DC motor control with periodic reset
AssigneePapst-Motoren GmbH & Co. KG
InventorsHermann Rappenecker, Frank Jeske
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An electric motor (10) particularly a low-voltage collectorless dc motor, has a microprocessor (18, 40) with a reset input (24). Further, it has a device (26) which, during the running of the motor, generates signals (R) which depend upon the rotational position of the rotor (14) of the motor (30). These signals are applied to the reset input (24) and have the effect that the microprocessor is reset to predefined starting states or conditions, at times controlled by the turning of the rotor (14).
Claims16
An electric motor system, comprising
- an electronically commutated motor (30) having a rotor (14, 33) and stator winding means (31, 32);
- a motor-control microprocessor (18,40) which has a reset input (24) to which, after motor startup, a power-on reset signal can be applied;
- means (35) for generating rotor-position-dependent reset signals (R), during running of said motor, at times which are a function of rotational position of said rotor (14;
- 33), said reset signals being applied to said reset input;
- a memory element (66), whose memory state can be changed by a reset process triggered by a power-on reset signal, said microprocessor checking said state in order to discriminate between a power-on reset signal and a rotor-position-dependent reset signal resulting from rotation of said rotor, and
- means, in said microprocessor, responsive to application of said rotor-position-dependent reset signal (R) to said reset input (24), for resetting said microprocessor to certain predefined initial states.
A method of operating an electronically-commutated motor having a rotor (14;
- 33), and a motor-control microprocessor (18) having a reset input,
- comprising the steps of:
- using a microprocessor to discriminate among a power-on reset signal applied to said reset input and a rotor-position-dependent reset signal (R) applied to said reset input, by
- using said power-on reset signal to change a memory state of a memory element (66) associated with said motor, in such a way that this changed state permits discriminating subsequent reset signals as rotor-position-dependent reset signals (R);
- sampling the memory state of said memory element (66) using said microprocessor (18) upon occurrence of each reset signal (S70;
- S102);
- and
- depending upon said memory. state, discriminating a reset signal received at said reset input of said microprocessor (18) as either a power-on reset signal or a rotor-position-dependent reset signal and
- depending upon results of said discriminating step, carrying out, in said microprocessor, one of a plurality of different processes (S72, S84;
- S104, S128).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.