Method for controlling an electric motor of a vehicle pump

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10132264-B2
Application number	US-201415029573-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 14, 2014
Priority date	Oct 15, 2013
Publication date	Nov 20, 2018
Grant date	Nov 20, 2018

Abstract

A method for controlling an electric motor of a vehicle pump used to deliver a medium. According to the method, a period required for at least one partial revolution of a rotor of the electric motor is determined. The fluctuations during the period can represent a measurement of the true running of the electric motor. The speed of the electric motor can be altered depending on the deviation of the period from a comparative value. As a result, the true running of the electric motor can be guaranteed once again.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for controlling an electric motor of a pump configured to deliver a medium, the method comprising:
ascertaining a period for at least a partial revolution of a rotor of the electric motor;
altering a speed of the electric motor when the ascertained period for the partial revolution of the rotor deviates from a predetermined comparison value by a minimum amount;
detecting an electromotive force of the electric motor; and
determining a period of the detected electromotive force of the electric motor,
wherein the period for the partial revolution of the rotor is ascertained based on the detected electromotive force.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
calculating a difference between the determined period of the detected electromotive force of the electric motor and the predetermined comparison value; and
altering the speed of the electric motor when an absolute magnitude of the calculated difference is greater than the minimum amount;
wherein the predetermined comparison value is a mean value of a particular number of periods of the electromotive force of the electric motor.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
increasing the speed of the electric motor by a predefined amount when the ascertained period for the partial revolution of the rotor deviates from the predetermined comparison value by the minimum amount.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the speed of the electric motor is increased by a predefined fixed amount.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
increasing the speed of the electric motor continually until a deviation of the period from the predetermined comparison value is less than the minimum amount when the ascertained period for the partial revolution of the rotor deviates from the predetermined comparison value by the minimum amount.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
generating and sending a warning signal to an engine control unit when the ascertained period for the partial revolution of the rotor deviates from the predetermined comparison value by the minimum amount.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting an instantaneous speed of the electric motor;
one of:
increasing the speed of the electric motor if the detected instantaneous speed of the electric motor drops below a first speed limit value when the ascertained period for the partial revolution of the rotor deviates from the predetermined comparison value by the minimum amount;
or
decreasing the speed of the electric motor if the ascertained instantaneous speed of the electric motor goes beyond a second speed limit value, when the ascertained period for the partial revolution of the rotor deviates from the predetermined comparison value by the minimum amount.

8. A program element stored on a nontransient computer readable medium which, when executed on a processor, causes the processor to execute a method comprising:
ascertaining a period for at least a partial revolution of a rotor of an electric motor;
altering a speed of the electric motor when the ascertained period for the partial revolution of the rotor deviates from a predetermined comparison value by a minimum amount;
detecting an electromotive force of the electric motor; and
determining a period of the detected electromotive force of the electric motor,
wherein the period for the partial revolution of the rotor is ascertained based on the detected electromotive force.

9. A delivery device of a vehicle, the delivery device comprising:
a pump configured to deliver a medium;
an electric motor having a rotor and configured to drive the pump; and
a control unit configured to control the electric motor by:
ascertaining a period for at least a partial revolution of the rotor;

altering a speed of the electric motor when the ascertained period for the partial revolution of the rotor deviates from a predetermined comparison value by a minimum amount;
detecting an electromotive force of the electric motor; and
determining a period of the detected electromotive force of the electric motor,
wherein the period for the partial revolution of the rotor is ascertained based on the detected electromotive force.

10. A vehicle with a delivery device as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the pump of the delivery device is a fuel pump configured to deliver fuel to an internal combustion engine of the vehicle.

Assignees

• Continental Automotive Gmbh

Inventors

• Graf Rolf
• Lukas Bernhard

Classifications

• H02P6/06 Primary

  Arrangements for speed regulation of a single motor wherein the motor speed is measured and compared with a given physical value so as to adjust the motor speed · CPC title

• H02P6/182

  using back-emf in windings · CPC title

• F02D41/1498

  measuring engine roughness · CPC title

• F02D41/3082 Primary

  Control of electrical fuel pumps · CPC title

• H02P2207/05

  Synchronous machines, e.g. with permanent magnets or DC excitation · CPC title