Electric motor controller and methods of determining input power line energization

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9806626-B2
Application number	US-201414270607-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 6, 2014
Priority date	May 6, 2014
Publication date	Oct 31, 2017
Grant date	Oct 31, 2017

Abstract

An electric motor controller and methods of determining which input power line of a plurality of input power lines of a motor drive controller has been energized are provided. An electric motor controller configured to be coupled to an electric motor includes a plurality of power input lines configured to receive an alternating current (AC) input voltage from an AC power source, an energized line detection device configured to sense that a power input line has been energized by the AC power source, and configured to output an isolated signal, and a rectifier configured to convert the AC input voltage having a frequency to a direct current (DC) voltage. The controller also includes a computing device coupled downstream from the energized line detection device and configured to determine which input power line has been energized.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electric motor drive controller configured to be coupled to an electric motor, said electric motor drive controller comprising:
a plurality of power input lines, each power input line of said plurality of input power lines configured to receive an alternating current (AC) input voltage from an AC power source;
an energized line detection device configured to sense that a power input line of said plurality of power input lines has been energized by the AC power source, and configured to output an isolated signal, said energized line detection device comprising:
a first heat generation device coupled to a first input power line of said plurality of input power lines;
a first temperature sensor positioned adjacent to said first heat generation device and configured to detect a temperature of said first heat generation device;
a second heat generation device coupled to a second input power line of said plurality of input power lines; and
a second temperature sensor positioned adjacent to said second heat generation device and configured to detect a temperature of said second heat generation device; and

a computing device coupled downstream from said energized line detection device and configured to determine which input power line of said plurality of input power lines has been energized.

2. A controller in accordance with claim 1 , wherein to determine which input power line has been energized, said computing device is further configured to measure an AC input voltage from the AC power source.

3. A controller in accordance with claim 2 , wherein said computing device is further configured to command the electric motor to operate in a first state when said controller receives power from the AC power source.

4. A controller in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said computing device is further configured to receive the isolated signal including at least one of a current signal, a voltage signal, and a conditioned signal based on the output of said energized line detection device.

5. A controller in accordance with claim 4 , wherein said computing device is further configured to receive a measured motor operation condition.

6. A controller in accordance with claim 5 , wherein the measured motor operation condition includes at least one of an output power of the electric motor and an input power of the electric motor.

7. A controller in accordance with claim 5 , wherein said computing device is configured to determine which input power line has been energized based on the isolated signal and the measured motor operation condition.

8. A controller in accordance with claim 7 , wherein said computing device is configured to determine which input power line of said plurality of input power lines has been energized based on a lookup table that relates the isolated signal and the measured motor operation condition to an energized state of said each input power line.

9. A controller in accordance with claim 7 , wherein said computing device is configured to:
command the electric motor to operate in a first state when said computing device determines that a first power input line has been energized;
command the electric motor to operate in a second state when said computing device determines that a second power input line has been energized; and
command the electric motor to operate in a third state when said computing device determines that a third power input line has been energized.

10. A controller in accordance with claim 7 , wherein said computing device is further configured to:
receive at least one of an AC input voltage, a DC link voltage, an AC line power factor, and a motor efficiency; and
determine which input power line of said plurality of input power lines has been energized based on the isolated signal, the measured motor operation condition, and the received at least one of an AC input voltage, a DC link voltage, an AC line power factor, and a motor efficiency.

11. A controller in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said energized line detection device comprises a voltage sensing circuit that includes a plurality of resistors coupled in series, said each input power line coupled across a different resistor, said computing device configured to receive the isolated signal output by said voltage sensing circuit.

12. A controller in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said computing device is configured to:
periodically receive temperature measurement signals from said first and second temperature sensors;
determine whether one of said first heat generation device and said second heat generation device has changed in temperature by comparing a received temperature measurement signal to a prior temperature measurement signal; and
determine which input power line has been energized based on the compared temperature measurement signals.

13. A controller in accordance with claim 12 , wherein said computing device is further configured to determine which input power line has been energized based on at least one of a temperature change of one of said first and second heat generation devices and a temperature difference between said first and second heat generation devices.

14. A method of determining an energized power line of a plurality of input power lines of a motor drive controller configured to be coupled to a power source and to an electric motor, the power source providing an AC input voltage having a frequency, said method comprising:
receiving, by a computing device of the motor drive controller, an isolated signal output by an energized line detection device, the isolated signal corresponding to which of the plurality of input power lines has been energized, wherein the energized line detection device includes a first heat generation device coupled to a first input power line of the plurality of input power lines and a second heat generation device coupled to a second input power line of the plurality of input power lines;
periodically receiving temperature measurement signals from a first temperature sensor positioned adjacent to the first heat generation device and a second temperature sensor positioned adjacent to the second heat generation device;
determining whether one of the first heat generation device and the second heat generation device has changed in temperature by comparing a present temperature measurement signal to a prior temperature measurement signal; and
determining, by the computing device, which input power line of the plurality of input power lines has been energized based on the compared temperature measurement signals.

15. A method in accordance with claim 14 , wherein receiving the isolated signal comprises receiving at least one of a current signal, a voltage signal, and a conditioned signal based on the output of the energized line detection device.

16. A method in accordance with claim 14 , wherein receiving the measured motor operation condition of the electric motor comprises receiving at least one of an output power of the electric motor and an input power of the electric motor.

17. A method in accordance with claim 14 , wherein determining which input power line has been energized comprises accessing a lookup table that relates the isolated signal and the measured motor operation condition to an energized state of each of the plurality of input power lines.

18. A method in accordance with claim 14 , wherein determining which input power line has been energized based on the compared temperature measurement signals further comprises determining which input power line has been energized bas

Assignees

• Regal Beloit America Inc

Inventors

• Becerra Roger Carlos
• Chretien Ludovic Andre
• Da Yao
• Yi Peizhong
• Manz Lester Benjamin

Classifications

• H02P6/34

  Modelling or simulation for control purposes · CPC title

• H02M5/12 Primary

  for conversion of voltage or current amplitude only · CPC title

• H02M5/06

  using impedances · CPC title

• G01R19/145

  Indicating the presence of current or voltage · CPC title

• H02P6/001

  Electricity · mapped topic