Nidec Motor Corporation

Emerson Electric Company

Emerson Motor Co.

Bret S Clark

Christopher D Schock

Prakash B Shahi

J Stephen Thorn

Joseph Gerald Marcinkiewicz

Michael I Henderson

Gregory M Levine

Darko Marcetic

Vinod Sadasivam

Donald E Morgan

Gregory A Peterson

James L Skinner

Keith I Hoemann

Douglas D Glenn

John G Schrader

Michael P Sullivan

Hector M Hernandez

Vinodkumar Sadasivam

James D Ellis, Ii

Eric Coupart

Donald R Mertens

Pranesh Rao

Daniel Bugger

Earnest R Watkins

Stephen J Thorn

A dual motor system includes a first motor providing a lower speed range and a second motor providing a higher speed range, wherein the motors are coaxially arranged and aligned on and drive a common shaft, and a motor control system controlling the speed of the first motor and engaging the second motor as needed. The first motor is a variable speed motor providing a lower two-thirds of a full speed range, and the second motor is an induction motor providing the upper one-third in the form of one or more discrete fixed speeds. The system may include a transformer including a first winding tap which provides a first higher speed, and a second winding tap which provides a second higher speed. The system may also include a flow control system for automatically controlling the speed of the motors for particular applications, such as flow control in a pool.

Dual motor system with flow control

A system and method for identifying and responding to a condition in which an electric motor fails to start. A rotor core includes slots in which magnets are received to produce an electrical reluctance. A motor controller determines a position of the rotor, uses the determined position to convert a torque demand to a demanded D-axis current value, and compares the demanded value to a supplied D-axis current value. If the demanded value differs from the supplied value by at least a pre-established threshold amount, then the motor is restarted. Otherwise, the difference between the torque demand and an actual current is used to drive a voltage applied to the motor. The controller may also implement a sensorless technology, and may restart the motor if the demanded value differs from the supplied value by at least the threshold amount even if the sensorless technology determines that the motor started.

System and method for addressing failure-to-start condition in electric motor with internal magnets

A system and computer-implemented method for reducing an angle error in an estimated position of a rotor over various loads on an electric motor or type of electric motor. Electrical parameters of an electric motor are measured, a true rotor position is found, and sensorless gains based on the measured parameters are generated, including determining a sensorless angle. Data is gathered at multiple torque levels for at least one speed of the motor, including for each torque level, trying different inductance values, and determining an inductance value that results in an angle error of zero. The angle error is the difference between the true rotor position and the sensorless angle. The inductance value that results in an angle error of zero for each speed may be saved in an electronic memory and used to better control the motor or other motors of the same type.

System and computer-implemented method for reducing angle error in electric motors

A system and computer-implemented method for controlling wireless access to the operations of communicative electric motors. An electronic processing element receives an authentication request from a remote access device via a wireless transceiver, approves the authentication request, including determining an associated access level from among a hierarchy of access levels, and grants access to a motor controller to perform actions allowed by the associated access level. Approving the request may be based on receiving a valid password, which may be calculated on the remote access device by a computer program using an electronic key, or by receiving information from an authentication hardware component associated with the device. The various access levels may allow for shutting off, read-only monitoring (of, e.g., temperature, vibration), controlling (e.g., speed), and programming (e.g., tap settings) operation of the motor, and controlling the authentication process (e.g., adding and removing users and assigning and changing access levels).

System and computer-implemented method for controlling access to communicative motor

A motor control system for adjusting motor speed if a current overload condition occurs. The motor control system may include a motor, a power factor correction (PFC) circuit providing current to the motor, and a signal processor. The PFC circuit may limit current provided to the motor based on an output voltage sensed by the PFC circuit. The signal processor may sense input voltage of the PFC circuit to determine a power limit, then compare sensed or calculated drive power of the motor with the power limit. If the drive power sensed or calculated is greater than the power limit, the signal processor may output a signal for reducing the drive power to the power limit. Limiting the drive power provided to the motor limits or decreases a speed of the motor.

Motor control system and method for input current protection

A system including an electric motor and a control software operable to control the operation of a plurality of different types of electric motors. The control software is provided with or identifies a particular control algorithm from among a plurality of such algorithms and/or a particular set of operational parameters from among a plurality of such sets for the motor with which it is assembled. The sets of operational parameters are stored in one or more read-only memories, which may be electrically erasable programmable read-only memories. To identify the particular motor control algorithm and/or the particular set of operational parameters, the control software causes the motor to be energized, senses an actual operating parameter of the motor, and identifies the particular motor control algorithm and/or the particular set of operational parameters based on the sensed actual operating parameter.

System and method for detecting and controlling a motor

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.

Device and method of sensing temperature of a rotating electromagnetic machine

A motor drive for an electric motor of a variable fluid circulating system includes a processing module and a power module. The processing module receives a signal profile and generates a control signal based on the signal profile. A power module generates a carrier signal based on the control signal and a direct current (DC) voltage. The power module pulse width modulates the carrier signal to generate a drive signal in the electric motor that matches the signal profile. The power module powers the electric motor based on the drive signal to adjust injection of a fluid into a reservoir.

Variable motor drive system for a reservoir with circulating fluid

Device and method for sensing temperature of a rotating electromagnetic machine

A thermal conductor for a heat-generating liquid pump system of a pool containing liquid and including a pipe. The conductor is adapted for conducting heat from the pump system to liquid circulated by the pump system. The conductor includes a body in thermal communication with a heat generating portion of the pump system and in thermal communication with only an outside surface of the pipe and not in direct contact with the liquid.

Heat conductor for pump system

A motor control system creates a rounding effect on square wave phase currents which results in reduced acoustic noise. The control system includes a voltage source for providing a DC bus current, and an inverter. The inverter has a switching circuit for regulating the DC bus current to a fixed level. The switching circuit also forces consecutive phases of the motor to share the bus current at commutation. Forcing consecutive phases of the motor to share a desired amount of the DC bus current creates a &ldquo;rounding&rdquo; effect on the phase currents, which results in reduced acoustic noise. The preferred inverter has a plurality of transistors, and a control module. The control module selectively engages the transistors such that each phase of the motor has a phase turn-on point that occurs before a phase turn-off point of a preceding phase. The control module also pulse width modulates the transistors such that the DC bus current is regulated to the fixed level. The result is a motor control system and method that is less expensive and produces less acoustic noise than conventional noise.

BLDC motor noise reduction using constant bus current control commutation

An induction motor control system senses the zero-cross angle of a current waveform applied to the motor's phase windings and computes the difference between the sensed current zero-cross angle and a predetermined demand voltage angle to estimate a power factor angle. The estimated power factor angle is compared to a predetermined desired power factor angle, and the voltage applied to the phase windings is adjusted in response to the difference between the estimated power factor angle and the desired power factor angle.

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Oakville, MO, United States of America

Bret S Clark