Electric motor clamping system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9614465-B2
Application number	US-201114234778-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 26, 2011
Priority date	Jul 26, 2011
Publication date	Apr 4, 2017
Grant date	Apr 4, 2017

Abstract

An electric motor system having a power supply, an electric motor connected to the power supply, an object driven by the motor having a range of motion and a substantially neutral position within the range of motion, a power sensor configured to sense power from the power supply, a position sensor configured to sense position of the object in at least a portion of the range of motion, an energy storage, a controller connected to the power supply and the energy storage, wherein the controller is configured to brake the motor as a function of the position sensor, the neutral position and the power sensor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electric motor system comprising:
a power supply;
an electric motor connected to said power supply and having a braking element;
an object mechanically coupled to said electric motor and driven by said motor;
said object having a range of motion and a substantially neutral position within said range of motion;
a power sensor configured to sense power from said power supply;
a position sensor configured to sense position of said object in at least a portion of said range of motion;
an energy storage connected to said electric motor;
a controller connected to said position sensor, said power sensor and said energy storage;
said controller configured and arranged to brake said motor using said braking element and power from said energy storage based on both said sensed position of said object by said position sensor relative to said neutral position and said sensed power from said power supply by said power sensor dropping below a threshold.

2. The electric motor system set forth in claim 1 , wherein said electric motor comprises at least two input terminals, said braking element comprises a switching network configured to selectively connect said terminals of said electric motor, and said controller is configured to dynamically brake said motor.

3. The electric motor system set forth in claim 2 , wherein said braking element comprises a dissipation switch in series with a dissipation resistor connected to said motor, and wherein said controller is configured to operate said dissipation switch such that energy from said motor is dissipated with said dissipation resistor.

4. The electric motor system set forth in claim 1 , wherein said controller is configured to regeneratively brake said motor.

5. The electric motor system set forth in claim 4 , and further comprising a switching network connected to said motor, and wherein said controller is configured to operate said switching network such that energy from said motor is used to charge said energy storage when said energy storage is not fully charged.

6. The electric motor system set forth in claim 5 , wherein said energy storage comprises a capacitor or a battery.

7. The electric motor system set forth in claim 5 , wherein said switching network comprises six switch elements in an H bridge configuration.

8. The electric motor system set forth in claim 1 , wherein said controller is configured to actively brake said motor.

9. The electric motor system set forth in claim 8 , wherein said braking element comprises a brake actuator.

10. The electric motor system set forth in claim 9 , and further comprising a switching network connected to said brake actuator and said energy storage, and wherein said controller is configured to operate said switching network such that energy from energy storage is used to brake said motor.

11. The electric motor system set forth in claim 10 , wherein said switching network comprises six switch elements in an H bridge configuration.

12. The electric motor system set forth in claim 11 , wherein said switch elements comprise IGBTs or MOSFETs.

13. The electric motor system set forth in claim 1 , wherein said controller is configured to selectively actively brake, dynamically brake or regeneratively brake said motor.

14. The electric motor system set forth in claim 13 , and further comprising a switching network and a dissipation resistor connected to said motor, wherein said controller is configured to operate said switching network such that energy from said motor is selectively dissipated with said dissipation resistor or used to charge said energy storage when said energy storage is not fully charged.

15. The electric motor system set forth in claim 1 , and further comprising a power rectifier connected to said power supply.

16. The electric motor system set forth in claim 15 , wherein said power rectifier comprises a full wave diode rectifier.

17. The electric motor system set forth in claim 1 , wherein said object comprises an aircraft spoiler panel on an aircraft wing.

18. The electric motor system set forth in claim 17 , wherein said neutral position is about four degrees from said aircraft wing.

19. The electric motor system set forth in claim 1 , wherein said object comprises a turbine blade on a power generating turbine.

20. The electric motor system set forth in claim 19 , wherein said neutral position is a feathered position.

21. The electric motor system set forth in claim 1 , wherein said position sensor comprises an encoder, a resolver or a LVDT.

22. The electric motor system set forth in claim 1 , wherein said power sensor comprises a voltage sensor or a FPGA validity sensor.

23. The electric motor system set forth in claim 1 , wherein said power supply comprises a three phase AC power supply.

24. The electric motor system set forth in claim 1 , and further comprising an output filter connected to said electric motor.

25. The electric motor system set forth in claim 24 , wherein said output filter comprises a common mode filter or a differential mode filter.

26. The electric motor system set forth in claim 1 , and further comprising an input filter connected to said power supply.

27. The electric motor system set forth in claim 26 , wherein said input filter comprises a common mode filter or a differential mode filter.

28. The electric motor system set forth in claim 1 , and further comprising a soft start switch.

29. A method of driving a system for an electric motor, said system having an external power supply input, a position sensor signal input, a switching network having switch gates, a controller, and an energy storage, comprising the steps of:
monitoring with said controller said position sensor signal input;
monitoring with said controller said external power supply input; and
operating with said controller said switch gates to absorb power from said electric motor based on both said position sensor input relative to a neutral position and said external power supply input dropping below a threshold.

30. The method set forth in claim 29 , wherein said step of operating said switch gates comprises operating said switch gates to absorb power from said electric motor when said power supply input drops below a voltage threshold and said position sensor signal input is below a position threshold.

31. The method set forth in claim 29 , and further comprising the step of providing a dissipation resistor connected to said motor.

32. The method set forth in claim 31 , and further comprising the step of selectively directing said absorbed power to said energy storage or said dissipation resistor as a function of whether said energy storage is fully charged.

33. The method set forth in claim 29 , and further comprising the step of using power from said energy storage to actively brake said electric motor as a function of said position sensor input and said external power supply input.

34. The method set forth in claim 33 , wherein said step of using power from said energy storage to actively brake said electric motor comprises actively braking said electric motor when a rate of change of said position sensor input signal is below a speed threshold, said power supply input drops below a voltage threshold, and said posi

Assignees

• Shriver Michael H
• Stevens John W
• Moog Inc

Inventors

• Shriver Michael H
• Stevens John W

Classifications

• Y02E10/723

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• F03D7/0252 Primary

  with aerodynamic drag devices on the blades · CPC title

• H02P3/22

  by short-circuit or resistive braking · CPC title

• H02P29/025

  the fault being a power interruption · CPC title

• H02P3/12

  by short-circuit or resistive braking · CPC title