On and off state fault detection circuit for a multi-phase brushed or

Abstract

A fault detection circuit monitors voltage drops associated with phase windings of a brushed or brushless reversible multi-phase motor and compares them with reference voltages to determine if the motor is out of normal operating range parameters and if a valid fault condition exists. The fault detection circuit-is included in a motor control circuit and is configurable for use with a wide variety of motors having a broad range of load characteristics. The fault detection circuit includes a programmable clock generator which generates time delays for masking faults detected during start-up and during motor phase sequencing. The fault detection circuit thereby avoids transient and spurious faults and prevents the unnecessary termination of motor operation. The length of the mask time delay required for effective fault detection operation depends on the load characteristics of the selected motor. The parameters defining the mask time delay are selected to match the time delay to the characteristics of the motor. The parameters are downloaded to the fault detection circuit from an external source.