Delco Electronics Corporation

Delphi Technologies, Inc.

James Charles Tallant, Ii

Larry R Hach

Gerard F Kelley

Steven James Collier-Hallman

Kevin J Hawes

Mark Philip Colosky

Roy Alan McCann

Phillip Weilhammer

Fault detection circuitry is provided for a PWM driver responsive to a PWM input signal to produce a PWM output signal, and includes a first circuit producing a scaled switching signal as a scaled representation of the PWM input signal. A second circuit is configured to produce a combined switching signal as a combination of the PWM output signal and the scaled switching signal, and a third circuit is configured to convert the combined switching signal to an analog output signal indicative of one or more fault conditions associated with the PWM driver. A number of comparators may be included with each responsive to the analog output signal and to a different one of a corresponding number of different references voltages, to produce a fault signal indicative of a particular one of the one or more fault conditions.

Asynchronous fault detection circuit for a PWM driver

Disclosed herein is a method and system for initializing a rotating device such as an electronically commutated electric machine. The system comprises: an electric machine; a position sensor subsystem operatively connected to the electric machine configured to measure a position and transmit a position signal to a controller. The controller executes a method initializing position for the electric machine, the method comprising: establishing a sensor subsystem datum indicative of a measurement reference point for a sensor subsystem; obtaining a calibration value corresponding to a distance to a selected magnetic reference position for the electric machine, relative to the sensor subsystem datum; and measuring a position and calculating a position delta relative to an initial reference. The method also includes: estimating an offset from the sensor subsystem datum to an initial reference; determining an absolute position estimate of the electric machine relative to the magnetic reference position. The absolute position estimate is responsive to the calibration value, the position delta, and the offset from the sensor subsystem datum to the initial reference.

Method and apparatus for calibrating and initializing an electronically commutated motor

A boost supply has an inductor coupled to supply voltage and connected to ground through a charging switch and connected through a diode to charge a storage capacitor when the switch is open to attain a boost voltage higher than supply voltage. A clock for controlling the switch operation is an astable circuit having an operational amplifier with an RC timing feedback to one input and a hysteresis feedback to the other input. The hysteresis circuit includes a resistor coupled at one end to a reference voltage and through a diode to the amplifier output. This circuit has an increasing frequency with increasing supply voltage to reduce switch closed time and limit the increase of inductor current to safe levels.

Boost power supply with clock period compensation

A motor driver interface (MDI) circuit for an H-bridge electric motor drive apparatus is responsive to an enable signal to turn off all switching transistors in a not enabled mode and turn on the upper bridge transistors in an enabled mode and includes large resistors, sufficiently large to prevent motor activation therethrough, from the motor terminals to the power supply terminals to establish a bias voltage in the not enabled mode. Fault detection apparatus compares the voltages at the motor terminals with a first reference voltage apparatus in the not enabled mode and a second reference voltage apparatus in the enabled mode in response to the enable signal.

Motor driver interface fault detection circuit with dual mode fault

A control for an inductive load switches current on and off to regulate about a command value, a decaying recirculation current flowing through the load during the switch off periods. The current is sensed during the switch on periods and charges a capacitor to provide a simulation signal representing the motor current. The capacitor is allowed to discharge through a resistor during the switch off periods at the rate of the decaying recirculation current. The simulation signal is compared to the command value to control the switching. The simulation signal is sensed during a command value of zero current to determine offset errors for calibration purposes.

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Carmel, IN, United States of America

James Charles Tallant, Ii