Variable speed AC motor drive for treadmill

• US 5,650,709 A
• Filed: 03/31/1995
• Issued: 07/22/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: BowFlex, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Quinton Instrument Co. (Cardica Incorporated)
• Inventors: Pipinich, Victor, Rotunda, John T., Hass, Lester A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Martin, David S.
• Application Number:
  US08/415,236
• Time in Patent Office: 844 Days
• Field of Search: 318/5, 318/798-811, 482/54
• US Class Current: 318/802
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 22/025 electrically, e.g. D.C. motors with variable speed control
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/30 Maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/53875 with analogue control of three-phase output
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 21/00 Arrangements or methods for the control of electric machines by vector control, e.g. by control of field orientation
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 27/047 V/F converter, wherein the voltage is controlled proportionally with the frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 27/08 with pulse width modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 29/40 Regulating or controlling the amount of current drawn or delivered by the motor for controlling the mechanical load

Abstract

A variable speed AC motor control drive system for use in devices such as treadmills and including a module to sense the voltage of the line voltage provided to the system and adjusting the pulse width modulated signals provided to the AC motor in response thereto as well as providing a module for sensing the load placed on the AC motor by monitoring the bus voltage of the system and providing a signal representative of the load such that the duty cycles of the pulse width modulated signals are varied in accordance with the line voltage of the system and the load on the AC motor to maintain the desired motor speed.

Claims

1. An AC motor controller system having a sensed input line voltage and said controller system being configured for use with a treadmill having a walk belt, said controller system including:

a treadmill controller module for controlling the operational parameters of said treadmill;

said treadmill controller module including an adaptive bus scaling module therein;

a microprocessor module for receiving an input signal from said adaptive bus scaling module wherein said input signal is representative of said sensed input line voltage of said AC motor controller system;

a predriver module for receiving input from said microprocessor module and said microprocessor module providing pulse width modulated signals to said predriver module and said predriver module converts said pulse width modulated signals to high and low gate drive signals;

a current sense module for sending output signals to said predriver module and said predriver module further receiving signals from said current sense module which represent sensed current signals in at least a portion of said AC motor controller system and a driver module for receiving said high and low gate drive signals from said predriver module;

said driver module including switches therein which are switched in response to said high and low gate drive signals from said predriver module;

an AC drive motor for receiving said switched high and low gate drive signals from said driver module; and

said current sense module sensing the current of said signals between said driver module and said AC drive motor and providing a signal to said predriver module responsive to said sensed current to enable said predriver module to adjust said high and low gate drive signals in response thereto.

2. The AC motor controller system of claim 1 wherein the load on said AC drive motor is operatively monitored by said current sense module and said signal from said current sense module to said predriver module is representative of said load on said AC drive motor.

3. The AC motor controller system of claim 1 wherein the input line voltage of said controller system is operatively monitored by said adaptive bus scaling system.

4. The AC motor controller system of claim 1 wherein said input line voltage of said controller system is operatively monitored by said adaptive bus scaling system and said high and low gate drive signals provided to said AC drive motor are representative of said input line voltage sensed by said adaptive bus scaling module.

5. The AC motor controller system of claim 1 wherein the torque profile of said AC drive motor is maintained at a desired level in response to the monitored input line voltage.

6. The AC motor controller system of claim 1 wherein a constant magnetic flux density is maintained in the windings of said AC drive motor to maintain a constant speed for said AC drive motor despite variations in said input line voltage and the load placed on said AC drive motor.