# US 10,374,537 B2 · Rotor position detection system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,374,537 B2 - Document ID: US10374537B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/883,621 - Filed: 2018-01-30 - Published: 2019-02-21 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2017-08-18 - Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba; Toshiba Electronics Devices & Storage Corporation - Applicants: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba; Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation - Inventors: Tamotsu Ito - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10374537B2 ## CPC - H02P 8/38: the fault being step-out - G01R 19/175: Indicating the instants of passage of current or voltage through a given value, e.g. passage through zero - H02P 6/18: without separate position detecting elements - H02P 6/182: using back-emf in windings - H03K 5/1536: Zero-crossing detectors (in measuring circuits G01R19/175) - H02P: CONTROL OR REGULATION OF ELECTRIC MOTORS, ELECTRIC GENERATORS OR DYNAMO-ELECTRIC CONVERTERS; CONTROLLING TRANSFORMERS, REACTORS OR CHOKE COILS - G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12) - H03K: PULSE TECHNIQUE (measuring pulse characteristics G01R; modulating sinusoidal oscillations with pulses H03C; transmission of digital information H04L; discriminator circuits detecting phase difference between two signals by counting or integrating cycles of oscillation H03D3/04; automatic control, starting, synchronisation or stabilisation of generators of electronic oscillations or pulses where the type of generator is irrelevant or unspecified H03L; coding, decoding or code conversion, in general H03M) ## Abstract A rotor position detection system according to one embodiment includes a H bridge circuit, a current detection circuit, a time measurement circuit, a zero cross determination circuit, and a rotor position calculation circuit. The zero cross determination circuit calculates a zero cross position of the induced voltage of the motor based on a difference time calculated by the time measurement circuit. The rotor position calculation circuit calculates a rotor position of the motor based on the zero cross position of the induced voltage. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A rotor position detection system comprising: an H bridge circuit having first and second high side transistors to control a direction and conduction of a current flowing through a coil of a motor, the first and second high side transistors being provided between a power supply and the motor, and first and second low side transistors provided between the motor and a ground potential; a current detection circuit configured to detect a current flowing from the motor to the first low side transistor or the second low side transistor when the first and second high side transistors are turned off and the first and second low side transistors are turned on, and convert a detected current into a voltage; a time measurement circuit configured to measure a first time until the detection voltage detected by the current detection circuit becomes lower than a first reference voltage, and a second time until the detection voltage becomes lower than a second reference voltage smaller than the first reference voltage, and calculate a difference time between the first time and the second time; a zero cross determination circuit configured to calculate a zero cross position of an induced voltage of the motor based on the difference time; and a rotor position calculation circuit configured to calculate a rotor position of the motor based on a zero cross position of the induced voltage. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The rotor position detection system according to claim 1, further comprising a drive control circuit configured to perform PWM control on the first and second high side transistors and the first and second low side transistors and control a motor control current amount based on rotor position information calculated by the rotor position calculation circuit. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The rotor position detection system according to claim 1, further comprising an induced voltage detection circuit configured to detect an induced voltage generated in the motor and output a detected induced voltage to the zero cross determination circuit. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The rotor position detection system according to claim 1, wherein the first reference voltage is a product of a micro step current value and an on resistance value of a low side transistor, and the second reference voltage is a product of a ripple amount of the micro step current and an on resistance value of the low side transistor. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The rotor position detection system according to claim 1, wherein the motor is a stepping motor including a first phase coil and a second phase coil. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The rotor position detection system according to claim 5, wherein the first phase coil is connected to a first H bridge circuit and the second phase coil is connected to a second H bridge having a configuration identical to the first H bridge circuit. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The rotor position detection system according to claim 1, wherein the time measurement circuit includes a first comparator, a second comparator, and a time calculation circuit, the first comparator receives an output signal of the current detection circuit at a plus port on an input side and the first reference voltage at a minus port on the input side and outputs a signal subjected to comparison operation processing, the second comparator receives an output signal of the current detection circuit at a plus port on an input side and the second reference voltage at a minus port on the input side and outputs a signal subjected to comparison operation processing, the time calculation circuit calculates a difference time between the first time and the second time based on the output signal of the first comparator and the output signal of the second comparator. ### Claim 8 A rotor position detection system comprising: an H bridge circuit having first and second high side transistors to control a direction and conduction of a current flowing through a coil of a motor, the first and second high side transistors being provided between a power supply and the motor, and first and second low side transistors provided between the motor and a ground potential; an induced voltage detection circuit configured to detect an induced voltage generated at the motor; a current detection circuit configured to detect a current flowing from the motor to the first low side transistor or the second low side transistor when the first and second high side transistors are turned off and the first and second low side transistors are turned on, and convert a detected current into a voltage; a time measurement circuit configured to measure a first time until the detection voltage detected by the current detection circuit becomes lower than a first reference voltage, and a second time until the detection voltage becomes lower than a second reference voltage smaller than the first reference voltage, and calculate a difference time between the first time and the second time; and a step-out state detection circuit configured to detect a step-out state of the motor based on the induced voltage detected by the induced voltage detection circuit and the difference time calculated by the time measurement circuit. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The rotor position detection system according to claim 8, further comprising a drive control circuit configured to perform PWM control on the first and second high side transistors and the first and second low side transistors and control a motor control current amount based on rotor position information calculated by the rotor position calculation circuit. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The rotor position detection system according to claim 8, wherein the first reference voltage is a product of a micro step current value and an on resistance value of a low side transistor, and the second reference voltage is a product of a ripple amount of the micro step current and an on resistance value of the low side transistor. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The rotor position detection system according to claim 8, wherein the motor is a stepping motor including a first phase coil and a second phase coil. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The rotor position detection system according to claim 11, wherein the first phase coil is connected to a first H bridge circuit and the second phase coil is connected to a second H bridge having a configuration identical to the first H bridge circuit. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The rotor position detection system according to claim 8, wherein the time measurement circuit includes a first comparator, a second comparator, and a time calculation circuit, the first comparator receives an output signal of the current detection circuit at a plus port on an input side and the first reference voltage at a minus port on the input side and outputs a signal subjected to comparison operation processing, the second comparator receives an output signal of the current detection circuit at a plus port on an input side and the second reference voltage at a minus port on the input side and outputs a signal subjected to comparison operation processing, and the time calculation circuit calculates a difference time between the first time and the second time based on the output signal of the first comparator and the output signal of the second comparator. ### Claim 14 A rotor position detection system comprising: an H bridge circuit having first and second high side transistors to control a direction and conduction of a current flowing through a coil of a motor, the first and second high side transistors being provided between a power supply and the motor, and first and second low side transistors provided between the motor and a ground potential; an induced voltage detection circuit configured to detect an induced voltage generated at the motor; a current measurement circuit configured to measure a first current flowing from the motor to the first low side transistor or a second current flowing from the motor to the second low side transistor when the first and second high side transistors are turned off and the first and second low side transistors are turned on; and a rotor position calculation circuit configured to calculate a rotor position of the motor based on a current value of the first current or the second current and the induced voltage. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The rotor position detection system according to claim 14, further comprising a drive control circuit configured to perform PWM control on the first and second high side transistors and the first and second low side transistors and control a motor control current amount based on rotor position information calculated by the rotor position calculation circuit. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The rotor position detection system according to claim 14, wherein the motor is a stepping motor including a first phase coil and a second phase coil. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The rotor position detection system according to claim 16, wherein the first phase coil is connected to a first H bridge circuit and the second phase coil is connected to a second H bridge having a configuration identical to the first H bridge circuit.