Method for setting a polyphase electric stepper motor

• US 6,680,597 B1
• Filed: 03/04/2002
• Issued: 01/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Société industrielle de Sonceboz SA
• Original Assignee: Société industrielle de Sonceboz SA
• Inventors: Catellani, Didier, Prudham, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Ro, Bentsu
• Application Number:
  US10/018,880
• Time in Patent Office: 687 Days
• Field of Search: 318/9, 318/14, 318/15, 318/490, 318/626, 318/652, 318/459, 318/500, 318/685, 318/696, 388/928.1
• US Class Current: 318/696
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 18/00 Testing or calibrating apparatus or arrangements provided for in groups G01D1/00 - G01D15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 21/185 with the axis of the rotor perpendicular to the plane of the armature
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 37/14 with magnets rotating within the armatures
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 8/00 Arrangements for controlling dynamo-electric motors of the kind having motors rotating step by step vector control H02P21/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 8/08 Determining position before starting

Abstract

A method for setting an electric motor, which includes, during a non-powering sequence of at least one of the motor phases, measuring on a predetermined time window, the induced voltage (Ti) in the non-powered phase and in comparing its mean value to a threshold value (Ts) to stop powering of the motor on the current sequence if the measured mean value is less than the threshold value.

Claims

1. A method for setting an electric motor with respect to a reference position corresponding to a mechanical stop transmitted, through a gear system of a reduction gear, to an electric multi-phase motor with sequential power supply for step-by-step operation, the method comprising reading in a determined time window, during a sequence of non-feeding of at least one of the phases of the motor, a change in induced voltage Δ

Ti in a phase that is not fed and comparing said change with a standard change Δ

Ts, in order to stop feeding of said motor on the sequence in the event of an offset.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said steps of reading and comparing is applied within a framework of a slow approach of the mechanical stop at a low power-supply frequency of the motor.

3. A method for setting an electric motor with respect to a reference position corresponding to a mechanical stop transmitted through a gear system of a reduction gear and an electric multi-phase motor with sequential power supply for step-by-step operation, the method comprising measuring in a determined time window, during a sequence of non-feeding of at least one of the phases of the motor, wherein an induced voltage Ti in the phase that is not fed and comparing an average value with a threshold value Ts, in order to stop the feeding of said motor on the sequence in progress if the average measured value is lower than said threshold value.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising measuring in a determined time window, during a sequence of non-feeding of at least one phase of the motor, an induced voltage Ti in the phase that is not fed, in order to compare its average value with a threshold value Ts and reading, in that same time window, a change Δ

Ti in this induced voltage, in order to compare with a standard change Δ

Ts, in order to stop a feeding of said motor on the sequence in progress when the measured induced voltage Ti is lower than a threshold value Ts or the read change Δ

Ti is different from a standard change Δ

Ts.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein said step of measuring is applied within a framework of a quick approach of the mechanical stop at a high power supply frequency of the motor.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein said induced voltage Ti is successively monitored in each one of the phases of the motor during the sequences of non-feeding of these phases.

7. The method according to claim 3, further comprising mechanically setting the gear system with respect to a mechanical stop inside the motor in a balanced position of the rotor, in order to determine a step of the motor to which corresponds the arrival of said gear system against this mechanical stop and to monitor the induced voltage Ti and/or the change in that induced voltage Δ

Ti in the phase that is not fed of the motor at least during the sequence corresponding to that step.

8. Gear system, including a reduction gear, for implementing the method according to claim 7, comprising a rotor tooth-wheel engaging with an intermediate wheel axially mounted integral with an intermediate tooth-wheel engaging with an end wheel on which acts the mechanical stop, wherein a number of rotor teeth is chosen equal to the number of poles of the rotor magnet or to a multiple of it, wherein said intermediate wheel has a number of teeth corresponding to a multiple of the number of teeth of the intermediate tooth-wheel, while being different from a multiple of the number of teeth of the rotor tooth-wheel, wherein said end wheel has a number of teeth different from a multiple of the number of teeth of the intermediate tooth-wheel, and wherein said end wheel cooperates with the mechanical stop when, through an intermediate tooth-wheel and the intermediate wheel, the rotor is in a balanced position with respect to the feeding of one of the phases of the motor.