Dynamic brake for power door

• US 6,175,204 B1
• Filed: 11/25/1998
• Issued: 01/16/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Westinghouse Air Brake Co (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Westinghouse Air Brake Co (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Calamatas, Philip J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sircus, Brian
• Application Number:
  US09/200,497
• Time in Patent Office: 783 Days
• Field of Search: 318/757-762, 318/375-381
• US Class Current: 318/375
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 7/04 by means of a H-bridge circuit

Abstract

The invention is a dynamic brake for a power door which is moved by an electric motor having at least two terminals. The motor is energized by a pulse width modulated door drive amplifier connected to a first power line and a second power line. The door drive amplifier has a first group of switches connecting the motor terminals to the first power line and it has a second group of switches connecting the motor terminals to the second power line. The dynamic brake has a brake control signal generator connected to receive an input signal indicative of a need to apply the dynamic brake and it has at least one output signal line connected to a control input of at least two of the switches in the first group of switches. The brake control signal generator responds to the input signal indicative of a need to apply the dynamic brake by supplying at least one control signal to the control inputs of at least two switches in the first group of switches so that the control signal(s) cause at least two switches to conduct and provide at least one dynamic brake current circuit for a braking current driven by an emf of the motor and hence dynamically braking the motor.

Claims

1. A dynamic brake for a power door which is moved by an electric motor, such motor having at least a first motor terminal and a second motor terminal, such motor being energized by a pulse width modulated H-bridge amplifier connected to a first power line having a first voltage and a second power line having a second voltage, such second voltage differing from such first voltage, such H-bridge amplifier including a first switch connecting such first motor terminal to such first power line and a second switch connecting such second motor terminal to such first power line and a third switch connecting such first motor terminal to such second power line and a fourth switch connecting such second motor terminal to such second power line, said dynamic brake comprising:

a brake control signal generator connected to receive an input signal indicative of a need to apply said dynamic brake, said brake control signal generator including at least one output signal line having a signal connection to a control input of such first switch and to a control input of such second switch, said brake control signal generator responding to such input signal indicative of a need to apply said dynamic brake by supplying at least one control signal to such control input of such first switch and to such control input of such second switch so that such at least one control signal causes such first switch to be closed and such second switch to be closed so that such motor is shorted through both such first switch and such second switch, thereby allowing a braking current through such motor driven by an emf of such motor and hence dynamically braking such motor, wherein said at least one control signal consists of pulses which are sequentially disposed in time, said pulses being pulse width modulated to limit a time averaged value of said braking current through said motor to a predetermined current value, said brake control signal generator further including means for communicating said control signals to such first switch and such second switch whenever such power door is closed so that said dynamic brake provides a force opposing opening of such power door; and

a first series RC circuit connected in parallel to said first switch and a second series RC circuit connected in parallel to said second switch to prevent voltage spikes due to interruption of said braking current.

2. A dynamic brake, according to claim 1, wherein said brake control signal generator further includes a portion of a complex programmable logical device having signals disposed therein for generating said at least one control signal in response to such signal indicative of a need to apply said dynamic brake.

3. A dynamic brake, according to claim 1, wherein said pulses close said first switch and said second switch whenever said time-averaged value of said braking current is below said predetermined current value.

4. A dynamic brake, according to claim 1, wherein such second voltage of such second power line is positive relative to such first voltage of such first power line.

5. A dynamic brake, according to claim 1, wherein such second voltage of such second power line is negative relative to such first voltage of such first power line.

6. A dynamic brake, according to claim 1, wherein such first switch and such second switch are voltage controlled and said at least one control signal is at least one voltage signal.

7. A dynamic brake, according to claim 6, wherein said at least one voltage signal consists of voltage pulses sequentially disposed in time.

8. A dynamic brake, according to claim 1, wherein such first switch and such second switch are transistors and said at least one control signal is a transistor control signal.

9. A dynamic brake, according to claim 1, wherein such first switch and such second switch are field effect transistors and said at least one control signal is at least one voltage signal.

10. A dynamic brake, according to claim 1, wherein such first switch and such second switch are metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors and said at least one control signal is at least one voltage signal.

11. A dynamic brake, according to claim 10, further including a means for obtaining a current indicating signal from a current indicating terminal on at least one of said metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors and for modulating said pulses to limit a time-averaged value of said braking current to a predetermined current value.

12. A dynamic brake for a power door which is moved by an electric motor, such motor having at least two terminals, such motor being powered by a pulse width modulated door drive amplifier having a first group of switches connecting individual ones of such at least two terminals to a first power line having a first voltage, such pulse width modulated door drive amplifier also having a second group of switches connecting individual ones of such at least two terminals to a second power line having a second voltage, such second voltage differing from such first voltage, said dynamic brake comprising:

a brake control signal generator connected to receive an input signal indicative of a need to apply said dynamic brake, said brake control signal generator having at least one output signal line having signal connection to a control input of at least two of such first group of switches to provide at least one switch control signal to close such at least two of such first group of switches to provide a dynamic brake current circuit for a braking current driven by an emf of such motor and hence dynamically braking such motor, wherein said at least one switch control signal is a pulsed width modulated signal to limit a time averaged value of said dynamic brake current to a predetermined current value;

said brake control signal generator further including means for communicating said control signals to such first switch and such second switch whenever such power door is closed so that said dynamic brake provides a force opposing opening of such power door; and

a first series RC circuit connected in parallel to said first switch and a second series RC circuit connected in parallel to said second switch to prevent voltage spikes due to interruption of said braking current.

13. A dynamic brake, according to claim 12, wherein such motor has three terminals and such first group of switches consists of three switches and such second group of switches consists of three switches.

14. A dynamic brake, according to claim 13, wherein said at least one output signal line of said brake control signal generator has signal connections to all three of said first group of switches.

15. A method of braking a power door which is moved by an electric motor driven by an H-bridge amplifier having four switches connected to said motor, said method comprising the following steps:

communicating control signals to control terminals of two of said switches having electrical connection to each other and to terminals of said motor to provide a current return path to allow a braking current through said motor driven by an emf of said motor and hence dynamically braking said motor, wherein said signals are pulse width modulated to limit a time average of said current through said motor to a predetermined current value;

supplying a series resistance-capacitance circuit in parallel with each of said two of said switches to prevent voltage spikes due to interruption of said braking current; and

communicating said control signals to said control terminals when said door is closed to prevent opening of said door.