Motor controller with integrated serial interface having selectable synchronization and communications

• US 8,072,174 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2008
• Issued: 12/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Campbell, Alan J., Stuedemann, John Howard
• Primary Examiner(s): Ip, Paul
• Application Number:
  US12/272,658
• Publication Number:
  US 20100123424A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,114 Days
• Field of Search: 318/600, 318/625, 318/560, 318/569, 318/34, 318/111, 318/85, 700/72, 700/95
• US Class Current: 318/600
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0421 Multiprocessor system
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 29/045 whereby the speed is regulated by measuring the motor speed and comparing it with a given physical value

Abstract

In one embodiment, a motor drive is provided that includes a control board and a plurality of option boards configured to communicate with the control board via one or more serial interfaces, wherein the one or more serial interfaces are configured to transfer one or more synchronized signals from each option board. A method of operating a motor drive that includes transferring data between a control board and a plurality of option boards over one or more serial interfaces, wherein the transfer of data from each option board is synchronized with the plurality of option boards. A tangible machine-readable medium implementing the method is also provided.

Claims

1. A motor drive, comprising:

a control circuit configured to control operation of a single electric motor;

a plurality of functional circuits supported separately from the control circuit and from one another; and

a plurality of dedicated serial interfaces, a dedicated serial interface coupled between the control circuit and each respective functional circuit for synchronous communication of data from the functional circuits to the control circuit.

2. The motor drive of claim 1, wherein the dedicated serial interfaces comprise dual channel full duplex serial interfaces.

3. The motor drive of claim 1, comprising a backplane, wherein the dedicated serial interfaces are disposed in or on the backplane and the functional circuits are coupled to the backplane via slot interfaces.

4. The motor drive of claim 1, wherein the slot interfaces comprise a PCI-E style connector interface.

5. The motor drive of claim 1, wherein the control circuit comprises a processor and a field programmable gate array, and wherein the dedicated serial interfaces provide data to the field programmable gate array.

6. The motor drive of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is configured to generate periodic interrupts for coordinating transfer of data from the functional circuits to the control circuit via the dedicated serial interfaces.

7. The motor drive of claim 6, wherein the control circuit is configured to generate interrupts having two different periodicities for coordinating transfer of data from the functional circuits to the control circuit via two different channels of each dedicated serial interface.

8. The motor drive of claim 7, wherein a first set of interrupts has a periodicity more frequent than a second set of interrupts, and wherein the first set of interrupts prompts transfer of data required for commutation of power to a motor.

9. The motor drive of claim 1, comprising power electronic circuitry coupled to the control circuit, and wherein the control circuit is configured to apply control signals to the power electronic circuitry based upon data received from the functional circuits via the dedicated serial interfaces.

10. A motor drive, comprising:

a control circuit configured to control operation of a single electric motor;

a driver circuit coupled to the control circuit;

power electronic switches coupled to the driver circuit and configured to generate output power for driving the motor based upon drive signals from the driver circuit;

a plurality of functional circuits supported separately from the control circuit and from one another; and

a plurality of dedicated serial interfaces, a dedicated serial interface coupled between the control circuit and each respective functional circuit for synchronous communication of data from the functional circuits to the control circuit;

wherein the control circuit is configured to generate periodic interrupts for coordinating transfer of data from the functional circuits to the control circuit via the dedicated serial interfaces, and to output control signals to the driver circuit based upon data from the functional circuits.

11. The motor drive of claim 10, wherein the control circuit is configured to generate interrupts having two different periodicities for coordinating transfer of data from the functional circuits to the control circuit via two different channels of each dedicated serial interface.

12. The motor drive of claim 11, wherein a first set of interrupts has a periodicity more frequent than a second set of interrupts, and wherein the first set of interrupts prompts transfer of data required for commutation of power to a motor via the power electronic switches.

13. The motor drive of claim 10, wherein the dedicated serial interfaces comprise dual channel full duplex serial interfaces.

14. The motor drive of claim 10, comprising a backplane, wherein the dedicated serial interfaces are disposed in or on the backplane and the functional circuits are coupled to the backplane via slot interfaces.

15. The motor drive of claim 10, wherein the slot interfaces comprise a PCI-E style connector interface.

16. The motor drive of claim 10, wherein the control circuit comprises a processor and a field programmable gate array, and wherein the dedicated serial interfaces provide data to the field programmable gate array.

17. A method for exchanging data within a motor drive, comprising:

transferring data between a control circuit and a plurality of functional circuits supported separately from the control circuit and coupled to the control circuit via a plurality of dedicated serial interfaces, a dedicated serial interface coupled between the control circuit and each respective functional circuit, the control circuit utilizing the data to control operation of a single electric motor.

18. The method of claim 17, comprising generating interrupts in the control circuit for coordinating the transfer from all of the functional circuits to the control circuit via the dedicated serial interfaces.

19. The method of claim 18, comprising generating interrupts having two different periodicities for coordinating transfer of data from the functional circuits to the control circuit via two different channels of each dedicated serial interface.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein a first set of interrupts has a periodicity more frequent than a second set of interrupts, and wherein the first set of interrupts prompts transfer of data required for commutation of power to a motor.

21. The method claim 20, comprising applying control signals from the control circuit to a driver circuit for power electronic circuitry based upon data received from the functional circuits via the dedicated serial interfaces.

22. A motor drive, comprising:

a control circuit;

a plurality of functional circuits supported separately from the control circuit and from one another; and

a plurality of dedicated serial interfaces, a dedicated serial interface coupled between the control circuit and each respective functional circuit for synchronous communication of data from the functional circuits to the control circuit;

wherein the control circuit is configured to generate interrupts having two different periodicities for coordinating transfer of data from the functional circuits to the control circuit via two different channels of each dedicated serial interface.

23. The motor drive of claim 22, wherein a first set of interrupts has a periodicity more frequent than a second set of interrupts, and wherein the first set of interrupts prompts transfer of data required for commutation of power to a motor.

24. A method for exchanging data within a motor drive, comprising:

transferring data between a control circuit and a plurality of functional circuits supported separately from the control circuit and coupled to the control circuit via a plurality of dedicated serial interfaces, a dedicated serial interface coupled between the control circuit and each respective functional circuit; and

comprising generating interrupts having two different periodicities for coordinating transfer of data from the functional circuits to the control circuit via two different channels of each dedicated serial interface.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein a first set of interrupts has a periodicity more frequent than a second set of interrupts, and wherein the first set of interrupts prompts transfer of data required for commutation of power to a motor.