Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for controlling a brushless DC motor that indicates a motor failure

US6153993A · kind A · utility

117Cited by
11References
9Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 14, 1997
Grant dateNov 28, 2000
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 14, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01R31/343
  • WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method and apparatus for controlling a brushless DC motor which has a permanent magnet rotor and a 3-phase stator winding for applying a rotating magnetic field to the permanent magnet rotor. A specified reference voltage is compared with the stator winding terminal voltages for each phase. The rotor position is detected from the output of these comparison circuits based on the induced voltages generated in the stator windings which are not conducting when the motor is rotated. The stator windings which conduct current are controlled in response. Furthermore, a specific conduction pattern is supplied to each stator winding when the rotor is stopped, and a reference output determined for the conduction pattern is compared with the output of the comparison circuits when the stator windings are conducting. Abnormalities are detected based on the comparison results of the comparison circuit.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.