Electromotive furniture drive, furniture, and method for detecting a position of an electromotive furniture drive

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11374516-B2
Application number	US-201816956305-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 21, 2018
Priority date	Dec 22, 2017
Publication date	Jun 28, 2022
Grant date	Jun 28, 2022

Abstract

An electromotive furniture drive includes an adjustment drive for the electromotive movement of a movable furniture component relative to a further furniture component, a control device, and an operating unit. A motor of the adjustment drive is actuated as a function of signals from the operating unit. The control device includes a semiconductor power switch for switching a motor current of the motor, with a voltage dropping across the semiconductor power switch being supplied to an evaluation unit in order to detect commutation edges of the motor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electromotive furniture drive, comprising:
an adjustment drive for an electromotive movement of a movable furniture component relative to a further furniture component, said adjustment drive including a motor;
an operating unit generating a signal actuating the motor of the adjustment drive;
an evaluation unit;
a control device including a semiconductor sower switch for switching a motor current of the motor based on the generated signal, with a voltage dropping across the semiconductor power switch being supplied to the evaluation unit in order to detect commutation edges of the motor, and
a resistance bridge comprising two resistors connected in series at a center tap and arranged in parallel with the motor, said evaluation unit being connected to the center tap between the resistors.

2. The electromotive furniture drive of claim 1 , wherein the semiconductor power switch is a MOSFET.

3. The electromotive furniture drive of claim 1 , wherein the control device includes four of said semiconductor power switch in an H-bridge arrangement for the motor.

4. The electromotive furniture drive of claim 1 , wherein the evaluation unit is connected to a central tap of a bridge branch of the H-bridge arrangement.

5. The electromotive furniture drive of claim 1 , wherein the evaluation unit comprises an edge detector.

6. The electromotive furniture drive of claim 1 , wherein the evaluation unit comprises an edge detector which includes an operational amplifier having inputs connected via low-pass filters to the center tap between the resistors.

7. An electromotive furniture drive, comprising:
an adjustment drive for an electromotive movement of a movable furniture component relative to a further furniture component, said adjustment drive including a motor;
an operating unit generating a signal actuating the motor of the adjustment drive;
an evaluation unit; and
a control device including four semiconductor power switches in an H-bridge arrangement for the motor for switching a motor current of the motor based on the generated signal, with a voltage dropping across the semiconductor power switches being supplied to the evaluation unit in order to detect commutation edges of the motor,
wherein the evaluation unit comprises two edge detectors which are connected to central taps, respectively, of bridge branches of the H-bridge arrangement.

8. The electromotive furniture drive of claim 7 , wherein the semiconductor power switch is a MOSFET.

9. An electromotive furniture drive, comprising:
an adjustment drive for an electromotive movement of a movable furniture component relative to a further furniture component, said adjustment drive including a motor;
an operating unit generating a signal actuating the motor of the adjustment drive;
an evaluation unit; and
a control device including four semiconductor power switches in an H-bridge arrangement for the motor for switching a motor current of the motor based on the generated signal, with a voltage dropping across the semiconductor power switches being supplied to the evaluation unit in order to detect commutation edges of the motor,
wherein the evaluation unit is connected to a central tap of a bridge branch of the H-bridge arrangement and wherein the evaluation unit comprises an edge detector which includes an operational amplifier having inputs connected via low-pass filters to the center tap of the bridge branch.

10. The electromotive furniture drive of claim 9 , wherein the semiconductor power switch is a MOSFET.

11. A method for detecting a position of an adjustment drive of an electromotive furniture drive, said method comprising:
actuating a motor of the adjustment drive as a function of a signal from an operating unit, with the signal switching a motor current of the motor via a semiconductor power switch of a control device;
evaluating a voltage dropping across the semiconductor power switch to detect a commutation of the motor;
detecting by an evaluation unit edges of the motor current; and
outputting a pulse at an output when an edge is detected by the evaluation unit.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising counting pulses at the output to determine a change in a position of the adjustment drive.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising determining, starting from a reference position, an absolute position of the adjustment drive on the basis of a determined change in the position.

14. A furniture comprising an electromotive furniture drive, said electromotive furniture drive comprising an adjustment drive including a motor for an electromotive movement of a movable furniture component relative to a further furniture component, an operating unit generating a signal to actuate the motor of the adjustment drive, an evaluation unit, a control device including a semiconductor power switch for switching a motor current of the motor based on the generated signal, with a voltage dropping across the semiconductor power switch being supplied to the evaluation unit in order to detect commutation edges of the motor, and a resistance bridge comprising two resistors connected in series at a center tap and arranged in parallel with the motor, said evaluation unit being connected to the center tap between the resistors.

15. The furniture of claim 14 , wherein the semiconductor power switch is a MOSFET.

16. The furniture of claim 14 , wherein the control device includes four of said semiconductor power switch in an H-bridge arrangement for the motor.

17. The furniture of claim 16 , wherein the evaluation unit is connected to a central tap of a bridge branch of the H-bridge arrangement.

18. The furniture of claim 14 , wherein the evaluation unit comprises an edge detector.

19. The furniture of claim 14 , wherein the evaluation unit comprises an edge detector which includes an operational amplifier having inputs connected via low-pass filters to the center tap between the resistors.

20. A furniture, comprising an electromotive furniture drive, said electromotive furniture drive comprising an adjustment drive including a motor for an electromotive movement of a movable furniture component relative to a further furniture component, an operating unit generating a signal to actuate the motor of the adjustment drive, an evaluation unit, and a control device including four semiconductor power switches in an H-bridge arrangement for the motor for switching a motor current of the motor based on the generated signal, with a voltage dropping across the semiconductor power switches being supplied to the evaluation unit in order to detect commutation edges of the motor, wherein the evaluation unit comprises two edge detectors which are connected to central taps, respectively, of bridge branches of the H-bridge arrangement.

21. A furniture, comprising an electromotive furniture drive, said electromotive furniture drive comprising an adjustment drive including a motor for an electromotive movement of a movable furniture component relative to a further furniture component, an operating unit generating a signal to actuate the motor of the adjustment drive, an evaluation unit, and a control device including a semiconductor power switch for switching a motor current of the motor based on the generated signal, with a voltage dropping across the semiconductor power switch being supplied to the evaluation unit in order to detect commutation edges of the motor, said control device including four of said semiconductor power switch in an H-brid

Assignees

• Dewertokin Gmbh
• Dewertokin Tech Group Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hille Armin

Classifications

• A47C20/041 Primary

  by electric motors · CPC title

• H02P7/04

  by means of a H-bridge circuit · CPC title

• A61G7/018

  Control or drive mechanisms · CPC title

• H02P7/0094 Primary

  wherein the position is detected using the ripple of the current caused by the commutator · CPC title

• A61G2203/12

  Remote controls · CPC title