Driver device for a stepping motor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12003204-B2
Application number	US-202117913361-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 18, 2021
Priority date	Mar 27, 2020
Publication date	Jun 4, 2024
Grant date	Jun 4, 2024

Abstract

A driver device supplies an output current to each coil in a stepping motor to rotate a rotor. After the polarity and magnitude of the output current for each coil have reached the target polarity and magnitude, during control for keeping the polarity and magnitude of the output current for each coil at the target polarity and magnitude, occurrence of a particular current waveform in the output current due to a back-electromotive force resulting from the rotation of the rotor is detected so that, if a particular current waveform is detected, a predetermined detection signal is transmitted to an external device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A driver device for a stepping motor having a rotor and a coil, comprising:
an output stage circuit configured to supply an output current to the coil by applying a voltage to the coil;
a control circuit configured to control the output stage circuit based on
a current setting signal for setting a target of the output current to be supplied to the coil and
a current sense signal indicating a result of sensing of the output current; and

a particular current waveform detector configured to detect occurrence of a particular current waveform in a waveform of the output current,
wherein
the rotor rotates according to change of the output current based on change of the current setting signal,
when the current setting signal is changed to require that, according to the current setting signal changed, a polarity of the output current be set to a target polarity and a magnitude of the output current be set to a target magnitude, the control circuit changes the output current to a current having the target polarity and the target magnitude according to the current setting signal changed and then, to approximate the magnitude of the output current to the target magnitude, the control circuit repeatedly performs a unit operation which is a sequence of a power supply mode operation and a decay mode operation,
in the power supply mode operation, the output stage circuit is in a power supply state in which the output stage circuit supplies electric power to the coil to increase the magnitude of the output current and, in the decay mode operation, the output stage circuit is in a decay state in which the output stage circuit suspends supplying the electric power to decrease the magnitude of the output current,
after a start of repetition of the unit operation, the particular current waveform detector detects, as the particular current waveform, a waveform with which the magnitude of the output current increases above the target magnitude and, on detecting occurrence of the particular current waveform, the particular current waveform detector transmits a predetermined detection signal to a device external to the driver device.

2. The driver device according to claim 1 , wherein
during the repetition of the unit operation, the control circuit controls the output stage circuit so as to approximate the magnitude of the output current to the target magnitude such that the magnitude of the output current is equal to or smaller than the target magnitude, and
the particular current waveform is a waveform with which the magnitude of the output current increases above the target magnitude against control by the control circuit due to a counter-electromotive force appearing in the coil as the rotor rotates.

3. The driver device according to claim 1 , wherein
in each unit operation, the control circuit performs the power supply mode operation at least for a predetermined forced power supply time and, if the magnitude of the output current is detected to be equal to or greater than the target magnitude when, after a start of the power supply mode operation, the forced power supply time has elapsed, the control circuit ends the power supply mode operation and performs the decay mode operation for a predetermined decay time.

4. The driver device according to claim 1 , wherein
the particular current waveform detector detects, as an output on time, a time during which, in each unit operation, the output stage circuit is in the power supply state and detects occurrence of the particular current waveform based on change of the output on time during a detection target period in which the unit operation is repeated.

5. The driver device according to claim 4 , wherein
the detection target period includes a first period and a second period occurring after the first period, and
the particular current waveform detector sets a reference on time based on one or more output on times detected as the output on time during the first period and detects occurrence of the particular current waveform during the second period based on a comparison between the reference on time and the output on time during the second period.

6. The driver device according to claim 5 , wherein
in a case where an evaluation on time, which is the output on time during the second period, is shorter than the reference on time, if an absolute value of a difference between the reference on time and the evaluation on time is equal to or greater than a predetermined difference threshold value or if a ratio of the evaluation on time to the reference on time is equal to or smaller than a predetermined ratio threshold value, the particular current waveform detector recognizes occurrence of the particular current waveform during the second period.

7. The driver device according to claim 1 , wherein
during a detection target period in which the unit operation is repeated, the particular current waveform detector detects occurrence of the particular current waveform using a current threshold value greater than the target magnitude based on a comparison between the current threshold value and the magnitude of the output current.

8. The driver device according to claim 7 , wherein
the particular current waveform detector recognizes occurrence of the particular current waveform if, during the detection target period, the output current with a magnitude equal to or greater than the current threshold value is sensed.

9. The driver device according to claim 1 , wherein
the particular current waveform detector detects occurrence of the particular current waveform based on a slope of increase of the magnitude of the output current with the output stage circuit in the power supply state during a detection target period in which the unit operation is repeated.

10. The driver device according to claim 9 , wherein
during the detection target period, the particular current waveform detector detects a slope of increase of the magnitude of the output current with the output stage circuit in the power supply state in each unit operation and, if the slope is detected to be equal to or greater than a predetermined slope threshold value, the particular current waveform detector recognizes occurrence of the particular current waveform.

11. The driver device according to claim 9 , wherein
the detection target period includes a first period and a second period occurring after the first period, and
the particular current waveform detector sets a reference slope based on one or more slopes detected as the slope during the first period and then, based on a comparison between the reference slope and the slope during the second period, the particular current waveform detector detects occurrence of the particular current waveform during the second period.

12. The driver device according to claim 11 , wherein
in a case where an evaluation slope, which is the slope during the second period, is greater than the reference slope, if an absolute value of a difference between the reference slope and the evaluation slope is equal to or greater than a predetermined difference threshold value or if a ratio of the evaluation slope to the reference slope is equal to or greater than a predetermined ratio threshold value, the particular current waveform detector recognizes occurrence of the particular current waveform during the second period.

13. The driver device according to claim 1 , wherein
the output stage circuit includes a full-bridge circuit comprising four output transistors,
currents commensurate with the output current flow through the output transistors respectively, and
the particular current waveform de

Assignees

• Rohm Co Ltd

Inventors

• Miyagi Ryota
• Hashimoto Hiroki

Classifications

• H02P8/12 Primary

  Control or stabilisation of current · CPC title

• H02P8/34

  Monitoring operation (H02P8/36 takes precedence) · CPC title