Single phase motor for laundering apparatus

• US 5,838,127 A
• Filed: 12/05/1996
• Issued: 11/17/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Schnore, Austars R., Szczesny, Paul M., Stephens, Charles M., Beifus, Brian L., Hollenbeck, Robert K., Jahns, Thomas M., Young, Glen C., Benedict, Eric R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ro, Bentsu
• Application Number:
  US08/760,470
• Time in Patent Office: 712 Days
• Field of Search: 318/138, 318/254, 318/293, 318/296, 318/299, 318/375, 318/379, 318/380, 318/439, 318/759, 318/800, 318/801, 318/432, 318/484, 318/119, 318/126, 318/127, 318/700, 318/721, 318/722, 318/281, 318/283, 68/12.01, 68/12.02, 68/12.16, 68/12.26
• US Class Current: 318/293
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 6/15 Controlling commutation time
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 6/24 Arrangements for stopping
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 6/26 Arrangements for controlling single phase motors

Abstract

A motor system having a stationary assembly including a winding and a rotatable assembly in magnetic coupling relation to the stationary assembly. A power supply link having upper and lower rails supplied by a power supply provides power to the motor winding. The power supply link has power switches responsive to a motor control signal for selectively connecting the rails to the winding to energize the winding with a motor current whereby an electromagnetic field is produced for rotating the rotatable assembly. The power switches include a set of upper power switches and a set of lower power switches. Each of the power switches has a conducting state and a nonconducting state. The system includes a disable circuit for selectively generating a disable signal and a control circuit for generating the motor control signal to control the power switches. The control circuit is responsive to the disable signal for controlling the power switches so that the lower power switches become conducting and the upper power switches become nonconducting, or vice-versa, thereby de-energizing the winding to disable the motor. Other features are also disclosed including circuitry for commutating the motor in advance of zero crossings of the back electromotive force, correcting asymmetries in the commutation intervals and reversing the motor.

Claims

1. A motor and control for use in a laundering apparatus, said laundering apparatus including a tub having a lid movable by a user between an open position and a closed position and including a lid switch that provides a signal representative of the position of the lid, said motor and control comprising:

a stationary assembly including a winding;

a rotatable assembly in magnetic coupling relation to the stationary assembly;

a power supply link for providing power to the winding, said power supply link having upper and lower rails supplied by a power supply and power switches responsive to a motor control signal for selectively connecting the rails to the winding to energize the winding with a motor current whereby an electromagnetic field is produced for rotating the rotatable assembly, said power switches comprising a set of upper power switches and a set of lower power switches, each of said power switches having a conducting state and a nonconducting state;

a lid detection circuit responsive to the lid position signal for generating a disable signal when the lid is in its open position; and

a control circuit for generating the motor control signal to control the power switches, said control circuit being responsive to the disable signal for controlling the power switches so that the lower power switches become conducting and the upper power switches become nonconducting, or vice-versa, thereby de-energizing the winding to disable the motor.

2. The motor and control of claim 1 wherein the lid detection circuit includes a comparator circuit for comparing a level of the lid position signal to a voltage threshold, said lid position signal level being representative of the position of the lid, and wherein the lid detection circuit is responsive to the comparator circuit for generating the disable signal when the lid position signal level is less than the voltage threshold.

3. The motor and control of claim 2 wherein the power supply supplies an ac line voltage to the power supply link, wherein the lid detection circuit includes a timer circuit for timing an interval longer than one cycle of the line voltage, and wherein the control circuit inhibits the disable signal when the lid position signal level is greater than the voltage threshold for the timed interval.

4. The motor and control of claim 1 wherein the control circuit includes a circuit for delaying the lower power switches from becoming conducting in response to the disable signal until after the upper power switches become nonconducting, and vice-versa.

5. The motor and control of claim 1 further comprising a shaft in driving relation with the rotatable assembly for driving a rotatable component of the laundering apparatus.

6. A motor and control comprising:

a stationary assembly including a winding;

a rotatable assembly in magnetic coupling relation to the stationary assembly;

a power supply link for providing power to the winding, said power supply link having upper and lower rails supplied by a power supply and power switches responsive to a motor control signal for selectively connecting the rails to the winding to energize the winding with a motor current whereby an electromagnetic field is produced for rotating the rotatable assembly, said power switches comprising a set of upper power switches and a set of lower power switches, each of said power switches having a conducting state and a nonconducting state, said power supply link including at least one rail capacitor between the upper and lower rails and a rail regulator circuit connected between the upper and lower rails for comparing a rail voltage across the rail capacitor to a voltage threshold, said rail regulator circuit being operable to limit the rail voltage by discharging the rail capacitor when the rail voltage exceeds the voltage threshold;

a disable circuit for selectively generating a disable signal, said disable circuit comprising a rail overvoltage detector circuit for comparing the rail voltage to an overvoltage reference, said rail overvoltage detector circuit providing an overvoltage signal when the rail voltage is greater than the overvoltage reference;

a delay circuit responsive to the overvoltage signal for timing a delay interval, said rail overvoltage detector circuit generating the disable signal as a function of the overvoltage signal after the delay interval is timed; and

a control circuit for generating the motor control signal to control the power switches, said control circuit being responsive to the disable signal for controlling the power switches so that the lower power switches become conducting and the upper power switches become nonconducting, or vice-versa, thereby de-energizing the winding to disable the motor.

7. The motor and control of claim 6 wherein the control circuit includes a rail regulator inhibiting circuit responsive to the disable signal for inhibiting the rail regulator circuit from operating when the winding is being de-energized for disabling the motor.

8. A motor and control comprising:

a stationary assembly including a winding;

a rotatable assembly in magnetic coupling relation to the stationary assembly;

a power supply link for providing power to the winding, said power supply link having upper and lower rails supplied by a power supply and power switches responsive to a motor control signal for selectively connecting the rails to the winding to energize the winding with a motor current whereby an electromagnetic field is produced for rotating the rotatable assembly, said power switches comprising a set of upper power switches and a set of lower power switches, each of said power switches having a conducting state and a nonconducting state;

a disable circuit for selectively generating a disable signal;

a current sensing circuit for sensing current in the power supply link;

a current regulation circuit for comparing the sensed current to a regulated current level representative of a desired speed and/or torque of the motor and providing a current regulation signal representative of the comparison, said regulated current level being a peak regulated current level in response to the disabled signal;

a control circuit for generating the motor control signal to control the power switches, said control circuit being responsive to the disable signal and the current regulation signal for controlling the power switches so that the lower power switches become conducting and the upper power switches become nonconducting, or vice-versa, thereby de-energizing the winding to disable the motor and for pulse width modulating the conducting power switches at a duty cycle which is a function of the peak regulated current level thereby regulating circulating current remaining in the motor when the winding is being de-energized for disabling the motor.

9. A motor and control comprising:

a stationary assembly including a winding;

a rotatable assembly in magnetic coupling relation to the stationary assembly;

a power supply link for providing power to the winding, said power supply link having upper and lower rails supplied by a power supply and power switches responsive to a motor control signal for selectively connecting the rails to the winding to energize the winding with a motor current whereby an electromagnetic field is produced for rotating the rotatable assembly, said power switches comprising a set of upper power switches and a set of lower power switches, one of said upper switches and one of said lower power switches being active during each commutation interval of the motor, each of said power switches having a conducting state and a nonconducting state;

a current sensing circuit for sensing current in the power supply link;

a current regulation circuit for comparing the sensed current to a regulated current level representative of a desired speed and/or torque of the motor, said current regulation circuit providing a current regulation signal representative of the comparison, said current regulation circuit including an overcurrent detector circuit for comparing the sensed current to a current threshold greater than the regulated current level, said overcurrent detector circuit providing an overcurrent signal representative of the comparison;

a disable circuit for selectively generating a disable signal; and

a control circuit for generating the motor control signal to control the power switches, said control circuit being responsive to the disable signal for controlling the power switches so that the lower power switches become conducting and the upper power switches become nonconducting, or vice-versa, thereby de-energizing the winding to disable the motor and responsive to the overcurrent signal for controlling the power switches so that either the active upper power switch or the active lower power switch is used for pulse width modulating the power provided to the winding when the sensed current is less than the current threshold and both the active upper power switch and the active lower power switch are used for pulse width modulating the power provided to the winding when the sensed current is greater than the current threshold, said control circuit being responsive to the current regulation signal for controlling the power switches to pulse width modulate the power provided to the winding at a duty cycle which is a function of the regulated current level thereby regulating the motor current in the winding to control the speed and/or torque of the motor.

10. The motor and control of claim 9 wherein the pulse width modulated power provided to the winding comprises alternating on and off intervals and wherein the control circuit includes an off timer circuit for determining the duration of the off intervals, said off timer circuit being responsive to the overcurrent signal for increasing the duration of the off intervals when the sensed current is greater than the current threshold.

11. A motor and control comprising:

a stationary assembly including a winding;

a rotatable assembly in magnetic coupling relation to the stationary assembly;

a power supply link for providing power to the winding, said power supply link having upper and lower rails supplied by a power supply and power switches responsive to a motor control signal for selectively connecting the rails to the winding to energize the winding with a motor current whereby an electromagnetic field is produced for rotating the rotatable assembly, said power switches comprising a set of upper power switches and a set of lower power switches, each of said power switches having a conducting state and a nonconducting state;

a rail voltage sensing circuit for sensing a rail voltage between the upper and lower rails of the power supply link, said rail voltage sensing circuit providing a rail voltage signal representative of the sensed rail voltage;

a rail overvoltage detector circuit for comparing the rail voltage signal to an overvoltage reference, said rail overvoltage detector circuit providing an overvoltage signal when the rail voltage signal is greater than the overvoltage reference; and

a control circuit for generating the motor control signal to control the power switches, said control circuit being responsive to the overvoltage signal for controlling the power switches so that the lower power switches become conducting and the upper power switches become nonconducting, or vice-versa, thereby de-energizing the winding to disable the motor.

12. The motor and control of claim 11 wherein the control circuit includes a delay circuit responsive to the overvoltage signal for timing a delay interval and wherein the rail overvoltage detector circuit generates the disable signal as a function of the overvoltage signal after the delay interval is timed.

13. A motor and control comprising:

a stationary assembly including a winding;

a rotatable assembly in magnetic coupling relation to the stationary assembly;

a power supply link for providing power to the winding, said sower supply link having upper and lower rails supplied by a power supply and power switches responsive to a motor control signal for selectively connecting the rails to the winding to energize the winding with a motor current whereby an electromagnetic field is produced for rotating the rotatable assembly, said power switches comprising a set of upper power switches and a set of lower power switches, each of said power switches having a conducting state and a nonconducting state;

a rail voltage sensing circuit for sensing a rail voltage between the upper and lower rails of the power supply link, said rail voltage sensing circuit providing a rail voltage signal representative of the sensed rail voltage;

a disable circuit for selectively generating a disable signal;

a rail undervoltage detector circuit for comparing the rail voltage signal to an undervoltage reference, said rail undervoltage detector circuit generating the disable signal when the rail voltage signal is less than the undervoltage reference; and

a control circuit for generating the motor control signal to control the power switches, said control circuit being responsive to the disable signal for controlling the power switches so that the lower power switches become conducting and the upper power switches become nonconducting, or vice-versa, thereby de-energizing the winding to disable the motor.

14. A motor and control comprising:

a stationary assembly including a winding;

a rotatable assembly in magnetic coupling relation to the stationary assembly;

a power supply link for providing power to the winding, said power supply link having upper and lower rails supplied by a power supply and power switches responsive to a motor control signal for selectively connecting the rails to the winding to energize the winding with a motor current whereby an electromagnetic field is produced for rotating the rotatable assembly, said power switches comprising a set of upper power switches and a set of lower power switches, each of said power switches having a conducting state and a nonconducting state;

a disable circuit for selectively generating a disable signal;

a position sensing circuit for sensing an angular position of the rotatable assembly relative to the stationary assembly, said position sensing circuit including a direct position sensor and a quadrature position sensor providing direct and quadrature position signals, respectively, approximately 90°

(electrical) out of phase with each other, said direct and quadrature position signals being representative of the sensed position of the rotatable assembly; and

a control circuit for generating the motor control signal to control the power switches, said control circuit being responsive to the position signals for generating the motor control signal as a function of the sensed position of the rotatable assembly and responsive to the disable signal for controlling the power switches so that the lower power switches become conducting and the upper power switches become nonconducting, or vice-versa, thereby de-energizing the winding to disable the motor.

15. The motor and control of claim 14 wherein the control circuit is responsive to a reverse direction command for changing operation of the motor from a forward mode to a reversing mode, said forward mode being defined by commutation of the winding generally in phase with the direct position signal and said reversing mode being defined by commutation of the winding generally in phase with the quadrature position signal.

16. The motor and control of claim 15 wherein the control circuit includes a speed detector for detecting motor speed and wherein the control circuit is responsive to the reverse direction command for controlling the power switches to turn off the motor current and then to initiate the reversing mode when the detected motor speed falls below a speed threshold.

17. The motor and control of claim 15 wherein the control circuit includes a processor receiving and responsive to the direct and quadrature position signals for detecting transitions in the direct and quadrature position signals, said transitions being indicative of a direction in which the rotatable assembly is rotating.

18. The motor and control of claim 17 wherein the motor operating in the reversing mode produces torque in a forward direction for one portion of a commutation interval and produces torque in a reverse direction for another portion of the commutation interval, said commutation interval in the reversing mode being defined from one transition of the quadrature position signal to a next transition of the quadrature position signal, and wherein the control circuit controls the power switches in the reversing mode to modulate the motor current so that the forward direction torque is less than the reverse direction torque until the rotatable assembly reverses direction.

19. The motor and control of claim 18 wherein the control circuit is responsive to the rotatable assembly reversing direction for returning operation of the motor from the reversing mode to the forward mode.

20. The motor and control of claim 18 wherein the motor current when the motor is producing the forward direction torque is approximately half of the motor current when the motor is producing the reverse direction torque.

21. A motor and control comprising:

a stationary assembly including a winding;

a rotatable assembly in magnetic coupling relation to the stationary assembly;

a power supply link for providing power to the winding, said power supply link having upper and lower rails supplied by a power supply and power switches responsive to a motor control signal for selectively connecting the rails to the winding to energize the winding with a motor current whereby an electromagnetic field is produced for rotating the rotatable assembly, said power switches comprising a set of upper power switches and a set of lower power switches, each of said power switches having a conducting state and a nonconducting state;

a disable circuit for selectively generating a disable signal;

a position sensing circuit for sensing an angular position of the rotatable assembly relative to the stationary assembly, said position sensing circuit providing a position signal representative of the sensed position; and

a control circuit for generating the motor control signal to control the power switches, said control circuit being responsive to the disable signal for controlling the power switches so that the lower power switches become conducting and the upper power switches become nonconducting, or vice-versa, thereby de-energizing the winding to disable the motor, and said control circuit including a processor responsive to the position signal for detecting zero crossings of back electromotive force (EMF) of the winding as a function of the sensed position of the rotatable assembly and for estimating subsequent zero crossings of the back EMF as a function of the detected zero crossings, said control circuit generating the motor control signal for controlling the power switches to cause commutation instances to occur after the detected zero crossings as a function of a delay interval T_d defined in microseconds by;

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">T.sub.d =COMPER-ADV

where;

COMPER is an elapsed time between two previous commutation instances in microseconds; and

ADV is an advance interval which is a function of a desired speed and/or torque of the motor.

22. The motor and control of claim 21 wherein the advance interval ADV is defined in microseconds by:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">ADV=COMPER.sup.* IOUT/K.sub.ADV

where;

IOUT is a regulated current level representative of the desired speed and/or torque of the motor; and

K_ADV is a motor dependent constant.

23. The motor and control of claim 22 wherein the value of COMPER is limited when the back EMF of the winding is less than a rail voltage between the upper and lower rails of the power supply link to approximately the elapsed time between two previous commutation instances during which the back EMF and the rail voltage are approximately equal.

24. The motor and control of claim 21 wherein the control circuit generates the motor control signal for controlling the power switches to cause commutation instances to alternately occur after the detected zero crossings by an interval A'"'"' and an interval B'"'"'.

25. The motor and control of claim 24 wherein a commutation interval between each detected zero crossing and the next estimated zero crossing is alternately defined by (A'"'"'+A) and (B'"'"'+B) and wherein the intervals A'"'"' and B'"'"' are defined by:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">A'"'"'=T.sub.d -T.sub.ofs ;

and

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">B'"'"'=T.sub.d +T.sub.ofs

where;

T_ofs is a variable for reducing an asymmetry between adjacent commutation intervals which is defined by (A'"'"'+B)-(B'"'"'+A).

26. The motor and control of claim 25 wherein the variable T_ofs, beginning at zero, is incremented if the asymmetry between adjacent commutation intervals is positive and decremented if the asymmetry between adjacent commutation intervals is negative.

27. The motor and control of claim 25 wherein the control circuit includes a memory for storing T_ofs and wherein every N commutation intervals the processor updates the stored value of T_ofs until the asymmetry between adjacent commutation intervals is zero.

28. A motor and control comprising:

a stationary assembly including a winding;

a rotatable assembly in magnetic coupling relation to the stationary assembly;

a power supply link for providing power to the winding, said power supply link having upper and lower rails supplied by a power supply and power switches responsive to a motor control signal for selectively connecting the rails to the winding to energize the winding with a motor current whereby an electromagnetic field is produced for rotating the rotatable assembly, said power switches comprising a set of upper power switches and a set of lower power switches, each of said power switches having a conducting state and a nonconducting state;

a disable circuit for selectively generating a disable signal;

a processor for generating a steady state estimate of the motor current; and

a synchronization circuit responsive to the disable signal for causing the lower power switches to become conducting and the upper power switches to become nonconducting, or vice-versa, when the motor current approximately equals the steady state estimate so that transient currents remaining in the motor are reduced.

29. The motor and control of claim 28 wherein the steady state estimate of the motor current is defined by:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">I.sub.shrtpk =K.sub.e.sup.* 30/(V.sub.pktavg.sup.* L.sup.* p)

where;

K_e is a motor dependent constant in (peak volts)/RPM;

V_pktavg is a measured peak to average back electromotive force of the winding;

L is an inductance of the winding in Henries; and

p is a number of poles in the motor.

30. A motor and control comprising:

a stationary assembly including a winding;

a rotatable assembly in magnetic coupling relation to the stationary assembly;

a power supply link for providing power to the winding, said power supply link having upper and lower rails supplied by a power supply and power switches responsive to a motor control signal for selectively connecting the rails to the winding to energize the winding with a motor current whereby an electromagnetic field is produced for rotating the rotatable assembly;

a direct position sensor and a quadrature position sensor for sensing an angular position of the rotatable assembly relative to the stationary assembly, said direct and quadrature position sensors providing direct and quadrature position signals, respectively, approximately 90°

(electrical) out of phase with each other, said direct and quadrature position signals being representative of the sensed position of the rotatable assembly;

a control circuit for generating the motor control signal as a function of the sensed position of the rotatable assembly to control the power switches, said control circuit being responsive to a reverse direction command for changing operation of the motor from a forward mode to a reversing mode, said forward mode being defined by commutation of the winding generally in phase with the direct position signal and said reversing mode being defined by commutation of the winding generally in phase with the quadrature position signal.

31. The motor and control of claim 30 wherein the control circuit includes a speed detector for detecting motor speed and wherein the control circuit is responsive to the reverse direction command for controlling the power switches to turn off the motor current and then to initiate the reversing mode when the detected motor speed falls below a speed threshold.

32. The motor and control of claim 30 wherein the control circuit includes a processor receiving and responsive to the direct and quadrature position signals for detecting transitions in the direct and quadrature position signals, said transitions being indicative of a direction in which the rotatable assembly is rotating.

33. The motor and control of claim 32 wherein the motor operating in the reversing mode produces torque in a forward direction for one portion of a commutation interval and produces torque in a reverse direction for another portion of the commutation interval, said commutation interval in the reversing mode being defined from one transition of the quadrature position signal to a next transition of the quadrature position signal, and wherein the control circuit controls the power switches in the reversing mode to modulate the motor current so that the forward direction torque is less than the reverse direction torque until the rotatable assembly reverses direction.

34. The motor and control of claim 33 wherein the control circuit is responsive to the rotatable assembly reversing direction for returning operation of the motor from the reversing mode to the forward mode.

35. The motor and control of claim 33 wherein the motor current when the motor is producing the forward direction torque is approximately half of the motor current when the motor is producing the reverse direction torque.

36. A motor and control comprising:

a stationary assembly including a winding;

a rotatable assembly in magnetic coupling relation to the stationary assembly;

a power supply link for providing power to the winding, said power supply link having upper and lower rails supplied by a power supply and power switches responsive to a motor control signal for selectively connecting the rails to the winding to energize the winding with a motor current whereby an electromagnetic field is produced for rotating the rotatable assembly;

a position sensing circuit for sensing an angular position of the rotatable assembly relative to the stationary assembly, said position sensing circuit providing a position signal representative of the sensed position;

a control circuit responsive to the position signal for generating the motor control signal as a function of the sensed position of the rotatable assembly to control the power switches, said control circuit including a processor responsive to the position signal for estimating zero crossings of back electromotive force (EMF) of the winding as a function of the sensed position of the rotatable assembly, said control circuit generating the motor control signal for controlling the power switches to cause commutation instances to occur in advance of the estimated zero crossings by an advance interval ADV defined in microseconds by;

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">ADV=COMPER.sup.* IOUT/K.sub.ADV

where;

COMPER is an elapsed time between two previous commutation instances in microseconds;

IOUT is a regulated current level representative of a desired speed and/or torque of the motor; and

K_ADV is a motor dependent constant.

37. The motor and control of claim 36 wherein the value of COMPER is limited when the back EMF of the winding is less than a rail voltage between the upper and lower rails of the power supply link to approximately the elapsed time between two previous commutation instances during which the back EMF and the rail voltage are approximately equal.

38. A motor and control comprising:

a stationary assembly including a winding;

a rotatable assembly in magnetic coupling relation to the stationary assembly;

a power supply link for providing power to the winding, said power supply link having upper and lower rails supplied by a power supply and power switches responsive to a motor control signal for selectively connecting the rails to the winding to energize the winding with a motor current whereby an electromagnetic field is produced for rotating the rotatable assembly;

a position sensing circuit for sensing an angular position of the rotatable assembly relative to the stationary assembly, said position sensing circuit providing a position signal representative of the sensed position;

a control circuit responsive to the position signal for generating the motor control signal as a function of the sensed position of the rotatable assembly to control the power switches, said control circuit including a processor responsive to the position signal for detecting zero crossings of back electromotive force (EMF) of the winding as a function of the sensed position of the rotatable assembly and for estimating subsequent zero crossings of the back EMF as a function of the detected zero crossings, said control circuit generating the motor control signal for controlling the power switches to cause commutation instances to alternately occur after the detected zero crossings by an interval A'"'"' and an interval B'"'"' as a function of a delay interval T_d defined in microseconds by;

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">T.sub.d =COMPER-ADV

where;

COMPER is an elapsed time between two previous commutation instances in microseconds; and

ADV is an advance interval which is a function of a desired speed and/or torque of the motor.

39. The motor and control of claim 38 wherein a commutation interval between each detected zero crossing and the next estimated zero crossing is alternately defined by (A'"'"'+A) and (B'"'"'+B) and wherein the intervals A'"'"' and B'"'"' are defined by:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">A'"'"'=T.sub.d -T.sub.ofs ;

and

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">B'"'"'=T.sub.d +T.sub.ofs

where;

T_ofs is a variable for reducing an asymmetry between adjacent commutation intervals which is defined by (A'"'"'+B)-(B'"'"'+A).

40. The motor and control of claim 39 wherein the variable T_ofs, beginning at zero, is incremented if the asymmetry between adjacent commutation intervals is positive and decremented if the asymmetry between adjacent commutation intervals is negative.

41. The motor and control of claim 39 wherein the control circuit includes a memory for storing T_ofs and wherein every N commutation intervals the processor updates the stored value of T_ofs until the asymmetry between adjacent commutation intervals is zero.