...that power steering was invented by independent inventor Francis W. Davis? As chief engineer in the 1920s of the truck division of the Pierce Arrow Motor Car Company, he saw how hard it was to steer heavy vehicles. So that he would be able to keep the profits from his future invention, Davis left his job, rented a small engineering shop in Waltham, Mass., and developed a hydraulic power steering system that led to power steering.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7969107 | Motor control device A microcomputer compares a low voltage LV and a middle voltage MV to a predetermined voltage Vth set at a value in the vicinity of the grounded voltage (0 V) on the basis of detected phase voltages Vu, Vv and Vw, and thus, detects a break in a power supply line.... | 06/28/2011 |
| 7804270 | Motor start circuit with capacitive discharge protection A motor start circuit for an AC induction motor employs a DC relay whose NC contacts are placed in series with the start capacitor. A half full-wave rectifier arrangement has an AC input connected to the junction of the relay switch and the start capacitor, and DC o... | 09/28/2010 |
| 7498764 | Control device for driving regulating motor A control device for driving a regulating motor driven by direct current (DC) includes a changeover mechanism having a first normally closed (NC) switch, a second NC switch, a first normally open (NO) switch, and a second NO switch, a power-supply module for providi... | 03/03/2009 |
| 7429836 | Motor driver circuit, control method thereof, and electronic apparatus A motor driver circuit includes a diving circuit for driving at least one motor, a plurality of DC/DC converters for respectively generating different voltages, a detection circuit to detect an output failure in the plurality of DC/DC converters, and a stopping circ... | 09/30/2008 |
| 7408318 | Motor drive unit A motor drive unit is adapted to detect a motor lock-up condition (in which an electric motor is accidentally locked during driving) based on the fact that motor drive current increases in that event. Then, a capacitor for generating a voltage signal is charged with... | 08/05/2008 |
| 7378816 | System and method for confirming a detection of low voltage and shorted SCRs A motor controller system includes solid state switches for connection between an AC line and motor terminals for controlling application of AC power to a motor. Voltage sensors sense voltage across each of the solid state switches and AC line voltage. A control cir... | 05/27/2008 |
| 7360848 | Parallel relay circuit for hydraulic braking device In a parallel relay circuit, only one of a plurality of relays is turned on sequentially while turning the rest of the relays off. It is determined whether the motor is applied with voltage via a voltage detection resistor when each of the relays is turned on indivi... | 04/22/2008 |
| 7342371 | System and method for detecting motor run condition A motor control system for detecting motor run condition comprises power switches for connection to an AC line for controlling application of AC power to the motor. An input receives a motor start command. A controller is connected to the input and controls operatio... | 03/11/2008 |
| 7327115 | Stepping motor control apparatus, stepping motor control method, and stepping motor control program product There are included a control circuit to control sequence of excitation of a stepping motor, a switching circuit to switch electric power to be supplied to the stepping motor based on an instruction from the control circuit, and a stop circuit to stop an operation of... | 02/05/2008 |
| 7301736 | Method and device for shutting down a drive with a matrix converter during a power outage A method and a device for shutting down a drive during a power outage are disclosed. The method and device include a matrix converter, several commutation capacitors on the power line side, a switch unit on the power line side and a resistor unit. During a power out... | 11/27/2007 |
| 7265515 | Starter for a line start electric motor The invention concerns a starter for a line start electric motor having at least one main winding (4) and at least one start winding (12) and which start winding is connected in series with a run capacitor (14) with which a start capacitor (1... | 09/04/2007 |
| 7248009 | Motor temperature control using estimated motor temperature based on motor power dissipation A system and method of controlling motor temperature is based on computed motor power dissipation and a thermal model of the motor, rather than a measured motor temperature, in a control loop that limits the motor drive to prevent overheating. An ambient temperature... | 07/24/2007 |
| 7245105 | Single-phase induction motor and method for reducing noise in the same A single-phase induction motor and a method for reducing noise in the same, which can eliminate unbalance between magnetomotive forces of main and auxiliary windings in a stator of the motor, thereby implementing a low noise, low vibration motor, and can also achiev... | 07/17/2007 |
| 7183741 | Switch assembly, electric machine having the switch assembly, and method of controlling the same A pump assembly for pumping a liquid and a method of controlling the pump assembly. The pump assembly includes a motor coupled to a pump, and an electronic switch assembly electrically connected to the motor to control the current through the motor. The electronic s... | 02/27/2007 |
| 7117963 | Apparatus for controlling a driving force of an electric vehicle In a hybrid vehicle 1 in which a transmission 14 is connected via a first clutch 13 to an internal combustion engine 11 and a first motor 12 that are coupled in series to front wheels Wf, a second motor 16 which is a three-p... | 10/10/2006 |
| 7098624 | Method and system for detecting the disconnection of an auxiliary power supply from a poly-phase motor To a neutral point of a motor is connected a positive electrode of an auxiliary battery and an auxiliary load. Voltage on a power supply line to the auxiliary load, a neutral point voltage, is detected, and disconnection of the auxiliary battery is determined when a... | 08/29/2006 |
| 7075195 | Electrical safety lockout mechanism for power tools and other hazardous machinery An improved electrical lockout mechanism includes a first connection means to a power source, and a second connection means to a power input terminal of the machine being protected. The machine includes a manually-operated ON/OFF switch. A switching element, which i... | 07/11/2006 |
| 7045979 | Multiple-speed electric machine and method of operating the same An electric machine assembly having an electric machine. The electric machine can include a first speed circuit and a second speed circuit. In some constructions, both speed circuits can be of a permanent split capacitor design. At least one of the speed circuits ca... | 05/16/2006 |
| 7019480 | Synchronous-motor controller A synchronous-motor controller including an inverter for converting direct current to alternating current in order to supply a synchronous motor with a current responsive to a torque instruction value, a temperature sensor for measuring a temperature of the inverter... | 03/28/2006 |
| 7002318 | Position sensor fault tolerant control for automotive propulsion system A control system for a motor including a rotor comprises a sensorless sensor module that includes a saliency-based estimator module that generates a first rotor position signal based on saliency and a back electromotive force (emf) estimator module that generates a ... | 02/21/2006 |
| 6982539 | Motor starting device A motor starting device employs a relay to connect and disconnect an auxiliary start capacitor in parallel with the existing start capacitor of a single-phase split-capacitor induction motor. The relay is normally closed and in the initial state connects the auxilia... | 01/03/2006 |
| 6894452 | System and method for configurable motor controller settings A configurable motor controller includes solid state switches for connection between an AC line and motor terminals for controlling application of AC power to the motor. A control circuit controls operation of the solid state switches. The control circuit comprises ... | 05/17/2005 |
| 6873131 | Dual voltage electric motors An electric motor selectively connectable to receive one of a plurality of supply voltages, the plurality of supply voltages comprising a low supply voltage and a high supply voltage. The motor can comprise a stator having a first winding and a second winding, a sha... | 03/29/2005 |
| 6744229 | Safety-guard detective circuit of a fan motor A safety-guard detective circuit of a fan motor includes a resistor being adapted to limit a large current input into the motor driver circuit, and a discharge member being adapted to perform grounding to discharge the large current limited by the resistor. The resi... | 06/01/2004 |
| 6720749 | Three-phase motor protector apparatus A three-phase motor protector uses two toroids to monitor all three phases of a three-phase motor. Current and phase loss are monitored directly in phases A and B while the phase C current level is determined by analysis of the phase A and B relationship. Current is... | 04/13/2004 |
| 6670786 | Apparatus for controlling an induction motor If a speed instruction value is less than a predetermined value, the output current of a power-conversion unit is controlled to be larger than a current value in an ordinary no-load operation, or a frequency instruction value is calculated based on a spee... | 12/30/2003 |
| 6534947 | Pump controller A method and apparatus for controlling an electric motor pump. The method includes the acts of providing an AC power signal having a positive half cycle and a negative half cycle, measuring the voltage of the AC power signal and generating a first two-sta... | 03/18/2003 |
| 6532405 | Method for detecting a locked axle on a locomotive AC traction motor An exemplary embodiment of the invention is a method for detecting a potentially locked axle on a vehicle propelled by an AC motor. The method includes conducting a speed test by estimating axle speed and comparing estimated axle speed to measured vehicle... | 03/11/2003 |
| 6495986 | Safe speed monitoring for sensor-free three-phase drives The present invention makes possible a safety function for speed monitoring in the case of all induction machines operated on an inverter without a sensor system, in that a determined setpoint stator frequency value ($c;5 *) is limited and m... | 12/17/2002 |
| 6486625 | Device for controlling a starter for a motor vehicle A device for controlling the power supply to the electric motor of a starter for a vehicle having a power switch connected in series with the electric motor, units for controlling the power switch, and an auxiliary switch which shorts the electric motor w... | 11/26/2002 |
| 6452359 | Starting system for an electric motor An improvement in a starting system for an electric motor, which drives a hermetic compressor of refrigeration and comprises a main winding (1), and an auxiliary winding (2), which are energized by an electric current source (3), through a hermetic termin... | 09/17/2002 |
| 6356047 | Starting device for electric motors, which includes a PTC resistor and a relay in series A starting device for electric motors which is designed to be fitted to compressor motors or the like, and includes a PTC resistor in series with a relay inserted between the line and the motor start winding.... | 03/12/2002 |
| 6249104 | Cutout start switch heating A motor start switch includes a temperature responsive resistor element and a cutout switch electrically connected in series with a start winding of an electric motor. The cutout switch is in thermal contact with the temperature responsive resistor elemen... | 06/19/2001 |
| 6114828 | Apparatus and method for preventing overload on switching device in inverter circuit for motor applicable to electric vehicle In control apparatus and method for an electric vehicle, when the motor is determined to be locked during a run of the vehicle on an ascending slope, a limitation torque ͌r of the motor as a function of a maximum value TJMAX of estimated junct... | 09/05/2000 |
| 6081080 | Method and apparatus for reducing voltage stresses in electric machines A method and apparatus for reducing winding failures in electric machines resulting from the application of high frequency or high dV/dt voltage pulses or voltage signals to the phase windings of the machine in which an inductive element is provided betwe... | 06/27/2000 |
| 6020702 | Single phase compressor thermostat with start relay and motor protection The present invention involves a refrigeration system. The refrigeration system comprises an electrical compressor motor, a line adapted to be connected to an electrical power line and a thermostat control circuit. The thermostat control circuit comprises... | 02/01/2000 |
| 5977742 | Electric vehicle control device An electric vehicle control device controls an induction motor with a VVVF inverter. A first calculation means calculates a rotor-resistance correction value of the induction motor based on a torque current instruction value for vector control of the indu... | 11/02/1999 |
| 5973472 | Single-phase asynchronous motor with two windings A motor whose stator is equipped with a main winding (DP) and with an auxiliary winding which consists of two half-windings (B1, B2) that are wound in opposite directions and is supplied through a full-wave rectifier (GR) and by means of two commutating s... | 10/26/1999 |
| 5932981 | Apparatus and method for reduced voltage controller The present application discloses a system and associated method for lowering heat dissipation created by running a motor. The system comprises a voltage regulator, the motor, and a controller. The voltage regulator is connected to a supply voltage and ha... | 08/03/1999 |
| 5861697 | Single-phase induction motor and rotor assembling apparatus The invention relates to a single-phase induction motor comprising a main winding, an auxiliary winding which is arranged so that an electrical angle of the auxiliary winding is different from that of the main winding, a plurality of driving capacitors wh... | 01/19/1999 |