Motor control circuit for regulating a D.C. motor
First Claim
1. A motor control circuit for regulating the speed of a motor having a rotor, a plurality of windings located around the rotor and configured to generate a pulsed signal representative of the rotational position of the rotor, said circuit comprising:
- a tachometer for receiving the pulsed signal from the motor and producing a pulse width modulated TACHOMETER signal having an on duty cycle that is proportional to the frequency at which the pulsed signal is generated;
,a pulse width modulator for receiving the TACHOMETER signal and a USER-- SPEED signal representative of a user-selected speed, said pulse width modulator configured to generated a pulse width modulated SPEED-- CONTROLPWM signal that has an on-duty cycle proportional to the difference between an integral of the TACHOMETER signal and the USER-- SPEED signal; and
a motor driver for receiving the pulsed signal from the motor and the SPEED-- CONTROLPWM signal for producing a plurality of HIGH-- SIDE-- CONTROL signals, each HIGH-- SIDE-- CONTROL signal being asserted to cause a separate one of the motor windings to be connected to a power source, and a plurality of LOW-- SIDE-- CONTROL signals, each LOW-- SIDE-- CONTROL signal being asserted to cause a separate one of the motor windings to be connected to ground, wherein the motor driver sequentially asserts the HIGH-- SIDE-- CONTROL signals and the LOW-- SIDE-- CONTROL signals as a function of the pulsed signal and the on-duty cycle of the SPEED-- CONTROLPWM signal.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A motor control chip (62) for asserting the control signals used to regulate the energization of the windings of a DC motor. The motor control chip includes a tachometer (94) that receives pulsed signals that vary with the rotation of the motor rotor and that produces a pulse width modulated tachometer signal as a function of the motor speed. A pulse width modulator (90) receives the tachometer signal and an analog signal representative of the user-selected motor speed. Based on the received input signals, the pulse width modulator produces a variable speed control signal. A forward/reverse oscillator (92) receives user-set signals indicating if the motor should be run in the forward or reverse directions or in an oscillatory pattern. Based on the received signals, the forward/reverse oscillator asserts a forward/reverse signal having an appropriate signal state or cycle. A motor decoder (98) receives the signals produced by the pulse width oscillator and the forward/reverse oscillator. The motor decoder then asserts the control signals that regulate when power switches selectively tie the motor windings to either a power source or ground.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A motor control circuit for regulating the speed of a motor having a rotor, a plurality of windings located around the rotor and configured to generate a pulsed signal representative of the rotational position of the rotor, said circuit comprising:
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a tachometer for receiving the pulsed signal from the motor and producing a pulse width modulated TACHOMETER signal having an on duty cycle that is proportional to the frequency at which the pulsed signal is generated;
,a pulse width modulator for receiving the TACHOMETER signal and a USER-- SPEED signal representative of a user-selected speed, said pulse width modulator configured to generated a pulse width modulated SPEED-- CONTROLPWM signal that has an on-duty cycle proportional to the difference between an integral of the TACHOMETER signal and the USER-- SPEED signal; and a motor driver for receiving the pulsed signal from the motor and the SPEED-- CONTROLPWM signal for producing a plurality of HIGH-- SIDE-- CONTROL signals, each HIGH-- SIDE-- CONTROL signal being asserted to cause a separate one of the motor windings to be connected to a power source, and a plurality of LOW-- SIDE-- CONTROL signals, each LOW-- SIDE-- CONTROL signal being asserted to cause a separate one of the motor windings to be connected to ground, wherein the motor driver sequentially asserts the HIGH-- SIDE-- CONTROL signals and the LOW-- SIDE-- CONTROL signals as a function of the pulsed signal and the on-duty cycle of the SPEED-- CONTROLPWM signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A direction control oscillator for generating motor control signals indicating if a motor rotor should operate in a forward state, a reverse state or oscillate between the forward and reverse states, said direction control oscillator including:
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a first logic circuit connected to receive a first user-generated direction signal indicating that the motor should operate in the forward state and a second user-generated direction signal indicating that the motor should operate in the reverse state, said first logic circuit configured to generate a MOTOR-- ENABLE signal when either the first user-generated direction signal or the second user-generated direction signal is received; a second logic circuit connected to receive the first user-generated direction signal and the second user-generated direction signal, said second logic circuit configured to generate a FORWARD/REVERSE signal wherein;
when only the first user-generated direction signal is received, a FORWARD/REVERSE state signal is generated;
when only the second user-generated signal is received, a FORWARD/REVERSE state signal is generated; and
, when both the first and second user-generated direction signals are received, the FORWARD/REVERSE signal is cyclically transitioned between the FORWARD/REVERSE state signal and the FORWARD/REVERSE state signal; anda third logic circuit connected to receive the first and second user-generated direction signals and the MOTOR-- ENABLE signal, said third logic circuit configured to selectively forward the MOTOR-- ENABLE signal or a MOTOR-- ENABLE signal, wherein, when both the first and second user-generated direction signal are received, after each state transition of the FORWARD/REVERSE signal, said third logic circuit forwards the MOTOR-- ENABLE signal for a select period of time before forwarding the MOTOR-- ENABLE signal. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A motor driver circuit for a motor having a plurality of windings and, a rotor, wherein the motor generates a plurality of pulsed signals that are representative of the rotational position of the rotor, said driver circuit including:
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a first gate array for receiving the pulsed signals from the motor, a MOTOR-- ENABLE signal indicating that the motor is to be actuated and a BRAKE-- ON signal indicating that the motor is to be braked, said first gate array configured to sequentially assert a plurality of HIGH-- DRIVER signals to cause the motor windings to be individually tied to a power supply when the MOTOR-- ENABLE signal and a BRAKE-- ON signal are received, wherein said first gate array sequentially asserts the HIGH-- DRIVER signals based on the state of the pulsed signals; a second gate array for receiving the pulsed signals from the motor, the MOTOR-- ENABLE signal and a pulse width modulated SPEED-- CONTROL signal, said second gate array configured to sequentially assert variable LOW-- DRIVER signals that have a variable on duty-cycle to tie the motor windings to ground when the MOTOR-- ENABLE signal is asserted, wherein said second gate array asserts the LOW-- DRIVER signals individually based on the state of the pulsed signals, and so that the on duty-cycle of the LOW-- DRIVER signals is a function of the duty cycle of the SPEED-- CONTROL signal. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13)
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14. An integrated circuit for regulating the operation of a motor having a variable speed rotor, a plurality of windings that are selectively tied to a power source or ground, wherein the motor generates at least one pulsed signal representative of the rotational position of the rotor, said integrated circuit comprising:
a tachometer for receiving the pulsed signal from the motor said tachometer including; a current source; a switch array for selectively tieing a first capacitor to said current source or ground, wherein said switch array is configured to tie the capacitor to the current source for a fixed period of time after each pulsed signal is received; and a first pulse generator connected to the first capacitor for producing TACHOMETERPWM pulses as a function of the voltage across the capacitor;
a pulse width modulator including;an amplifier having a first input to which integrated TACHOMETERPWM pulses are applied, a second input to which an analog, user-set USER-- SPEED signal is applied, said amplifier producing a SPEED-- CONTROL signal as a function of the difference between the USER-- SPEED signal and the integrated TACHOMETERPWM pulses; and a second pulse generator connected to the amplifier for receiving the SPEED-- CONTROL signal, said second pulse generator configured to produce a pulsed SPEED-- CONTROLPWM signal, wherein the SPEED-- CONTROLPWM signal has an on duty-cycle proportional to the magnitude of the SPEED-- CONTROL signal; and a motor driver responsive to the SPEED-- CONTROLPWM signal and the pulsed signal from the motor for sequentially asserting HIGH-- SIDE-- CONTROL signals to tie the windings of the motor to a power source and variable on duty-cycle LOW-- SIDE-- CONTROL signals to tie the windings of the motor to ground, wherein, said motor driver sequentially asserts the HIGH-- SIDE-- CONTROL and the LOW-- SIDE-- CONTROL signals as a function of the pulsed signal and varies the on duty-cycle of the LOW-- SIDE-- CONTROL signals as a function of the on duty-cycle of the SPEED-- CONTROLPWM signal. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16)
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17. An integrated circuit for regulating the operation of a motor having a rotor and a plurality of windings that are selectively tied to a power source or ground, said integrated circuit comprising:
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a pulse width modulator for receiving a signal representative of the speed of the motor rotor and an analog, user-set USER-- SPEED signal, said pulse width modulator configured to produce a pulse width modulated SPEED-- CONTROLPWM signal that has an on duty-cycle that varies as a function of the speed of the motor and the USER-- SPEED signal; a forward/reverse controller for receiving a user-set forward signal when the motor is to be run in a forward direction and a user-set reverse signal when the motor is to be run in a reverse direction, wherein, said forward/reverse controller is configured to assert a MOTOR-- ENABLE signal when either the forward signal or the reverse signal is received and a FORWARD/REVERSE signal, the FORWARD/REVERSE signal being in a FORWARD/REVERSE signal state when the forward signal is received and in a FORWARD/REVERSE signal state when the reverse signal is received and, wherein; when both the user-set forward signal and the user-set reverse signal are received, said forward/reverse controller causes the FORWARD/REVERSE signal to cyclically transition between the FORWARD/REVERSE signal state and the FORWARD/REVERSE signal state; and said forward/reverse controller is further configured to receive a motor speed signal indicating if the motor rotor is turning and, when both the user-set forward signal and the user-set reverses signal are received, with each signal state transition of the FORWARD/REVERSE signal, said forward reverse controller asserts a MOTOR-- ENABLED signal until the rotor speed signal indicates that the motor rotor has stopped turning; and a motor driver responsive to the SPEED-- CONTROLPWM signal and a signal representative of the rotational position of the motor rotor for sequentially asserting HIGH-- SIDE-- CONTROL signals to tie the windings of the motor to a power source and LOW-- SIDE-- CONTROL signals that have a variable on duty-cycle to tie the windings of the motor to ground, wherein, said motor driver sequentially asserts the HIGH-- SIDE-- CONTROL and the LOW-- SIDE-- CONTROL signals as a function of the rotational position of the motor rotor and varies the on duty-cycle of the LOW-- SIDE-- CONTROL signals as a function of the on duty-cycle of the SPEED-- CONTROLPWM signal and wherein said motor driver receives the MOTOR-- ENABLE signal and the FORWARD/REVERSE signal and is further configured to inhibit assertion of the HIGH-- SIDE-- CONTROL signals when a MOTOR-- ENABLE signal is received and further regulates the sequence in which the HIGH-- SIDE-- CONTROL and the LOW-- SIDE-- CONTROL signals are asserted as a function of the state of the FORWARD/REVERSE signal. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
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20. An integrated circuit for regulating the operation of a motor having a rotor and a plurality of windings that are selectively tied to a power source or ground, said integrated circuit comprising:
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a pulse width modulator for receiving a signal representative of the speed of the motor rotor and an analog, user-set USER-- SPEED signal, said pulse width modulator configured to; produce a pulse width modulated SPEED-- CONTROLPWM signal that has a variable on duty-cycle that varies as a function of the speed of the motor and the USER-- SPEED signal; and to produce a BRAKE signal whenever the speed of the rotor is exceeding the user-set speed by a selected amount; and a motor driver responsive to the SPEED-- CONTROLPWM signal, the BRAKE signal and a signal representative of the rotational position of the motor rotor for sequentially asserting HIGH-- SIDE-- CONTROL signals to tie the windings of the motor to a power source and LOW-- SIDE-- CONTROL signals that have a variable on duty-cycle to tie the windings of the motor to ground, wherein, said motor driver sequentially asserts the HIGH-- SIDE-- CONTROL and the LOW-- SIDE-- CONTROL signals as a function of the rotational position of the motor rotor and varies the on duty-cycle of the LOW-- SIDE-- CONTROL signals as a function of the on duty-cycle of the SPEED-- CONTROLPWM signal and wherein, when said motor driver receives the BRAKE signal, said motor driver selectively asserts and negates the HIGH-- SIDE-- CONTROL and the LOW-- SIDE-- CONTROL signals to cause braking of the motor rotor. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23)
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Specification