A boost power supply may be constructed of a number of smaller switching power supplies, each switching power supply providing a respective portion of a combined output current provided by the boost power supply to a load. A different respective control signal may be provided to each switching power supply to regulate the respective portion of the combined output current provided by the switching power supply. Each different respective control signal may be provided to the corresponding switching power supply out of phase with respect to each other different respective control signal to prevent the combined output current from exceeding a specified threshold current value.

Even when a positive/negative surge is applied to a power-supply line, occurrence of malfunction in a semiconductor device is lessened. In an in-vehicle semiconductor device, regulators convert an externally-supplied voltage to generate voltages. A voltage monitoring unit includes a voltage monitoring circuit and a switch, and monitors first to third voltages. An internal circuit has a processor operated by the voltage, and an oscillator operated by the voltage and generating a clock signal to be provided the processor. The voltage monitoring unit stops providing the clock signal to the processor when the voltage level of at least any one of the first to third voltages is below a set value. The voltage monitoring unit provides the clock signal to the processor when the voltage levels of all the first to third voltages exceed the set value.

In an outboard motor, one of an engine control unit and a power supply control unit is mounted on a first side surface of an engine, and the other of the engine control unit and the power supply control unit is mounted on an upper surface of the engine.

An electronic governor system includes a motor, a transmission coupled to the motor, a throttle plate coupled to the transmission, the throttle plate movable to multiple positions between closed and wide-open, wherein power is supplied to the motor to move the throttle pate to a desired position and wherein power is not supplied to the motor to maintain the throttle plate in the desired position.

A sensorless electric motor control device is provided that completes a phase detection of a rotor before an activation signal is received, so as to shorten a time period from when the activation signal is received to when the rotor reaches a target number of rotations. The control device for a sensorless electric motor 10 includes an inverter 11 that drives the electric motor 10 and a first processor 18 that serves as a phase detection unit that causes the inverter 11 to perform a phase detection before the inverter 11 receives an activation signal that activates the electric motor 10, wherein the phase detection aligns a magnetic pole of a rotor of the electric motor 10 with a predetermined position with respect to a stator.

An electronic governor system includes a motor, a transmission coupled to the motor, a throttle plate coupled to the transmission, the throttle plate movable to multiple positions between closed and wide-open, wherein power is supplied to the motor to move the throttle pate to a desired position and wherein power is not supplied to the motor to maintain the throttle plate in the desired position.

A boat maneuvering system includes a power source, a first operating device configured to operate the power source, a first controller configured to control the power source, a second controller configured to accept an operation instruction input from the first operating device and to output a control signal to the first controller, a first electric power line that connects the power source to a battery to convey electric power therebetween, a second electric power line that connects the second controller to the battery to convey electric power therebetween, a communication path that connects the first controller and the second controller to convey a signal therebetween, and a signal conversion portion provided on the communication path to electrically separate the first and second controllers.

A method for controlling a motor of a vehicle fuel pump includes a duty calculation step of calculating, by a motor controller, a duty value of the motor to satisfy a hydraulic pressure of fuel required in accordance with a travel situation of the vehicle, receiving the duty value calculated by the motor controller at the duty calculation step, and determining, by the monitoring unit, whether or not the received duty value is lower than a critical value set in the monitoring unit, and a forced driving step of preventing, by the monitoring unit, a duty value signal from the motor controller from being sent to the motor and directly connecting the motor to a power source, thereby forcibly driving the motor to generate power at a predetermined level when the monitoring unit determines that the duty value calculated by the motor controller is lower than the critical value.

Arrangement and methods for communicating data between a control system (100) of a power tool (10) and a computing device (20). The arrangement (1) comprises a control system (100) with a plurality of electronic control units, ECUs (110, 120), a computing device (20), and a connecting unit (30) comprising a data connection (32). The plurality of ECUs (110, 120) are connected to a common bus of the control system (100). Each of the plurality of ECUs (110, 120) has a passive service mode (201) and an active service mode (202). The computing device is operable of transmitting a wake-up communication signal to the plurality of ECUs (110, 120), which wake-up communication signal comprises an ID of a selected ECU (110, 120) out of the plurality of ECUs (110, 120). The selected ECU (110, 120) is operable to switch from the passive service mode (201) to the active service mode (202) as a response to detecting its ID in the wake-up communication signal, so as to allow communication of data between the selected ECU (110, 120) and the computing device (20) via the data connection.

A sensorless electric motor control device is provided that completes a phase detection of a rotor before an activation signal is received, so as to shorten a time period from when the activation signal is received to when the rotor reaches a target number of rotations. The control device for a sensorless electric motor 10 includes an inverter 11 that drives the electric motor 10 and a first processor 18 that serves as a phase detection unit that causes the inverter 11 to perform a phase detection before the inverter 11 receives an activation signal that activates the electric motor 10, wherein the phase detection aligns a magnetic pole of a rotor of the electric motor 10 with a predetermined position with respect to a stator.