Intelligent commutation pulse detection system to control electric D.C. motors used with automobile accessories
First Claim
1. A control system for use with a bidirectional motor connected to a motorized vehicle accessory to move said accessory a distance from a first position to a second position, said control system comprising:
- (a) a detector responsive to control signals emitted by said motor during rotation, said control signals indicative of an amount of rotation of said motor;
(b) a memory; and
(c) a controller responsive to said memory and said detector, and providing an output signal to said motor for operation thereof as a function of a relationship between said distance and said control signals, said controller further including;
a routine for applying an adjustment factor to said output signal to correct for inaccuracies in detection of said control signals.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A control system for use with a bidirectional motor connected to a motorized vehicle accessory to move the accessory a distance from a first position to a second position. The control system includes a detector responsive to control signals emitted from the motor during rotation, where the control signals indicate the amount of motor rotation. The control system also includes a memory that stores information used to represent the position of the accessory. Additionally, this control system includes a controller responsive to the memory and the detector. The controller provides an output signal to operate the motor based on the distance between a first position and a second position of the accessory as well as control signals that indicate the amount of motor rotation. The controller includes an adjustment routine that determines a correction factor that is applied to the output signal to compensate for inaccuracies in control signal detection.
133 Citations
29 Claims
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1. A control system for use with a bidirectional motor connected to a motorized vehicle accessory to move said accessory a distance from a first position to a second position, said control system comprising:
(a) a detector responsive to control signals emitted by said motor during rotation, said control signals indicative of an amount of rotation of said motor; (b) a memory; and (c) a controller responsive to said memory and said detector, and providing an output signal to said motor for operation thereof as a function of a relationship between said distance and said control signals, said controller further including; a routine for applying an adjustment factor to said output signal to correct for inaccuracies in detection of said control signals. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A control system for engaging a bidirectional motor to manipulate an accessory over a bidirectional travel path in a motorized vehicle, comprising:
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(a) a sensor for detecting a commutation waveform corresponding to current passing through said motor; (b) a comparator for deriving a digital pulse train from said commutation waveform; (c) a memory for receiving and storing data representative of said commutation waveform and said digital pulse train, said memory including a programmed feature; and (d) a controller responsive to said data and said feature, said controller providing an output signal to control said motor. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A control system for engaging a bidirectional motor to manipulate an accessory over a bidirectional travel path in a motorized vehicle, comprising:
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(a) a sensor for detecting a commutation waveform corresponding to current passing through said motor; (b) a detector for generating a digital pulse train from said motor, said detector including a device for sensing pole crossings located near at least one pole of said motor; (c) a memory for receiving and storing data representative of said commutation waveform and said digital pulse train, said memory including a programmed feature; and (d) a controller responsive to said data and said feature, said controller providing an output signal to control said motor. - View Dependent Claims (16)
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17. A control system for controlling a motorized vehicle accessory including at least one motor operable from a d.c. power source for adjusting said accessory, and a memory for storing a plurality of positions of said accessory, the control system comprising:
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(a) a sensor for detecting current supplied from said d.c. power source to said motor; (b) a generator for generating a signal indicative of a position of said accessory from current fluctuations in a supply line from d.c. power source to said motor during an adjustment in said position of said accessory; and (c) a controller including a first routine for monitoring said signal for conditions indicative of an obstruction in a path of said accessory based upon a rate of change of said current fluctuations relative to said position and a second routing to send an output signal to said motor to stop said accessory thereby providing an automatic safety feature. - View Dependent Claims (18)
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19. A method of controlling an accessory of a motorized vehicle including at least one motor operable from a d.c. power source for adjusting a position of said accessory, a memory for storing a plurality of positions of said accessory, and a microcomputer based electronic controller, comprising the steps of:
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(a) sensing current supplied from said d.c. power source to said motor; (b) generating a signal indicative of the position of said accessory from current fluctuations in a supply line from said d.c. power source to said motor during an adjustment in the position of said accessory; (c) measuring said signal to determine a number of commutation pulses that have been missed and a number of double pulses; and (d) compensating for said number of missing commutation pulses and said number of double pulses to store a corrected data position representing said accessory position into said memory.
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20. A method of controlling an accessory of a motorized vehicle including at least one motor operable from a d.c. power source for adjusting a position of said accessory, a memory for storing a plurality of positions of said accessory, and a microcomputer based electronic controller, comprising the steps of:
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(a) synchronously sampling current supplied from said d.c. power source to said motor to generate a signal indicative of current fluctuations during an adjustment in the position of said accessory; and (b) monitoring said signal for conditions that indicate an obstruction is in a traversal path of said accessory to stop said accessory.
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21. A system for controlling an accessory of a motorized vehicle including at least one motor operable from a d.c. power source for adjusting a position of said accessory, a memory for storing a plurality of positions of said accessory, and a microcomputer based electronic controller, comprising:
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(a) means for sensing current supplied from said d.c. power source to said motor; (b) means for generating a signal indicative of the position of said accessory from current fluctuations in a supply line from said d.c. power source to said motor during an adjustment in the position of said accessory; (c) means for measuring said signal to determine a number of commutation pulses that have been missed and a number of double pulses; and (d) means for compensating for said number of missing commutation pulses and said number of double pulses to store a corrected data position representing said accessory position into said memory.
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22. A system for controlling an accessory of a motorized vehicle including at least one motor operable from a d.c. power source for adjusting a position of said accessory, a memory for storing a plurality of positions of said accessory, and a microcomputer based electronic controller, comprising:
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(a) means for generating a signal from current fluctuations in a supply line from said d.c. power source to said motor during an adjustment in the position of said accessory; and (b) means for monitoring said signal for conditions that indicate an obstruction is in a travel path of said accessory to stop said accessory based on comparable portions of said fluctuations.
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23. A control system for use with a bidirectional motor connected to a motorized vehicle accessory to move said accessory a distance from a first position to a second position, said control system comprising:
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(a) means for detecting control signals emitted by said motor during rotation, said control signals indicative of an amount of rotation of said motor; (b) a memory including a representative control signal waveform; and (c) a controller responsive to said memory and said detecting means, and providing an output signal to said motor for operation thereof as a function of a relationship between said distance and said control signals, said controller including; (i) means for comparing said control signals detected by said detecting means to a running average of said control signals, and (ii) means for adjusting said output signal to said motor as a function of said comparison made by said comparing means.
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24. A control system for use with a bidirectional motor that generates control signals indicative of an amount of rotation of said motor, said bidirectional motor connected to a motorized vehicle accessory to move said accessory a distance from a first position to a second position, said control system comprising:
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(a) a detector responsive to said control signals; (b) a means for synchronously sampling said control signals with the generation thereof; and (c) a controller responsive to said synchronous sampling means for providing an output signal to said motor for operation thereof as a function of a relationship between said distance and said control signals. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A control system for controlling a motorized vehicle accessory including at least one motor operable from a d.c. power source for adjusting said accessory, and a memory for storing a plurality of positions of said accessory, the control system comprising:
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(a) a sensor for detecting current supplied from said d.c. power source to said motor; (b) a generator for generating a signal indicative of a position of said accessory from current fluctuations in a supply line from said d.c. power source to said motor during an adjustment in said position of said accessory; and (c) a controller for monitoring said signal for conditions indicative of an obstruction in a path of said accessory based upon a rate of change of said current fluctuations relative to said position and sending a signal to said motor to alter operation thereof upon said indication thereby providing an automatic safety feature.
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Specification