Soft start circuit for a forward/reverse rotation fan

• US 8,907,607 B1
• Filed: 07/30/2013
• Issued: 12/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ADDA Public Company Limited
• Original Assignee: ADDA Public Company Limited
• Inventors: Ma, Ching-Cheng
• Primary Examiner(s): Ip, Paul
• Application Number:
  US13/953,848
• Time in Patent Office: 497 Days
• Field of Search: 318/431, 318/430, 318/400.11, 318/400.13, 318/400.14, 361/23, 417/423.7
• US Class Current: 318/431
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 27/004 by varying driving speed
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/70 Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating

Abstract

A soft start circuit for a forward/reverse rotation fan includes a forward/reverse switch unit, a soft start activation unit, a soft start control unit, a Hall IC and a driver IC, wherein the soft start activation unit comprises a first signal transmission loop and a second signal transmission loop. The soft start circuit activates the soft start control unit via a first instantaneous signal outputted by the first signal transmission loop or a second instantaneous signal outputted by the second signal transmission loop to make the soft start control unit output a control signal to a speed control terminal. When the rotating direction of fan is switched from one direction into another, the fan starts rotation in a soft start mode owing to high level of the control signal transmitted from the soft start control unit to the speed control terminal during initial rotation of the fan.

Claims

1. A soft start circuit for a forward/reverse rotation fan includes:

a forward/reverse switch unit enables to receive a high level signal or a low level signal;

a soft start activation unit having a first signal transmission loop and a second signal transmission loop, when the soft start activation unit receives the high level signal, the first signal transmission loop outputs a first instantaneous signal;

when the soft start activation unit receives the low level signal, the second signal transmission loop outputs a second instantaneous signal;

a soft start control unit, when the soft start control unit receives the first instantaneous signal or the second instantaneous signal, the soft start control unit outputs a control signal;

a Hall IC; and

a driver IC having a speed control terminal, when the forward/reverse switch unit receives the high level signal, the Hall IC drives the driver IC via the forward/reverse switch unit to make the fan rotate in a second direction;

when the forward/reverse switch unit receives the low level signal, the Hall IC drives the driver IC via the forward/reverse switch unit to make the fan rotate in a first direction, wherein the first instantaneous signal or the second instantaneous signal of the soft start circuit activates the soft start control unit to make the control signal varied from low level to high level, when the rotation direction of the fan is switched from the first direction to the second direction or switched from the second direction to the first direction, the fan enables to start rotation in a soft start mode owing to high level of the control signal transmitted from the soft start control unit to the speed control terminal during initial rotation of the fan.

2. The soft start circuit for a forward/reverse rotation fan in accordance with claim 1, wherein the forward/reverse switch unit comprises a control terminal, the soft start activation unit comprises a signal transmission terminal, the first signal transmission loop comprises a first transistor and a first RC circuit electrically connected to the first transistor, the second signal transmission loop comprises a second transistor and a second RC circuit electrically connected to the second transistor, the control terminal electrically connects to the first transistor, and the signal transmission terminal electrically connects to the first RC circuit and the second RC circuit.

3. The soft start circuit for a forward/reverse rotation fan in accordance with claim 2, wherein the first transistor of the first signal transmission loop comprises a first base electrode and a first collecting electrode, the second transistor of the second signal transmission loop comprises a second base electrode and a second collecting electrode, the first base electrode electrically connects to the control terminal, the first collecting electrode electrically connects to the first RC circuit and the second base electrode of the second transistor, and the second collecting electrode electrically connects to the second RC circuit.

4. The soft start circuit for a forward/reverse rotation fan in accordance with claim 3, wherein the first RC circuit comprises a first capacitor, a first resistor and a first node, the first node electrically connects to one end of the first capacitor and one end of the first resistor, the second RC circuit comprises a second capacitor, a second resistor and a second node, the second node electrically connects to one end of the second capacitor and one end of the second resistor, the first collecting electrode electrically connects to another end of the first capacitor, the second collecting electrode electrically connects to another end of the second capacitor, and the signal transmission terminal electrically connects to the first node of the first RC circuit and the second node of the second RC circuit.

5. The soft start circuit for a forward/reverse rotation fan in accordance with claim 2, wherein the soft start control unit comprises a third transistor, a third RC circuit and a third node, the signal transmission terminal of the soft start activation unit electrically connects to the third transistor, the third transistor electrically connects to the third RC circuit and the speed control terminal of the driver IC via the third node, and the speed control terminal enables to receive the control signal outputted from the third node.

6. The soft start circuit for a forward/reverse rotation fan in accordance with claim 5, wherein the third transistor of the soft start control unit comprises a third base electrode, a third collecting electrode and a third emitting electrode, the third RC circuit comprises a third resistor, a third capacitor and a fourth resistor, the third base electrode electrically connects to the signal transmission terminal, the third collecting electrode electrically connects to one end of the third resistor, the third emitting electrode electrically connects to one end of the third capacitor, one end of the fourth resistor and the speed control terminal of the driver IC via the third node.

7. The soft start circuit for a forward/reverse rotation fan in accordance with claim 6, wherein the soft start control unit further comprises a third diode, the third node electrically connects to the speed control terminal via the third diode, an anode of the third diode electrically connects to the third node, a cathode of the third diode electrically connects to the speed control terminal of the driver IC.

8. The soft start circuit for a forward/reverse rotation fan in accordance with claim 6 further includes a lock restoration circuit having a fourth capacitor, a fifth resistor and a fourth node, the third base electrode of the third transistor electrically connects to one end of the fourth capacitor, the fourth node electrically connects to one end of the fifth resistor, another end of the fourth capacitor and a rotation detection terminal of the driver IC.

9. The soft start circuit for a forward/reverse rotation fan in accordance with claim 3, wherein the soft start activation unit further comprises a first voltage divider having a sixth resistor and a seventh resistor electrically connected to the sixth resistor, the first collecting electrode of the first transistor electrically connects to the second base electrode of the second transistor via the seventh resistor.

10. The soft start circuit for a forward/reverse rotation fan in accordance with claim 4, wherein the first signal transmission loop further comprises a first diode, the first node of the first RC circuit electrically connects to the signal transmission terminal via the first diode, the second signal transmission loop further comprises a second diode, the second node of the second RC circuit electrically connects to the signal transmission terminal via the second diode, an anode of the first diode electrically connects to the first node of the first RC circuit, an anode of the second diode electrically connects to the second node of the second RC circuit, a cathode of the first diode and a cathode of the second diode electrically connects to the signal transmission terminal.

11. The soft start circuit for a forward/reverse rotation fan in accordance with claim 1, wherein the soft start activation unit further comprises a fourth transistor, the signal transmission terminal electrically connects to the third transistor via the fourth transistor.

12. The soft start circuit for a forward/reverse rotation fan in accordance with claim 2 further includes a signal receiving terminal, wherein the forward/reverse switch unit further comprises a second voltage divider electrically connected to the signal receiving terminal, a fifth transistor electrically connected to the second divided circuit and a switching circuit electrically connected to the fifth transistor.

13. The soft start circuit for a forward/reverse rotation fan in accordance with claim 12, wherein the second voltage divider comprises an eighth resistor and a ninth resistor, the fifth transistor comprises a fifth base electrode and a fifth collecting electrode, the control terminal electrically connects to one end of the eighth resistor, one end of the ninth resistor and the fifth base electrode of the fifth transistor, the signal receiving terminal electrically connects to another end of the eighth resistor, and the fifth collecting electrode electrically connects to the switching circuit.

14. The soft start circuit for a forward/reverse rotation fan in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first instantaneous signal and the second instantaneous signal are high voltage level signals.