Did You Know...
...that several people are credited with the invention of the flush toilet? Most people have heard of Thomas Crapper (1837-1910), the sanitary engineer who invented the valve-and-siphon arrangement that made the modern toilet possible. Another claimant to "the throne" was British inventor Alexander Cumming who patented a toilet in 1775. Then there's a nameless Minoan (a native of ancient Crete) who lived 4,000 years ago who supposedly was ahead of his time and created the first flush toilet!
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7646156 | Shelf storage system with energy recycling In a shelf storage system (1) comprising at least two shelf units (1a-1d), wherein each shelf unit has a separate moveable shelf feeder device (5) with electric drive motors (6, 7, 8), and comprising an electric energ... | 01/12/2010 |
| 7511438 | Electric braking of machinery with a plurality of inverter-fed motors A system and method are provided whereby at least two motors driven by an inverter coupled to a DC bus are configured to alternate between regenerative and injection braking such that at least one motor is placed in regenerative braking mode and at least one motor i... | 03/31/2009 |
| 7315144 | AC drive apparatus, vehicle control apparatus, and power conversion method and vehicle control method A motor is driven with variable frequency AC power converted from DC power, and an AC output power from the motor is converted to DC. In the conversion, an electromotive force regenerated by the motor is consumed by a plurality of resistors. When the consumption of ... | 01/01/2008 |
| 7242159 | Controller for drive system An ECU executes a program including the steps of calculating a capacitor charging electric power value W (1) (a value of electric power to be stored in a capacitor) based on a voltage value of the capacitor, if a vehicle is under braking, calculating a regene... | 07/10/2007 |
| 7208894 | Electric vehicle motor and control system with high efficiency regeneration The present invention is an electric vehicle power system that uses multiple permanent magnet motor/generators connected in series or parallel and multiple battery step switching. Motor, torque and speed are controlled by steps in series connection and then in paral... | 04/24/2007 |
| 7164253 | Motor drive control apparatus On end of a reactor (L1) is connected to a positive electrode of a battery (B1) and the other end is connected to a power line via a transistor (Q1) and to the ground via a transistor (Q2). By PWM control of the transistors (Q1, Q | 01/16/2007 |
| 6841955 | Moving body drive control device A moving body drive control device characterized by mutually balancing a magnitude of driving force TK and a magnitude of braking force TB, both of the forces being generated by a motor, to approximate a moving speed of a moving body 100 to a target speed hig... | 01/11/2005 |
| 6819065 | Dynamic braking of a tape motor An apparatus and method for the controlled dynamic braking of a DC motor in a tape transport device are provided. A PWM state device includes a plurality of state transition paths, each path having an initial state, representative of a tape profile, including a pred... | 11/16/2004 |
| 5942862 | Power output apparatus and method of controlling the same A power output apparatus (20) of the present invention includes a clutch motor (30), an assist motor (40), an engine (50), and a controller (80) for controlling the clutch motor (30) and the assist motor (40). Auxiliary machinery driven by the rotation of... | 08/24/1999 |
| 5920160 | Power output apparatus and method of controlling the same A power output apparatus (20) of the present invention includes an engine (50), a clutch motor (30) connecting with a crankshaft (56) of the engine (50), an assist motor (40) connecting with a drive shaft (22), and a controller (80) for controlling the cl... | 07/06/1999 |
| 5780988 | Method for detecting the position, direction of rotation and rotational speed of a rotatably seated part The present invention provides a method for detecting the position, direction of rotation and rotational speed of a rotatably seated part, which are employed, for example, in particular in externally-operated locking parts of motor vehicles (e.g., with an... | 07/14/1998 |
| 5684383 | Regenerative charge control system estimating allowable regenerative power A regenerative charge control system includes a cell, an inverter for converting a discharge power of the cell into a load driving force when a load is driven and for inverting the load driving force into the discharge power of the cell when the power is ... | 11/04/1997 |
| 5670861 | Battery energy monitoring circuits A long chain battery, particularly for an electric vehicle, comprises a plurality of series connected cells or battery modules. To control the operation of the electrical functions, including discharge while the vehicle is being driven, charging when it i... | 09/23/1997 |
| 5629596 | Method of controlling electric vehicle driven by an internal combustion engine Disclosed is a method of controlling an internal combustion engine driven electric vehicle in power operation of the vehicle, in which control is made so that a voltage of a DC intermediate circuit is maintained to a first constant DC voltage in a first s... | 05/13/1997 |
| 5574345 | Power supply circuit for magnetic bearing system AC input voltage is lowered at a transformer, rectified at a rectifying circuit, then smoothed at a smoothing circuit, and thus produced DC voltage is supplied to an inverter which drives a motor. The rectified DC voltage is provided to a DC/DC converter ... | 11/12/1996 |
| 5491392 | Power source regenerative apparatus The present invention relates to a power source regenerative apparatus which prevents distortion of a voltage regenerating in the power source from being caused. An inverter transforms induction electromotive force caused in regenerating the power source,... | 02/13/1996 |
| 5345154 | Electric continuously variable transmission and controls for operation of a heat engine in a closed-loop power-control mode A heat engine operates an alternator that supplies electrical power to an electric continuously variable transmission for driving at least one ac motor through a differential to multiple wheels or to multiple independent ac wheel motors in an automobile, ... | 09/06/1994 |
| 5184049 | Motor brake control circuit for reducing motor stopping time A motor brake control circuit is provided with a coil short circuit for short-circuiting the power terminals of the coil once a brake signal is issued from its brake circuit so that the brake is forcibly and continuously applied to the motor. With such an... | 02/02/1993 |
| 5150020 | Driving controlling method for drums of automatic winder In an automatic winder wherein each of a plurality of winding units thereof has a traverse drum driving motor and an inverter for driving the motor, the numbers of those inverters which are to be decelerated and accelerated are controlled in such a manner... | 09/22/1992 |
| 5099186 | Integrated motor drive and recharge system A drive and recharge system is disclosed that includes a bidirectional dc power source, two voltage-fed inverters, two induction motors, and a control unit. In the drive mode, power is bidirectionally connected between the dc power source and the motors. ... | 03/24/1992 |
| 4698561 | Use of SCR's in extended retarding An improved drive system for large mining trucks employing combined diesel/electric propulsion or the like wherein AC current generated by the alternator is rectified before powering wheel motors and wherein the wheel motors are used as generators to prod... | 10/06/1987 |
| 4602195 | Industrial robot having individual electrical three-phase drives An industrial robot having permanently excited three-phase motors driving each robot joint is described. Each motor is coupled to a common intermediate d-c link through an individual controlled inverter. Electric braking energy of the motors is stored in ... | 07/22/1986 |
| 4568996 | Protective circuit for a separately excited d-c motor The magnitudes of currents in the armature and field windings of a separately excited d-c motor are compared, and a fault signal is produced in response to the field current magnitude either rising above a first reference level (which varies as a first pr... | 02/04/1986 |
| 4489256 | Primary and secondary dynamic braking system A dynamic braking system is provided for electrically driven wheelchairs to slow the wheelchairs to a stop without needing to use a mechanical brake. A primary switch arrangement is provided for connecting resistors across the right and left wheelchair mo... | 12/18/1984 |
| 4450388 | Dynamic braking of direct current motors A dynamic braking system for a D.C. traction motor which is driven from an asymmetric bridge rectifier having freewheel diodes to permit circulation of motor generated current. The system employs field reversal to ensure a generated (braking) current dire... | 05/22/1984 |
| 4449077 | Chopper control equipment for electric railcars When a plurality of shunt motors connected in parallel are used for driving an electric railcar, the differences in the characteristics of the motors introduced during the manufacturing thereof causes the armature currents to vary greatly even when they a... | 05/15/1984 |
| 4443742 | Phase locked loop motor control system A phase locked loop control system, in particular for use for synchronizing the operation of a carriage drive motor and a main drive motor in a photocopier, uses a digital frequency- and phase-comparator and relies on the output pulses, used to power the ... | 04/17/1984 |
| 4388569 | System for automatic control of dynamic braking of independent transport facility A system for automatic control of dynamic braking of an independent transport facility comprises an exciting-current regulator of traction motors provided with rotational-speed transducers whose outputs are connected to the input of a traction-motor react... | 06/14/1983 |
| 4341982 | Simultaneous independent control system for electric motors A system for simultaneously and independently controlling a plurality of electric motors from a number of dispersed stations. The system operates by transmission of duty cycle modulated selected frequencies superimposed on a DC track voltage on a common p... | 07/27/1982 |
| 4263535 | Motor drive system for an electric mining shovel A motor drive system for a mining shovel includes three a.c. motors which are driven by associated inverter circuits that receive power from a common d.c. bus. The d.c. bus connects to the a.c. power lines through a disconnect switch and a rectifier circu... | 04/21/1981 |
| 4203679 | Print head control A printer for printing characters on paper supported adjacent a path along which a print head can be traversed. Two servo-motors are mounted adjacent the path and each connected to the head by a toothed belt. Control means connects the servo-motors in one... | 05/20/1980 |
| 4103211 | Dynamic drag arrangement for electrically propelled traction vehicles A propulsion system for traction vehicles utilizing separately excited electric traction motors in which a level of reverse motor torque is produced when speed control is released to effect a dynamic drag on the vehicle. The system simulates in an electri... | 07/25/1978 |
| 4085354 | Tape transport dynamic brake A dynamic brake for the supply reel motor of a tape transport. Upon power failure, the motor is coupled as a generator to supply current to a lamp, which functions as a substantially constant current load, and produces a substantially constant braking tor... | 04/18/1978 |
| 4074176 | Motor protector Apparatus for preventing overvoltage and overcurrent damage to direct current motors, and wheel lockout in electrically powered vehicles having dynamic and mechanical brake assemblies includes dynamic braking voltage and current sensing circuits, a first ... | 02/14/1978 |
| 4072879 | Turn-off interlock for tape and film machines An interlock circuit is provided for tape and film machines which, when the high speed forward or reverse motors are in operation, prevents the main power from being turned off even though the operator might actuate the power switch. Instead of the power ... | 02/07/1978 |
| 4066933 | Static switching device for two direct current machines Static switching device for two machines making it possible to effect antkid control during drive operation and the controlling of the braking torque during brake operation. It comprises two circuits in parallel on the direct current source, a first circ... | 01/03/1978 |
| 4061948 | Apparatus for re-transferring power from mechanically driven and/or electrically braked motors of spinning machines The electrical circuit between the power supply line and each motor or motor pair has an apparatus for re-transferring power from one mechanically driven and/or electrically braked motor to another of the motors. This apparatus includes a levelling or equ... | 12/06/1977 |
| 4028597 | Motor control systems A battery-powered thyristor-controlled lift truck traction motor control system includes simple and economical means for providing plugging torque in a continuous or proportional manner. A dual-motor drive system disclosed allows series motors to be opera... | 06/07/1977 |
| 4010407 | Energy exchanger for an electrical vehicle An energy exchanger for a battery driven vehicle comprising two rotatable electrical machines connected on the same shaft, one of high voltage, the other of low voltage. The electrical machines can each be operated in generator or motor modes and the mach... | 03/01/1977 |
