Method for monitoring the reversing process of electrically actuatable units

• US 7,122,981 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2002
• Issued: 10/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Knab, Norbert, Kahles, Patric
• Primary Examiner(s): Donovan, Lincoln
• Assistant Examiner(s): Santana, Eduardo Colon
• Application Number:
  US10/450,091
• Publication Number:
  US 20050097821A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,533 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 318/283
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 1/04 Arrangements for preventing response to transient abnormal conditions, e.g. to lightning or to short duration over voltage or oscillations; Damping the influence of dc component by short circuits in ac networks
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 3/24 responsive to undervoltage or no-voltage H02H3/207 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 7/0851 for motors actuating a movable member between two end positions, e.g. detecting an end position or obstruction by overload signal

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for monitoring and controlling reversing actions in electrically actuatable units, wherein an actuating drive unit can exert an actuating force in order to move an electrically actuatable unit, and a safety circuit automatically switches off the actuating drive unit after a jamming switch-off time that is predetermined for a movement if no movement occurs despite the triggering of the actuating drive unit. According to the invention, a triggered reversing action results in a temporary extension of the predetermined jamming switch-off time from a short jamming switch-off time t₁ that is predetermined for normal operation to a longer jamming switch-off time t₂ (2).

Claims

1. A method for monitoring and controlling reversing actions in electrically actuatable units, comprising the steps of exerting an actuating force by an actuating drive unit in order to move an electrically actuatable unit;

automatically switching off the actuating drive unit by a safety circuit after a jamming switch-off time that is predetermined for a movement has elapsed if no movement occurs despite triggering of the actuating drive unit;

providing a triggered reversing action resulting in a temporary extension of the predetermined jamming switch-off time from a short jamming switch-off time that is predetermined in a normal case to a longer switch-off time;

detecting a current position of the electrically actuatable unit by at least one position sensor; and

storing the current position of the electrically actuatable unit detected by the position sensor as a reversal position for use as a comparison value in order to determine whether a define position change has occurred since an activation of the reversing action.

2. A method as defined in claim 1;

and further comprising extending the predetermined jamming switch-off time from the short jamming switch-off time that is predetermined in a normal case to the longer jamming switch-off time only if an operating voltage required for triggering the reversing action falls below a predetermined threshold value.

3. A method as defined in claim 1;

and further comprising extending the predetermined jamming switch-off time from the short jamming switch-off time that is predetermined in a borderline case to the longer jamming switch-off time only if an operating voltage for switching the actuating drive unit with at least one relay lies in a range close to a relay pick-up voltage of the at least one relay.

4. A method as defined in claim 1;

and further comprising extending the predetermined jamming switch-off time from the short jamming switch off time that is predetermined for normal operation to the longer jamming switch-off time only if an operating voltage for switching the actuating drive unit with at least one relay is less than a relay pick-up voltage.

5. A method as defined in claim 1;

and further comprising selecting the reversing action so that it corresponds to a reversal from a closing action into an opening action.

6. A method as defined in claim 1;

and further comprising counting down the predetermined jamming switch-off time on a jamming counter.

7. A method as defined in claim 1;

and further comprising setting the predetermined jamming switch-off time to the short jamming switch-off time ir within the predetermined short jamming switch-off time that is predetermined in a normal operation or the longer jamming switch-off time the position sensor detects a movement from a reversal position in a direction sought by a reversing action.

8. A method as defined in claim 7;

and further comprising setting the predetermined jamming switch-off time to the short jamming switch-off time if the movement in the direction sought by the reversing action that the position sensor detects within the predetermined short jamming switch-off time that is predetermined in a normal operation or the longer jamming switch-off time is equal to or greater than a defined desired movement.