Method for operating a brushless motor
First Claim
1. A method for operating a brushless electric motor whose windings (U, V, W) are driven by an inverter with the aid of six switches, with an identification unit (A) being provided in order to identify defective switches, with a unit (B) being provided for voltage measurement at the outputs of the inverter, and with a microcontroller (C) being provided for controlling the switches, the method comprising the steps of:
- tracing the winding (U, V, W) which is affected by a defect (F1, F2, F3);
determining the nature of the defect (F1, F2, F3) in the switches by using respective different voltages (PWM1, PWM2) to drive those windings (V, W) which are not associated with the defective switch, while measuring a voltage on the winding (U) which is associated with the defective switch.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention relates to a method for operating a brushless electric motor whose windings are driven by an inverter with the aid of six switches, having an identification unit being provided in order to identify defective switches, a unit for voltage measurement at the outputs of the inverter, and a microcontroller for controlling the switches. Particularly in safety-relevant applications, it is important to quickly determine what characteristic the defective switch has, for example in order to continue to operate the electric motor in an emergency mode, or to switch it off immediately. The defect (F1, F2, F3) is traced and the nature of the defect (F1, F2, F3) in a switch determined by using a different voltage (PWM1, PWM2) to drive those windings (V, W) which are not associated with the defective switch, while a voltage measurement is carried out on the winding (U) associated with the defective switch.
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Citations
12 Claims
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1. A method for operating a brushless electric motor whose windings (U, V, W) are driven by an inverter with the aid of six switches, with an identification unit (A) being provided in order to identify defective switches, with a unit (B) being provided for voltage measurement at the outputs of the inverter, and with a microcontroller (C) being provided for controlling the switches, the method comprising the steps of:
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tracing the winding (U, V, W) which is affected by a defect (F1, F2, F3); determining the nature of the defect (F1, F2, F3) in the switches by using respective different voltages (PWM1, PWM2) to drive those windings (V, W) which are not associated with the defective switch, while measuring a voltage on the winding (U) which is associated with the defective switch. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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Specification