Method for operating an electronically commutated (EC) motor

• US 7,095,194 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2005
• Issued: 08/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co.KG (INA-Holding Schaeffler GmbH & Co. KG)
• Original Assignee: LuK Lamellen und Kupplungsbau Beteiligungs KG
• Inventors: Berger, Reinhard, Kro, Sven-Jostein
• Primary Examiner(s): IP, SHIK LUEN PAUL
• Application Number:
  US11/177,667
• Publication Number:
  US 20060006822A1
• Time in Patent Office: 410 Days
• Field of Search: 318/245, 318/254, 318/138, 318/139, 318/439, 318/803, 318/599, 318/811, 388/804, 361 23- 32
• US Class Current: 318/400.38
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/145 influenced by the relative movement between the Hall device and magnetic fields see G01R33/06
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/24461 by redundancy or plausibility
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/24476 Signal processing G01D5/2448 - G01D5/24495 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/2492 Pulse stream
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 6/17 and for generating speed information

Abstract

In a method for operating an electronically commutated (EC) motor that has a primary part having a coil and a secondary part having magnet segments, a measuring sequence is determined that has a plurality of measured value combinations, which are a function of the relative position between secondary part and primary part and each of which includes a number of measured values that corresponds to the number of magnetic fields sensors that are used for the determination. The coil is supplied with power as a function of the measured value combinations. The absolute position of the secondary part is determined by positioning of the secondary part at a reference position and by an absolute position value being tracked at each change of the measured value combination starting from a reference position value. For a relative movement between the secondary part and the primary part oriented in a prescribed direction, a reference sequence is determined and stored in memory that comprises a plurality of setpoint value combinations to be cycled through in succession and has a number of setpoint values corresponding to the number of magnetic field sensors. Based on the reference sequence of the measured value combination that occurred at the reference position and the number of changes in the measured value combination that occurred, the setpoint value combination is determined and compared to the measured value combination determined for the relevant absolute position value. When a deviation occurs, a fault condition is detected.

Claims

1. A method for operating an EC motor (2) which has a primary part having a coil and a secondary part having magnet segments that are magnetized in directions opposite one another, a measuring sequence being determined that has a plurality of measured value combinations that are a function of the relative position between secondary part and primary part and each include a number of measured values that correspond to the number of magnetic fields sensors (H1, H2, H3) used for the determination that are mounted on the primary part and cooperate with the magnet segments, and the coil being supplied current as a function of the measured value combinations in such a manner that the secondary part moves relative to the primary part, the absolute position of the secondary part relative to the primary part being determined via positioning of the secondary part at a reference position, and an absolute value being tracked, starting from a reference position value, at each change of the measured value combination, wherein a reference sequence—

which comprises a plurality of setpoint value combinations to be cycled through in succession, each of which has a number of setpoint values corresponding to the number of magnetic field sensors (H1, H2, H3)—

is determined and stored in memory, the setpoint value combination assigned to the absolute position value is determined based on the reference sequence of the measured value combination occurring at the reference position and the number of changes in the measured value combination that have occurred since the determined reference position was reached, this setpoint value combination is compared to the measured value combination determined for the relevant absolute position value, and a fault condition is detected when a deviation occurs between the setpoint value combination and the measured value combination.

2. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the absolute position value during each change in the measured value combination is increased by 1 when there is a forward movement of the secondary part and/or decreased by 1 when there is a reverse movement, an index is determined from the absolute position value and the number of stored setpoint value combinations with the aid of a modulo operation and the setpoint value combination assigned to the absolute position value is determined using the index and the measured value combination that occurs at the reference position.

3. The method as described in claim 1, wherein, after detection of the fault condition, the reference position is run against anew and the absolute position value at the reference position is set to the reference position value.

4. The method as described in claim 1, wherein, after detection of the fault condition, at least one first magnetic field sensor (H1, H2, H3) is determined whose measured values deviate from the corresponding reference values of the reference value combination, and in the event that the measured values of at least one second magnetic field sensor (H1, H2, H3) match the setpoint values assigned to it of the setpoint value combination, the absolute position value is tracked when a change occurs in the measured values of the at least one second magnetic field sensor (H1, H2, H3) taking into consideration the failure of the measured values of the at least one first magnetic field sensor (H1, H2, H3).

5. The method as described in claim 1, wherein, after detection of the fault condition, the number of magnetic field sensors (H1, H2, H3) is determined whose measured value(s) deviate(s) from the corresponding setpoint values of the setpoint value combination, and in the event that this number exceeds a prescribed value, the coil of the EC motor (2) is activated to produce a traveling magnetic field having a prescribed control pattern that is independent of the measured value combination.

6. The method as described in claim 1, wherein speed values for the relative speed between primary and secondary part are determined using the measured values of at least one magnetic field sensor (H1, H2, H3) and the time interval that these measured values have, the individual speed values are determined according to different measuring methods and the measuring methods to be used in each case are selected as a function of a speed value determined during an earlier speed value measurement.

7. The method as described in claim 6, wherein, in at least one measuring method, the speed values are determined using a fixed sampling rate from the measured values of the at least one magnetic field sensor (H1, H2, H3), the increments being counted over the sampling period and the number then being divided by the sampling period.

8. The method as described in claim 6, wherein, in at least one measuring method, the time interval is determined between at least two instants at which a change of the measured value combinations occurs in the measuring sequence, the distance the secondary part was moved relative to the primary part is determined using the absolute position values assigned to these instants, a speed value for the relative speed between primary part and secondary part is determined from the time interval and the distance, and the selection of the instants was preferably determined as a function of a speed value that was determined at an earlier speed measurement.

9. The method as described in claim 8, wherein the selection of the instants on which the determination of speed values is based is determined as a function of the sizes of the position tolerances of the magnet segments, the tolerances in the dimensions and/or in the magnetization of the magnet segments.

10. The method as described in claim 8, wherein, at a speed that falls below a prescribed limit value, the time interval is determined between changes of measured value combinations coming one right after the other, and, at a speed that is greater than or equal to the prescribed limit, the time interval is determined between changes of measured value combinations that are spaced apart in the measuring sequence.

11. The method as described in claim 8, wherein the instants are selected in such a manner that they are within flanks of the measuring signal of at least one magnetic field sensor (H1, H2, H3) that follow each other in direct succession, are rising, falling and/or oriented in opposite directions from one another.