Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080230425 | Package for Containing and Displaying Elongate Articles - A package for containing and displaying elongate articles includes an elongate receptacle with an open end and a closed end. The receptacle has a sleeve disposed and sized for slidable movement over a portion of the elongate receptacle. The sleeve has an open end portion and a closed end portion that are connected by a hinge. The sleeve is disposed on the elongate receptacle and slidably moveable from a first position wherein the closed end of the sleeve substantially obstructs the open end of the receptacle, a second position wherein the hinge is disposed beyond the open end of the receptacle and the closed end portion of the sleeve is selectively moveable about the hinge so that when the open end portion of the sleeve is slidably returned toward the first position the closed end portion of the sleeve engages an outside surface of the elongate portion thereby forming a projection, so that when the package is placed on a horizontal surface so that the closed end of the receptacle and the sleeve closed end engage the horizontal surface, the open end of the receptacle is elevated above the closed end of the receptacle, thereby displaying and improving the accessibility of the elongate articles being contained within the receptacle. | 09-25-2008 |
20090072829 | NMR Sample Tube Size Adapter - An adapter of the invention for fitting an NMR sample tube having an outside diameter into an NMR spectrometer sample tube holder designed for a larger outside diameter sample tube includes a one-piece elongate cylinder having an upper portion and a lower portion. The lower portion has an outside diameter sized to fit within a preselected size NMR spectrometer sample tube holder. The cylinder has a hollow bore axially extending through the upper portion and the lower portion, the hollow bore having a preselected inside diameter sized to accept an NMR sample tube smaller than the preselected size NMR spectrometer sample tube holder. | 03-19-2009 |
20090128151 | Closure and System for NMR Sample Containers - A selectively removable closure for closing the open end of an NMR sample tube having an open end and a closed end of the invention includes a cylindrical proximal first and a distal second portion, both portions substantially congruent to a central axis. The second portion has a hollow bore extending therethrough, the hollow bore has three sections: a distal section, a central section and a proximal section. The distal section has an inside diameter sized to accept the outside diameter of a preselected size NMR sample tube substantially without an interference, the central section is sized to provide a compliant interference fit with the outside diameter of the preselected size NMR sample tube, and the proximal section is sized to accept the outside diameter of the preselected size NMR sample tube without interference. As a user inserts the open end of the NMR sample tube axially into the closure, the distal section guides the tube into the closure, the central section provides a user perceptible resilient resistance to the passage of the tube and the movement of the tube open end into the proximal section allows the user to perceive a lessened resistance to the movement of the tube followed by seating the tube open end against the first portion of the closure. | 05-21-2009 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20110232026 | Removable Circuit Board Assembly for a Vacuum - A vacuum assembly having a housing and a motor and motor shaft secured within the housing; a fan coupled to the motor shaft and an air intake port and an air exhaust port located within the housing; a circuit board mounted in a cooling air path in the housing, wherein the cooling air path is located between the air intake port and the air exhaust port such that the fan causes cool air to flow across the circuit board; a pulley assembly coupled to the motor shaft and including a disposable belt, the pulley assembly located in the housing in such position that the circuit board blocks access to the disposable belt; a first connector portion secured to the circuit board; a second connector portion coupled to a plurality of wires coupled to at least the motor; the first and second connector portions configured to mate in a single direction. | 09-29-2011 |
20110234131 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING PULSE-WIDTH MODULATION IN AN ELECTRIC MOTOR - In a method of controlling current in a control circuit of an electric motor, pulse-width modulation (PWM) pulses are applied to a stator of the electric motor, via a plurality of transistors of the control circuit, using a first control mode when a rotational speed of a rotor of the electric motor is within a first range. At least one PWM pulse is applied to the stator, via a subset of the plurality of transistors, using a second control mode when the rotational speed of the rotor is within a second range. When it is determined that the rotational speed of the rotor has changed from being within the second range to being within the first range, additional PWM pulses are applied to the stator such that, for each of the plurality of transistors, a current through the transistor does not exceed a maximum current capacity of the transistor. | 09-29-2011 |
20110234132 | TORQUE BASED ELECTRONIC PULSE WIDTH MODULATION CONTROL SYSTEM FOR A SWITCHED RELUCTANCE MOTOR - Methods and systems of accelerating a brushless, DC electric motor based on torque may include determining a slope based on a maximum torque of the BLDC motor at a lower operating load and a maximum torque of the motor at a higher operating load, determining a period of the rotor based on sensor signals, and determining and applying a phase advance to a PWM pulse for a subsequent revolution of the rotor based on the period and the slope. In some embodiments, the amount of the phase advance is further based on maximum load optimum advance and/or maximum load speed. In some embodiments, a phase dwell is determined based on a positive torque zone and applied to the PWM pulse. In some embodiments, when the motor is operating below a given threshold, fixed-width PWM pulses are applied to subsequent revolutions of the rotor instead of phase-advanced PWM pulses. | 09-29-2011 |
20120206078 | SYSTEM AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SPEED OF A MOTOR BASED ON DWELL - In a method of controlling speed of a brushless, direct current (BLDC) motor based on dwell, an indication of a desired speed of the BLDC motor is received. A dwell is determined based on a magnitude of a voltage corresponding to the indication of the desired speed. A pulse-width modulation (PWM) pulse having a pulse length corresponding to the determined dwell is applied to a stator of the BLDC motor to adjust a rotational speed of a rotor of the BLDC motor to the desired speed. | 08-16-2012 |
20130276261 | Vacuum cleaner with noise reduction recesses - A new vacuum cleaner that is adapted for use in a vehicle has a user-removable debris collection tank that has spaced recesses on the bottom that inhibit both fore-and-back movement of debris within the collection tank and side-to-side movement of debris within the collection tank. The recesses are located in opposed outer corners of the tank, and have lower surfaces that support the tank in a standing position. Raised sections divide each of the recesses into two corner recess sections and an offset recess section, and inhibit both fore-and-aft movement of debris within the recesses and side-to-side movement of debris within the recess sections. The offset recess section has tracks that curve in different directions from an intermediate position adjacent or near a side of the tank. The bottom of the tank is generally curved downwardly towards the sides of the tank. | 10-24-2013 |
20140165323 | Vacuum Assembly for Automobile - The disclosed vacuum cleaner system for an automobile fits in a cavity in the vehicle and has a tank that can be removed in a lateral direction without tools and without detaching the vacuum hose. A circuit board that carries an electronic controller is positioned alongside the motor and extends generally parallel to both the axis of the motor and the lateral direction in which the tank is removed. Cooling air is drawn though a cooling air inlet on the cabin wall to the circuit board, and then one side of the motor, through the center of the motor, to the cooling fan. From there, it is blown into a cavity where it joins exhausted working air from the vacuum and is exhausted from the vehicle through an air release opening that leads to the exterior of the vehicle. | 06-19-2014 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
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 |
20090097102 | APERTURE ASSEMBLY FOR USE WITH A PHOTOSENSOR SYSTEM AND A SECURING MECHANISM FOR THE APERTURE ASSEMBLY - A cost-effective photosensor system for rotor position detection includes securing an aperture assembly to an off-the-shelf infrared radiation-emitting component and/or an off-the-shelf infrared radiation-detecting component. The application discloses an aperture assembly that may be stamped from a thin, opaque, elongated piece of plastic having an aperture window through which a radiation beam may pass and be focused. The aperture assembly also has a locking system for securing the assembly to the off-the-shelf photosensor system component, and an alignment system to direct the infrared radiation beam. A replaceable stamped aperture assembly for use in a rotor-sensing system and a method of providing a replaceable aperture assembly and securing it to an infrared component of a photosensor system are also disclosed. | 04-16-2009 |
20100083456 | Vacuum Assembly with Inlet Through Removable Tank - The disclosed vacuum assembly can be mounted in a vehicle. The motor/fan assembly is positioned above a chassis wall. Lateral flanges on opposed sides of the tank support the tank in generally horizontal sliding motion from a forward position to an elevated rearward position. A rear flange supports the tank as it pivots to a mounted position in which an inlet on a removable lid on the tank communicates with a hose, and an outlet on the lid communicates with the motor/fan assembly. In a removed position, the inlet and outlet are disconnected. Alignment bosses fit in aligned openings when the tank is in the mounted position. | 04-08-2010 |
20100083457 | Vacuum Assembly for Automobile - The disclosed vacuum cleaner system for an automobile fits in a cavity in the vehicle and has a tank that can be removed in a lateral direction without tools and without detaching the vacuum hose. A circuit board that carries an electronic controller is positioned alongside the motor and extends generally parallel to both the axis of the motor and the lateral direction in which the tank is removed. Cooling air is drawn though a cooling air inlet on the cabin wall to the circuit board, and then one side of the motor, through the center of the motor, to the cooling fan. From there, it is blown into a cavity where it joins exhausted working air from the vacuum and is exhausted from the vehicle through an air release opening that leads to the exterior of the vehicle. | 04-08-2010 |
20100083461 | System and Method of Controlling Current Draw of a Switched Reluctance Motor - 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. | 04-08-2010 |
20100083462 | System and Method of Controlling Start-Up of a Switched Reluctance Motor - Embodiments of a switched reluctance (SR) motor for use in a integrated vacuum system for a vehicle are disclosed. The SR motor may receive input voltage directly from an electrical storage device used to start up an engine of the vehicle. The SR motor may include an encoder that triggers an optical sensor to provide signals to a motor controller. The motor controller may energize stator poles based on the received signals. The encoder may be mechanically phase-advanced with respect to poles of the rotor to ensure proper start-up of the SR motor. Commutations of the motor may occur before a point of maximum inductance where the rotor and stator are aligned. In a preferred embodiment, the input voltage received by the SR motor is in a range of 9-16 Volts DC, a maximum drawn current is 36 amps, and the phase advance is between 9-11 degrees. | 04-08-2010 |