Nidec Motor Corporation

Emerson Electric Company

Prakash B Shahi

Christopher D Schock

Mark E Carrier

Arthur E Woodward

James L Skinner

Michael I Henderson

Joseph Gerald Marcinkiewicz

Randy L Bomkamp

Douglas D Glenn

Bret S Clark

Ralph D Furmanek

Anandan C Velayutham

Hung M Pham

William P Butler

Eric J Wildi

Robert J Ploof, Jr

Jared Joseph Lesicko

Jeffrey Scott Sherman

Michael T Collins

Joseph A Vehige

Hector M Hernandez

Tarris A Reed

Donald R Mertens

Ryan Timothy Wade

Morgan Jeremy Silvey

Arthur E Woodard

Daniel Bugger

Robert J Ploof

A motor control system providing at least seventeen speed settings using industry standard control signals and an industry standard five pin speed connector. One speed monitoring pin transmits an output signal for monitoring the speed of the motor, and four speed setting pins receive input signals for setting the speed. One of the speed setting pins receives and decodes two binary states and two frequency states, thereby providing a total of thirty-two speed settings. A non-regulated isolated winding is added to an internal transformer to provide an internal isolated flyback power supply for the motor, thereby liberating a pin on the industry standard five pin speed connector to provide the fourth speed setting input pin. Transmission circuitry is associated with the speed monitoring pin, and the non-regulated isolated winding is used to provide a direct current bias to the transmission circuitry.

Motor control system providing single output signal and high number of speed settings

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 method for replacing a sixteen-pin ECM with a non-sixteen-pin, field adjustable ECM in an HVAC or other system, and adjusting the performance of the replacement motor at the point of installation. A converter module receives programming information from an existing control board via an existing sixteen-pin harness, and converts the information to six signals. The module includes potentiometers for tuning speed/torque for first and second settings, adjusting a horsepower output of the replacement ECM, and adjusting a ramp time to increase or decrease a rate at which the speed/torque changes. The module includes switches for selecting between clockwise and counterclockwise directions for the replacement ECM, selecting between PWM and non-PWM control, and selecting between torque and speed modes. A non-sixteen-pin motor controller receives the information from the converter module via a four-wire harness, translates the information, and outputs a control signal to the replacement ECM.

System and method for replacing 16-pin ECM motor with non-16-pin field adjustable ECM motor

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 system and method for wirelessly communicating with an HVAC motor or other motor in order to manage the motor with regard to, e.g., identifying a suitable replacement for, programming, monitoring and/or diagnosing, and/or tuning or otherwise reprogramming the motor without physically connecting to the motor. A technician uses a software application on a smartphone, tablet, or other portable device to communicate with the motor controller via a wireless communication device incorporated into the motor assembly. The smartphone may receive relevant information, such as identification, programming, or diagnostic information, and process the information or wirelessly transmit the information to a server for processing. Based on the information, the smartphone may transmit programming instructions to the motor controller via the wireless communication device. Further, the wireless communication device may transmit sensor data associated with the motor to allow for monitoring the motor's performance.

System and method for wirelessly managing electric motors

A system for detecting a decrease in or loss of an input phase to a motor. A power rectifier rectifies and combines three input voltages to produce an output voltage to power the motor. A PFC circuit manages the power flowing to the motor. A sensing circuit located between the power rectifier and the PFC senses a voltage level of the power rectifier's output voltage. Alternatively, a sensing rectifier is connected before the power rectifier, and the sensing circuit senses the voltage level of the sensing rectifier's output voltage. A microprocessor compares the sensed voltage level to a threshold voltage level which is indicative of the decrease in or loss of one of the three input voltages, and if the former drops below the latter, then the microprocessor sends a signal to either shut off the motor or cause the PFC circuit to reduce the power flowing to the motor.

System and method for detecting loss of input phase by sensing before power rectifier

A system-specific interface module for a motor control subassembly for controlling operation of an electric motor within a larger system which uses a particular system communication method. The motor control subassembly includes a standard power module and the interface module. The power module includes a controller processor configured to receive input for controlling and to generate output regarding operation of the motor. The interface module includes a communication interface hardware block configured to exchange input and output signals with the larger system, and an interface processor configured to translate the input and output signals between the particular system communication method used by the larger system and a standard internal communication method used by the power module. Thus, the motor control subassembly can be configured to accommodate any of a variety of different system communication methods and other input/output options by selecting and inserting the appropriate interface module.

System-specific interface module for motor control subassembly for electric motor

A method is provided for storing data from an external device in a dynamoelectric machine assembly (i.e., an electric motor or generator). The dynamoelectric machine assembly includes a memory device and a processor for controlling operation of the dynamoelectric machine assembly in response to commands from an external device. The method includes receiving a command from the external device to store data in the memory device of the dynamoelectric machine assembly, and storing the data in the memory device in response to the command. Dynamoelectric machine assemblies, external devices and systems suitable for use in the provided method are also disclosed.

Dynamoelectric machine assemblies having memory for use by external devices

A method of estimating an input power of a motor comprises determining an output power of the motor; determining a speed of the motor; calculating a scaling factor as a function of the speed of the motor; and estimating the input power as a function of the scaling factor and the output power.

Systems and methods for estimating input power of an electric motor

A system and method of avoiding hunting behavior by a motor around disallowed speed ranges. A sensor or sensorless method determines the motor's actual speed. A memory contains lower and upper speed values that define a disallowed range. A control unit determines whether the motor is operating under a limiting condition and engaged in hunting behavior by determining whether the motor is repeatedly moving between an actual speed that is within the disallowed range and an actual speed that is at or below the lower speed value during a first period, and if so, sets a temporary speed limit for the motor at the lower speed value for a second period. The first period may be the time required for the motor to change its actual speed a few times and thereby confirm hunting behavior. The second period may be sufficiently long that the limiting condition may have changed.

Motor control system and method for skipping resonant operating frequencies

System and method for detecting loss of input phase by sensing after power rectifier

A motor controller for providing a three-phase alternating current (AC) signal to a three-phase motor. The motor controller uses current feedback from a single shunt to monitor or control the three phase AC signal. The motor controller may include a three-phase DC to AC power inverter, a single-shunt current sensor, and a processor. During individual duty cycles when two or more phase signals are too close to each other, the processor may shift one of the phase signals in time so that its leading or trailing edges are a predetermined conflict time away from each other. Then, the processor may sample current from the single-shunt current sensor to determine currents of two of the three phase signals and then calculate current of a remaining one of the three phase signals. Sample times may depend on pulse widths and shifting of the phase signals.

Single-shunt current sensing for multi-phase 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.

Growing community of inventors

St. Louis, MO, United States of America

Prakash B Shahi