Honeywell International Inc.

Honeywell G.m.b.h.

Paul W Schwerman

Gregory W Keith

Richard L Marshall

George M Brown, Jr

Douglas M Smith

James Roy Troxel

Terry Ahrendt

Douglas Edward Smith

Joseph Marotta

Serdar Tevfik Sozusen

Bruce W Rogers

Peter David Bailey

Leigh Pelton

Peter James Bobrowitz

Saed Mubaslat

Saeideh Khadem Haghighian

Fly-by-wire vehicle systems and related actuation systems and operating methods are provided for actuating a flight control component. An exemplary system includes a power conversion arrangement including phase legs between a supply reference voltage node and a second reference voltage node, a six-phase motor coupled to the flight control component, where each winding of the six-phase motor is coupled between a respective output node of a respective phase leg of the power conversion arrangement and a common neutral node, a topology configuration switching element coupled between the common neutral node and the second reference voltage node, and a control module to operate the topology configuration switching element based on measurement data indicative of a current state of the six-phase motor and operate a respective subset of the plurality of phase legs based at least in part on a state of the topology configuration switching element.

Remote actuation systems and related six-phase motor control methods

Techniques are provided which reduce common mode noise voltage in single ended signal transmission. The common mode noise voltage is generated by a noise generating current flowing through an inductance of a return path between a transmitting circuit and a receiving circuit. The common mode noise voltage may be diminished by generating a noise cancelling current which flows through the inductance in the return path in a direction opposite to the flow of the noise generating current. As a result, a magnitude of noise current flowing through the inductance is diminished. Further the transmitting circuit and receiving circuit are isolated, by using buffering, from ground plane(s) of the transmitting and/or the receiving circuits so that such circuits are substantially unaffected by this common mode noise suppression technique.

Apparatus and method for reducing noise in a system using single ended signal transmission

Embodiments of a single event latch-up (SEL) protection circuit are provided, including: a first circuitry block coupled to a source of an input voltage a load, and digitally controlling a first switch; the first switch generates a load and senses an instantaneous load current iLoad. A second circuitry block is configured to generate an average iLoad and generate single event latch-up triggers (i.e., SEL fault detection) as a function of at least a comparison of the inst_iLoad and average iLoad; wherein this first circuitry block contains the analog based SET filtering needed to reduce false SEL triggers. A supervisor module generates on/off commands for the first switch, responsive to receiving the SEL detection in excess of a pre-programmed delay to provide the final SET filtering to prevent false SEL triggers. The first circuitry block removes the load voltage at Nupon receiving an off command from the supervisor module.

Single event latch-up protection for fault current residing inside the normal operating current range

Embodiments of a single event latch-up (SEL) protection circuit are provided, including: a first circuitry block coupled to a source of an input voltage a load, and digitally controlling a first switch; the first switch generates a load and senses an instantaneous load current iLoad. A second circuitry block is configured to generate an average iLoad and generate single event latch-up triggers (i.e., SEL fault detection) as a function of at least a comparison of the inst_iLoad and average iLoad; wherein this first circuitry block contains the analog based SET filtering needed to reduce false SEL triggers. A supervisor module generates on/off commands for the first switch, responsive to receiving the SEL detection in excess of a preprogrammed delay to provide the final SET filtering to prevent false SEL triggers. The first circuitry block removes the load voltage at Nupon receiving an off command from the supervisor module.

Sensing systems and methods are provided for compensating for offset and gain changes. A sensing system includes a magnetic element, a current sensing arrangement to provide a current measurement signal influenced by a flux induced in the magnetic element, an oscillator arrangement to provide a reference oscillating current signal configured to induce an oscillating flux in the magnetic element, and a compensation arrangement coupled the current sensing arrangement to adjust the current measurement signal to compensate for gain changes in the measurement signal output and provide a compensated current measurement based at least in part on the adjusted measurement signal and the reference oscillating current signal. The oscillating flux influences the current measurement signal output by the current sensing arrangement.

Magnetic field sensor compensation methods and systems

A short-circuit protected power supply circuit includes a switching power supply and a short-circuit sense/protection circuit. The switching power supply includes a synchronous rectifier, an output inductor, and an output capacitor. The synchronous rectifier is responsive to a synchronous rectifier control signal to selectively switch between an ON state and an OFF state. The output inductor and output capacitor are electrically connected in series with each other and are electrically connected in parallel with the synchronous rectifier. An output node is located between the output inductor and output capacitor. The short-circuit sense/protection circuit is coupled to the output node and is configured, upon a voltage magnitude at the output node being less than a predetermined voltage magnitude, to cause the synchronous rectifier control signal to switch the synchronous rectifier to, or keep it in, the OFF state. The short-circuit sense/protection circuit is a Schmitt trigger or an error amplifier/comparator circuit.

Short-circuit protected power supply circuit

A circuit and method for controlling when a load may be fully energized includes directing electrical current through a current limiting resistor that has a first terminal connected to a source terminal of a field effect transistor (FET), and a second terminal connected to a drain terminal of the FET. The gate voltage magnitude on a gate terminal of the FET is varied, whereby current flow through the FET is increased while current flow through the current limiting resistor is simultaneously decreased. A determination is made as to when the gate voltage magnitude on the gate terminal is equal to or exceeds a predetermined reference voltage magnitude, and the load is enabled to be fully energized when the gate voltage magnitude is equal to or exceeds the predetermined reference voltage magnitude.

Inrush current suppression circuit and method for controlling when a load may be fully energized

A high precision clipping regulator circuit includes a first protection diode, a second protection diode, a first offset clamp voltage regulator, and a second offset clamp voltage regulator. The first protection diode is configured to conduct when a voltage potential exceeds a first protection voltage magnitude, and is operable to exhibit variations in the first protection voltage magnitude. The second protection diode is configured to conduct when a voltage potential exceeds a second protection voltage magnitude, and is operable to exhibit variations in the second protection voltage magnitude. The first reference and second voltage regulator circuits are configured to determine when the first and second protection voltages vary and, in response thereto, to vary the first and second variable offset clamp voltages so that a difference in voltage across the protection diodes remains substantially constant.

High precision clipping regulator circuit

Systems and methods source a heating resistor to control temperature. For example, a sensor block assembly (SBA) heater controls the temperature of a MEMS device in a sensor block assembly. An exemplary embodiment generates a root mean square (RMS) pulse width modulation (PWM) control signal based upon an input voltage from a power source, controls a switch in accordance with the RMS PWM control signal; and sources a heater resistor from the power source in accordance with the controlling of the switch. Power to the heating resistor is controlled by the switch to provide a substantially constant value of power to the heating resistor for varying values of the input voltage.

Systems and methods for sourcing a heater

Systems and methods to source a resistive load, such as a heating resistor, to control temperature while adhering to a specified power draw budget and/or a specified root mean square (RMS) current limit. For example, a sensor block assembly (SBA) heater controls temperature of a MEMS device in a sensor block assembly while adhering to the power draw budget and/or an average current limit. An exemplary embodiment generates a pulse width modulation (PWM) control signal, controls a switch in accordance with the control signal, sources the resistive load from a power source in accordance with the controlled switch, and modifies the duty factor of the switch to reduce the power drawn by the resistive load in response to the power drawn by the resistive load exceeding a power limit defined by a slope-intercept curve. The limiting of power into a resistor load limits the RMS current drawn by that load.

Systems and methods for limiting input power and RMS input current drawn from a DC power source

One embodiment is directed to a power supply for a fiber optic gyroscope that comprises at least one main power supply, at least one demodulator local power supply to operatively couple the main power supply to a demodulator included in the fiber optic gyroscope, and at least one modulator local power supply to operatively couple the main power supply to a bias modulator included in the fiber optic gyroscope. The demodulator local power supply comprises a first current source to source current to the demodulator and a first shunt regulator coupled across a load associated with the demodulator. The modulator local power supply comprises a second current source to source current to the bias modulator and a second shunt regulator coupled across a load associated with the bias modulator.

System to reduce gyroscopic errors with limited power supply quality in a fiber optic gyroscope

A fault-tolerant control system facilitates the closed loop control of a magnetron. The control system includes a transformer assembly for applying peak current to a magnetron, a pulse-forming network that conditions a transmit pulse, and a control circuit for adjusting the peak current applied to the magnetron. The control circuit includes a sample and hold circuit for comparing a signal representative of a detected peak current to a desired peak current level. The sample and hold circuit is coupled to a digital up/down counter circuit, and the output of the counter circuit is utilized to adjust the charge voltage of the pulse-forming network.

Methods and apparatus for the closed loop control of magnetron current

A system to alter the voltage supplied to the linear regulator of a pulsed transmitter in accordance with the temperature of the regulator, the minimum voltage required for a transmission and the specific aircraft installation requirements so as to reduce problems of heat dissipation in the regulator.

Dynamically compensated linear regulator for pulsed transmitters

A novel bias circuit provides precise base emitter voltage(V.sub.BE) which tracks the temperature coefficient of an RF transistor using low cost devices. The bias circuit includes a precision current source which injects current through a P-N junction device to derive a temperature compensating reference voltage thereacross. The P-N junction device is isolated from current fluctuations using a current isolation circuit coupled between the P-N junction device and the base of the RF transistor. The diode is thereby isolated from and unaffected by changes in the base current of the RF transistor. Multiple RF transistors are biased from the single P-N junction device by replicating only a trimming potentiometer and the current isolation circuitry for each additional RF transistor to be biased.

Growing community of inventors

Phoenix, AZ, United States of America

Paul W Schwerman