Drive equipment capable of responding to emergencies

Abstract

To provide drive equipment that can respond to emergencies. [Solution] The drive system capable of responding to emergencies comprises a motor module, an emergency stop switch, and an emergency processing unit. The motor module has a power input terminal, a control device, a drive unit, and a motor. The emergency processing unit connects the motor module and the emergency stop switch and has a power delay time and a delay control time. When the emergency stop switch is activated, the emergency processing unit advances the emergency stop step. The emergency stop step involves counting the power delay time and the delay control time. While the delay control time is being counted, the control device catches a deceleration signal and simultaneously decelerates the motor via the drive unit. Subsequently, when the counting of the delay control time is completed, the drive unit is shut down by catching a shutdown signal. When the counting of the power delay time is completed, the power supply to the power input terminal is stopped.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an emergency measure system for electric motor equipment, and more particularly to drive equipment capable of coping with emergencies.

Background Art

[0002] Motors are widely applied as drive sources for equipment in working environments such as production, transportation, and processing. When an emergency occurs in the working environment, the motor must be stopped immediately. In contrast, Patent Document 1 discloses a torque cut-off module, method, safety control module, and robot. In the description of

[0037] in the specification of Patent Document 1, after the delay module and the time monitoring module receive the shutdown signal simultaneously, the delay module performs delay processing based on the shutdown signal. Since the delay time is the time to decelerate the motor to the expected speed, damage to the emergency-stopped motor can be reduced. When the delay module operates normally, the delay module outputs the shutdown signal to the output module after the first time count. When the delay module is abnormal and cannot output the shutdown signal, after the second time count longer than the first time count is completed, the time monitoring module outputs the shutdown signal. Specifically, when an abnormality occurs in the delay module, the time monitoring module outputs the shutdown signal to the output module. Subsequently, the output module outputs the shutdown signal from the delay module or the time monitoring module to the electric motor equipment to shut down the torque, thereby improving the reliability when shutting down the torque.

[0003] However, when the delay module and the time monitoring module control the shutdown of the electric motor equipment, they do not give commands to the controller or firmware of the electrical equipment to shut down the power. While delay modules can slow down and shut down electric motor equipment, they continuously send commands to the controller or firmware, and therefore do not accurately record the state during an emergency stop. Furthermore, the criterion for judgment is whether or not the rotational speed of the electric motor will decrease to the predicted speed. More specifically, the emergency stop function cannot be activated if a collision occurs due to the relatively high rotation speed and relatively close proximity to the obstacle. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] CN 116100577B patent publication [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0005] In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention aims to provide a drive system that reduces the load on the motor module's brakes by instructing the control device to decelerate the motor module and subsequently cut off the electrical current in response to an emergency, thereby improving the reliability of the drive system and extending its service life. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To address the aforementioned challenges, the emergency response system includes a motor module, an emergency stop switch, and an emergency processing unit. The motor module comprises a power input terminal, a control unit, a drive unit, and a motor. The control unit controls the drive unit by connecting to it. The drive unit drives the motor by connecting to the power input terminal and the motor. The emergency processing unit connects to the motor module and the emergency stop switch and has a power delay time and a delay control time. The delay control time is shorter than the power delay time. When the emergency stop switch is activated, the emergency processing unit advances the emergency stop step. The emergency stop step involves counting the power delay time and the delay control time. While counting the delay control time, the control unit catches a deceleration signal and simultaneously decelerates the motor via the drive unit. Subsequently, when the counting of the delay control time is complete, the drive unit is shut down by catching a shutdown signal. When the counting of the power delay time is complete, power supply to the power input terminal is stopped.

[0007] In summary, the emergency-responding drive equipment according to the present invention instructs the control device to decelerate the motor module and subsequently cut off the power supply based on the counting of the power supply delay time and delay control time as needed for an emergency stop. This reduces the load on the brakes of the motor module responding to an emergency stop, thereby extending the service life and improving the reliability of the drive equipment.

[0008] The detailed structure, features, operation, and determination methods of the emergency response drive equipment according to the present invention will be clarified through the following detailed description of the embodiments. Furthermore, it should be clear to anyone with common sense in the field of this invention that the following detailed description and the embodiments presented herein are merely examples for illustrating the present invention and do not limit the scope of the claims. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram showing the construction of a drive system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a circuit diagram showing an emergency processing unit for a drive system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is another circuit diagram showing an emergency processing unit for a drive system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] (One embodiment) As shown in Figure 1, the drive equipment 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention is widely applied in production, transportation, processing, robot, robot arm, and other work environments as production equipment, processing equipment, logistics and transportation equipment, etc. The moving equipment 100 includes a motor module 10, an emergency stop switch 20, and an emergency processing device 30.

[0011] The motor module 10 includes a power input terminal 11, a control device 13, a drive device 15, and a motor 17. The control device 13 controls the drive unit 15 by being connected to the drive unit 15. The drive unit 15 drives the motor 17 by connecting the power input terminal 11 to the motor 17.

[0012] The emergency processing unit 30 is connected to the emergency stop switch 20 and has a power delay time and a delay control time. The delay control time is shorter than the power supply delay time. When the emergency stop switch 20 is activated, the emergency processing unit 30 proceeds with the emergency stop step. The emergency stop step involves counting the power delay time and the delay control time. When counting the delay control time, the control device 13 catches the deceleration signal and decelerates the motor 17 via the drive device 15 based on the deceleration signal. Next, when the delay control time count ends, the drive unit 15 is shut down by catching the shutdown signal. When the power delay time countdown is complete, the power supply to the power input terminal 11 is stopped. In this embodiment, the power supply delay time and the delay control time are counted simultaneously. The motor 17 operates at a constant rotational speed. The length of the delay control time is defined based on the time it takes for the motor 17 to go from a constant rotational speed to a stopped state. The drive device 15 can stop the rotation of the motor 17 based on a deceleration signal. In another embodiment, the motor 17 does not necessarily stop operating or operate at a constant rotational speed based on a deceleration signal, but can also reduce its rotational speed and maintain a very low state.

[0013] When a reaction occurs in the emergency stop switch 20, the drive equipment 100 causes the emergency processing device 30 to execute an emergency stop step in the above-described manner. Subsequently, the emergency processing device 30 executes deceleration of the motor 17 and subsequent shutdown of the drive device 15, and then cuts off the power supply to stop the operation of the motor module 10. By the above-described process, it is possible to avoid the occurrence of system abnormalities or errors due to the failure of a single emergency stop function. The emergency stop step decelerates the motor 17, reduces the burden on the brake module of the motor 17 to extend the service life, and at the same time improves the stability of the equipment.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 2, the emergency processing device 30 includes an input circuit 31, a microcontroller 33, and a power switch circuit 35. The input circuit 31 connects the emergency stop switch 20 and the microcontroller 33. The microcontroller 33 connects the power switch circuit 35, the control device 13, and the drive device 15, and generates a deceleration signal and a shutdown signal corresponding to the situation by counting the delay control time. The power switch circuit 35 is connected to the power input terminal 11.

[0015] If the input circuit 31 is activated in response to the emergency stop switch 20, the microcontroller 33 advances the emergency stop step and performs an emergency stop by counting the power delay time and the delay control time. The power switch circuit 35 includes an operational amplifier 351 and a P-channel transistor 353. The operational amplifier 351 has its positive-phase input terminal connected to the microcontroller 33 and has a reference voltage at its negative-phase input terminal. The reference voltage is the voltage divided by the series resistors. In another embodiment, the series resistor may be a variable resistor. The gate of the P-channel transistor 353 is connected to the output terminal of the operational amplifier 351, the source is connected to the power supply, and the drain is connected to the power supply input terminal 11. When the power delay time count ends, the operational amplifier 351 reacts and interrupts the power supply to the power input terminal 11 by turning off the P-channel transistor 353.

[0016] The P-channel transistor 353 is used as an electronic switch component. In another embodiment, the P-channel transistor 353 may be a relay, a solid-state relay (SSR), or other switching component.

[0017] After the emergency stop step is completed, if the emergency stop switch 20 is activated again, the microcontroller 33 of the emergency processing unit 30 is activated, and when proceeding with the recovery step, the emergency processing unit 30 activates the P-channel transistor 353 by causing the operational amplifier 351 to react, thereby supplying power to the power input terminal 11. The microcontroller 33 causes the control device 13 to react while it counts the delay control time, and then causes the drive device 15 to react when the counting of the delay control time is finished. Through the process described above, the drive equipment according to the present invention can be restored and resume operation.

[0018] In this embodiment, when the microcontroller 33 counts the delay control time, the delay control time includes the control time and the drive time. More specifically, after the control time count is completed, the emergency processing unit 30 sends a deceleration signal to the control unit 13, causing it to control the drive unit 15 and simultaneously start counting the drive time. Through the process described above, the control device 13 and firmware can receive instructions to decelerate the motor 17 until the motor 17 stops operating. After the countdown of the operating time is completed, the emergency processing unit 30 issues a shutdown signal, causing the drive unit 15 to stop operating. Simply put, while the operating time is being counted, the drive unit 15 slows down and stops the motor 17, and then shuts down.

[0019] In contrast to Figure 2, Figure 3 shows a hardware circuit consisting of active and driven components, with the microcontroller 33 and input circuit 31 omitted. In Figure 3, the emergency processing device is indicated by reference numeral 50. The emergency processing unit 50 includes a power delay module 51 and a delay control module 53. The power delay module 51 controls the power supply path of the power output terminal 11 by connecting it to the emergency stop switch 20, the delay control module 53, and the power input terminal 11. The power delay module 51 defines the power delay time. The delay control module 53 controls the drive unit 15 by causing the control device 13 to react while it counts the delay control time, and after the counting of the delay control time is completed, it shuts down the control device 13 and the drive unit 15.

[0020] The power delay module 51 includes a power capacitor circuit 511 and a power switch circuit 513. The power supply capacitor circuit 511 connects to the emergency stop switch 20 and the delay control module 53. The power switch circuit 513 connects to the power capacitor circuit 511 and the power input terminal 11. The construction and operation of the power switch circuit 511 are the same as those of the power switch circuit in Figure 2, so the explanation is omitted. The power supply delay time is related to the charging time of the power supply capacitor circuit 511. When the power supply delay time count ends, the power supply capacitor circuit 511 triggers a reaction in the power supply switch circuit 513, cutting off the power supply Vs supplied to the power supply output terminal 11.

[0021] In this embodiment, the power supply capacitor circuit 511 includes a first P-channel transistor Q1, a first N-channel transistor Q2, and a first capacitor C1. The gate of the first P-channel transistor Q1 is connected to the emergency stop switch 20, the gate of the first N-channel transistor Q2, and the delay control module 53 via a series resistor. The source of the first P-channel transistor Q1 is connected to the power supply Vs via a series resistor. The drain of the first P-channel transistor Q1 is connected to the drain of the second N-channel transistor Q2, the first capacitor C1, and the positive-phase input terminal of the operational amplifier in the power switch circuit 513. The source of the second N-channel transistor Q2 is connected to the first capacitor C1 and the ground terminal via a series resistor.

[0022] The delay control module 53 has a front capacitor circuit 531 and a rear capacitor circuit 533. The front capacitor circuit 531 connects to the emergency stop switch 20, the power delay module 51, and the control device 13. The rear capacitor circuit 533 connects to the front capacitor circuit 531 and the drive unit 15. The control time is related to the discharge time of the front-end capacitor circuit 531. After the front capacitor circuit 531 has discharged, the rear capacitor circuit 533 reacts and stores electrical energy. The operating time is related to the charging time of the rear-end capacitor circuit 533.

[0023] The front-end capacitor circuit 531 includes a third P-channel transistor Q3, a fourth P-channel transistor Q4, a fifth N-channel transistor Q5, and a second capacitor C2. The second capacitor C2 connects to the emergency stop switch 20, the source of the third P-channel transistor Q3, the gate of the fourth P-channel transistor Q4, and the gate of the fifth N-channel transistor Q5 via a series resistor. The gate of the third P-channel transistor Q3 is connected to the gate of the second N-channel transistor Q2, and its drain is connected to the ground terminal via a resistor. The source of the fourth P-channel transistor Q4 is connected to the control power supply Vc, and its drain is connected to the drain of the fifth N-channel transistor Q5 and the control device 13. The source of the fifth N-channel transistor Q5 is connected to the ground terminal via a resistor.

[0024] The rear-end capacitor circuit 533 includes a sixth P-channel transistor Q6, a seventh N-channel transistor Q7, and a third capacitor C3. The sixth P-channel transistor Q6 has its source connected to the control power supply Vc, and its gate connects to the gate of the fifth N-channel transistor Q5 and the gate of the seventh N-channel transistor Q7. The source of the seventh N-channel transistor Q7 is connected to the ground terminal via a resistor R. The drains of the seventh N-channel transistor Q7 and the sixth P-channel transistor Q6 are connected to the third capacitor C3 and the drive unit 15 via resistors.

[0025] Before the emergency stop switch 20 is activated, the second capacitor C2 is fully charged. When the emergency stop switch 20 is activated, the first P-channel transistor Q1 turns ON and charges the first capacitor C1. The second N-channel transistor Q2 is turned OFF to determine the power supply delay time, and simultaneously, the control time is determined by discharge through the third P-channel transistor Q3, which is turned ON. Then, when the fourth P-channel transistor Q4 turns OFF, the fifth N-channel transistor Q5 turns ON. When the sixth P-channel transistor Q6 is turned OFF, the seventh N-channel transistor turns ON. Therefore, the third capacitor C3 is not charged.

[0026] Once the discharge of the second capacitor C2 is complete and the control time count ends, the fourth P-channel transistor Q4 turns ON and the fifth N-channel transistor Q5 turns OFF. As a result, the control device 13 catches the deceleration signal and simultaneously transmits a deceleration stop command to the firmware. In this embodiment, the control device 13 catches the deceleration signal, which has changed from a low level to a high level, and then proceeds to decelerate and stop the rotation of the motor 17 via the drive device 15. At the same time, the sixth P-channel transistor Q6 turns ON. The seventh N-channel transistor Q7 is turned OFF. The operating time is determined by charging the third capacitor C3 via the sixth P-channel transistor Q6, which is turned ON under the conditions described above.

[0027] When the third capacitor C3 is fully charged and the countdown of the operating time is complete, the drive unit 15 catches the high-level shutdown signal that has changed from a low level, and simultaneously stops operation. This stops the motor 17, which is moving at a low speed or nearly stationary, and reduces the load on the brakes. At this stage, the first capacitor C1 is also fully charged and reaches a high voltage state, so the operational amplifier in the power switch circuit 513 turns off the transistor (i.e., the electronic switch component) and interrupts the power supply path. Therefore, it becomes impossible to transmit the power supply Vs to the power input terminal 11.

[0028] The above is an explanation of the emergency stop procedure. Next, when restoring the drive equipment 100, pressing the emergency stop switch 20 again will cause the emergency processing device 30 to react, allowing the emergency processing device 30 to proceed with the restoration step. The recovery step involves discharging the power supply capacitor circuit 511 and storing electrical energy in the front-end capacitor circuit 531. At this time, the emergency stop switch 20 changes from a low voltage state to a high voltage state, and the second capacitor C2 stores electrical energy. The first P-channel transistor Q1 turns OFF. The first capacitor C1 discharges via the second N-channel transistor Q2, which is turned ON.

[0029] When the discharge of the power supply capacitor circuit 511 is complete, the power supply Vs is output to the power supply input terminal 11 via the power supply switch circuit 513. When the discharge of the first capacitor C1 is complete and the first capacitor C1 enters a low voltage state, the power switch circuit 513 turns on the transistor (i.e., an electronic switch component) by changing the positive-phase input terminal of the operational amplifier from a high level to a low level, thereby supplying power Vs to the power input terminal 11.

[0030] When the charging of the front capacitor circuit 531 is complete, the control device 13 is activated and causes the rear capacitor circuit 533 to begin discharging. When the second capacitor C2 is fully charged, the fifth N-channel transistor Q5 turns ON and starts the control device 13. The third capacitor C3 discharges via the seventh N-channel transistor Q7, which is turned ON.

[0031] After the discharge of the rear capacitor circuit 533 (i.e., the third capacitor C3) is complete, the drive unit 15 is started and the drive equipment 100 is restored to operation. The time difference between starting the control device 13 and the drive device 15 is related to the discharge time of the third capacitor C3. More specifically, to speed up the startup time of the drive unit 15, the resistance value of the discharge path of the third capacitor C3 can be reduced, that is, by reducing the resistor R connected to the source of the seventh N-channel transistor Q7 or another resistance in the path. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0032] 100: Drive equipment 10: Motor Module 11: Power input terminal 13: Control device 15: Drive unit 17: Motor 20: Emergency stop switch 30: Emergency processing device 31: Input Circuit 33: Microcontroller 35: Power switch circuit 351: Operational amplifier 353: P-channel transistor 50: Emergency processing device 51: Power delay module 511: Power supply capacitor circuit 513: Power switch circuit 53: Delay control module 531: Front-end capacitor circuit 533: Rear-end capacitor circuit Q1: First P-channel transistor Q2: First N-channel transistor Q3: Third P-channel transistor Q4: Fourth P-channel transistor Q5: Fifth N-channel transistor Q6: Sixth P-channel transistor Q7: Seventh N-channel transistor C1: First capacitor C2: Second capacitor C3: Third capacitor R:Resistor Vs: Power supply Vc: Control power supply

Claims

1. Equipped with a motor module, emergency stop switch and emergency processing device, The motor module comprises a power input terminal, a control device, a drive device, and a motor. The control device controls the drive device by being connected to the drive device, and the drive device drives the motor by being connected to the power input terminal and the motor. The emergency processing device connects the motor module and the emergency stop switch, and has a power delay time and a delay control time, wherein the delay control time is shorter than the power delay time. When the emergency stop switch is activated, the emergency processing device proceeds with the emergency stop step, which involves counting the power delay time and the delay control time. An emergency-responding drive system characterized in that, while the delay control time is being counted, the control device catches a deceleration signal and simultaneously decelerates the motor via the drive device, and then, when the count of the delay control time ends, the drive device is shut down by catching a shutdown signal, and when the count of the power supply delay time ends, the power supply to the power input terminal is stopped.

2. The aforementioned delay control time includes the control time and the drive time. After the control time counting is completed, the emergency processing unit outputs the deceleration signal and simultaneously starts the drive time counting. The drive equipment capable of responding to an emergency situation according to claim 1, characterized in that after the count of the drive time is completed, the emergency processing device outputs the shutdown signal, and the drive device stops the rotation of the motor based on the deceleration signal.

3. The emergency processing device includes a power delay module and a delay control module. The power delay module controls the power supply path to the power output terminal by connecting the emergency stop switch, the delay control module, and the power input terminal. The power delay module controls the power supply to the power input terminal by defining the power delay time. The delay control module connects the control device and the drive device and defines the delay time. The drive equipment capable of responding to an emergency situation according to claim 2, characterized in that the delay control module generates the deceleration signal while counting the delay control time, and generates the shutdown signal after the counting of the delay control time is completed.

4. The delay control module has a front capacitor circuit and a rear capacitor circuit, the front capacitor circuit connects the emergency stop switch, the power delay module and the control device, and the rear capacitor circuit connects the front capacitor circuit and the drive device. The control time is related to the discharge time of the front end capacitor circuit. After the front capacitor circuit has discharged, the rear capacitor circuit reacts and stores electrical energy. The drive equipment capable of responding to an emergency situation according to claim 3, characterized in that the drive time is related to the charging time of the rear end capacitor circuit.

5. The power delay module includes a power capacitor circuit and a power switch circuit, the power capacitor circuit connects the emergency stop switch and the delay control module, the power switch circuit connects the power capacitor circuit and the power input terminal, and the power delay time is related to the charging time of the power capacitor circuit. When the aforementioned power delay time occurs, the power capacitor circuit triggers a reaction in the power switch circuit, cutting off the power supplied to the power output terminal. After the emergency stop step is completed, the emergency stop switch causes the emergency processing device to perform a recovery step, which involves discharging the power supply capacitor circuit and storing electrical energy in the front end capacitor circuit. When the discharge of the power supply capacitor circuit is complete, the power supply switch circuit reacts and outputs the power to the power supply input terminal. The drive equipment capable of responding to an emergency situation as described in 4, characterized in that when the charging of the front capacitor circuit is completed, the control device is activated and discharge is started to the rear capacitor circuit, and after the discharge of the rear capacitor circuit is completed, the drive device is activated.

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