Motor control circuit for mirror device

• US 6,900,605 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2003
• Issued: 05/31/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai RIKA Denki Seisakusho
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai RIKA Denki Seisakusho
• Inventors: Nakaho, Junichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Masih, Karen
• Application Number:
  US10/648,809
• Publication Number:
  US 20040095088A1
• Time in Patent Office: 643 Days
• Field of Search: 363/132, 318/280, 318/445, 318/434, 318/504
• US Class Current: 318/280
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/07 by electrically powered actuators

Abstract

The present invention provides a mirror device motor control circuit that can reliably stop a mirror at predetermined positions with a simple configuration. In the control circuit of the invention, part of a lock current flowing to the motor flows to a base terminal of a transistor. Thus, as long as a voltage corresponding to the lock current is equal to or greater than a specific value, this voltage is applied to the base terminal of the transistor, whereby between a collector terminal and an emitter terminal becomes conductive, and the current flowing to a gate of a MOSFET is grounded via the collector terminal and the emitter terminal of the transistor. For this reason, when the lock current flows, conduction between a drain terminal and a base terminal of the MOSFET is released and a drive current of the motor is cut off.

Claims

1. A control circuit that is used in a mirror device, where the position of a mirror attached to a vehicle is changed in a predetermined direction by the driving force of a motor, and controls electrical power supplied to the motor, the control circuit comprising:

a drive current controlling transistor where, when a first terminal is connected to a power source, a second terminal is connected to the motor and a voltage equal to or greater than a predetermined value is applied to a third terminal that is different from both the first and second terminals, a current flows from the first terminal to the second terminal and application of the voltage is released, whereby the current is blocked; and

a switching transistor where a fourth terminal is connected between the power source and the third terminal, a fifth terminal is grounded, and which includes a sixth terminal connected to the motor at an opposite side from the second terminal, and a voltage equal to or greater than a specific value corresponding to a lock current flowing through the motor is applied to the sixth terminal, whereby the fourth terminal and the fifth terminal are switched to a conductive state and the voltage applied to the third terminal is made less than the predetermined value.

2. The control circuit of claim 1, wherein the drive current controlling transistor is a field-effect transistor.

3. The control circuit of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is symmetrically configured via the motor.

4. The control circuit of claim 1, further comprising a waveform conversion component that converts the waveform of the voltage applied to the sixth terminal, lowers a maximum value of an output voltage lower than a maximum value of a substantially pulse-like voltage equal to or greater than the inputted specific value, and inputs the maximum value to the sixth terminal.

5. The control circuit of claim 4, wherein the waveform conversion component is configured by a capacitor and a resistor.

6. The control circuit of claim 1, further comprising a compensation component that lowers, in accompaniment with the elapse of time, the voltage equal to or greater than the predetermined value on the basis of a current corresponding to the pulse-like voltage in a state where the pulse-like voltage equal to or greater than the specific value is applied to the sixth terminal.

7. The control circuit of claim 6, wherein the compensation component is configured by a resistor and a capacitor.

8. The control circuit of claim 1, further comprising a bypass component where a voltage corresponding to the pulse-like current equal to or greater than the specific value is lowered in accompaniment with the elapse of time and applied, is switched to an ON state and grounds the pulse-like current proceeding to the third terminal before transmitting the pulse-like current to the third terminal.

9. The control circuit of claim 8, wherein the bypass component is configured by a transistor, a resistor and a capacitor.

10. The control circuit of claim 1, further comprising a storage element, wherein the storage element stores a charge due to the current flowing to the third terminal and reduces the current flowing to the third terminal in accordance with the amount of the stored charge.

11. The control circuit of claim 10, wherein the storage element is a capacitor.