Amazon Technologies, Inc.

19th Space Electronics

Lizon Maharjan

Xiaoqi Wang

Frederic Pierre Lacaux

Babak Fahimi

Daniel Christopher Dial

Andrew Lueneburg

Arash Hassanpour Isfahani

Joseph Hearron

Job Timothy Brunet

Carlos Caicedo-Narvaez

Dean Joseph Brestel

Marc Ian Feifel

Tausif Husain

Sensorless propeller damage detection systems and methods may receive and process motor quadrature-axis currents to extract current ripples and fast average current values. In addition, the current ripples and fast average current values may be further processed to generated normalized rms (root-mean-square) values of the current ripples. Further, the calculated values may be compared to one or more threshold values over a time duration to determine whether a propeller is damaged. In this manner, the sensorless propeller damage detection systems and methods may quickly, reliably, and accurately detect propeller damage without any additional sensors or dedicated hardware and with low computational cost, while also minimizing false positive determinations of propeller damage.

Sensorless propeller damage detection systems and methods

Described are systems and methods for monitoring and managing power sharing across multiple loads connected to a shared direct current (DC) bus. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented to monitor and manage power sharing between multiple propulsion mechanisms (e.g., motors) of an aerial vehicle, such as an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). One or more shape functions establishing current limits as a function of the DC bus voltage may be determined for each load (e.g., propulsion mechanism/motor) of the multiple loads (e.g., propulsion mechanisms/motors) connected to the DC bus, and the current consumed by each load can be limited based on the DC bus voltage and each shape function.

Power limiting control for shared DC bus loads

Described are systems and methods for monitoring, detecting, and/or protecting various systems of an aerial vehicle, such as an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Embodiments of the present disclosure can provide a multi-tiered system to provide monitoring, detection, and/or initiation of protection protocols in response to detected faults in connection with the electronics associated with UAV systems, such as the motor drive and/or control systems that may drive the propulsion systems of the UAV.

Tiered electronic protection systems for aerial vehicles

Techniques and apparatus for determining the temperature of a permanent magnet on a rotor of an electrical motor. An example techniques involves determining a first set of parameters for controlling the electrical motor. A temperature of the rotor during a runtime of the electrical motor is determined, based at least in part on the first set of parameters and a first back-electromotive force (back-emf) associated with the electrical motor. A first estimate of a magnetic flux of the permanent magnet is determined based on the temperature of the rotor. An operation of the electrical motor is controlled based at least in part on the first estimate of the magnetic flux of the permanent magnet.

Sensor less magnet temperature estimation in permanent magnet machines

A piezoelectric multiplexer includes an actuator and multiple piezo-morph beams. The actuator includes an actuator conducting head and an actuator stem, and each piezo-morph beam includes a conducting beam contact head and a beam stem manufactured out of piezo-morph material. A control voltage is selectively applied to electrical contacts coupled to the beam stems to create a piezoelectric effect that bends the selected piezo-morph beam and creates an electrical connection between its contact head and the conducting head of the actuator. A control circuit with a controller signals which piezo-morph beam to connect to the actuator. This multi-piezo-morph-beam piezoelectric multiplexer can be affixed to the electrical terminals of different electrical components (e.g., a transistor) to create an electrical cell that can be manufactured on a semiconductor chip or in a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device.

Piezoelectric multiplexer

Growing community of inventors

Richardson, TX, United States of America

Lizon Maharjan