Motor drive circuit, fan motor, electronic device, and notebook personal computer

• US 7,839,104 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2008
• Issued: 11/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries LLC (ON Semiconductor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Semiconductor Company Limited (ON Semiconductor Corporation), Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Imai, Toshiyuki, Yoshitomi, Tetsuya, Noie, Joji
• Primary Examiner(s): Ro; Bentsu
• Application Number:
  US12/252,289
• Publication Number:
  US 20090167219A1
• Time in Patent Office: 769 Days
• Field of Search: 318/430, 318/431, 318/268, 318/272, 318/293, 318/479, 318/504, 318/400.11, 318/400.21
• US Class Current: 318/268
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 6/22 in a selected direction of rotation

Abstract

A motor drive circuit includes: a pulse generation circuit configured to generate a pulse signal whose duty ratio of one logic level is increased as a drive voltage is increased in accordance with a target rotation speed of a motor; and a drive control circuit that configured to drive the motor with the drive voltage using a duty ratio higher than the duty ratio of the pulse signal when the motor starts rotating from the stopped state, and configured to drive the motor with the drive voltage during a period when the pulse signal is at the one logic level after the motor starts rotating, based on a rotation signal corresponding to the rotation of the motor.

Claims

1. A motor drive circuit comprising:

a pulse generation circuit that receives a variable drive voltage and generates a pulse width modulation signal having a first duty ratio, wherein the first duty ratio is increased as the drive voltage is increased; and

a drive control circuit configured

to supply to a motor coil a drive current at a second duty ratio higher than the first duty ratio when a rotation detection signal indicates the motor is starting from a stopped state, and

to supply to the motor coil the drive current according to the drive voltage modulated by the pulse width modulation signal when the rotation detection signal indicates the motor has started rotating.

2. The motor drive circuit of claim 1, wherein the drive control circuit includes:

a rotation detection circuit configured to output the rotation detection signal.

3. The motor drive circuit of claim 2, wherein the second duty ratio is 100%.

4. The motor drive circuit of claim 2, wherein

the rotation detection circuit indicates the motor has started rotating after the motor rotates a predetermined number of revolutions from the stopped state.

5. The motor drive circuit of claim 4, wherein

the rotation detection circuit comprises a counter to count a number of revolutions of the motor based on a signal indicating a motor rotational position,

the counter is reset when the motor is in the stopped state, and

the rotation detection signal is output when a count value of the counter is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

6. The motor drive circuit of claim 5, wherein

the rotation detection circuit further comprises:

a comparator to convert a sinusoidal signal indicating a motor rotational position into a square wave signal, and

an edge detector to output clock pulses corresponding to rising and falling edges of the square wave signal,

wherein the counter counts the clock pulses.

7. The motor drive circuit of claim 1, wherein the second duty ratio is 100%.

8. A fan motor comprising:

a fan;

a motor configured to drive the fan; and

a motor drive circuit configured to drive the motor,

the motor drive circuit including;

a pulse generation circuit that receives a variable drive voltage and generates a pulse width modulation signal having a first duty ratio, wherein the first duty ratio is increased as the drive voltage is increased; and

a drive control circuit configured

to supply to a motor coil a drive current at a second duty ratio higher than the first duty ratio when a rotation detection signal indicates the motor is starting from a stopped state, and

to supply to the motor coil the drive current according to the drive voltage modulated by the pulse width modulation signal when the rotation detection signal indicates the motor has started rotating.

9. An electronic device comprising:

a fan;

a motor configured to drive the fan;

a motor drive circuit configured to drive the motor; and

an apparatus to be cooled by the fan,

the motor drive circuit including;

a pulse generation circuit that receives a variable drive voltage and generates a pulse width modulation signal having a first duty ratio, wherein the first duty ratio is increased as the drive voltage is increased; and

a drive control circuit configured

to supply to a motor coil a drive current at a second duty ratio higher than the first duty ratio when a rotation detection signal indicates the motor is starting from a stopped state, and

to supply to the motor coil the drive current according to the drive voltage modulated by the pulse width modulation signal when the rotation detection signal indicates the motor has started rotating.

10. A notebook personal computer comprising:

a fan;

a motor configured to drive the fan;

a motor drive circuit configured to drive the motor; and

a processor to be cooled by the fan,

the motor drive circuit including;

a pulse generation circuit that receives a variable drive voltage and generates a pulse width modulation signal having a first duty ratio, wherein the first duty ratio is increased as the drive voltage is increased; and

a drive control circuit configured

to supply to a motor coil a drive current at a second duty ratio higher than the first duty ratio when a rotation detection signal indicates the motor is starting from a stopped state, and

to supply to the motor coil the drive current according to the drive voltage modulated by the pulse width modulation signal when the rotation detection signal indicates the motor has started rotating.

11. A motor drive circuit that receives a variable drive voltage, comprising:

a pulse generation circuit to generate a pulse width modulation signal whose duty ratio is increased as the drive voltage is increased;

a rotation detection circuit to output a rotation detection signal indicating whether or not the motor has started rotating from a stopped state;

a logic circuit to logically sum the pulse width modulation signal and the rotation detection signal to output a drive signal; and

a control circuit to drive the motor with the drive voltage modulated by the drive signal, whereby

the control circuit drives the motor with the drive voltage at 100% duty ratio when the motor starts rotating from the stopped state, and

the control circuit drives the motor with the drive voltage at the duty ratio of the pulse width modulation signal after the motor starts rotating.

12. The motor drive circuit of claim 11, wherein

the rotation detection circuit outputs the rotation detection signal indicating the motor has started rotating from a stopped state after the motor rotates a predetermined number of revolutions from the stopped state.

13. The motor drive circuit of claim 12, wherein

the rotation detection circuit comprises a counter to count a number of revolutions of the motor based on a signal indicating a motor rotational position,

the counter is reset when the motor is in the stopped state, and

the rotation detection circuit outputs the rotation detection signal indicating the motor has started rotating from a stopped state when a count value of the counter is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

14. The motor drive circuit of claim 13, wherein

the rotation detection circuit further comprises:

a comparator to convert a sinusoidal signal indicating a motor rotational position into a square wave signal, and

an edge detector to output clock pulses corresponding to rising and falling edges of the square wave signal,

wherein the counter counts the clock pulses.

15. A motor drive circuit that receives a variable drive voltage and a rotation detection signal indicating whether or not a motor has started rotating from a stopped state, the motor drive circuit comprising:

a pulse generation circuit to generate a pulse width modulation signal whose duty ratio is increased as the drive voltage is increased;

a logic circuit to logically sum the pulse width modulation signal and the rotation detection signal to output a drive signal; and

a control circuit to drive the motor with the drive voltage modulated by the drive signal, wherein

the control circuit drives the motor with the drive voltage at 100% duty ratio when the rotation detection signal indicates the motor is starting from a stopped state, and

the control circuit drives the motor with the drive voltage at the duty ratio of the pulse width modulation signal when the rotation detection signal indicates the motor has started rotating.