching semiconductor inverter from thermal cycling is disclosed. The method compares the actual frequency of the inverter to a low fundamental frequency of the inverter and compares the actual current of the inverter to a continuous current rating of the inverter. A thermal cycling condition is detected if both (a) the actual frequency is lower than the low fundamental frequency and (b) the actual current is higher than the continuous current rating. A thermal cycling fault condition is detected when the inverter has been in the thermal cycling operating condition for a sufficient period of time to cause its present stress factor to exceed a predetermined rated stress factor. | 07-04-2013 |
| 20130175964 | ELECTRIC COMPRESSOR - An electric compressor capable of following temperature changes of a power element even if a temperature measurement unit is disposed separately from the power element. In the electric compressor, the temperature measurement unit ( | 07-11-2013 |
| 20130249460 | POWER CONVERSION APPARATUS - In a power conversion apparatus that is configured to cool switching elements by using a boiling-refrigerant-type cooling device that uses a boiling phenomenon of a refrigerant included therein, an inverter control unit that controls the switching elements (Su to Sz) by generating a gate command capable of stabilizing boiling of the refrigerant includes a modulation-mode selection unit that determines stability of the cooling device based on an element-temperature estimation value that is an estimated temperature of the switching elements (Su to Sz), and that decides and selects a modulation mode PM for controlling the switching elements (Su to Sz) based on a determination result, and a gate-command generation unit that generates a gate command G based on the modulation mode PM selected by the modulation-mode selection unit. | 09-26-2013 |
| 20130300332 | CONTROL APPARATUS FOR A POWER CONVERTER CONNECTED TO A ROTARY MACHINE WHICH IS OPERABLE AS A DRIVE MOTOR OF A VEHICLE - In a vehicle, a control apparatus controls a power converter supplying a rotary machine which can operate as a drive motor of the vehicle, and controls a cooling apparatus for circulating a coolant fluid through the rotary machine and the power converter. When a temporary condition occurs immediately after commencement of the circulation, whereby the temperatures of the coolant fluid and of switching elements in the power converter are judged to concurrently exceed respective specified temperature thresholds, the control apparatus limits the maximum power that can be supplied from the power converter to a lower value than is normally available. When the temperature of the coolant fluid is judged to no longer exceed the corresponding temperature threshold, the limiting is released. | 11-14-2013 |
| 20130307457 | Method Of Optimising Input Components - A method of controlling a current flowing through a component of a drive comprising the steps of: estimating the current flowing through a component; estimating the temperature of the component; comparing the estimated temperature with a desired maximum temperature for the component; and adjusting the current flowing through the component based on the result of the comparing step. | 11-21-2013 |
| 20130342148 | ELECTRIC POWER STEERING DEVICE - A microcomputer calculates an internal resistance value of a motor, and subsequently calculates an internal resistance value of a switching element of a motor drive circuit. When the internal resistance value of the motor is a semi-abnormal value, the microcomputer sets an upper limit current. When the internal resistance value of the motor drive circuit is a semi-abnormal value, the microcomputer sets an upper limit current. The microcomputer sets a smaller one of the upper limit current and the upper limit current as an upper limit current of the motor. In this manner, the progress of degradation of the motor and the motor drive circuit can be suppressed. | 12-26-2013 |
| 20140015461 | INVERTER - An inverter includes a warm-up control section and a switching control section. In a state in which an electric motor is not operating, the warm-up control section controls switching elements of an inverter circuit to perform warm-up control, in which direct currents are supplied to the coils of the respective phases of the electric motor, when the temperature of the capacitor is lower than a prescribed temperature. When a warm-up control is switched to a normal operation control, the switching control section sets initial phases of alternating currents such that the relationship between the values of the alternating currents supplied to the coils of the electric motor in the normal operation control matches with the relationship between the values of the direct currents that have been supplied to the corresponding coils of the electric motor in the warm-up control. | 01-16-2014 |
| 20140062373 | MOTOR DRIVING DEVICE AND METHOD OF PROTECTING MOTOR DRIVING DEVICE - A motor driving device includes a motor driving circuit, an element temperature sensor, a control circuit, an ambient-temperature estimator, and an overheat protection processor. The motor driving circuit has a plurality of switching elements. The element temperature sensor is configured to detect a temperature of each of the switching elements. The ambient-temperature estimator is configured to estimate an ambient temperature around the control circuit based on a temperature of at least one of the switching elements detected by the element temperature sensor if the at least one of the switching elements is not performing the switching operation. The overheat protection processor is configured to execute a first overheat protection process to protect the control circuit from overheating if the ambient temperature around the control circuit estimated by the ambient-temperature estimator exceeds a first overheat criterion temperature. | 03-06-2014 |
| 20140191695 | THERMAL PROTECTION METHOD AND SYSTEM TO MAXIMIZE AVAILABILITY OF ELECTRIC DRIVE SYSTEM - An electric drive system may include a plurality of heat sensitive components, at least one temperature sensor positioned in or on each of the components and a system controller. The temperature sensors may be interconnected with the system controller to transmit temperature data from their respective heat sensitive components to the system controller. The system controller may be configured to transmit a reduced performance command in the event that a reached-temperature-threshold-limit signal is received from any one or more of the temperature sensors. System shutdown due to over temperature faults may be avoided. | 07-10-2014 |
| 20140361721 | TEMPERATURE ESTIMATION DEVICE ESTIMATING TEMPERATURE OF POWER SEMICONDUCTOR CHIP, AND MOTOR CONTROL DEVICE INCLUDING THE SAME - A temperature calculation unit calculates a temperature T | 12-11-2014 |
| 20150108934 | DISTRIBUTED FAN CONTROL - A device for processing graphics data may include a plurality of graphics processing units. The device may include a fan to dissipate thermal energy generated during the operation of the plurality of graphics processing units. Each of the plurality of graphics processing units may generate a pulse width modulated signal to control the speed of the fan. The device may include one or more monitoring units configured to monitor a signal controlling the speed of the fan. One or more of the plurality of pulse width modulated signals may be adjusted based on the monitored signal. One or more of the plurality of pulse width modulated signals may be adjusted such that a signal controlling the fan maintains a desired duty cycle. | 04-23-2015 |
| 20150145457 | Control Circuits for Motors and Related Methods - Control circuits and related methods are provided. One exemplary control circuit includes a solid state switching device for coupling to a first tap of a motor and a control device coupled to the solid state switching device. The control device is configured to switch the solid state switching device to apply a signal to the first tap in response to a demand for operation of the motor at a second parameter to operate the motor at the second parameter. The control device is also configured to switch the solid state switching device to apply a signal to the first tap in response to a demand for operation of the motor at a first parameter to operate the motor at the first parameter. | 05-28-2015 |
| 20150145458 | CONTROLLING CIRCUIT FOR OUTPUTTING A SQUARE WAVE SIGNAL TO CONTROL A FAN ROTATING SPEED - A controlling circuit for outputting a square wave circuit to control a fan rotating speed is disclosed, where an output unit continuously outputs the square wave signal and the output unit is electrically connected to a time-delaying adjustment circuit, so that a duty-ratio formed not equal to 50% is outputted to control the fan rotating speed, whereby a particular duty-ratio is provided to control the fan rotating speed after a control chip for fan rotating speed is pulled out. | 05-28-2015 |
| 20150295532 | ELECTRIC COMPRESSOR - A controller for an electric compressor sets a temperature rise region A, a temperature drop region B, and a steady region C from change in temperature of switching elements, and sets a carrier frequency for each of the set regions. In the region A, the carrier frequency is changed according to the element temperature so that the carrier frequency decreases with increase of the element temperature at startup of a motor. In the region B and the region C, the carrier frequency is changed according to the number of revolutions of a compression mechanism, so that the carrier frequency decreases with increase of the number of revolutions of the compression mechanism, regardless of the element temperature. | 10-15-2015 |
| 20150381101 | POWER CONVERTER - A method for a power conversion apparatus to drive an electric motor using a power semiconductor device. The method includes detecting or estimating a temperature of the power semiconductor device to thereby obtain a detected or estimated temperature value, adjusting a torque command of the electric motor, so that the temperature of the power semiconductor device matches a preset temperature when the detected or estimated temperature value is equal to or higher than the preset temperature, and controlling the power semiconductor device using the adjusted torque command. | 12-31-2015 |
| 20160056622 | THERMAL PROTECTION DEVICE AND METHOD FOR PROTECTING A MOTOR - A thermal protection device and methods for protecting a motor are described. The thermal protection device is electrically coupled between a power supply and a gate drive circuit for driving the motor. The thermal protection device is configured to disconnect the power supply from the gate drive circuit when a temperature measured by the thermal protection device exceeds a threshold temperature value. | 02-25-2016 |
| 20160134226 | CONTROL DEVICE FOR ON-VEHICLE ELECTRIC COMPRESSOR - A control device for an on-vehicle electric compressor controls and drives an electric motor arranged in the on-vehicle electric compressor. The control device includes a temperature acquisition unit, a current detector, a threshold current value setting unit, and a motor current controller. The temperature acquisition unit acquires a temperature of the control device. The current detector detects a motor current, which is current that flows through the electric motor. The threshold current value setting unit sets a threshold current value in accordance with the temperature of the control device acquired by the temperature acquisition unit. The motor current controller controls the motor current based on a detection result of the current detector so that the motor current becomes less than or equal to the threshold current value. | 05-12-2016 |
