Hitachi, Ltd.

Liang Shao

Hiroki Funato

George Saikalis

Shigeru Oho

Makato Torigoe

Kohji Maki

Takayoshi Nakamura

Donald James McCune

Jonathan Borg

Makoto Torigoe

A controller for a power inverter having a gate assembly with an alternating current power output. A gate driver controls the activation of the gate assembly while a processor controls the operation of the gate driver. A current sensor has an output signal representative of the current at the power output. A noise detector circuit provides an output signal to the processor of the frequency of electromagnetic noise in the power inverter and the processor is programmed to sample the current from the current sensor at the frequency of the noise.

Power inverter controller and method

A power inverter for a hybrid automotive vehicle having a case with an interior and at least one electrical port mounted on the case to electrically connect electrical signals from the interior of the case to an exterior device. A cable connector is associated with each electrical port while a non-electrical sensing conductor extends serially through each electrical port and its associated cable connector. A circuit is provided which detects a break in the continuity of the sensing conductor and generates a signal representative of that break in continuity. The non-electrical sensing conductor thus minimizes the emission of EMI from the inverter. Additionally, a circuit board is mounted within the interior of the case by fasteners which minimize the spacing between the circuit board and the case to further reduce EMI emissions.

Method and apparatus for reducing EMI emissions from a power inverter

A power inverter of the type used with hybrid electric vehicles having a circuit board with a power layer having a first and second section which are electrically separated using slits from each other on the power layer. A control circuit is connected to and powered by the first section of the power layer while a switching power supply is connected to and powered by the second section of the power layer. An electromagnetic filter is electrically connected between the sections of the power layer. This electromagnetic filter blocks high frequency noises of the type generated by the switching power supply while enabling the sections to be maintained at the same DC voltage level. Optionally, a ferrite covering is provided around a current bus bar of the power inverter to contain magnetic fields generated by current flow through the bus bar.

EMI reduced power inverter

A method for generating computer software for a microprocessor in an embedded system in which the system includes an input/output system (BIOS), at least one input/output channel, an application layer having at least one code module which processes input/output signals from its associated channel in the BIOS, and an operating system which schedules execution of events in the application layer. A graphical user interface (GUI) is used to select channels of the BIOS by functionality, program code modules in the application layer to process the input/output signals from the BIOS and to schedule event processing in the operating system.

Method for generating computer software for embedded systems

A throttle position sensor for a throttle having a movable throttle element. The sensor includes an elongated electrically resistive strip having a first and second end. The first end of the strip is connected to a first voltage potential while the second end is electrically connected to a second voltage potential different from the first. An electrically conductive wiper is in sliding contact with the resistive strip. The wiper and resistive strip are relative to each other and one of the wiper or resistive strip is connected to the movable throttle element. Consequently, the position of the wiper relative to the strip varies proportionally with the position of the throttle element so that a voltage output from the wiper varies proportionally with the position of the movable throttle element. A circuit is associated with the sensor which determines the contact resistance between the wiper and the strip.

Growing community of inventors

Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America

Liang Shao