Motor control system and motor driving circuit

1. Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates to a motor control system; in particular, to a motor control system that can determine a transient state of a motor and accordingly control the rotation speed of the motor.

2. Description of Related Art

Usually, when the rotation speed of a motor is controlled by using a complementary-type Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) control system and the rotation speed of the motor changes from a high rotation speed to a low rotation speed, a complementary switch in the system will not be turned on. Thus, a control circuit in the system consumes more power and has lower efficiency. In addition, in the system, if a current comparator is configured as a zero current detector, the current comparator is required to work precisely. Thus, in this case, the circuit of the system will be complex. Also, there may be a time delay during the rotation speed control for the motor, which may cause a reverse current.

Therefore, it is necessary to develop a motor control system that has a simpler system circuit and that can determine a transient state of a motor and accordingly control the rotation speed of the motor.

The present disclosure provides a motor control system. This motor control system includes a motor driving circuit and a motor. The motor driving circuit has a first output end and a second output end, and includes a control module, a PWM signal detecting module, a transient state detecting module and a driving module. The PWM signal detecting module is electrically connected to the control module, and is configured to receive a PWM signal and convert the PWM signal to a first digital PWM control signal. The transient state detecting module is configured to provide a second digital PWM control signal to the control module according to the first digital PWM control signal at a first time point and the first digital PWM control signal at a second time point. The driving module is electrically connected to the control module, and is configured to receive at least one driving signal from the control module. The driving module is electrically connected to the first output end and the second output end of the motor driving circuit. The motor is electrically connected to the first output end and the second output end of the motor driving circuit. The control module controls the rotation speed of the motor by using the driving module. The control module determines whether to turn off a low side switch of the driving module according to the second digital PWM control signal.

In one embodiment of the motor control system provided by the present disclosure, the driving module includes a first high side switch, a second high side switch, a first low side switch and a second low side switch. The first high side switch has a first end, a second and a third end. The first end of the first high side switch is coupled to a direct voltage, the second end of the first high side switch is electrically connected to the control module to receive a first high side driving signal, and the third end of the first high side switch is electrically connected to the first output end of the motor driving circuit. The second high side switch has a first end, a second and a third end. The first end of the second high side switch is coupled to the direct voltage, the second end of the second high side switch is electrically connected to the control module to receive a second high side driving signal from the control module, and the third end of the second high side switch is electrically connected to the second output end of the motor driving circuit. The first low side switch has a first end, a second and a third end. The first end of the first low side switch is electrically connected to the third end of the first high side switch and the first output end of the motor driving circuit, the second end of the first low side switch is electrically connected to the control module to receive a first low side driving signal from the control module, and the third end of the first low side switch is grounded. The second low side switch has a first end, a second and a third end. The first end of the second low side switch is electrically connected to the third end of the second high side switch and the second output end of the motor driving circuit, and the second end of the second low side switch is electrically connected to the control module to receive a second low side driving signal from the control module. The control module determines whether to turn off the first low side switch of the driving module according to the second digital PWM control signal.

In one embodiment of the motor control system provided by the present disclosure, the transient state detecting module includes a converting unit, a comparison unit, a first temporary storage unit and a second temporary storage unit. The comparison unit is electrically connected to the converting unit. The first temporary storage unit is electrically connected to the converting unit to receive the first digital PWM control signal and to convert the first digital PWM control signal into a first timing digital PWM control signal. The second temporary storage unit is electrically connected to the converting unit to receive the first digital PWM control signal and to convert the first digital PWM control signal at the second time point into a second timing digital PWM control signal. The comparison unit outputs the second digital PWM control signal according to a difference between the first timing digital PWM control signal and the second timing digital PWM control signal. The second time point is larger than the first time point.

In one embodiment of the motor control system provided by the present disclosure, the transient state detecting module further includes a timer. The timer is configured to set a predetermined time. The control module resets the second digital PWM control signal according to the predetermined time set by the timer.

In one embodiment of the motor control system provided by the present disclosure, the converting unit of the transient state detecting module outputs the second digital PWM control signal at high level to the control module when the second timing digital PWM control signal minus the first timing digital PWM control signal is larger than zero and also larger than a PWM threshold, such that the control module outputs a cut-off signal to the second end of the first low side switch to turn off the first low side switch.

In one embodiment of the motor control system provided by the present disclosure, the converting unit of the transient state detecting module outputs the second digital PWM control signal at low level to the control module when the second timing digital PWM control signal minus the first timing digital PWM control signal is larger than zero but smaller than a PWM threshold, such that the control module outputs a PWM signal to the second end of the first low side switch.

In one embodiment of the motor control system provided by the present disclosure, the converting unit of the transient state detecting module outputs no signal to the control module when the second timing digital PWM control signal minus the first timing digital PWM control signal is smaller than zero.

In one embodiment of the motor control system provided by the present disclosure, the motor driving circuit further includes a position detecting module. The position detecting module is electrically connected to a Hall sensing end of the motor driving circuit to receive a phase variation signal of the motor. The PWM signal detecting module is electrically connected to a PWM signal receiving end of the motor driving circuit to receive the PWM signal.

The present disclosure further provides a motor driving circuit. The motor driving circuit has a first output end and a second output end. The first output end and the second output end are electrically connected to a motor, and the motor driving circuit includes a control module, a PWM signal detecting module, a transient state detecting module and a driving module. The PWM signal detecting module is electrically connected to the control module, and is configured to receive a PWM signal and to convert the PWM signal into a first digital PWM control signal. The transient state detecting module is configured to provide a second digital PWM control signal to the control module according to the first digital PWM control signal at a first time point and the first digital PWM control signal at a second time point. The driving module is electrically connected to the control module, and is configured to receive at least one driving signal from the control module. The driving module is electrically connected to the first output end and the second output end of the motor driving circuit. The control module controls the rotation speed of the motor by using the driving module. The control module determines whether to turn off a low side switch of the driving module according to the second digital PWM control signal.

In one embodiment of the motor driving circuit provided by the present disclosure, the driving module includes a first high side switch, a second high side switch, a first low side switch and a second low side switch. The first high side switch has a first end, a second and a third end. The first end of the first high side switch is coupled to a direct voltage, the second end of the first high side switch is electrically connected to the control module to receive a first high side driving signal, and the third end of the first high side switch is electrically connected to the first output end of the motor driving circuit. The second high side switch has a first end, a second and a third end. The first end of the second high side switch is coupled to the direct voltage, the second end of the second high side switch is electrically connected to the control module to receive a second high side driving signal from the control module, and the third end of the second high side switch is electrically connected to the second output end of the motor driving circuit. The first low side switch has a first end, a second and a third end. The first end of the first low side switch is electrically connected to the third end of the first high side switch and the first output end of the motor driving circuit, the second end of the first low side switch is electrically connected to the control module to receive a first low side driving signal from the control module, and the third end of the first low side switch is grounded. The second low side switch has a first end, a second and a third end. The first end of the second low side switch is electrically connected to the third end of the second high side switch and the second output end of the motor driving circuit, and the second end of the second low side switch is electrically connected to the control module to receive a second low side driving signal from the control module. The control module determines whether to turn off the first low side switch of the driving module according to the second digital PWM control signal.

In one embodiment of the motor driving circuit provided by the present disclosure, the transient state detecting module includes a converting unit, a comparison unit, a first temporary storage unit and a second temporary storage unit. The comparison unit is electrically connected to the converting unit. The first temporary storage unit is electrically connected to the converting unit to receive the first digital PWM control signal and to convert the first digital PWM control signal into a first timing digital PWM control signal. The second temporary storage unit is electrically connected to the converting unit to receive the first digital PWM control signal and to convert the first digital PWM control signal at the second time point into a second timing digital PWM control signal. The comparison unit outputs the second digital PWM control signal according to a difference between the first timing digital PWM control signal and the second timing digital PWM control signal. The second time point is larger than the first time point.

In one embodiment of the motor driving circuit provided by the present disclosure, the transient state detecting module further includes a timer. The timer is configured to set a predetermined time. The control module resets the second digital PWM control signal according to the predetermined time set by the timer.

In one embodiment of the motor driving circuit provided by the present disclosure, the converting unit of the transient state detecting module outputs the second digital PWM control signal at high level to the control module when the second timing digital PWM control signal minus the first timing digital PWM control signal is larger than zero and also larger than a PWM threshold, such that the control module outputs a cut-off signal to the second end of the first low side switch to turn off the first low side switch.

In one embodiment of the motor driving circuit provided by the present disclosure, the converting unit of the transient state detecting module outputs the second digital PWM control signal at low level to the control module when the second timing digital PWM control signal minus the first timing digital PWM control signal is larger than zero but smaller than a PWM threshold, such that the control module outputs a PWM signal to the second end of the first low side switch.

In one embodiment of the motor driving circuit provided by the present disclosure, the converting unit of the transient state detecting module outputs no signal to the control module when the second timing digital PWM control signal minus the first timing digital PWM control signal is smaller than zero.

In one embodiment of the motor driving circuit provided by the present disclosure, the motor driving circuit further includes a position detecting module. The position detecting module is electrically connected to a Hall sensing end of the motor driving circuit to receive a phase variation signal of the motor. The PWM signal detecting module is electrically connected to a PWM signal receiving end of the motor driving circuit to receive the PWM signal.

The motor control system provided by the present disclosure can accurately predict the timing when the rotation speed of the motor changes from a high rotation speed to a low rotation speed by converting a PWM control signal into a digital PWM control signal. When it is determined that the rotation speed of the motor changes from a high rotation speed to a low rotation speed, a control module in the motor control system transmits a cut-off signal to a driving module in the motor control system to avoid a reverse current. In addition, the circuit area of the motor driving circuit in the motor control system provided by the present disclosure is smaller than a conventional motor driving circuit, thus reducing the cost for developing and producing the motor driving circuit of the present disclosure.

For further understanding of the present disclosure, reference is made to the following detailed description illustrating the embodiments of the present disclosure. The description is only for illustrating the present disclosure, not for limiting the scope of the claim.

Embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like references indicate similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a motor control system of one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 shows a partial schematic diagram of a motor control system of one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of a transient state detecting module of one embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 4 shows a current curve diagram of a motor control system of one embodiment of the present disclosure.

The aforementioned illustrations and following detailed descriptions are exemplary for the purpose of further explaining the scope of the present disclosure. Other objectives and advantages related to the present disclosure will be illustrated in the subsequent descriptions and appended drawings.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of example embodiments of the present invention. As used herein, the term “and/or,” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , a schematic diagram and a partial schematic diagram of a motor control system of one embodiment of the present disclosure are shown.

The motor control system 1 includes a motor driving circuit 10 and a motor 100 . The motor driving circuit 10 includes a position detecting module 11 , a PWM signal detecting module 12 , a transient state detecting module 13 , a control module 14 and a driving module 15 .

The motor driving circuit 10 has a Hall sensing end HALL, a PWM signal receiving end PWM, a first output end OUT 1 and a second output end OUT 2 . The first output end OUT 1 and the second output end OUT 2 of the motor driving circuit 10 are both electrically connected to the motor 100 .

As shown in FIG. 1 , the position detecting module 11 , the PWM signal detecting module 12 , the transient state detecting module 13 and the driving module 15 are all electrically connected to the control module 14 . In addition, the PWM signal detecting module 12 is further electrically connected to the transient state detecting module 13 .

The position detecting module 11 is electrically connected to the Hall sensing end HALL to detect a phase variation during the rotation of the motor 100 . Usually, a HALL sensor is configured on the motor 100 to detect the phase variation of the motor 100 and to provide a speed signal to the control module 14 . The PWM signal detecting module 12 receives a control signal from a control circuit at a remote system (not shown) and converts the control signal into a digital PWM signal, such as a PWM control signal having a resolution of 256. In this case, the PWM signal is in a digital form but not in an analog form. The PWM control signal having a resolution of 256 is a 8-bits digital PWM control signal, which is often represented by DUTY[7:0]. It should be noted that, the above mentioned control signal from a control circuit in a remote system (not shown) is a PWM signal.

The transient state detecting module 13 receives a first digital PWM control signal S 1 from the PWM signal detecting module, and determines the transient state of the motor 100 for controlling the rotation speed of the motor 100 .

The control module 14 receives a speed signal from the position detecting module 11 and receives the first digital PWM control signal S 1 from the PWM signal detecting module 12 . The control module 14 outputs a first high side driving signal GP 1 , a second high side driving signal GP 2 , a first low side driving signal GN 1 or a second low side driving signal GN 2 according to the first digital PWM control signal S 1 . In this embodiment, the first high side driving signal GP 1 , the second high side driving signal GP 2 , the first low side driving signal GN 1 and the second low side driving signal GN 2 can be a turn-on signal ON, a cut-off signal OFF or a PWM signal, and is not limited thereto.

The driving module 15 includes a first high side switch P 1 , a second high side switch P 2 , a first low side switch N 1 and a first low side switch N 2 .

As shown in FIG. 2 , the first end of the first high side switch P 1 and the first end of the second high side switch P 2 are coupled to a direct voltage VDD. The second end of the first high side switch P 1 is electrically connected to the control module 14 to receive the first high side driving signal GP 1 . The third end of the first high side switch P 1 is electrically connected to the first end of the first low side switch N 1 and the first output end OUT 1 of the motor driving circuit 10 . The second end of the first low side switch N 1 is electrically connected to the control module 14 to receive the first low side driving signal GN 1 . The third end of the first low side switch N 1 is grounded. The second end of the second high side switch P 2 is electrically connected to the control module 14 to receive the second high side driving signal GP 2 . The third end of the second high side switch P 2 is electrically connected to the first end of the second low side switch N 2 and the second output end OUT 2 of the motor driving circuit 10 . The second of the second low side switch N 2 is electrically connected to the control module 14 to receive the second low side driving signal GN 2 . The third end of the second low side switch N 2 is grounded. The first end of the motor 100 is electrically connected to the first output end OUT 1 of the motor driving circuit 10 , and the second end of the motor 100 is electrically connected to the second output end OUT 2 of the motor driving circuit 10 . The motor driving circuit 10 outputs an output current IL to the motor 100 through its first output end OUT 1 or its second output end OUT 2 . The switch elements in the driving module 15 form a complementary-type control circuit, and thus the output current IL may flow towards an opposite direction.

In this embodiment, the first high side switch P 1 and the second high side switch P 2 are P-MOSFETs, and the first low side switch N 1 and the second low side switch N 2 are N-MOSFETs. It should be noted that, the above mentioned direct voltage VDD is a direct voltage larger than 0V, and can be freely designed with no limitation.

Referring to FIG. 3 , a schematic diagram of a transient state detecting module of one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The transient state detecting module 13 includes a first temporary storage unit 21 , a second temporary storage unit 22 , a comparison unit 23 , a timer 24 and a converting unit 25 . As shown in FIG. 3 , the first temporary storage unit 21 and the second temporary storage unit 22 are electrically connected to the comparison unit 23 . The comparison unit 23 is electrically connected to the timer 24 and the converting unit 25 .

The transient state detecting module 13 receives the first digital PWM control signal S 1 to determine the transient state of the motor 100 for controlling the rotation speed of the motor 100 . Specifically speaking, the first digital PWM control signal S 1 is transmitted to both of the first temporary storage unit 21 and the second temporary storage unit 22 . The first temporary storage unit 21 accesses the first digital PWM control signal S 1 at a first time point T 1 and this accessed first digital PWM control signal is defined as a first timing digital PWM control signal S 1 _T 1 . Also, the first temporary storage unit 21 accesses the first digital PWM control signal S 1 at a second time point T 2 and this accessed first digital PWM control signal is defined as a second timing digital PWM control signal S 1 _T 2 . It should be noted that, there is a time difference Δt between the first time point T 1 and the second time point T 2 . The relationship between the first time point T 1 and the second time point T 2 can be represented by the following Equation (1).

T 2= T 1+Δ t   Equation (1)

According to the Equation (1), the second time point T 2 is larger than the first time point T 1 . In this embodiment, the first time point T 1 , the second time point T 2 and the time difference Δt between the first time point T 1 and the second time point T 2 can be freely designed with no limitation.

The first temporary storage unit 21 and the second temporary storage unit 22 transmit the first timing digital PWM control signal S 1 _T 1 and the second timing digital PWM control signal S 1 _T 2 to the comparison unit 23 for comparison. After being digitalized, the first timing digital PWM control signal S 1 _T 1 and the second timing digital PWM control signal S 1 _T 2 are considered as two pulse width values. Thus, the comparison unit 23 compares a PWM threshold with a difference between the first timing digital PWM control signal S 1 _T 1 and the second timing digital PWM control signal S 1 _T 2 , and then outputs a second digital PWM control signal S 2 to the control module 14 . In this embodiment, the above mentioned PWM threshold can be freely designed with no limitation.

When the difference between the first timing digital PWM control signal S 1 _T 1 and the second timing digital PWM control signal S 1 _T 2 is larger than the PWM threshold, the converting unit 25 outputs a second digital PWM control signal S 2 at high level. In other words, when the second timing digital PWM control signal S 1 _T 2 minus the first timing digital PWM control signal S 1 _T 1 is larger than zero and also larger than the PWM threshold, the converting unit 25 outputs a second digital PWM control signal S 2 at high level.

When difference between the first timing digital PWM control signal S 1 _T 1 and the second timing digital PWM control signal S 1 _T 2 is larger than zero but smaller than the PWM threshold, the converting unit 25 outputs a second digital PWM control signal S 2 at low level. In other words, when the second timing digital PWM control signal S 1 _T 2 minus the first timing digital PWM control signal S 1 _T 1 is smaller than the PWM threshold, the converting unit 25 outputs a second digital PWM control signal S 2 at low level.

In addition, when the difference between the first timing digital PWM control signal S 1 _T 1 and the second timing digital PWM control signal S 1 _T 2 is smaller than zero, it shows that the rotation speed of the motor 100 is increasing. As a result, the converting unit of the transient state detecting module 13 will not transmit any signal to the control module 14 .

When the control module 14 receives the second digital PWM control signal S 2 at high level, the control module 14 outputs a cut-off signal OFF as the first low side driving signal GN 1 to turn off the first low side switch N 1 .

When the control module 14 receives the second digital PWM control signal S 2 at low level, the control module 14 outputs a PWM signal as the first low side driving signal GN 1 to drive the first low side switch N 1 .

For example, if the value of the first timing digital PWM control signal S 1 _T 1 is 256 (100% of the rotation speed) and the value of the second timing digital PWM control signal S 1 _T 2 is 190 (74% of the rotation speed), the difference between the first timing digital PWM control signal S 1 _T 1 and the second timing digital PWM control signal S 1 _T 2 is 66, which is over 20% of the rotation speed (256*20%=51.2). In this case, the transient state detecting module 13 transmits the second digital PWM control signal S 2 at high level to the control module 14 for indicating that the motor 100 is about to change its rotation speed from a high rotation speed to a low rotation speed. As a response, the control module 14 transmits a cut-off signal OFF to the second end of the first low side switch N 1 to turn off the first low side switch N 1 . Briefly, according to the second digital PWM control signal S 2 from the converting unit 25 of the transient state detecting module 13 , the control module 14 will transmit different kinds of first low side driving signals to the second end of the first low side switch N 1 in order to avoid a reverse current that may be generated when the rotation speed of the motor is adjusted from a high rotation speed to a low rotation speed.

The timer 24 of the transient state detecting module 13 receives a clock signal CLOCK for counting time. Specifically speaking, the converting unit 25 can be set to output the second digital PWM control signal S 2 at high level or low level for a predetermined time interval. For example, the converting unit 25 is set to output the second digital PWM control signal S 2 at high level only for a first predetermined time, and after that, the converting unit 25 is set to output the second digital PWM control signal S 2 at low level. For another example, the converting unit 25 is set to output the second digital PWM control signal S 2 at low level only for a second predetermined time, and after that, the converting unit 25 is set to output the second digital PWM control signal S 2 at high level. It should be noted that, the converting unit 25 can be set to output the second digital PWM control signal S 2 at high level or low level for any desired time interval, and is not limited thereto.

In this embodiment, the timer 24 can be a SR flip-flop, but the implementation of the timer 24 is not restricted by the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 4 , a current curve diagram of a motor control system of one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. FIG. 4 shows how the current varies when the rotation speed of the motor 100 is adjusted from a high rotation speed to a low rotation speed. Only when the transient state detecting module 13 detects and determines that the difference between the first timing digital PWM control signal S 1 _T 1 and the second timing digital PWM control signal S 1 _T 2 is larger than the PWM threshold, the transient state detecting module 13 transmits the second digital PWM control signal S 2 at high level to the control module 14 . As a response, the control module 14 outputs a cut-off signal OFF to the second end of the first low side switch N 1 to turn off the first low side switch in order to avoid the reverse current. Thus, during the time interval tr, the output current IL of the motor driving circuit 10 is zero as shown in FIG. 4 . It is worth mentioning that, the first digital PWM control signal S 1 can be accessed at different time points before the time interval tr or within the time interval tr to generate the first timing digital PWM control signal S 1 _T 1 and the second timing digital PWM control signal S 1 _T 2 .

The motor control system provided by the present disclosure can accurately predict the timing when the rotation speed of the motor changes from a high rotation speed to a low rotation speed by converting a PWM control signal into a digital PWM control signal. When it is determined that the rotation speed of the motor changes from a high rotation speed to a low rotation speed, a control module in the motor control system transmits a cut-off signal to a driving module in the motor control system to avoid a reverse current. In addition, the circuit area of the motor driving circuit in the motor control system provided by the present disclosure is smaller than a traditional motor driving circuit, thus reducing the cost for developing and producing the motor driving circuit of the present disclosure.

The descriptions illustrated supra set forth simply the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure; however, the characteristics of the present disclosure are by no means restricted thereto. All changes, alterations, or modifications conveniently considered by those skilled in the art are deemed to be encompassed within the scope of the present disclosure delineated by the following claims.