Power Supply Device For an Electric Motor Method For Operation of an Electric Motor

• US 20080169776A1
• Filed: 12/15/2005
• Published: 07/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co.KG (INA-Holding Schaeffler GmbH & Co. KG)
• Original Assignee: Schaeffler KG (INA-Holding Schaeffler GmbH & Co. KG)
• Inventors: Acker, Christian
• Granted Patent: US 7,781,992 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 318/139
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 3/24 by applying dc to the motor

Abstract

A power supply device for an electric motor, operated either in a normal operating mode and/or an emergency operating mode, in particular, for an actuator in a motor vehicle and a method for operation of an electric motor in a normal operating mode and/or an emergency operating mode, in particular, for an actuator in a motor vehicle. The electric motor is powered by AC in the normal operating mode and by DC in the emergency operating mode, in particular, in a fault situation.

Claims

1. Power-supply device for an electric motor that can be operated in a normal operating mode and/or in an emergency operating mode, for an actuator in a motor vehicle, comprising:

a power-supply unit, which supplies the electric motor with three-phase current in the normal operating mode, and

an emergency operation power-supply unit, which supplies the electric motor with direct current in the emergency operating mode.

2. Device according to claim 1, wherein the power-supply unit provides a stator of the electric motor with three-phase current in the normal operating mode and the emergency operation power-supply unit supplies at least two or three phases of the stator with direct current in the emergency operating mode.

3. Device according to claim 1, wherein the stator is supplied with direct current in the emergency operating mode and forms a non-rotating and/or stationary magnetic field in the emergency operating mode.

4. Device according to claim 1, wherein a braking moment, which brakes a rotor of the electric motor or holds it in a given position, is generated by a non-rotating and stationary magnetic field and/or the electric motor is braked independent of rotational speed and/or up to a standstill.

5. Device according to claim 1, wherein upon braking the electric motor, a motor vehicle actuator is moved into a safe position, an emergency operation position or a fail-safe position.

6. Device according to claim 5, wherein the motor vehicle actuator is held in the safe position by a non-rotating and/or stationary magnetic field and/or by a braking moment.

7. Device according to claim 1, wherein the electric motor is switchable to a short circuited condition in the emergency operating mode.

8. Device according to claim 1, wherein the emergency operation power-supply unit has an adjustment unit, with which the direct current and/or a braking moment, with which the electric motor can be braked, and/or a movement speed can be set when moving the motor vehicle actuator into a safe position.

9. Device according to claim 8, wherein the adjustment unit has at least one relay and/or one or more limiting resistors.

10. Device according to claim 8, wherein the adjustment unit has at least one transistor or controllable transistors.

11. Device according to claim 10, wherein the controllable transistor or transistors is an FET or are FETs, which can also be used in a power end stage, of the electric motor and/or the motor vehicle actuator, in the normal operating mode.

12. Device according to claim 1, wherein the power-supply unit has an alternating current source or a direct current source, and a power end stage.

13. Device according to claim 1, wherein the electric motor is a three-phase current motor, which is an asynchronous motor or a synchronous motor, for a motor vehicle actuator, comprising a parallel switching transmission (PSG) or a camshaft adjuster.

14. Device according to claim 1, wherein the emergency operation power-supply unit is a direct current source.

15. Device according to claim 14, wherein the battery of the motor vehicle battery.

16. Device according to claim 1, wherein the device has a switching unit, which causes, in a given system state of an overall technical system having the electric motor, a switch over from the normal operating mode to the emergency operating mode, by short circuiting the electric motor, wherein, in particular, the overall system is brought into a safe state.

17. Device according to claim 16, wherein the device has a state monitoring device, which monitors the system states and/or recognizes a given system state.

18. Device according to claim 17, wherein the overall system is a parallel switching transmission (PSG) or a camshaft adjuster system.

19. Method for operating an electric motor in a normal operating mode and/or emergency operating mode for an actuator in a motor vehicle, comprising:

supplying the electric motor with three-phase current in the normal operating mode and

supplying the electric motor with direct current in the emergency operating mode.

20. Method according to claim 19, further comprising in the normal operating mode supplying a stator of the electric motor with direct current and in the emergency operating mode supplying at least two or three phases of the stator with direct current.

21. Method according to claim 19, wherein in the emergency operating mode the stator forms a non-rotating and/or stationary magnetic field and/or generates a braking moment and/or the electric motor is braked independent of rotational speed and/or up to a standstill.

22. Method according to claim 19, wherein when the electric motor is braked, a motor vehicle actuator approaches a safe position.

23. Method according to claim 22, further comprising holding the motor vehicle actuator in the safe position by the non-rotating and/or stationary magnetic field.

24. Method according to claim 21, further comprising short circuiting the electric motor in the emergency operating mode.

25. Method according to claim 22, wherein the direct current and/or the braking moment, with which the electric motor is braked, and/or a movement speed is set when the motor vehicle actuator moves into the safe position, such that power consumption and/or energy consumption of the electric motor is minimized and/or overheating of the electric motor is prevented.

26. Method according to claim 22, wherein for a given system state of an overall technical system with the electric motor, for an electrical camshaft adjustment switching, the electric motor from the normal operating mode into the emergency operating mode, and bringing the overall system into a safe state.

27. Method according to claim 26, further comprising monitoring the system states of the overall system and recognizing the given system state.

28. Method according to claim 19, wherein the method is used for moving a motor vehicle actuator into a safe position and/or for holding a motor vehicle actuator in a safe position, wherein in the emergency operating mode a braking moment is generated in the electric motor, through which the electric motor is braked, and when the electric motor is braked, the motor vehicle actuator is moved into the safe position or the motor vehicle actuator is held in the safe position by a braking moment in the electric motor.

29. Method according to claim 19, wherein the method is used for moving a motor vehicle actuator in a safe position and/or for holding a motor vehicle actuator in a safe position, wherein a given situation of an overall system adjustable by the motor vehicle actuator is recognized, the electric motor is switched for a recognized given situation by short circuiting from the normal operating mode into the emergency operating mode, and in the emergency operating mode a braking moment is generated in the electric motor, which brakes the electric motor up to a standstill, such that during braking the motor vehicle actuator is moved into the safe position, and/or the motor vehicle actuator is held in the safe position by a braking moment.