Method and apparatus for overload-free driving of an actuator
First Claim
1. A method of driving an actuator and protecting the actuator against overload, which comprises the following method steps:
- generating a drive signal for the actuator until the actuator has completely performed a requested function;
incrementing an activation counter each time an activation request signal is received;
generating a drive signal for the actuator upon receiving an activation request signal only if a counter reading of the activation counter is no more than a predetermined maximum counter reading;
decrementing the counter reading in each case if a time since a last generation of the drive signal or since a deactivation of the drive signal is no less than a given interval time, or if a time since a last decrementing of the activation counter is no less than the interval time.
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Abstract
The invention relates to a method for overload-free driving of an actuator, in which an activation counter is incremented or decremented each time an activation request signal occurs, in which, depending on each occurrence of an activation request signal, a drive signal for the actuator is generated if the counter reading of the activation counter is less than or greater than a predetermined maximum or minimum counter reading, in which the counter reading is in each case decremented or incremented if the time since the last generation of a drive signal or since the deactivation of the drive signal is greater than or equal to a predetermined or predeterminable interval time or if the time since the last decrementing of the activation counter is greater than or equal to the interval time.
18 Citations
24 Claims
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1. A method of driving an actuator and protecting the actuator against overload, which comprises the following method steps:
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generating a drive signal for the actuator until the actuator has completely performed a requested function;
incrementing an activation counter each time an activation request signal is received;
generating a drive signal for the actuator upon receiving an activation request signal only if a counter reading of the activation counter is no more than a predetermined maximum counter reading;
decrementing the counter reading in each case if a time since a last generation of the drive signal or since a deactivation of the drive signal is no less than a given interval time, or if a time since a last decrementing of the activation counter is no less than the interval time. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of driving an actuator and protecting the actuator against overload, which comprises the following method steps:
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generating a drive signal for the actuator until the actuator has completely performed a requested function;
decrementing an activation counter each time an activation request signal is received;
generating a drive signal for the actuator upon receiving an activation request signal only if a counter reading of the activation counter is no less than a predetermined minimum counter reading;
incrementing the counter reading in each case if a time since a last generation of the drive signal or since a deactivation of the drive signal is no less than a given interval time, or if a time since a last incrementing of the activation counter is no less than the interval time. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. An apparatus for driving an actuator and protecting the actuator against overload, wherein a drive signal is generated for the actuator until the actuator has completely performed a requested function, the apparatus comprising:
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an activation counter unit having an incrementing input and a decrementing input, said decrementing input receiving an activation request signal and said activation counter unit decrementing a counter reading each time upon receiving the activation request signal;
a counter/timer unit connected to said incrementing input of said activation counter unit, said counter/timer unit outputting a substantially periodic output signal to said incrementing input of said counter unit during pauses of the activation request signal or of the drive signal, the output signal of said counter/timer unit having a given period duration;
an evaluation and control unit connected to said activation counter unit, said evaluation and control unit having a drive output connected to the actuator and an input connected to receive the activation request signal;
said evaluation and control unit, when an activation request signal is present, generating a drive signal for the actuator only when the counter reading of said activation counter unit is no less than a maximum counter reading.
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19. An apparatus for driving an actuator and protecting the actuator against overload, wherein a drive signal is generated for the actuator until the actuator has completely performed a requested function, the apparatus comprising:
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an activation counter unit having an incrementing input and a decrementing input, said incrementing input receiving an activation request signal and said activation counter unit incrementing a counter reading each time upon receiving the activation request signal;
a counter/timer unit connected to said decrementing input of said activation counter unit, said counter/timer unit outputting a substantially periodic output signal to said decrementing input of said counter unit during pauses of the activation request signal or of the drive signal, the output signal of said counter/timer unit having a given period duration;
an evaluation and control unit connected to said activation counter unit, said evaluation and control unit having a drive output connected to the actuator and an input connected to receive the activation request signal;
said evaluation and control unit, when an activation request signal is present, generating a drive signal for the actuator only when the counter reading of said activation counter unit is no more than a maximum counter reading. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
generating a drive signal for the actuator until the actuator has completely performed a requested function, and thereby, incrementing an activation counter each time an activation request signal is received;
generating a drive signal for the actuator upon receiving an activation request signal only if a counter reading of the activation counter is no more than a predetermined maximum counter reading;
decrementing the counter reading in each case if a time since a last generation of the drive signal or since a deactivation of the drive signal is no less than a given interval time, or if a time since a last decrementing of the activation counter is no less than the interval time.
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21. The apparatus according to claim 20, which further comprises a computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium containing the program code.
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22. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said counter/timer unit comprises a counter, and a counter reading of said counter is set to a predetermined or predeterminable counter reading each time the activation request signal is present.
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23. The apparatus according to claim 21 implemented as a microprocessor circuit and a program simulating at least one of said activation counter unit and said timer/counter unit, and programmed to execute the following program code steps:
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generating a drive signal for the actuator until the actuator has completely performed a requested function, and thereby, decrementing an activation counter each time an activation request signal is received;
generating a drive signal for the actuator upon receiving an activation request signal only if a counter reading of the activation counter is no less than a predetermined minimum counter reading;
incrementing the counter reading in each case if a time since a last generation of the drive signal or since a deactivation of the drive signal is no less than a given interval time, or if a time since a last incrementing of the activation counter is no less than the interval time.
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24. The apparatus according to claim 23, which further comprises a computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium containing the program code.
Specification