An auto-balance hill-hold apparatus and method for arresting unintentional roll after coming to a stop on a hill or slope in vehicles powered by magnetic synchronous motors by automatically determining and rapidly applying the appropriate balancing counter-torque required to negate torque caused by the acceleration of gravity, and subsequently communicating the magnitude of the determined counter-torque to a speed controller so that it may seamlessly transition to an alternative and more efficient method of generating the equivalent balancing counter-torque and provide a smoother transition to operation mode.

An electric compressor includes a compression portion discharging a high pressure refrigerant by compressing a low-pressure drawn refrigerant, an electric motor driving the compression portion with a rotation of a rotor, a motor drive circuit driving the electric motor, an intermediate pressure port through which an intermediate pressure refrigerant is introduced into the compression portion, and a controller performing a rotation control of the rotor. When the controller stops the electric motor in a two-step compression mode in which the intermediate pressure refrigerant is introduced into the compression portion, the controller stops the rotor rotating by performing short-circuit braking on the electric motor and then fixes a rotational position of the rotor at a predetermined rotational position by performing direct current excitation on the electric motor.

Systems, methods, and apparatus related to a homing mechanism within a drive mechanism of a lacing engine for an automated footwear platform are described. In an example, the homing apparatus can include an indexing wheel, a plurality of Geneva teeth and a stop tooth. The plurality of Geneva teeth can be distributed around a portion of a perimeter of the indexing wheel. Each Geneva tooth of the plurality of Geneva teeth can include side profiles conforming to a first side profile that generates a first force when engaged by an index tooth on a portion of the drive mechanism. The stop tooth can be located along the perimeter of the indexing wheel between two Geneva teeth. Additionally, the stop tooth can include side profiles conforming to a second side profile that generates a second force when engaged by the index tooth.

In a method for generating a blocking moment in a standstill state of an electrically commutated electric motor having at least two windings, on which electric motor a possibly varying load moment acts from outside in the standstill state, first, a blocking current is supplied at a maximum value into a first winding. This blocking current is successively reduced to, possibly, a minimum value. From that moment the inductivity of the electric motor is controlled, namely by controlling the blocking current if the control deviation between the actual value and the set value of the inductivity exceeds a predetermined threshold value. Thereby, it is possible to control the blocking current in an adaptive manner insofar as, despite a varying load moment, the standstill state of the electric motor can be maintained by varying the blocking current.

An apparatus and method for suppressing torque generation of a three-phase motor, includes a torque determination device that determines a second torque value for suppressing a first torque value due to a zero phase sequence component current of the three-phase motor, a control amount determination device that determines a voltage control amount for generating the determined second torque value, and a controller that is configured to control the three-phase motor according to the determined voltage control amount.

A control device for a linear motor includes a speed controller that calculates a current command value by an integration operation using a first integral value of a difference between a moving speed of a movable element provided in the linear motor and a speed command value calculated on the basis of a position command value, a current controller that applies a voltage to the linear motor on the basis of the current command value, and a correction value storage unit that stores the first integral value of the speed controller when the movable element remains at a position indicated by the position command value. When resuming control of the linear motor, the speed controller sets the first integral value stored in the correction value storage unit as an initial value for the integration operation before the brake controller turns off the brake device.

In one embodiment, a magnetic orientation detent includes a motor coupled to a motor shaft, the motor mechanically coupled to a motor mount. The magnetic orientation detent may also include a flywheel mechanically coupled to a distal end of the motor shaft. The magnetic orientation detent may further include a first plurality of magnets coupled to the motor mount and a second plurality of magnets coupled to the flywheel. The second plurality of magnets couple magnetically to the first plurality of magnets.

A motor controller that controls a motor in which a rotor using a permanent magnet is rotated by a rotating magnetic field due to a current flowing through a winding: performs hold control that continuously causes a fixed excitation current to flow through the winding to cause a fixed magnetic field for suppressing rotation of the rotor to be generated in a suspension period in which the motor is stopped; performs hold enhancement control that enhances the fixed magnetic field with input of a timing signal defined in advance as a trigger, in the suspension period; and starts rotational excitation control that generates the rotating magnetic field when a rotation start timing arrives.

Systems, methods, and apparatus related to a homing mechanism within a drive mechanism of a lacing engine for an automated footwear platform are described. In an example, the homing apparatus can include an indexing wheel, a plurality of Geneva teeth and a stop tooth. The plurality of Geneva teeth can be distributed around a portion of a perimeter of the indexing wheel. Each Geneva tooth of the plurality of Geneva teeth can include side profiles conforming to a first side profile that generates a first force when engaged by an index tooth on a portion of the drive mechanism. The stop tooth can be located along the perimeter of the indexing wheel between two Geneva teeth. Additionally, the stop tooth can include side profiles conforming to a second side profile that generates a second force when engaged by the index tooth.

Provided is a motor controller including: a rotation control unit configured to control a rotation of a motor; a brake control unit configured to control an operation of a brake for holding a rotor with respect to a stator of the motor; a rotation-state detection unit configured to detect a rotation state of the motor; a timer configured to measure, in a released state where an operation of the brake is released by the brake control unit, a time from an outputting of a command to change over a state of the brake to a locked state to a detection of a predetermined change in a rotation state of the motor by the rotation-state detection unit; and a determination unit configured to determine that a brake operation delay abnormality is present when the time, measured by the timer, is equal to or more than a predetermined threshold.