Multi-motor control system, control method and vehicle

Abstract

The invention provides a multi-motor control system, a control method and a vehicle, and relates to the technical field of motor servo systems, the system comprises a plurality of stepping motors, a plurality of driving modules and a control module; the plurality of driving modules are connected with the plurality of stepping motors in a one-to-one correspondence manner; the control module is respectively connected with the plurality of driving modules, and the control module is used for sending a first enable signal and control information to one of the plurality of driving modules and sending a second enable signal to the rest of the plurality of driving modules; wherein the driving module is started after receiving the first enable signal and drives the corresponding stepping motor to act based on control information, and the control information at least comprises a pulse signal and a direction signal. According to the system, the working states of the plurality of driving modules and the action of the stepping motor are accurately controlled through one control module, and the hardware cost is relatively low. And the clock sources of the plurality of driving modules are provided by the same control module, so that high-precision synchronous control is realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of motor servo system technology, and more specifically, to a multi-motor control system, control method, and vehicle. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, vehicles typically incorporate multi-axis stepper motor systems to ensure operational reliability. However, each stepper motor in these technologies requires an independent driver and controller, resulting in a large number of controllers and drivers, numerous wiring harnesses, and high costs. Furthermore, inconsistencies between the multiple controllers lead to poor synchronization of control among the stepper motors. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To address the aforementioned issues, this application provides a multi-motor control system, control method, and vehicle, aiming to resolve the problems of excessive number of controllers and drivers, high cost, and poor control synchronization in related technologies.

[0004] In a first aspect, this application provides a multi-motor control system, including multiple stepper motors, multiple drive modules, and a control module; the multiple drive modules are connected one-to-one with the multiple stepper motors; the control module is connected to the multiple drive modules respectively, and the control module is used to send a first enable signal and control information to one of the multiple drive modules, and to send a second enable signal to the remaining drive modules; wherein, the drive module starts after receiving the first enable signal, and drives the corresponding stepper motor to move based on the control information, the control information including at least a pulse signal and a direction signal.

[0005] In the above technical solution, the control module of the multi-motor control system provided in this application synchronously integrates and controls the start and stop states of multiple drive modules by sending different enable signals. Through control information, precise control of the corresponding stepper motor actions can be achieved. Specifically, the control module can send a first enable signal to one of the multiple drive modules, enabling that drive module to power on and start, and send a second enable signal to the remaining drive modules, keeping them in a stopped state. That is, this application can achieve precise control of the working states of multiple drive modules through a single control module, thereby controlling the actions of multiple stepper motors. It eliminates the need for a separate controller for each stepper motor, reducing the number of controllers and the corresponding wiring harnesses and I / O resource usage, resulting in lower hardware costs. Furthermore, the start and stop states of multiple drive modules are controlled by the same control module, meaning the clock source for multiple drive modules is provided by the same control module. This avoids the problem of poor control synchronization of multiple stepper motors caused by accumulated errors due to individual differences and clock drift when using different controllers, enabling this application to achieve high-precision synchronous control of multiple drive modules and multiple stepper motors.

[0006] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the control module is used to allocate and send pulse signals to multiple drive modules according to time slices. The control module is also used to obtain the output speed of the stepper motor and dynamically adjust the time slice period of the pulse signal based on the output speed.

[0007] In the above technical solution, the control module can distribute pulse signals to different drive modules according to time slices. Simultaneously, it can dynamically adjust the time slice period ratio of the output pulse signals based on the real-time speed requirements of each axis (i.e., each stepper motor) to adapt to different load heights and low-speed requirements. In other words, the multi-motor control system provided in this application can achieve dynamic resource allocation, avoiding the problem of being unable to dynamically respond to real-time speed changes of each axis when using fixed time slices, which may lead to idle low-speed axis resources and delayed response of high-speed axes. This improves the operational reliability and stability of the multi-motor control system.

[0008] In combination with the first aspect and the above implementation methods, in some possible implementation methods, the control module is also used to obtain the output speed of the stepper motor of the action. When the output speed is greater than the speed threshold, the time slice period of the pulse signal sent by the control module to the corresponding drive module is between 1 microsecond and 1 millisecond.

[0009] In the above technical solution, the multi-motor control system of this application can realize real-time adjustment and priority setting of the time slice period to adjust the time slice period of the corresponding pulse signal for different axes. At the same time, through the hybrid control architecture of real-time adjustment and priority setting of the time slice period, it can support the hybrid deployment of time-division multiplexing and independent control modes (e.g., high-speed axis independent, low-speed axis multiplexed).

[0010] In combination with the first aspect and the above implementation methods, in some possible implementation methods, multiple driving modules are interconnected to form a first common node and a second common node, and the control module includes a first interface and a second interface; the first interface is connected to the first common node, and the control module is used to output pulse signals through the first interface; the second interface is connected to the second common node, and the control module is used to output direction signals through the second interface.

[0011] In the above technical solution, multiple drive modules are connected to the first interface of the control module through the wiring harness corresponding to the first common node to receive corresponding pulse signals after power-on; multiple drive modules are connected to the second interface of the control module through the wiring harness corresponding to the second common node to receive corresponding direction signals after power-on. Connecting multiple drive modules to both the first and second interfaces of the control module through the same wiring harness ensures reliable transmission of pulse and direction signals while reducing the arrangement of wiring harnesses, thereby simplifying the overall wiring of the multi-motor control system.

[0012] Combining the first aspect and the above implementation methods, in some possible implementation methods, multiple driver modules are interconnected to form a third common node, and the control module also includes a third interface, which is connected to the third common node. The control module is used to output a sleep mode control signal through the third interface.

[0013] In the above technical solution, the sleep mode control signal is used to enable or disable the low-power mode of the drive module. The control module can send an enable sleep mode control signal to the drive module corresponding to the stepper motor that does not need to operate, so that the corresponding drive module is in sleep mode, thereby reducing the power consumption of the drive module and thus reducing the overall power consumption of the vehicle and multi-motor control system.

[0014] Combining the first aspect and the above implementation methods, in some possible implementation methods, the control module includes a direct memory access controller, which is connected to multiple driver modules respectively.

[0015] In the above technical solution, the Direct Memory Access (DMI) controller can directly transfer data between memory and / or peripherals without frequent intervention from the central processing unit (CPU) in the control module. This significantly improves the transmission efficiency of signals from the control module to the driving modules, reduces the CPU's burden, increases data transmission efficiency, and eliminates interrupt handling latency in the control module. By reducing CPU involvement, the DMI controller allows the control module to enter a low-power mode (e.g., sleep state) when processing data in the background, thereby saving power. Furthermore, the DMI controller can precisely control the address and length of data transmissions to ensure data integrity and accuracy.

[0016] Combining the first aspect and the above implementation methods, in some possible implementation methods, each drive module includes an intelligent adjustment unit, a detection unit, a protection unit, and a microstepping unit; the intelligent adjustment unit is connected to the stepper motor and is used to adjust the operating parameters of the stepper motor; the detection unit is connected to the stepper motor and is used to detect the stall state of the stepper motor; the protection unit is connected to the stepper motor; and the microstepping unit is connected to the stepper motor and is used to subdivide the step angle of the stepper motor into multiple microsteps.

[0017] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a multi-motor control method, applied to the multi-motor control system described in any optional manner of the first aspect, the method comprising: Send a first enable signal and control information to one of the multiple drive modules, the control information including at least a pulse signal and a direction signal, and send a second enable signal to the remaining drive modules. The drive module starts after receiving the first enable signal and drives the corresponding stepper motor to move based on the control information.

[0018] In the above-described technical solution, the multi-motor control method provided in this application synchronously integrates and controls the start and stop states of multiple drive modules by sending different enable signals. This control information enables precise control of the corresponding stepper motor's movement. Specifically, a first enable signal is sent to one of the drive modules to power it on and start it, and a second enable signal is sent to the remaining drive modules to keep them in a stopped state. That is, this application can achieve precise control of the working states of multiple drive modules through a single control module, thereby controlling the movement of multiple stepper motors. It eliminates the need for a separate controller for each stepper motor, reducing the number of controllers and the associated wiring harnesses and I / O resources, resulting in lower hardware costs. Furthermore, since the start and stop states of multiple drive modules are controlled by the same control module, meaning the clock source for multiple drive modules is provided by the same control module, it avoids the problem of poor control synchronization of multiple stepper motors caused by accumulated errors due to individual differences and clock drift when using different controllers. This allows this application to achieve high-precision synchronous control of multiple drive modules and multiple stepper motors.

[0019] In conjunction with the second aspect, among some possible implementations, the method also includes: The output speed of the stepper motor is obtained. When the output speed is greater than the speed threshold, the time slice period of the pulse signal sent to the corresponding drive module is between 1 microsecond and 1 millisecond.

[0020] In the above technical solution, the multi-motor control method of this application can realize real-time adjustment and priority setting of the time slice period to adjust the time slice period of the corresponding pulse signal for different axes. At the same time, through the hybrid control architecture of real-time adjustment and priority setting of the time slice period, it can support the hybrid deployment of time-division multiplexing and independent control modes (e.g., high-speed axis independent, low-speed axis multiplexed).

[0021] Thirdly, embodiments of this application also provide a vehicle including the multi-motor control system described in any of the optional embodiments of the first aspect. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the module structure of a multi-motor control system provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the module structure of another multi-motor control system provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the module structure of another multi-motor control system provided in the embodiments of this application; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the module structure of another multi-motor control system provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the module structure of another multi-motor control system provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating a multi-motor control method provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0023] In the attached figures, the following labels are used: 1. Multi-motor control system; 11. Stepper motor; 12. Drive module; 121. Intelligent adjustment unit; 122. Detection unit; 123. Protection unit; 124. Microstepping unit; 13. Control module; A. First common node; B. Second common node; C. Third common node; D. Fourth common node; E. Fifth common node; F. Sixth common node; G. Seventh common node; ENA, First enable signal; ENB, Second enable signal; STEP, Pulse signal; DIR, Direction signal; 13a, First interface; 13b, Second interface; 13c, Third interface; 13d, Fourth interface; 13e, Fifth interface; 13f, Sixth interface; 13g, Seventh interface; nSLEEP, Sleep mode control signal; TRQ_CNT / STL_TH, Torque activation threshold signal; STL_MODE, Stationary mode selection signal; STL_REP, Stationary repeat signal; nFAULT, Fault status signal; DMA, Direct Memory Access Controller. Detailed Implementation

[0024] The technical solutions in this application will be clearly and thoroughly described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise stated, " / " means "or," for example, A / B can mean A or B. "And / or" in the text is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, and B existing alone. Furthermore, in the description of the embodiments of this application, "multiple" refers to two or more than two.

[0025] Hereinafter, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as implying or suggesting relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature.

[0026] Vehicles are typically equipped with multi-axis stepper motor systems, where different stepper motors drive different loads. When one stepper motor fails, the others can continue to work, thereby improving the operational reliability of the multi-axis stepper motor system and the vehicle's overall operational reliability.

[0027] Currently, multi-axis stepper motor systems in related technologies typically employ two control methods. One is independent control, where each stepper motor is equipped with an independent driver and controller to achieve independent control of multiple motors. This results in a large number of controllers and drivers in the multi-axis stepper motor system, with each controller requiring a corresponding connection to each driver and wiring harnesses, leading to high hardware costs. The more stepper motors there are, the more controllers, drivers, and wiring harnesses are needed, further increasing costs. Secondly, when using multiple controllers, individual differences between controllers (e.g., varying control accuracy and response speed) and accumulated errors caused by clock drift result in poor synchronization of control among the multiple stepper motors.

[0028] Another approach is to use a time-sharing multiplexing scheme in multi-axis stepper motor systems, employing fixed time slices for rotation. However, in multi-axis stepper motor systems, the speed of each axis may need to be dynamically adjusted according to actual conditions. Fixed-time-slice rotation scheduling algorithms cannot adjust the time slice length in time to adapt to such changes, which may lead to idle low-speed axis resources and delayed response of high-speed axes, resulting in poor operational reliability and stability of the multi-axis stepper motor system.

[0029] Thus, multi-axis stepper motor systems in related technologies suffer from problems such as wasted hardware resources (i.e., a large number of redundant drivers and controllers), insufficient multi-axis synchronization accuracy (accumulated microsecond-level deviations in each controller lead to loss of synchronization), and limited system scalability (adding a new axis requires reconstructing the hardware architecture, i.e., adding a corresponding controller and driver).

[0030] Therefore, this application provides a multi-motor control system, control method, and vehicle. The multi-motor control system achieves precise control of the working status of multiple drive modules and the actions of stepper motors through a single control module, reducing the number of controllers, as well as the corresponding wiring harnesses and I / O resource usage, resulting in lower hardware costs. Furthermore, the clock source for multiple drive modules is provided by the same control module, achieving high-precision synchronous control.

[0031] The multi-motor control system, control method, and vehicle provided in this application are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0032] In one example, such as Figure 1 As shown, this application provides a multi-motor control system 1, including multiple stepper motors 11, multiple drive modules 12, and a control module 13. The multiple drive modules 12 are connected to the multiple stepper motors 11 in a one-to-one correspondence, and the control module 13 is connected to the multiple drive modules 12 respectively.

[0033] The multiple stepper motors 11 are used to control various loads in the vehicle, such as windows, rearview mirrors, windshield wipers, seat adjustment, and air conditioning control. This application does not impose specific limitations on these components. In other words, the multiple stepper motors 11 in the multi-motor control system 1 can individually control various loads requiring precise position control, adapting to different load demands through appropriate control and drive methods, thereby ensuring the operational stability and reliability of each load in the vehicle.

[0034] This application can control multiple drive modules 12 through a single control module 13. Specifically, the control module 13 sends a first enable signal ENA and control information to one of the drive modules 12, and sends a second enable signal ENB to the remaining drive modules 12. The first enable signal ENA is an enable signal used to wake up the drive module 12, and the second enable signal ENB is the opposite of the first enable signal ENA. For example, assuming the wake-up condition of a drive module 12 is a high-level enable signal, the first enable signal ENA sent by the control module 13 to one of the drive modules 12 is high, and the second enable signal ENB sent to the remaining drive modules 12 is low. Conversely, assuming that the wake-up condition of the drive module 12 is the access of a low-level enable signal, the first enable signal ENA sent by the control module 13 to one of the multiple drive modules 12 is low-level, and the second enable signal ENB sent to the other drive modules 12 is high-level. This application does not impose specific restrictions on this.

[0035] It is understandable that if the enable signal output by the control module 13 to the drive modules 12 corresponding to all stepper motors 11 is the first enable signal ENA, then all drive modules 12 will simultaneously respond to the control signal of the control module 13 to start, and correspondingly, all stepper motors 11 will start simultaneously. When multiple stepper motors 11 operate simultaneously, mechanical conflicts or interference may occur, affecting the overall operational stability and accuracy of the multi-motor control system 1. This application sets the enable signal of the drive module 12 corresponding to one stepper motor 11 to the first enable signal ENA (i.e., on state), and sets the enable signals of the drive modules 12 corresponding to the remaining stepper motors 11 to the second enable signal ENB (i.e., off state), which ensures that only specific stepper motors 11 respond to the control signal at a certain time. In this way, precise control and coordination of each stepper motor 11 and its corresponding drive module 12 can be achieved, avoiding the problem of system operation chaos caused by the simultaneous operation of multiple stepper motors 11, and improving the overall operational stability and accuracy of the multi-motor control system 1.

[0036] It is worth noting that the control module 13 can send control information to multiple drive modules 12 simultaneously. However, only the drive module 12 that receives the first enable signal ENA is powered on and can respond to the control information, while the other drive modules 12 that receive the second enable signal ENB are in a stopped state and do not respond to the control information. For example, drive module 12 starts up after receiving the first enable signal ENA, while the other drive modules 12 remain stopped after receiving the second enable signal ENB. The powered-on drive module 12 can respond to the control information, meaning that the powered-on drive module 12 can drive the corresponding stepper motor 11 to move based on the control information.

[0037] In one example, the control information includes at least the pulse signal STEP and the direction signal DIR.

[0038] The STEP pulse signal is a stepping signal used to indicate each step of the stepper motor 11. Specifically, the STEP pulse signal output by the control module 13 to the corresponding drive module 12 of the stepper motor 11 controls the movement of the stepper motor 11. Each time the drive module 12 receives a STEP pulse signal, it drives the stepper motor 11 to rotate by a fixed angle. By controlling the number of STEP pulse signals, the rotation angle of the stepper motor 11 can be precisely controlled, thereby achieving accurate positioning. Simultaneously, by adjusting the frequency of the STEP pulse signals, the rotation speed of the stepper motor 11 can also be controlled.

[0039] The direction signal DIR is used to control the rotation direction of the stepper motor 11 (e.g., forward or reverse). Specifically, when the drive module 12 corresponding to the stepper motor 11 receives the direction signal DIR and the pulse signal STEP, the drive module 12 will drive the stepper motor 11 to rotate a fixed angle in a set direction according to the state of the direction signal DIR. This angle is called the "step angle". For example, in single-pulse control mode, the direction signal DIR is responsible for the forward and reverse rotation of the stepper motor 11. Each time the drive module 12 receives a pulse signal STEP, it will drive the stepper motor 11 to rotate one step angle in the direction indicated by the direction signal DIR, thereby achieving precise positioning. The direction signal DIR can be high or low, depending on the design of the drive module 12. For example, a high-level direction signal DIR represents clockwise rotation of the stepper motor 11, and a low-level direction signal DIR represents counterclockwise rotation of the stepper motor 11. The control module 13 can realize the forward and reverse rotation of the stepper motor 11 by changing the level state of the direction signal DIR.

[0040] Thus, drive module 12 starts up upon receiving the first enable signal ENA, while the other drive modules 12 remain in a stopped state upon receiving the second enable signal ENB. After powering on, drive modules 12 can respond to the pulse signal STEP and the direction signal DIR to drive the stepper motor 11 accordingly.

[0041] In summary, the control module 13 in the multi-motor control system 1 provided in this application synchronously integrates and controls the start and stop states of multiple drive modules 12 by sending different enable signals. Through control information, precise control of the corresponding stepper motor 11's movement can be achieved. Specifically, the control module 13 can send a first enable signal ENA to one of the multiple drive modules 12, enabling that drive module 12 to power on and start, and send a second enable signal ENB to the remaining drive modules 12, keeping them in a stopped state. That is, this application can achieve precise control of the working states of multiple drive modules 12 through a single control module 13, thereby controlling the movement of multiple stepper motors 11. There is no need to configure an independent controller for each stepper motor 11, reducing the number of controllers and also reducing the corresponding wiring harnesses and input / output (IO) resource usage, resulting in lower hardware costs. Furthermore, the start / stop states of multiple drive modules 12 are controlled by the same control module 13, meaning the clock source for multiple drive modules 12 is provided by the same control module 13. This avoids the problem of poor control synchronization of multiple stepper motors caused by accumulated errors due to individual differences and clock drift when using different controllers. This enables the present application to achieve high-precision synchronous control of multiple drive modules 12 and multiple stepper motors 11. Thus, the multi-motor control system 1 provided by the present application can achieve low-cost, high-precision multi-axis collaborative control.

[0042] The frequency of the pulse signal STEP determines the rotational speed of the stepper motor 11. When the time slice period of the pulse signal STEP output by the control module 13 is short, the corresponding frequency is higher, and the drive module 12 drives the stepper motor 11 to rotate at a faster speed based on this pulse signal STEP. Conversely, if the time slice of the pulse signal STEP is long, the corresponding frequency is lower, and the drive module 12 drives the stepper motor 11 to rotate at a slower speed based on this pulse signal STEP. In order to enable this application to adjust the rotational speed of the stepper motor 11 according to different load requirements, in one example, the control module 13 is used to distribute and send the pulse signal STEP to multiple drive modules 12 according to time slices, and the time slice period output to each drive module 11 is different. The control module 13 is also used to obtain the output speed of the stepper motor 11 and dynamically adjust the time slice period of the pulse signal STEP based on the output speed.

[0043] In this example, when a stepper motor 11 corresponding to a certain load needs to rotate at a faster speed, the control module 13 outputs a short time slice period of the STEP pulse signal to the corresponding drive module 12. This allows the drive module 12 to drive the stepper motor 11 at a high frequency based on the STEP pulse signal, thereby enabling the stepper motor 11 to rotate at a faster speed to meet the high speed requirement of the load. Conversely, when a stepper motor 11 corresponding to a certain load needs to rotate at a lower speed, the control module 13 outputs a longer time slice period of the STEP pulse signal to the corresponding drive module 12. This allows the drive module 12 to drive the stepper motor 11 at a lower frequency based on the STEP pulse signal, thereby enabling the stepper motor 11 to rotate at a slower speed to meet the low speed requirement of the load.

[0044] Thus, the control module 13 can distribute the pulse signal STEP to different drive modules 12 according to time slices. Simultaneously, it can dynamically adjust the time slice period ratio of the output pulse signal STEP based on the real-time speed requirements of each axis (i.e., each stepper motor 11) to adapt to different load heights and low-speed requirements. In other words, the multi-motor control system 1 provided in this application can achieve dynamic resource allocation, avoiding the problem of not being able to dynamically respond to real-time speed changes of each axis when using fixed time slices, which may lead to idle low-speed axis resources and delayed response of high-speed axes. This improves the operational reliability and stability of the multi-motor control system 1.

[0045] The control module 13 provided in this application can allocate the pulse signal STEP according to the time slice according to the dynamic time slice allocation algorithm, and the corresponding formula (1) is obtained: Tcycle =Σ(θ_i / v_i)(1) Where Tcycle is the sum of the times for each axis, θ_i is the target number of steps for the i-th axis, and v_i is the preset speed.

[0046] The multi-motor control system 1 provided in this application adopts a time-sharing multiplexing control method, that is, multiple axes (multiple stepper motors 11) share the same control module 13. Each stepper motor 11 runs in its own time slice, so the total cycle should be the sum of the time slices. Assuming that each axis i needs to complete θ_i steps at a speed of v_i steps / second, the time required for each axis to run alone is θ_i / v_i. However, in the case of time-sharing multiplexing, the control module 13 needs to allocate time slices to each axis i in turn, so the total cycle may not be a simple sum, but rather the sum of the time slices allocated in each cycle. It is worth noting that within a complete cycle, the control module 13 must be able to allocate enough time slices to all axes i. If there are too many high-speed axes i, and each high-speed axis i requires a long time slice to handle high-speed motion, then the entire cycle will become very long, i.e., Σ(θ_i / v_i) will cause the total cycle to increase linearly with the number of axes. Especially when the axes need to work collaboratively, the total cycle should take into account the synchronization requirements. Therefore, the multi-motor control system 1 provided in this application needs to limit the number of high-speed axes to avoid the problem that too many high-speed axes will cause the time slice period occupied by each high-speed axis to be too long and affect each other.

[0047] Therefore, we get formula (2): T_{cycle} = sum_{i=1}^{N} ({theta_i} / {v_i}) (2) Where (theta_i) is the target step number of the i-th axis, (v_i) is the preset speed, (N) is the number of system axes, and (i) is the axis index.

[0048] The multi-motor control system 1 provided in this application can also realize real-time adjustment of the time slice period and priority setting. For example, the control module 13 is also used to obtain the output speed of the stepper motor 11 in motion. When the output speed is greater than the speed threshold, the control module 13 sends the pulse signal STEP to the corresponding drive module 12 with a time slice period between 1 microsecond and 1 millisecond.

[0049] In this example, the control module 13 has a preset speed threshold, assuming the speed threshold is ±10%. When the control module 13 detects that the output speed of the stepper motor 11 is greater than the speed threshold (±10%), the axis corresponding to the stepper motor 11 is a high-speed axis. Correspondingly, the control module 13 will trigger a time slice reallocation. For example, the time slice period of the pulse signal STEP sent by the control module 13 to the drive module 12 corresponding to the high-speed axis can be between 1 microsecond (μs) and 1 millisecond (ms).

[0050] Thus, the multi-motor control system 1 of this application can realize real-time adjustment and priority setting of the time slice period to adjust the time slice period of the corresponding pulse signal STEP for different axes. At the same time, through the hybrid control architecture of real-time adjustment and priority setting of the time slice period, it can support the hybrid deployment of time-division multiplexing and independent control modes (e.g., high-speed axis independent, low-speed axis multiplexed).

[0051] To further reduce the number of connecting wires, in one example, such as Figure 2 As shown, multiple drive modules 12 are interconnected to form a first common node A and a second common node B. The control module 13 includes a first interface 13a and a second interface 13b. The illustration only shows two drive modules 12 and two stepper motors 11 as an example. The number of drive modules 12 and two stepper motors 11 can be set according to actual needs, and this application does not impose specific limitations on this. The first interface 13a is connected to the first common node A, and the control module 13 is used to output the pulse signal STEP through the first interface 13a. The second interface 13b is connected to the second common node B, and the control module 13 is used to output the direction signal DIR through the second interface 13b.

[0052] In this example, multiple drive modules 12 are connected to the first interface 13a of the control module 13 via the wiring harness corresponding to the first common node A to receive the corresponding pulse signal STEP after power-on; multiple drive modules 12 are connected to the second interface 13b of the control module 13 via the wiring harness corresponding to the second common node B to receive the corresponding direction signal DIR after power-on. Connecting multiple drive modules 12 to both the first interface 13a and the second interface 13b of the control module 13 via the same wiring harness can ensure reliable transmission of the pulse signal STEP and the direction signal DIR while reducing the arrangement of the connecting wiring harness, thereby simplifying the overall wiring of the multi-motor control system 1.

[0053] It is worth noting that, in order to ensure the reliability and independence of the enable signals output by the control module 13 to each drive module 12, such as... Figure 2 As shown, the control module 13 and each drive module 12 use independent enable signal harnesses to avoid crosstalk between the enable signals and improve the reliability of the control module 13 in controlling each drive module 12.

[0054] In actual operation, some of the multiple stepper motors 11 may not be used. For example, during vehicle movement, the rearview mirrors and seat adjustments do not need to change position, and their corresponding stepper motors 11 do not need to operate. In this case, to reduce the overall power consumption of the vehicle and the multi-motor control system 1, in one example, such as... Figure 3As shown, multiple drive modules 12 are interconnected to form a third common node C. The control module 13 also includes a third interface 13c, which is connected to the third common node C. The control module 13 is used to output a sleep mode control signal nSLEEP via the third interface 13c.

[0055] In this example, the sleep mode control signal nSLEEP is used to enable or disable the low-power mode of the drive module 12. The control module 13 can send the enable sleep mode control signal nSLEEP to the drive module 12 corresponding to the stepper motor 11 that does not need to operate, so that the corresponding drive module 12 is in sleep mode, thereby reducing the power consumption of the drive module 12, and thus reducing the overall power consumption of the vehicle and multi-motor control system 1.

[0056] In one example, such as Figure 4 As shown, the control module 13 also includes a fourth interface 13d, a fifth interface 13e, a sixth interface 13f, and a seventh interface 13g. Multiple drive modules 12 are interconnected to form a fourth common node D, a fifth common node E, a sixth common node F, and a seventh common node G.

[0057] The fourth interface 13d is connected to the fourth common node D. The control module 13 receives the torque activation threshold signal TRQ_CNT / STL_TH sent by the drive module 12 via the fourth interface 13d to activate torque control under specific conditions. Specifically, the drive module 11 will only allow the stepper motor 11 to continue running when the actual output torque of the stepper motor 11 reaches or exceeds this threshold. The control module 13 can use the torque activation threshold signal TRQ_CNT / STL_TH to ensure that the stepper motor 11 can start smoothly under heavy loads or when high starting torque is required, avoiding start-up failure or unstable operation due to insufficient torque.

[0058] The fifth interface 13e is connected to the fifth common node E. The control module 13 is used to send the stationary mode selection signal STL_MODE to the drive module 12 via the fifth interface 13e to configure the working mode of the stepper motor 11 in the stationary state.

[0059] The sixth interface 13f is connected to the sixth common node F. The control module 13 receives the stationary repeat signal STL_REP sent by the drive module 12 via the sixth interface 13f to determine the repetitive actions of the stepper motor 11 in stationary mode. Specifically, the stationary repeat signal STL_REP is used to detect whether the stepper motor 11 is stationary and whether any unwanted movement occurs while stationary. If the stepper motor 11 moves when it should be stationary, the control module 13 can detect this in time through the stationary repeat signal STL_REP and take measures such as repositioning or stopping the stepper motor 11, which helps improve the overall stability and accuracy of the system.

[0060] The seventh interface 13g is connected to the seventh common node G. The control module 13 receives the fault status signal nFAULT sent by the drive module 12 via the seventh interface 13g to monitor whether the stepper motor 11 and the drive module 12 have any faults. The fault status signal nFAULT is used to inform the control module 13 whether the stepper motor 11 or the drive module 12 has a fault. When the fault status signal nFAULT is valid (e.g., assumed to be low level), it indicates that the system has detected some abnormal condition, such as overheating, overcurrent, or other electrical problems. After receiving this low-level fault status signal nFAULT, the control module 13 can immediately stop the stepper motor 11 and trigger the corresponding fault handling procedure to protect the equipment from further damage.

[0061] The control module 13 may also include other interfaces, and this application does not impose specific restrictions on them.

[0062] To improve the efficiency of signal transmission from control module 13 to drive module 12, in one example, such as Figure 4 As shown, the control module 13 includes a Direct Memory Access Controller (DMA), which is connected to multiple driver modules 12.

[0063] In this example, the Direct Memory Access (DMA) controller can directly transfer data between memory and / or peripherals without frequent intervention from the Central Processing Unit (CPU) in the control module 13. This significantly improves the efficiency of signal transmission from the control module 13 to the driving module 12, reduces the CPU load, improves data transfer efficiency, and eliminates interrupt handling latency in the control module 13. By reducing CPU involvement, the DMA controller allows the control module 13 to enter a low-power mode (e.g., sleep state) when processing data in the background, thereby saving power. Furthermore, the DMA controller can precisely control the address and length of data transfers to ensure data integrity and accuracy.

[0064] Optionally, the control module 13 can be a microcontroller unit (MCU).

[0065] In one example, such as Figure 5 As shown, each drive module 12 includes an intelligent adjustment unit 121, a detection unit 122, a protection unit 123, and a microstep subdivision unit 124.

[0066] The Smart Tune 121 is connected to the Stepper Motor 11 and is used to adjust the operating parameters of the Stepper Motor 11.

[0067] The detection unit 122 is connected to the stepper motor 11 and is used to detect the stall state of the stepper motor 11.

[0068] The protection unit 123 is connected to the stepper motor 11 and provides overcurrent and overheat protection measures for the corresponding stepper motor 11 to improve the operational reliability and service life of the stepper motor 11.

[0069] The microstepping unit 124 is connected to the stepper motor 11 and is used to subdivide the step angle of the stepper motor 11 into multiple microsteps. Optionally, the microstepping unit 124 is 1 / 256 µ-step, that is, it can support a maximum microstep subdivision of 1 / 256 to improve the smoothness and accuracy of the stepper motor 11 operation.

[0070] In one example, the control module 13 in the multi-motor control system 1 provided in this application can insert a compensation pulse at the end of each cycle to improve the reliability of the stepper motor 11 switching to the off state.

[0071] In one example, the multi-motor control system 1 provided in this application can also integrate optocoupler isolation and level conversion circuits to adapt to the signal types of different drive modules 12. It is worth noting that when a new axis needs to be added, control and drive can be achieved simply by connecting the new axis to the corresponding interface of the control module 13 via a wiring harness, without the need to reconstruct the hardware architecture, and the overall system has a wide range of scalability.

[0072] In summary, the control module 13 in the multi-motor control system 1 provided in this application synchronously integrates and controls the start and stop states of multiple drive modules 12 by sending different enable signals. Through control information, precise control of the corresponding stepper motor 11's movement can be achieved. Specifically, the control module 13 can send a first enable signal ENA to one of the multiple drive modules 12, enabling that drive module 12 to power on and start, and send a second enable signal ENB to the remaining drive modules 12, keeping them in a stopped state. That is, this application can achieve precise control of the working states of multiple drive modules 12 through a single control module 13, thereby controlling the movement of multiple stepper motors 11. There is no need to configure an independent controller for each stepper motor 11, reducing the number of controllers and also reducing the corresponding wiring harnesses and input / output (IO) resource usage, resulting in lower hardware costs. Furthermore, the start / stop states of multiple drive modules 12 are controlled by the same control module 13, meaning the clock source for multiple drive modules 12 is provided by the same control module 13. This avoids the problem of poor control synchronization of multiple stepper motors caused by accumulated errors due to individual differences and clock drift when using different controllers. This enables the present application to achieve high-precision synchronous control of multiple drive modules 12 and multiple stepper motors 11. Thus, the multi-motor control system 1 provided by the present application can achieve low-cost, high-precision multi-axis collaborative control.

[0073] In one example Figure 6 This is a schematic flowchart of a multi-motor control method provided in an embodiment of this application; the method 100 includes S101 to S102; S101 to S102 are described in detail below.

[0074] The multi-motor control method is applied to the aforementioned multi-motor control system 1, which can refer to, for example, Figures 1 to 5 The multi-motor control system 1 shown is, for example, a plurality of stepper motors 11, a plurality of drive modules 12, and a control module 13. The plurality of drive modules 12 are connected one-to-one with the plurality of stepper motors 11, and the control module 13 is connected to the plurality of drive modules 12 respectively.

[0075] S101. Send a first enable signal and control information to one of the multiple drive modules, the control information including at least a pulse signal and a direction signal, and send a second enable signal to the remaining drive modules.

[0076] Wherein, the first enable signal ENA is an enable signal used to wake up the driver module 12, and the second enable signal ENB is a signal opposite to the first enable signal ENA. For example, assuming the wake-up condition of the driver module 12 is a high-level enable signal, the control module 13 sends a high-level first enable signal ENA to one of the multiple driver modules 12, and a low-level second enable signal ENB to the remaining driver modules 12. Conversely, assuming the wake-up condition of the driver module 12 is a low-level enable signal, the control module 13 sends a low-level first enable signal ENA to one of the multiple driver modules 12, and a high-level second enable signal ENB to the remaining driver modules 12. This application does not impose specific limitations on this.

[0077] It is understandable that if the enable signal output by the control module 13 to the drive modules 12 corresponding to all stepper motors 11 is the first enable signal ENA, then all drive modules 12 will simultaneously respond to the control signal of the control module 13 to start, and correspondingly, all stepper motors 11 will start simultaneously. When multiple stepper motors 11 operate simultaneously, mechanical conflicts or interference may occur, affecting the overall operational stability and accuracy of the system. This application sets the enable signal of the drive module 12 corresponding to one stepper motor 11 to the first enable signal ENA (i.e., on state), and sets the enable signals of the drive modules 12 corresponding to the remaining stepper motors 11 to the second enable signal ENB (i.e., off state), which ensures that only specific stepper motors 11 respond to the control signal at a certain time. In this way, precise control and coordination of each stepper motor 11 and its corresponding drive module 12 can be achieved, avoiding the problem of system operation chaos caused by the simultaneous operation of multiple stepper motors 11, and improving the overall operational stability and accuracy of the multi-motor control system 1.

[0078] It is worth noting that the control module 13 can send control information to multiple drive modules 12 simultaneously. However, only the drive module 12 that receives the first enable signal ENA is powered on and can respond to the control information, while the other drive modules 12 that receive the second enable signal ENB are in a stopped state and do not respond to the control information. For example, drive module 12 starts up after receiving the first enable signal ENA, while the other drive modules 12 remain stopped after receiving the second enable signal ENB. The powered-on drive module 12 can respond to the control information, meaning that the powered-on drive module 12 can drive the corresponding stepper motor 11 to move based on the control information.

[0079] Among them, the pulse signal STEP is a step signal, which is used to indicate each step of the stepper motor 11. The direction signal DIR is used to control the rotation direction of the stepper motor 11 (e.g., forward or reverse).

[0080] S102. The drive module starts after receiving the first enable signal and drives the corresponding stepper motor to move based on the control information.

[0081] For example, the control module 13 outputs a pulse signal STEP to the drive module 12 corresponding to the stepper motor 11 to control the movement of the stepper motor 11. Each time the drive module 12 receives a pulse signal STEP, it drives the stepper motor 11 to rotate by a fixed angle. By controlling the number of pulse signals STEP, the rotation angle of the stepper motor 11 can be precisely controlled, thereby achieving accurate positioning. Simultaneously, by adjusting the frequency of the pulse signals STEP, the rotation speed of the stepper motor 11 can also be controlled.

[0082] For example, when the drive module 12 corresponding to the stepper motor 11 receives the direction signal DIR and the pulse signal STEP, the drive module 12 will drive the stepper motor 11 to rotate a fixed angle in a set direction according to the state of the direction signal DIR. This angle is called the "step angle". For example, in single-pulse control mode, the direction signal DIR is responsible for the forward and reverse rotation of the stepper motor 11. Each time the drive module 12 receives a pulse signal STEP, it will drive the stepper motor 11 to rotate a step angle in the direction indicated by the direction signal DIR, thereby achieving precise positioning. The direction signal DIR can be high or low, depending on the design of the drive module 12. For example, a high-level direction signal DIR represents clockwise rotation of the stepper motor 11, and a low-level direction signal DIR represents counterclockwise rotation of the stepper motor 11. The control module 13 can realize the forward and reverse rotation of the stepper motor 11 by changing the level state of the direction signal DIR.

[0083] Thus, drive module 12 starts up upon receiving the first enable signal ENA, while the other drive modules 12 remain in a stopped state upon receiving the second enable signal ENB. After powering on, drive modules 12 can respond to the pulse signal STEP and the direction signal DIR to drive the stepper motor 11 accordingly.

[0084] Thus, in the multi-motor control method provided in this application, the start-stop states of multiple drive modules 12 are synchronously integrated and controlled by sending different enable signals. Precise control of the corresponding stepper motor 11's movement can be achieved through control information. Specifically, a first enable signal ENA can be sent to one of the drive modules 12 to power it on and start it, and a second enable signal ENB can be sent to the remaining drive modules 12 to keep them in a stopped state. That is, this application can achieve precise control of the working states of multiple drive modules 12 through a single control module 13, thereby controlling the movement of multiple stepper motors 11. There is no need to configure an independent controller for each stepper motor 11, reducing the number of controllers and also reducing the corresponding wiring harnesses and input / output (IO) resource usage, resulting in lower hardware costs. Furthermore, the start and stop states of multiple drive modules 12 are controlled by the same control module 13, that is, the clock source of multiple drive modules 12 is provided by the same control module 13. This avoids the problem of poor control synchronization of multiple stepper motors caused by accumulated errors due to individual differences and clock drift when using different controllers. This enables the present application to achieve high-precision synchronous control of multiple drive modules 12 and multiple stepper motors 11.

[0085] The frequency of the pulse signal STEP determines the rotational speed of the stepper motor 11. When the time slice period of the pulse signal STEP output by the control module 13 is short, the corresponding frequency is higher, and the drive module 12 drives the stepper motor 11 to rotate at a faster speed based on this pulse signal STEP. Conversely, if the time slice of the pulse signal STEP is long, the corresponding frequency is lower, and the drive module 12 drives the stepper motor 11 to rotate at a slower speed based on this pulse signal STEP. In order to enable this application to adjust the rotational speed of the stepper motor 11 according to different load requirements, in one implementation, the multi-motor control method further includes: S201. Obtain the output speed of the stepper motor of the action. When the output speed is greater than the speed threshold, the time slice period of the pulse signal sent to the corresponding drive module is between 1 microsecond and 1 millisecond.

[0086] For example, the control module 13 has a preset speed threshold, assuming the speed threshold is ±10%. When the control module 13 detects that the output speed of the stepper motor 11 is greater than the speed threshold (±10%), the axis corresponding to the stepper motor 11 is a high-speed axis. Correspondingly, the control module 13 will trigger time slice reallocation. For example, the time slice period of the pulse signal STEP sent by the control module 13 to the drive module 12 corresponding to the high-speed axis can be between 1 microsecond and 1 millisecond.

[0087] Thus, the multi-motor control method of this application can realize real-time adjustment and priority setting of the time slice period to adjust the time slice period of the corresponding pulse signal STEP for different axes. At the same time, through the hybrid control architecture of real-time adjustment and priority setting of the time slice period, it can support the hybrid deployment of time-division multiplexing and independent control modes (e.g., high-speed axis independent, low-speed axis multiplexed).

[0088] It is worth noting that when a stepper motor 11 corresponding to a certain load needs to rotate at a faster speed, the control module 13 outputs a short time slice period of the STEP pulse signal to the corresponding drive module 12. This allows the drive module 12 to drive the stepper motor 11 at a high frequency based on the STEP pulse signal, thereby enabling the stepper motor 11 to rotate at a faster speed to meet the high speed requirement of the load. Conversely, when a stepper motor 11 corresponding to a certain load needs to rotate at a lower speed, the control module 13 outputs a longer time slice period of the STEP pulse signal to the corresponding drive module 12. This allows the drive module 12 to drive the stepper motor 11 at a lower frequency based on the STEP pulse signal, thereby enabling the stepper motor 11 to rotate at a slower speed to meet the low speed requirement of the load.

[0089] The control module 13 can distribute the pulse signal STEP to different drive modules 12 according to time slices. Simultaneously, it can dynamically adjust the time slice period ratio of the output pulse signal STEP based on the real-time speed requirements of each axis (i.e., each stepper motor 11) to adapt to different load heights and low-speed requirements. In other words, the multi-motor control method provided in this application can achieve dynamic resource allocation, avoiding the problem of not being able to dynamically respond to real-time speed changes of each axis when using fixed time slices, which may lead to idle low-speed axis resources and delayed response of high-speed axes. This improves the operational reliability and stability of the multi-motor control method.

[0090] In summary, the multi-motor control method provided in this application synchronously integrates and controls the start / stop states of multiple drive modules 12 by sending different enable signals. This control information enables precise control of the corresponding stepper motor 11's movement. Specifically, a first enable signal ENA can be sent to one of the drive modules 12 to power it on and start it up, while a second enable signal ENB can be sent to the remaining drive modules 12 to keep them in a stopped state. That is, this application can achieve precise control of the operating states of multiple drive modules 12 through a single control module 13, thereby controlling the movement of multiple stepper motors 11. This eliminates the need for a separate controller for each stepper motor 11, reducing the number of controllers and the associated wiring harnesses and input / output (IO) resource usage, resulting in lower hardware costs. Furthermore, the start / stop states of multiple drive modules 12 are controlled by the same control module 13, meaning the clock source for multiple drive modules 12 is provided by the same control module 13. This avoids the problem of poor control synchronization of multiple stepper motors caused by accumulated errors due to individual differences and clock drift when using different controllers. This enables this application to achieve high-precision synchronous control of multiple drive modules 12 and multiple stepper motors 11. Secondly, the multi-motor control method can also realize real-time adjustment and priority setting of the time slice period to adjust the time slice period of the corresponding pulse signal STEP for different axes. At the same time, through the hybrid control architecture of real-time adjustment and priority setting of the time slice period, it can support the hybrid deployment of time-division multiplexing and independent control modes (e.g., high-speed axis independent, low-speed axis multiplexed).

[0091] In one example, this application embodiment also provides a vehicle including a multi-motor control system 1 as described in any of the above optional embodiments, the multi-motor control system 1 being connected to various loads in the vehicle. This vehicle has the aforementioned multi-motor control system 1, and therefore possesses all the effects achievable by the aforementioned multi-motor control system 1, which will not be elaborated further.

[0092] Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, only the division of the above functional modules is used as an example. In actual applications, the above functions can be assigned to different functional modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device can be divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the functions described above.

[0093] In the embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of modules or units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another device, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between devices or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0094] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A multi-motor control system, characterized in that, The multi-motor control system includes: Multiple stepper motors; Multiple drive modules, each drive module being connected to a corresponding stepper motor; and, A control module is connected to multiple drive modules respectively. The control module is used to send a first enable signal and control information to one of the multiple drive modules, and to send a second enable signal to the other drive modules. The drive module starts upon receiving the first enable signal and drives the corresponding stepper motor to move based on the control information, wherein the control information includes at least a pulse signal and a direction signal.

2. The multi-motor control system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control module is used to allocate and send the pulse signal to multiple drive modules according to time slices. The control module is also used to obtain the output speed of the stepper motor and dynamically adjust the time slice period of the pulse signal based on the output speed.

3. The multi-motor control system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The control module is also used to acquire the output speed of the stepper motor in motion. When the output speed is greater than the speed threshold, the time slice period of the pulse signal sent by the control module to the corresponding drive module is between 1 microsecond and 1 millisecond.

4. The multi-motor control system according to claim 1, characterized in that, Multiple drive modules are interconnected to form a first common node and a second common node, and the control module includes: A first interface, connected to the first common node, wherein the control module is configured to output the pulse signal via the first interface; and... The second interface is connected to the second common node, and the control module is used to output the direction signal via the second interface.

5. The multi-motor control system according to claim 4, characterized in that, Multiple drive modules are interconnected to form a third common node, and the control module further includes: The third interface is connected to the third common node, and the control module is used to output a sleep mode control signal through the third interface.

6. The multi-motor control system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control module includes a direct memory access controller, which is connected to multiple driver modules.

7. The multi-motor control system according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, Each of the aforementioned drive modules includes: An intelligent adjustment unit is connected to the stepper motor and is used to adjust the operating parameters of the stepper motor. A detection unit is connected to the stepper motor and is used to detect the stall state of the stepper motor. A protection unit, the protection unit being connected to the stepper motor; and, A microstepping unit is connected to the stepper motor and is used to subdivide the stepping angle of the stepper motor into multiple microsteps.

8. A multi-motor control method, characterized in that, Applied to a multi-motor control system as described in any one of 1-7, the method includes: Send a first enable signal and control information to one of the plurality of drive modules, the control information including at least a pulse signal and a direction signal, and send a second enable signal to the remaining drive modules of the plurality of drive modules; The drive module starts after receiving the first enable signal and drives the corresponding stepper motor to move based on the control information.

9. The control method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The method further includes: The output speed of the stepper motor is obtained. When the output speed is greater than the speed threshold, the time slice period of the pulse signal sent to the corresponding drive module is between 1 microsecond and 1 millisecond.

10. A vehicle, characterized in that, Including the multi-motor control system as described in any one of claims 1-7.

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