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AssigneeContinental Automotive GmbH
InventorsAndreas Donner, Timo Gurzawski, Csaba Györi, Bogdan Sofronescu
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The invention relates to a method for operating a brushless electric motor, the windings of which are controlled by an inverter using six switches, wherein the inverter comprises three outputs, which are associated with the windings of the electric motor, and wherein a respective power semiconductor switch is arranged between the output of the inverter and the windings, and wherein a detection unit for detecting defective switches, a unit for measuring the voltage at the outputs of the inverter, and a microcontroller for controlling switches are provided. The invention further relates to a device operating a brushless electric motor. In order not to damage the power semiconductor switches, according to the invention of the inverter is switched off by the microcontroller after a defective switch has been detected, such that no additional power is introduced in the windings (U, V, W) of the electric motor and the power semiconductor switches are opened in a predetermined motor angle position (φU, φv, φw). For said purpose, the motor angle positions (φu, φv, φw) are associated with a respective winding (U, V, W) and the power semiconductor switches thereof and are selected such that the associated power semiconductor switches are not damaged during opening.
A method for operating a brushless electric motor with an AC converter comprising three outputs allocated to the windings (U, V, W) of the electric motor, a respective power semiconductor switch arranged between each output of the AC converter and windings (U, V, W) of the brushless electric motor, a plurality of supply voltage switches, a detection unit, a measuring unit and a microcontroller, the method comprising:
A device for operating a brushless electric motor, the device comprising:
A device for operating a brushless electric motor the windings (U, V, W) of which are controlled by an AC converter with the aid of six switches, wherein the AC converter comprises three outputs that are allocated to the windings (U, V, W) of the electric motor and wherein a power semiconductor switch is arranged in each case between the outputs of the AC converter and the windings (U, V, W) and wherein a detection unit for detecting defective switches, a unit for measuring the voltage at the outputs of the AC converter and a microcontroller for controlling the switches and the power semiconductor switches is provided, wherein the microcontroller is designed so as to switch off the AC converter after the detection of a defective switch by the microcontroller in such a manner that power is no longer introduced into the windings (U, V, W) of the electric motor and the microcontroller is further designed so as to open the power semiconductor switches in succession in a previously defined motor position angle (φU, φV, φW), wherein current comparators are provided, which current comparators monitor a voltage drop across the power semiconductor switches, and the microcontroller determines the motor position angles (φU, φV, φW ) with the aid of this information.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.