# US 12,215,683 B2 · Method of diagnosing abnormality of sensorless control of motor for air compressor

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- Number: US 12,215,683 B2
- Document ID: US12215683B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/960,306
- Filed: 2022-10-05
- Published: 2023-04-27
- Granted: 2025-02-04
- Earliest claimed: 2021-10-21
- Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company; Kia Corporation
- Applicants: Hyundai Motor Company; Kia Corporation
- Inventors: Min Su Kang; Joo Yeon Kim; Sung Do Kim; Chang Seok You
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12215683B2

## CPC

- F04B 49/065: {and making use of computers}
- G05B 23/0286: {Modifications to the monitored process, e.g. stopping operation or adapting control}
- F04B 35/04: the means being electric
- F04B 49/20: by changing the driving speed
- H02P 6/18: without separate position detecting elements
- H02P 29/024: Detecting a fault condition, e.g. short circuit, locked rotor, open circuit or loss of load
- F04B 2203/0209: Rotational speed
- H01M 2250/20: Fuel cells in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
- Y02E 60/50: Fuel cells
- F04B: POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS (machines for liquids, or pumps, of rotary-piston or oscillating-piston type F04C; non-positive-displacement pumps F04D; pumping of fluid by direct contact of another fluid or by using inertia of fluid to be pumped F04F)
- G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G)
- H02P: CONTROL OR REGULATION OF ELECTRIC MOTORS, ELECTRIC GENERATORS OR DYNAMO-ELECTRIC CONVERTERS; CONTROLLING TRANSFORMERS, REACTORS OR CHOKE COILS
- H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION

## Abstract

Proposed is a method of diagnosing abnormality of sensorless control of a motor for an air compressor, the method including estimating a speed of a motor in real time when a motor starts determining whether or not a preset condition for activating a function of diagnosing abnormality of sensorless control is satisfied, from a slope of the estimated speed of the motor performing control for decreasing an amount of electric current to be applied to the motor, in a case where the preset condition is satisfied computing an amount of decrease in the slope of the estimated speed of the motor while the amount of the electric current is decreased; and determining whether or not the sensorless control fails, by comparing the amount of the decrease in the slope of the speed of the motor with a preset value for confirming diagnosis of the abnormality of the sensorless control.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of diagnosing an abnormality of sensorless control of a motor for an air compressor, the method comprising:
estimating, by a controller, a speed of the motor of the air compressor in real time and beginning when the motor starts;
determining, by the controller, whether or not a preset condition for activating a function of diagnosing abnormality of sensorless control is satisfied, from a slope of the estimated speed of the motor;
performing, by the controller and in a case where the preset condition is satisfied, a control operation for decreasing an amount of electric current to be applied to the motor;
computing, by the controller and in a case where the control operation for decreasing the amount of electric current is performed, an amount of decrease in the slope of the speed of the motor, the speed being estimated in real time; and
determining, by the controller, whether or not the sensorless control fails by comparing the amount of the decrease in the slope of the speed of the motor against a preset value for confirming diagnosis of the abnormality of the sensorless control,
wherein if it is determined that the sensorless control is in a failed state, the controller further performs the steps of:
interrupting driving of the motor;
reperforming positional alignment control of the motor; and
restarting of the motor.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the preset condition for activating the function of diagnosing the abnormality of the sensorless control is set to be a condition that the slope of the estimated speed of the motor is at or above a preset reference value for diagnosing the abnormality of the sensorless control.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the determining whether or not the sensorless control fails step further comprises:
determining if the amount of the decrease in the slope of the speed of the motor is less than or equal to the preset value for confirming the diagnosis of the abnormality of the sensorless control, wherein if the speed of the motor is less than or equal to the preset value the controller determines that the sensorless control is in a failed state.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein when restarting of the motor is performed, the controller:
repeatedly performs the estimating of the speed of the motor in real time;
repeatedly performs the determining of whether or not the condition of activating the function of diagnosing the abnormality of the sensorless control in real time;
repeatedly performs the performing of the control for decreasing the amount of the electric current to be applied to the motor in real time;
repeatedly performs the computing of the amount of the decrease in the slope of the speed of the motor in real time, and
repeatedly performs the determining of whether or not the sensorless control fails; and
wherein in a case where it is determined by the controller that the sensorless control is in a normal state, a normal control of the driving of the motor is performed.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The method according to claim 3, wherein in a case where the amount of the decrease in the slope of the speed of the motor exceeds the preset value for confirming the diagnosis of the abnormality of the sensorless control, the controller determines that the sensorless control is in a normal state and performs normal control of the driving of the motor.

### Claim 6 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein if it is determined that the sensorless control is in the failed state, the controller further performs the steps of:
interrupting driving of the motor;
reperforming positional alignment control of the motor; and
restarting of the motor.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein when restarting of the motor is performed, the controller:
repeatedly performs the estimating of the speed of the motor in real time;
repeatedly performs the determining of whether or not the condition of activating the function of diagnosing the abnormality of the sensorless control in real time;
repeatedly performs the performing of the control for decreasing the amount of the electric current to be applied to the motor in real time;
repeatedly performs the computing of the amount of the decrease in the slope of the speed of the motor in real time, and
repeatedly performs the determining of whether or not the sensorless control fails; and
wherein in a case where it is determined by the controller that the sensorless control is in a normal state, a normal control of the driving of the motor is performed.

### Claim 8

The method of diagnosing an abnormality of sensorless control of a motor for an air compressor, the method comprising:
estimating, by a controller, a speed of the motor of the air compressor in real time and beginning when the motor starts;
determining, by the controller, whether or not a preset condition for activating a function of diagnosing abnormality of sensorless control is satisfied, from a slope of the estimated speed of the motor;
performing, by the controller and in a case where the preset condition is satisfied, a control operation for decreasing an amount of electric current to be applied to the motor;
wherein the performing of the control operation for decreasing the amount of the electric current to be applied to the motor step further comprises:
decreasing, by the controller, an electric-current command value by using a preset slope thereby decreasing the amount of electric current applied to the motor through an inverter based on the electric-current command value.