A device for protecting an inverter include a first power switch configured to be turned on when a first voltage signal from a first switch of a safety relay is applied thereto; a second power switch connected in series with the first power switch, wherein the second power switch is configured to be turned on when a second voltage signal from a second switch of a safety relay is applied thereto; and a power line for connecting the first power switch and the second power switch to each other in series and for connecting the series of the first power switch and the second power switch to a buffer of the inverter, wherein a third voltage signal is applied via the power line to the buffer.

A system and method to detect an onset of motor rotation for an induction motor. The system and method involves monitoring a power supplied to a motor via a sensor, determining a power quantity based on the power monitored by the sensor, detecting an envelope of the power quantity, detecting an onset of rotation of the motor when an amplitude of the envelope has increased, and inhibiting power flow to the motor when the onset of rotation does not occur within a predetermined time period or logging a first time period of the detected onset of rotation of the motor for use in monitoring the condition of the motor. The power quantity can be a current vector magnitude or an instantaneous power corresponding to the supplied power.

When a motor replacement detection portion (4) detects replacement of a motor (M), a control portion (2) of the motor control apparatus executes limiting processing for limiting action of the motor (M), at least until an acceptance portion (5) accepts an input of confirmation information from a user.

Techniques involve managing lithium battery access on a utility vehicle. In accordance with such techniques, a wakeup circuit includes a set of inputs, a set of outputs, and control logic coupled with the set of inputs and the set of outputs. The control logic is constructed and arranged to, in response to detecting a wakeup event from circuitry of the utility vehicle via the set of inputs, close a switching apparatus of the utility vehicle via the set of outputs to connect a lithium battery of the utility vehicle to a set of loads of the utility vehicle. The control logic is further constructed and arranged to, in response to detecting a sleep event, open the switching apparatus via the set of outputs to disconnect the lithium battery of the utility vehicle from the set of loads of the utility vehicle.

A device for the regulation of devices which can be regulated with a 0-10 Vdc and/or PWM command is herein disclosed, the device having at least one power supply input, at least one regulation input adapted to receive external regulation signals, a potentiometer comprising a selector element, the potentiometer being configured to provide a manual voltage regulation, and at least one command output configured to output a command signal towards the devices to be regulated. The device further comprises a switching element configured to cause a switching of said device between a first regulation mode, in which the command signal is generated by said device and is manually adjustable through the selector element of said potentiometer, and a second regulation mode, which allows a regulation of the devices to be regulated via the command signal from the command output based on an external device connectable to the regulation input. A system comprising the above device is also disclosed.

A controller for a drive motor (60) of a product conveyor belt at a checkout has a phase-start cutting and/or phase-end cutting controller (50) that controls the drive motor (60) in such a manner that the product conveyor belt is accelerated with reduced torque from a non-driven state. A start controller controls the drive motor (60) in such a manner that the drive motor (60) initially drives with a non-reduced torque when accelerating the product conveyor belt from the non-driven state before the phase-start cutting and/or phase-end cutting controller (50) further accelerates the product conveyor belt with reduced torque.

A motor drive device includes: a converter that converts AC power supplied from an AC power source into DC power and outputs the DC power to a DC link; a capacitor installed in the DC link; an inverter that converts the DC power at the DC link into AC power for driving a motor and outputs the AC power; a charging circuit that has a charging resistor for preventing inrush current during the period of pre-charging of the capacitor; a charging control unit that controls the pre-charging of the capacitor executed by the charging circuit; and an abnormality determination unit that determines, during the period of pre-charging of the capacitor, whether an abnormality has occurred, on the basis of a measurement value of the voltage of the capacitor and/or a measurement value of the current flowing through the DC link.

A battery management system (BMS) controls lithium battery access on a utility vehicle. The BMS includes a battery interface that couples with a lithium battery, a load interface that couples with a set of loads of the utility vehicle, and control circuitry coupled with the battery interface and the load interface. The control circuitry mechanically disconnects the battery interface from the load interface in response to a sleep event. Additionally, after the battery interface is mechanically disconnected from the load interface, the control circuitry mechanically reconnects the battery interface to the load interface in response to a wakeup event. Furthermore, after the battery interface is mechanically reconnected to the load interface, the control circuitry maintains connection between the battery interface and the load interface to convey power from the lithium battery to the set of loads of the utility vehicle through the battery interface and the load interface.

Provided are an input buffer, a semiconductor device and an engine control unit making it possible to execute fault diagnosis in real time. The input buffer includes a first comparator which compares a voltage of an input signal with a first reference voltage, a hysteresis circuit which generates a first high voltage side or low voltage side reference voltage on the basis of a comparison result from the first comparator, a second comparator which compares the voltage of the input signal with a second reference voltage, and a hysteresis circuit which outputs a second high voltage side reference voltage which is higher than the first high voltage side reference voltage or a second low voltage side reference voltage which is lower than the first low voltage side reference voltage.

A method of performing temperature-based diagnostics for motor starters within a physical grouping of motor starters is performed by determining a presently expected temperature operating range for each starter based on measuring operating temperatures of the starters; measuring their current draws, and evaluating the temperature and load draw data in light of compensation values assigned for the known power ratings of the starter and the starter's physical location within the grouping. With the presently expected temperature operating range of the starter determined, and the periodic monitoring of starter temperatures, when an individual starter's temperature exceeds its expected range, a diagnostic warning will be issued for that starter and/or for the control panel itself as a guide for preventative maintenance. Alternately, the warning may be issued for an unexpected temperature rise for a given rise in current draw, or for values exceeding an expected rate of temperature change.