Motor Control Circuit with Segmented Current Detection and Nonvolatile Memory
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional motor control technologies fail to identify the specific motor driver causing abnormal conditions like excess currents and overheating in systems with multiple drivers, and they lack the ability to store detailed information for analysis after power shutdown.
Innovation Solution
A motor control circuit with multiple excess current detection circuits, current-voltage conversion circuits, overheat detection circuits, and a memory system that identifies the faulty driver and stores information, allowing for detailed malfunction analysis even after power shutdown.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple motor driver circuits are used to control multiple motors, then the system can drive multiple motors simultaneously, but it becomes difficult to identify which specific driver circuit caused abnormal operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the monitoring function into separate excess current detection circuits, each dedicated to monitoring a specific motor driver circuit. Each detection circuit is associated with its corresponding driver circuit through dedicated signal lines, creating segmented monitoring zones that enable precise identification of which driver circuit caused the abnormality.
2Reliability
If the power supply is shut down when abnormalities occur, then the abnormal operation is stopped, but detailed information on the abnormalities cannot be saved for later analysis
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by storing abnormal condition information in a memory circuit before the power supply is shut down. The excess current detection circuits detect and record abnormal conditions in real-time, and the memory preserves this information even after power shutdown, enabling later analysis without losing critical diagnostic data.
3Ease of operation
If only one motor driver is built-in, then it is easy to identify the abnormal driver, but the system cannot efficiently control multiple motors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the detection system into multiple independent excess current detection circuits, each corresponding to a specific motor driver circuit. This segmentation maintains the ease of identification benefit by providing dedicated monitoring for each driver, while enabling multi-motor control capability through the modular detection architecture.
4Reliability
If conventional stop-only mechanisms are used, then the abnormal operation is halted, but the root cause cannot be determined for preventive measures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback by providing detailed information about which specific motor driver circuit caused the abnormality through dedicated detection circuits and memory storage. This feedback mechanism not only stops the abnormal operation but also provides diagnostic information about the root cause, enabling preventive measures to be targeted at the specific faulty driver circuit.
Data Source
AI summary
A motor control circuit 1 for controlling driving of a plurality of motors is provided with a plurality of motor driver circuits 7 and 8 for controlling driving of the plurality of motors 3 and 4, a plurality of excess current detection circuits 39 and 40 each for detecting an excess current flowing through corresponding one of the plurality of motors 3 and 4 to determine which motor driver circuit among the plurality of motor driver circuits 7 and 7 caused the excess current. The motor control circuit further includes a nonvolatile memory 46 configured to receive detection results from the plurality of excess current detection circuits 39 and 40 and store information on which motor driver circuit among the plurality of motor driver circuits 7 and 8 caused the excess current.