HVAC actuator with soft stall control

• US 9,465,370 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2015
• Issued: 10/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Alexander, Robert K., Romanowich, Gary A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Leykin, Rita
• Application Number:
  US14/809,119
• Publication Number:
  US 20150333669A1
• Time in Patent Office: 445 Days
• Field of Search: 318/700, 318/400.01, 318/400.07, 318/400.14
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2013/1433 with electric motors
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 1/01 electric
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 7/0838 with H-bridge circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 7/0852 directly responsive to abnormal temperature by using a temperature sensor in a control circuit H02H7/0833
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 27/085 wherein the PWM mode is adapted on the running conditions of the motor, e.g. the switching frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 29/02 Providing protection against overload without automatic interruption of supply protection against faults of stepper motors H02P8/36
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 29/024 Detecting a fault condition, e.g. short circuit, locked rotor, open circuit or loss of load
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 29/0241 the fault being an overvoltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 29/027 the fault being an over-current
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 29/60 Controlling or determining the temperature of the motor or of the drive H02P29/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 6/085 in a bridge configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 6/17 and for generating speed information
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 6/24 Arrangements for stopping

Abstract

A actuator in a HVAC system includes a motor and a drive device driven by the motor. The drive device is coupled to a movable HVAC component for driving the movable HVAC component between multiple positions. The actuator further includes a main actuator controller that determines when the drive device is approaching an end stop and a pulse width modulation (PWM) speed controller that generates a PWM speed output for controlling a speed of the motor. The PWM speed controller sets the PWM speed output to zero in response to a determination that the drive device is approaching the end stop. The PWM speed controller then increases the PWM speed output until the end stop is reached, thereby causing the speed of the motor to increase as the drive device approaches the end stop.

Claims

1. An actuator in a HVAC system, the actuator comprising:

a motor;

a drive device driven by the motor and coupled to a movable HVAC component for driving the movable HVAC component between multiple positions;

a main actuator controller that determines when the drive device is approaching an end stop; and

a pulse width modulation (PWM) speed controller that generates a PWM speed output for controlling a speed of the motor, wherein the PWM speed controller sets the PWM speed output to zero in response to a determination that the drive device is approaching the end stop and then increases the PWM speed output until the end stop is reached, thereby causing the speed of the motor to increase as the drive device approaches the end stop.

2. The actuator of claim 1, further comprising one or more position sensors that measure a position of at least one of the drive device, the motor, and the movable HVAC component;

wherein the main actuator controller determines that the drive device is approaching the end stop using feedback from the position sensors.

3. The actuator of claim 1, further comprising an end stop locator that automatically identifies a location of the end stop using an automatic calibration procedure.

4. The actuator of claim 3, further comprising a threshold calculator that receives the location of the end stop from the end stop locator and generates a soft stall threshold using the location of the end stop.

5. The actuator of claim 4, further comprising a comparator that compares the measured position with the soft stall threshold and generates a soft stall signal indicating that the drive device is approaching the end stop in response to the measured position reaching the soft stall threshold.

6. The actuator of claim 1, wherein:

the main actuator controller generates a speed setpoint and provides the speed setpoint to the PWM speed controller; and

the PWM speed controller uses the speed setpoint to generate the PWM speed output for controlling the speed of the motor.

7. The actuator of claim 1, wherein the main actuator controller comprises:

a soft stall controller that causes the PWM speed controller to set the PWM speed output to zero in response to the determination that the drive device is approaching the end stop; and

a ramp-up controller that monitors the motor speed after the PWM speed output is set to zero and determines when the motor has stopped, wherein the ramp-up controller causes the PWM speed controller to increase the PWM speed output in response to a determination that the motor has stopped.

8. The actuator of claim 1, further comprising:

a PWM torque controller that generates a PWM torque output defining an electric current threshold for the motor; and

a comparator that compares the electric current threshold with a measured electric current through the motor and causes the PWM speed controller to set the PWM speed output to zero in response to a determination that the measured electric current through the motor exceeds the current threshold.

9. The actuator of claim 8, wherein the PWM torque controller temporarily increases the PWM torque output when the PWM speed output is increased, thereby increasing the electric current threshold for the motor as the motor is restarted.

10. The actuator of claim 1, wherein:

the main actuator controller comprises a speed setpoint controller that uses closed-loop control to dynamically adjust a speed setpoint for the motor using feedback signals from one or more sensors; and

the PWM speed controller receives the speed setpoint from the speed setpoint controller and dynamically adjusts the PWM speed output based on the speed setpoint.

11. A method for controlling a HVAC actuator that includes a motor and a drive device driven by the motor and coupled to a movable HVAC component, the method comprising:

operating the motor to drive the movable HVAC component between multiple positions;

generating, by a pulse width modulation (PWM) speed controller of the actuator, a PWM speed output for controlling a speed of the motor;

determining, by a main actuator controller of the actuator, when the drive device is approaching an end stop;

setting, by the PWM speed controller, the PWM speed output to zero in response to a determination that the drive device is approaching the end stop; and

increasing, by the PWM speed controller, the PWM speed output until the end stop is reached, thereby causing the speed of the motor to increase as the drive device approaches the end stop.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising using one or more position sensors to measure a position of at least one of the drive device, the motor, and the movable HVAC component;

wherein determining that the drive device is approaching the end stop comprises using feedback from the position sensors.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising automatically identifying a location of the end stop using an automatic calibration procedure.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising using the location of the end stop to generate a soft stall threshold.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

comparing the measured position with the soft stall threshold; and

generating a soft stall signal indicating that the drive device is approaching the end stop in response to the measured position reaching the soft stall threshold.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising generating a speed setpoint and providing the speed setpoint to the PWM speed controller;

wherein the PWM speed controller uses the speed setpoint to generate the PWM speed output for controlling the speed of the motor.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

in response to the determination that the drive device is approaching the end stop, providing a first speed setpoint to the PWM speed controller, wherein the first speed setpoint causes the PWM speed controller to set the PWM speed output to zero;

monitoring the motor speed after the PWM speed output is set to zero to determine when the motor has stopped; and

in response to a determination that the motor has stopped, providing a second speed setpoint to the PWM speed controller, wherein the second speed setpoint causes the PWM speed controller to increase the PWM speed output.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

generating a PWM torque output defining an electric current threshold for the motor;

comparing the electric current threshold with a measured electric current through the motor; and

in response to a determination that the measured electric current through the motor exceeds the current threshold, causing the PWM speed controller to set the PWM speed output to zero.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising temporarily increasing the PWM torque output when the PWM speed output is increased, thereby increasing the electric current threshold for the motor as the motor is restarted.

20. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

using closed-loop control to dynamically adjust a speed setpoint for the motor based on feedback signals from one or more sensors; and

dynamically adjusting the PWM speed output based on the speed setpoint.