Motor Control Circuit, Fan Motor, Electronic Device, and Notebook Personal Computer

• US 20090102406A1
• Filed: 10/20/2008
• Published: 04/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries LLC (ON Semiconductor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Semiconductor Company Limited (ON Semiconductor Corporation), Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Noie, Joji, Yoshitomi, Tetsuya, Imai, Toshiyuki
• Granted Patent: US 7,589,485 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 318/400.380
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 6/08 Arrangements for controlling the speed or torque of a single motor H02P6/10, H02P6/28 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 6/16 Circuit arrangements for detecting position
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/10 Efficient use of energy, e.g. using compressed air or pressurized fluid as energy carrier

Abstract

A motor control circuit comprising: a rotation control circuit configured to control rotation of a motor based on a rotation control signal for controlling rotation of the motor and a rotational position detection signal from a Hall element for detecting a rotational position of the motor; a determining circuit configured to determine whether the rotation control signal has been generated for a predetermined time period; and a Hall element control circuit configured to apply a Hall element source voltage to the Hall element when the determining circuit determines that the rotation control signal has been generated for the predetermined time period, and to stop applying the Hall element source voltage to the Hall element when the determining circuit determines that the rotation control signal has not necessarily been generated for the predetermined time period.

Claims

1. A motor control circuit comprising:

a rotation control circuit configured to control rotation of a motor based on a rotation control signal for controlling rotation of the motor and a rotational position detection signal from a Hall element for detecting a rotational position of the motor;

a determining circuit configured to determine whether the rotation control signal has been generated for a predetermined time period; and

a Hall element control circuit configured to apply a Hall element source voltage to the Hall element when the determining circuit determines that the rotation control signal has been generated for the predetermined time period, and to stop applying the Hall element source voltage to the Hall element when the determining circuit determines that the rotation control signal has not necessarily been generated for the predetermined time period.

2. A motor control circuit comprising:

a rotation control circuit configured to control rotation of a motor based on a rotation control signal for controlling rotation of the motor and a rotational position detection signal from a Hall element for detecting a rotational position of the motor;

a switching element interposed between a power supply for generating a voltage corresponding to a Hall element source voltage and a power input of the Hall element;

a determining circuit configured to determine whether the rotation control signal has been generated for a predetermined time period; and

a Hall element control circuit configured to apply the Hall element source voltage to the Hall element by turning on the switching element when the determining circuit determines that the rotation control signal has been generated for the predetermined time period, and to stop applying the Hall element source voltage to the Hall element by turning off the switching element when the determining circuit determines that the rotation control signal has not necessarily been generated for the predetermined time period.

3. A fan motor comprising:

a fan;

a motor configured to drive the fan; and

a motor control circuit configured to control rotation of the motor,

the motor control circuit including;

a rotation control circuit configured to control rotation of the motor based on a rotation control signal for controlling rotation of the motor and a rotational position detection signal from a Hall element for detecting a rotational position of the motor;

a determining circuit configured to determine whether the rotation control signal has been generated for a predetermined time period; and

a Hall element control circuit configured to apply a Hall element source voltage to the Hall element when the determining circuit determines that the rotation control signal has been generated for the predetermined time period, and to stop applying the Hall element source voltage to the Hall element when the determining circuit determines that the rotation control signal has not necessarily been generated for the predetermined time period.

4. A fan motor comprising:

a fan;

a motor configured to drive the fan; and

a motor control circuit configured to control rotation of the motor,

the motor control circuit including;

a rotation control circuit configured to control rotation of the motor based on a rotation control signal for controlling rotation of the motor and a rotational position detection signal from a Hall element for detecting a rotational position of the motor;

a switching element interposed between a power supply for generating a voltage corresponding to a Hall element source voltage and a power input of the Hall element;

a determining circuit configured to determine whether the rotation control signal has been generated for a predetermined time period; and

a Hall element control circuit configured to apply the Hall element source voltage to the Hall element by turning on the switching element when the determining circuit determines that the rotation control signal has been generated for the predetermined time period, and to stop applying the Hall element source voltage to the Hall element by turning off the switching element when the determining circuit determines that the rotation control signal has not necessarily been generated for the predetermined time period.

5. Electronic device comprising:

a fan;

a motor configured to drive the fan;

a motor control circuit configured to control rotation of the motor; and

a cooled device to be cooled by the fan,

the motor control circuit including;

a rotation control circuit configured to control rotation of the motor based on a rotation control signal for controlling rotation of the motor and a rotational position detection signal from a Hall element for detecting a rotational position of the motor;

a determining circuit configured to determine whether the rotation control signal has been generated for a predetermined time period; and

a Hall element control circuit configured to apply a Hall element source voltage to the Hall element when the determining circuit determines that the rotation control signal has been generated for the predetermined time period, and to stop applying the Hall element source voltage to the Hall element when the determining circuit determines that the rotation control signal has not necessarily been generated for the predetermined time period.

6. Electronic device comprising:

a fan;

a motor configured to drive the fan;

a motor control circuit configured to control rotation of the motor; and

a cooled device to be cooled by the fan,

the motor control circuit including;

a rotation control circuit configured to control rotation of the motor based on a rotation control signal for controlling rotation of the motor and a rotational position detection signal from a Hall element for detecting a rotational position of the motor;

a switching element interposed between a power supply for generating a voltage corresponding to a Hall element source voltage and a power input of the Hall element;

a determining circuit configured to determine whether the rotation control signal has been generated for a predetermined time period; and

a Hall element control circuit configured to apply the Hall element source voltage to the Hall element by turning on the switching element when the determining circuit determines that the rotation control signal has been generated for the predetermined time period, and to stop applying the Hall element source voltage to the Hall element by turning off the switching element when the determining circuit determines that the rotation control signal has not necessarily been generated for the predetermined time period.

7. A notebook personal computer comprising:

a fan;

a motor configured to drive the fan;

a motor control circuit configured to control rotation of the motor; and

a processor configured to be cooled by the fan,

the motor control circuit including;

a rotation control circuit configured to control rotation of the motor based on a rotation control signal for controlling rotation of the motor and a rotational position detection signal from a Hall element for detecting a rotational position of the motor;

a determining circuit configured to determine whether the rotation control signal is generated for a predetermined time period; and

a Hall element control circuit configured to apply a Hall element source voltage to the Hall element when the determining circuit determines that the rotation control signal has been generated for the predetermined time period, and to stop applying the Hall element source voltage to the Hall element when the determining circuit determines that the rotation control signal has not necessarily been generated for the predetermined time period.

8. A notebook personal computer comprising:

a fan;

a motor configured to drive the fan;

a motor control circuit configured to control rotation of the motor; and

a processor configured to be cooled by the fan,

the motor control circuit including;

a rotation control circuit configured to control rotation of the motor based on a rotation control signal for controlling rotation of the motor and a rotational position detection signal from a Hall element for detecting a rotational position of the motor;

a switching element interposed between a power supply for generating a voltage corresponding to a Hall element source voltage and a power input of the Hall element;

a determining circuit configured to determine whether the rotation control signal has been generated for a predetermined time period; and

a Hall element control circuit configured to apply the Hall element source voltage to the Hall element by turning on the switching element when the determining circuit determines that the rotation control signal has been generated for the predetermined time period, and to stop applying the Hall element source voltage to the Hall element by turning off the switching element when the determining circuit determines that the rotation control signal has not necessarily been generated for the predetermined time period.