Resonant frequency tracking and control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11325154-B2
Application number	US-201916669202-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 30, 2019
Priority date	Nov 2, 2018
Publication date	May 10, 2022
Grant date	May 10, 2022

Abstract

For a resonator system such as a (haptic) LRA, a methodology for resonant frequency (F0) tracking/control with continuous resonator drive, based on estimating back-emf, including estimating resonator resistance based at least in part on the sensed resonator drive signals, with back-emf estimated based at least in part on the sensed resonator drive signals and the estimated resonator resistance. A phase difference is detected between the resonator drive signals, and the estimated back-emf signals, generating control for resonator drive frequency, which can be used to iteratively adjust the resonator drive frequency until phase coherent with the estimated back-emf signals (F0 lock), such as for driving the resonator at or near a resonant frequency. An amplitude control loop can be used to iteratively adjust resonator drive amplitude based on a difference between estimated back-emf and a target back-emf derived from a rated back-emf and the resonator frequency resonant frequency.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A circuit for determining a frequency for driving a resonator, comprising:
resonator drive circuitry having a first input, a second input and an output wherein the first input is coupled to an amplitude control signal and the second input is coupled to a frequency control signal;
an amplifier having an input and an output wherein the input is coupled to the output of the resonator drive circuitry and the output of the amplifier is directly coupled to an output of the circuit for driving a resonator, where the output of the circuit for driving a resonator is configured to drive a resonator;
sense circuitry having an input, first output and a second output wherein the sense circuit input is directly coupled to the output of the amplifier, wherein the sense circuitry determines the voltage and current at the output of the amplifier;
a frequency tracker/controller having a first input, a second input, a first output, a second output and a third output wherein the first input is coupled to the first output of the sense circuitry, the second input is coupled to the second output of the sense circuitry and the first output is coupled to the first input of the resonator drive circuitry; and
an amplitude control circuitry having a first input, a second input, a third input and an output wherein the first input is coupled to the output of the amplifier, the second input is coupled to the second output of the frequency tracker/controller, the third input is coupled to the third output of the frequency tracker/controller and the output of the amplitude control circuit is coupled to the second input of the resonator drive circuitry;
wherein the circuit determines a frequency for driving a resonator;
wherein the frequency tracker/controller further comprises back-emf estimation circuitry which estimates back-emf and generates an estimated back-emf signal based on a sensed resonator drive current and sensed resonator drive voltage generated from the first and second outputs of the sense circuitry respectively;
wherein the frequency tracker/controller further comprises a resonator resistance circuitry wherein the resonator resistance estimates resonator resistance based on the sensed resonator current signal that is sensed within a defined number of cycles of the estimated back-emf signal;
wherein the resonator resistance circuitry further comprises:
resistance estimation circuitry to estimate resonator resistance; and
resistance adjustment circuitry to adjust the estimated resonator resistance based on an estimated phase difference; and

the back-emf estimation circuitry is configured to estimate back-emf at least in part based on the adjusted estimated resonator resistance; and
wherein the amplitude control circuitry iteratively adjusts the amplitude of a resonator drive signal generated from the output of the amplitude control circuitry based on a difference between an estimated back-emf signal and a target back-emf signal derived from a rated back-emf and a resonant frequency FO.

2. The circuit of claim 1 , wherein the frequency tracker/controller generates a frequency control signal for the first input of the resonator drive circuitry to iteratively adjust the frequency of the output of the resonator drive circuitry until the frequency of the output of the circuit is near a resonant frequency (FO).

3. The circuit of claim 1 , wherein the sensed circuitry generates on the first output of the sensed circuitry a drive signal based on a sensed resonator current signal.

4. The circuit of claim 1 wherein the frequency tracker/controller further comprises a phase difference circuitry wherein the phase difference circuitry estimates phase difference by identifying back-emf zero crossing and/or back-emf peak crossing when sensed resonator drive current is above a defined current threshold.

5. The circuit of claim 1 wherein the resonator drive signal is one of a resonator drive current or a resonator drive voltage; and the sense circuitry is configured to sense a resonator current for a resonator drive voltage, or to sense a resonator voltage for a resonator drive current.

6. The circuit of claim 1 wherein the circuit drives a linear resonant actuator.

Assignees

• Texas Instruments Inc

Inventors

• Palit Supriyo

Classifications

• G06F3/016

  Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user · CPC title

• G05D19/02

  characterised by the use of electric means · CPC title

• B06B1/045

  using vibrating magnet, armature or coil system · CPC title

• B06B1/0253 Primary

  taken directly from the generator circuit · CPC title

• G01H13/00

  Measuring resonant frequency · CPC title