A dynamic energy harvesting and variable harvesting force system is disclosed. A boost converter increases a motor voltage as a motor current associated with the motor voltage propagates through the boost converter thereby generating a boost voltage associated with the changing motor current. A power storage device stores energy harvested by the boost converter when the boost voltage exceeds an energy storage threshold. A controller dynamically adjusts a harvesting force applied by the motor so that the harvesting force is relative to the force applied to the motor. The controller also dynamically adjusts the harvested energy stored by the power storage device by adjusting the charging of the power storage device, ensuring that the boost voltage threshold is maintained. The boost voltage when maintained within the boost voltage threshold enables the power storage device to store the harvested energy without impacting the harvesting force applied by the motor.

A controller for controlling a motor of a closure and/or blind in a vehicle body is configured to determine a reference state signal comprising speed and/or current measurements, repeatedly estimate motor model parameters of the motor, determine an estimated state signal based on an input signal comprising measurements or estimates of a voltage, the estimated motor model parameters, the reference state signal and an error signal, the error signal representing a difference between the reference state signal and the estimated state signal, determine a disturbance observer signal from the error signal, compute a first derivative of the disturbance observer signal at a present moment, and reverse the motor upon determining that the first derivative of the disturbance observer signal exceeds a threshold.

An electronic door opening system for an appliance is provided. The door opening system includes a resilient member having a pin that moves in a linear direction to urge an appliance door open. The door opening system further includes a toothed gear member configured to engage with the resilient member. The gear member may be driven by a motor to move the resilient member to urge the door from a closed position to an open position. Accordingly, upon receipt of a door opening command received from a user interface, the motor drives the gear to engage with the resilient member and open the door. The door opening mechanism includes components that are free from contact with other systems of the appliance. For example, in a microwave oven, the door opening system components may be free from contact with a door latch and an interlock switch system.

It is provided a driving device for adjusting a vehicle part, in particular a tailgate, comprises an electric drive for driving the vehicle part, with an output shaft for transmitting an adjusting force to the vehicle part, and a first braking device operatively connected to the output shaft, which includes at least one permanent magnet element and is configured to provide a braking force for arresting the vehicle part in a currently adopted position. There is also provided a second braking device that is configured to switch the electric drive into a generator braking mode in order to at least partly feed a power generatorically produced by the drive back into the drive and thereby provide a braking force for braking a movement of the vehicle part.

The motor control device is an electric motor control device including a control unit (control circuit unit) configured to output a forward-rotation command or a reverse-rotation command to the electric motor. The control unit includes a position detector (door opening/closing information generation circuit) configured to detect a rotation direction of the electric motor when a detection signal is input from a rotation sensor (Hall integrated circuit (IC)), which detects the rotation of the electric motor, while no current is supplied to the electric motor. The control unit includes an electric current supply device (pulse width modulation (PWM) command generation circuit) configured to supply an electric current by which the electric motor is rotated in an opposite direction to the detected rotation direction by increasing an electric current supply duty ratio every time the detection signal is switched.

An apparatus for automatic movement of sliding windows in a motor vehicle, comprising a d.c. electric motor that moves a window (F) so that it slides along guides, including an electronic control module for controlling the d.c. electric motor, in particular a microprocessor. The electronic control module measures a current (I) of the motor and a position (X) of the window (F), and drives reversal of operation of the electric motor if it is verified that the current (I) is higher than a threshold current (I.sub.th) and the position (X) of the window (F) falls within a given zone (APZ) of a path (P) of movement of the window (F). The anti-pinch circuit device measures a back electromotive force (E; E.sub.m) of the motor, and the electronic control module calculates the position of the window (F) as a function of the back electromotive force (E; E.sub.m) of the motor.

A ring gear (82) of a planetary gear speed reducer (80) is fixed to a casing (31) provided with a core metal (31) fixed to a vehicle panel via a rubber damper (92). Therefore, the driving unit can be reduced in size through adoption of a speed reducer (80) formed of gears (82) made of spur gears, and the rubber dumper (92) can suppress low frequency vibrations which are transmitted from the speed reducer (80) to the vehicle panel. Therefore, the vehicle body of the vehicle having a low characteristic frequency is prevented from resonating with the incoming low frequency vibrations to generate noises which are transmitted to the vehicle interior, and which give an occupant an unpleasant feeling.

A vehicle window driving mechanism and a vehicle utilizing the vehicle window driving mechanism are provided. The vehicle window driving mechanism includes a box, a motor mounted to the box, and a transmission assembly mounted to the box and connected to the motor. The motor is a single phase permanent magnet brushless motor. The vehicle window driving mechanism has a relatively smaller size.

A household dishwasher includes a washing container having a loading opening, a door, an electrical drive device configured to move the door between a closed position, in which the door closes the loading opening, and an open position, in which the washing container is accessible from outside, and a control unit configured to identify a manual movement of the door performed by an operator in a direction of movement by detecting a characteristic variable of the drive device and to move the door further in the direction of movement via the drive device as a result of the manual movement of the door by the operator.

A furniture drive for driving a movable furniture component includes: at least one electric motor; at least one actuator preferably movable back and forth between two end positions for exerting force on the furniture component to be driven; and a gear mechanism connected between the electric motor and the actuator. At least one belt, preferably a toothed belt, connects the electric motor, preferably a shaft of the electric motor or a belt pulley connected thereto, to the gear mechanism, and the electric motor is a disc motor and/or an external rotor motor.