Drive controller and motor drive system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9780707-B2
Application number	US-201514918770-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 21, 2015
Priority date	Oct 23, 2014
Publication date	Oct 3, 2017
Grant date	Oct 3, 2017

Abstract

A drive controller that controls a drive of a motor. The drive controller performs a collision force moderation control during a motor start time, during which a collision force in a collision between a shaft outwall with an impeller hole inwall for a positioning is moderated, by changing a power supply at a stage transition time of transiting from a position detection to a position determination. The maximum value of a first output value during a position detection time is set to be greater than a first threshold that at least causes a rotation number of the motor to yield a detectable induction voltage. A second output value during a position determination time is set to be lower than a second threshold that causes a wear or a breakage of an impeller by the collision force.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A drive controller for controlling a drive of a motor that outputs a torque to a load, the drive controller comprising:
a microcomputer configured to include a power supply control section that controls a power supply including at least one of an electric current, an electric voltage, or an electric power to the motor having a stator and a rotor that is rotatably disposed relative to the stator and has a rotatable engager being engaged with a force receiver of the drive load, the engagement of the rotatable engager and the force receiver established with a gap interposed between the rotatable engager and the force receiver and allowing rotation of the rotatable engager relative to the force receiver, wherein
when a collision of the rotatable engager with the force receiver is predicted during a motor start time or during a motor drive time, the power supply control section performs a collision force moderation control in a pre-operation stage and in a collision preparation stage,
the pre-operation stage of the collision force moderation control controls a pre-operation of the rotatable engager prior to the collision,
the collision preparation stage of the collision force moderation control controls an operation of the rotatable engager from a switching of the power supply by the power supply control section subsequent to the pre-operation stage until the collision, and
the collision force moderation control changes a first output value of the power supply in the pre-operation stage to a second output value of the power supply in the collision preparation stage, for a moderation of a collision force generated in the predicted collision of the rotatable engager with the force receiver.

2. The drive controller of claim 1 , wherein
a maximum value of the first output value is set to be greater than a first threshold, and is set to be smaller than a second threshold.

3. The drive controller of claim 2 , wherein
the first output value of the power supply falls to the second output value, during a transition from the pre-operation stage to the collision preparation stage.

4. The drive controller of claim 2 , wherein
the second output value is a constant value.

5. The drive controller of claim 1 , wherein
the collision force moderation control is performed during the motor start time.

6. The drive controller of claim 1 , wherein
the motor is a multi-phase motor having at least three phases, and
a phase switching is caused according to a transition from the pre-operation stage to the collision preparation stage.

7. The drive controller of claim 6 , the motor of which being a multi-phase brushless motor of a position sensor-less type, the drive controller further comprising:
a positioner positioning, during the motor start time, a rotation position of the brushless motor to a drive start position so as to start a drive control of the brushless motor, wherein
the positioner includes:
a position detector detecting a position of the rotor in the pre-operation stage based on an induction voltage in a non-power supply phase, the non-power supply phase receiving no power supply;
a position determiner determining the drive start position based on a detected position of the rotor by the position detector; and
a position setter switching the power supply phase of the motor and rotating the rotor to the drive start position determined by the position determiner.

8. The drive controller of claim 1 , wherein
the power supply control section increases the power supply after the collision to a value that is greater than a maximum value of the second output value.

9. The drive controller of claim 1 , wherein
the power supply control section calculates the first output value and the second output value based on a feedback control.

10. A motor drive system comprising:
a motor having a stator and a rotor that is rotatably disposed relative to the stator, the rotor having a rotatable engager being engaged with a force receiver of a load, the engagement of the rotatable engager and the force receiver established by a rotatable gap interposed between the rotatable engager and the force receiver to transmit a torque output from the motor;
the load including the force receiver; and
a drive controller for controlling a drive of a motor that outputs a torque to a load, the drive controller configured to include a power supply control section that controls a power supply including at least one of an electric current, an electric voltage, or an electric power to the motor having a stator and a rotor that is rotatably disposed relative to the stator and has a rotatable engager being engaged with a force receiver of the drive load, the engagement of the rotatable engager and the force receiver established with a gap interposed between the rotatable engager and the force receiver to allow rotation of the rotatable engager relative to the force receiver, wherein
when a collision of the rotatable engager with the force receiver is predicted during a motor start time or during a motor drive time, the power supply control section performs a collision force moderation control in a pre-operation stage and in a collision preparation stage,
the pre-operation stage of the collision force moderation control controls a pre-operation of the rotatable engager prior to the collision,
the collision preparation stage of the collision force moderation control controls an operation of the rotatable engager from a switching of the power supply by the power supply control section subsequent to the pre-operation stage until the collision, and
the collision force moderation control changes a first output value of the power supply in the pre-operation stage to a second output value of the power supply in the collision preparation stage, for a moderation of a collision force generated in the predicted collision of the rotatable engager with the force receiver.

11. The motor drive system of claim 10 , wherein
the rotatable engager provided as an end part of a shaft has a driving outwall formed on the end part,
the force receiver provided as a hole has a driven inwall formed on the force receiver, and
the driving outwall engages with the driven inwall.

12. The motor drive system of claim 11 , wherein
the driving outwall on the end part of the shaft and the driven inwall of the hole respectively have a partially-flat shape as an engaging part, and
the engagement between the engaging part of the driving outwall and the engagement part of the driven inwall is established by a flat part of a circumferential wall of the driving outwall and a flat part of a circumferential wall of the driven inwall.

13. The motor drive system of claim 10 , wherein
the motor and a liquid pump for press-feeding of a liquid by a rotation of the load are formed in one body.

14. The motor drive system of claim 10 , wherein
the motor drive system is installed in a vehicle.

Assignees

• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Hidaka Yuuji
• Nagata Kiyoshi
• Ootake Masaya
• Toyoda Hirokazu
• Nomura Manabu

Classifications

• H02P6/18

  without separate position detecting elements · CPC title

• H02P6/20 Primary

  Arrangements for starting (H02P6/08 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H02P1/04

  Means for controlling progress of starting sequence in dependence upon time or upon current, speed, or other motor parameter · CPC title