TW202220362A - Motor controller - Google Patents

Abstract

A motor controller is configured to obtain a plurality of physical parameters. The motor controller comprises a selecting circuit, a Hall signal processing unit, a temperature sensor, a transistor, a control unit, and a driving circuit. The Hall signal processing unit is configured to generate a Hall signal. The temperature sensor is configured to generate a temperature signal. The control unit comprises a judging unit and the judging unit is configured to determine whether the motor controller is operated in a normal operation mode or a test mode. The judging unit is used for informing the selecting circuit to output the temperature signal or the Hall signal based on a first test enabling signal or a second test enabling signal.

Description

motor controller

The present invention relates to a motor controller, in particular to a motor controller that can obtain a plurality of physical parameters in a test mode.

At present, some motor controllers have built-in multiple sensing elements (such as Hall sensors, temperature sensors, etc.) for internal control signals. However, the user cannot obtain the physical parameters output by these sensing elements through external measurement. In the prior art, a Pulse Width Modulation (Pulse Width Modulation) pin can be used to receive a test enable signal to enter the test mode, and the Pulse Width Modulation pin can be used to output a Hall signal. Since the number of pins will affect the packaging cost, the number of pins will be reduced as much as possible to improve the competitiveness of the product under the premise of saving costs. Therefore, how to make good use of the existing pins to enter the test mode to obtain the required physical parameters is an important issue to be solved at present.

In view of the aforementioned problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a motor controller capable of outputting a plurality of physical parameters in a test mode.

The motor controller is provided according to the present invention. The motor controller is used to drive a motor. The motor controller has a command pin, a rotational speed signal pin, a selection circuit, a Hall signal processing unit, a temperature sensor, a transistor, a control unit, and a drive circuit. The selection circuit is coupled to the rotational speed signal pin. The driving circuit is used for providing a motor current to the motor. The Hall signal processing unit is used for generating a Hall signal. The temperature sensor is used for generating a temperature signal. The control unit has a judging unit, and the judging unit is used to determine whether the motor controller operates in a normal operation mode or a test mode. The judging unit is coupled to the command pin. The judging unit is used for informing the selection circuit to output a temperature signal via the rotational speed signal pin according to a first start-up test signal. The judging unit is used for informing the selection circuit to output a Hall signal via the rotational speed signal pin according to a second activation test signal.

The objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description. Hereinafter, preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a pin diagram of a motor controller 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The motor controller 10 is used to drive a motor, wherein the motor has a motor coil L. The motor controller 10 has a voltage supply pin VCC, a ground pin GND, a command pin CMD, a first output pin OUT1, a second output pin OUT2, and a rotational speed signal pin SO. The voltage supply pin VCC and the ground pin GND are coupled to a voltage source Vm to supply the voltage required by the motor controller 10 . The command pin CMD receives a PWM signal to adjust the speed of the motor. The speed signal pin SO is used to output a speed signal. The first output pin OUT1 and the second output pin OUT2 are coupled to the motor coil L to drive the motor.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a motor controller 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The motor controller 10 further has a selection circuit 110 , a Hall signal processing unit 120 , a temperature sensor 130 , a transistor 140 , a control unit 150 , and a driving circuit 160 . The hall signal processing unit 120 has a hall sensor 121 and an amplifier 122, wherein the hall sensor 121 is disposed near the motor to sense the change of the magnetic field of the motor. The Hall sensor 121 is coupled to a voltage source Vhb to generate a first output signal and a second output signal. The amplifier 122 has a first input terminal IN1 and a second input terminal IN2, wherein the first input terminal IN1 is coupled to the first output signal and the second input terminal IN2 is coupled to the second output signal for generating a hall signal Vh to selection circuit 110 . In addition, the Hall signal Vh is related to a physical parameter, such as a magnetic field.

The temperature sensor 130 has a bipolar transistor 131 and a current source CS. The bipolar transistor 131 has an emitter, a base, and a collector. The collector of bipolar transistor 131 is coupled to voltage source Vm. The base of the bipolar transistor 131 is coupled to a reference voltage Vb, wherein the reference voltage Vb has a zero temperature coefficient. The emitter of the bipolar transistor 131 is coupled to the current source CS for generating a temperature signal Vt to the selection circuit 110, wherein the temperature signal Vt varies with temperature by a factor of about 25mV/°C. As shown in FIG. 2, the bipolar transistor 131 may be an NPN bipolar transistor. Furthermore, the temperature signal Vt is related to a physical parameter such as temperature.

The control unit 150 is coupled to the transistor 140 for generating a rotational speed signal Vs to the selection circuit 110 . The control unit 150 has a determination unit 151 and the determination unit 151 is used to determine whether the motor controller 10 operates in a normal operation mode or a test mode. The determination unit 151 is coupled to the command pin CMD for generating an N-bit digital signal SEL to the selection circuit 110 and generating a pulse width modulation signal Vp to the driving circuit 160 , where N=2. The driving circuit 160 is used for providing a motor current to the motor, wherein the driving circuit 160 may have an H-bridge circuit.

When the command pin CMD receives a normal PWM signal, the determination unit 151 can set the digital signal SEL to 00 to notify the selection circuit 110 to couple the rotational speed signal Vs to the rotational speed signal pin SO. At this time, the motor controller 10 is in the normal operation mode, and the determination unit 151 couples the PWM signal Vp to the command pin CMD to control the motor to run. When the command pin CMD receives a first start test signal, the determination unit 151 can set the digital signal SEL to 01 to notify the selection circuit 110 to couple the temperature signal Vt to the rotational speed signal pin SO. At this time, the motor controller 10 is in the test mode. When the command pin CMD receives a second start test signal, the determination unit 151 can set the digital signal SEL to 10 to notify the selection circuit 110 to couple the Hall signal Vh to the rotational speed signal pin SO. At this time, the motor controller 10 is also in the test mode.

Specifically, there are various ways to generate the first start-up test signal and the second start-up test signal to enter the test mode. The first start-up test signal in an embodiment of the present invention may be a high-frequency signal having a first frequency. The second activation test signal can also be a high frequency signal and has a second frequency. The first frequency is greater than a first predetermined frequency and the first frequency is less than a second predetermined frequency. The second frequency is greater than a third predetermined frequency and the second frequency is less than a fourth predetermined frequency. The first predetermined frequency is less than the second predetermined frequency. The third predetermined frequency is less than the fourth predetermined frequency. The second predetermined frequency is less than the third predetermined frequency.

The motor controller 10 of an embodiment of the present invention can be applied to a single-phase motor or a multi-phase motor. The motor controller 10 is used to drive a motor. The motor controller 10 has a command pin CMD, a rotational speed signal pin SO, a selection circuit 110 , a control unit 150 , and a drive circuit 160 . The driving circuit 160 is used to provide a motor current to the motor. The control unit 150 has a judgment unit 151 . The determination unit 151 is used for determining whether the motor controller 10 operates in the normal operation mode or the test mode. The determination unit 151 is coupled to the command pin CMD. The determination unit 151 obtains a plurality of physical parameters according to the first activation test signal and the second activation test signal. The selection circuit 110 is coupled to the rotational speed signal pin SO, wherein the selection circuit 110 is used for outputting the Hall signal and the temperature signal. The Hall signal and the temperature signal are related to a plurality of physical parameters. The advantage of the present invention is that a plurality of physical parameters can be obtained in the test mode without adding additional pins.

While the present invention has been described by way of illustration of the preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. On the contrary, the present invention is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the scope of the patent application should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements. The above descriptions are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, and all equivalent changes and modifications made according to the scope of the patent application of the present invention shall fall within the scope of the present invention.

10: Motor Controller VCC: Voltage supply pin GND: ground pin OUT1: The first output pin OUT2: The second output pin SO: Speed signal pin CMD: command pin L: motor coil 110: Selection circuit 120: Hall signal processing unit 130: temperature sensor 140: Transistor 150: Control unit 160: Drive circuit Vhb, Vm: voltage source 121: Hall sensor 122: Amplifier IN1: the first input terminal IN2: The second input terminal 131: Bipolar Transistor CS: Current Source 151: Judgment unit Vh: Hall signal Vb: reference voltage Vt: temperature signal Vs: speed signal SEL: digital signal Vp: PWM signal

FIG. 1 is a pin diagram of a motor controller according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a motor controller according to an embodiment of the present invention.

10: Motor Controller

SO: Speed signal pin

CMD: command pin

110: Selection circuit

120: Hall signal processing unit

130: temperature sensor

140: Transistor

150: Control unit

160: Drive circuit

Vhb, Vm: voltage source

121: Hall sensor

122: Amplifier

IN1: the first input terminal

IN2: The second input terminal

131: Bipolar Transistor

CS: Current Source

151: Judgment unit

Vh: Hall signal

Vb: reference voltage

Vt: temperature signal

Vs: speed signal

SEL: digital signal

Vp: PWM signal

Claims (12)

A motor controller is used to drive a motor, and the motor controller includes: a first foot position; a second foot position; a selection circuit, coupled to the second pin; a drive circuit for providing a motor current to the motor; and a control unit, having a judgment unit, wherein the judgment unit is used to determine that the motor controller operates in a normal operation mode or a test mode, the judgment unit is coupled to the first pin, and the judgment unit is based on a first A test signal is activated to notify the selection circuit to output a temperature signal through the second pin. The motor controller of claim 1, wherein the first start-up test signal has a first frequency, the first frequency is greater than a first predetermined frequency, the first frequency is less than a second predetermined frequency, the The first predetermined frequency is less than the second predetermined frequency. The motor controller of claim 1, wherein the first pin is a command pin and the second pin is a rotational speed signal pin. The motor controller as described in claim 1, wherein the motor controller further comprises a temperature sensor and the temperature sensor is used for generating the temperature signal. The motor controller of claim 4, wherein the temperature sensor comprises: a bipolar transistor coupled to a first voltage source; and A current source, coupled to the bipolar transistor, generates the temperature signal to the selection circuit. The motor controller of claim 1, wherein the determination unit is used to notify the selection circuit to output a Hall signal via the second pin according to a second start-up test signal. The motor controller of claim 6, wherein the second start test signal has a second frequency, the second frequency is greater than a third predetermined frequency, the second frequency is less than a fourth predetermined frequency, the The third predetermined frequency is smaller than the fourth predetermined frequency. The motor controller as described in claim 6, wherein the motor controller further comprises a Hall signal processing unit, and the Hall signal processing unit is used for generating the Hall signal. The motor controller as described in claim 8, wherein the Hall signal processing unit comprises: a Hall sensor coupled to a second voltage source for generating a first output signal and a second output signal; and An amplifier has a first input terminal and a second input terminal, wherein the first input terminal is coupled to the first output signal and the second input terminal is coupled to the second output signal for generating the Hall signal to the selection circuit. A motor controller is used to drive a motor, and the motor controller includes: a first foot position; a drive circuit for providing a motor current to the motor; and a control unit, having a judgment unit, wherein the judgment unit is used to determine that the motor controller operates in a normal operation mode or a test mode, the judgment unit is coupled to the first pin, and the judgment unit is based on a first The activation test signal and a second activation test signal are used to obtain a plurality of physical parameters. The motor controller as described in claim 10, comprising: a second pin; and A selection circuit is coupled to the second pin, wherein the selection circuit is used for outputting a Hall signal and a temperature signal, and the Hall signal and the temperature signal are related to the plurality of physical parameters. The motor controller of claim 11, wherein the first pin is a command pin and the second pin is a rotational speed signal pin.

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