Shared H-Bridge Driving Circuit for Electrochemical Pump Actuators
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional H-bridge driving circuits for electrochemical pumps and actuators require a large number of components, leading to increased space and cost constraints in space and cost-constrained applications.
Innovation Solution
A driving circuit architecture that shares part of the H-bridge circuit among actuators and is controlled by a microcontroller, utilizing four half-bridge driving circuits and a single shared current sensing circuit to reduce the overall number of components, allowing for bi-directional control of actuators with precision.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a conventional H-bridge driving circuit is used for each actuator, then bi-directional control of actuators is achieved, but the number of electronic components increases leading to increased space and cost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple H-bridge driving circuits into a single integrated circuit that can control multiple actuators. The integrated circuit shares common components such as power supply connections, control logic, and switching elements across multiple actuator channels, thereby reducing the total number of electronic components while maintaining full bi-directional control capability for each actuator.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated driving circuit is designed to perform multiple functions by controlling different actuators with a single circuit. Each actuator channel within the integrated circuit can independently perform bi-directional control, and the circuit can selectively activate different actuators based on system requirements, providing universal control capability across multiple devices.
2Ease of operation
If a conventional H-bridge driving circuit is used for each actuator, then full control of actuators is achieved, but space constraints are increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate H-bridge driving circuits into one integrated circuit package. By consolidating switching transistors, resistors, capacitors, and control logic into a single chip or module, the physical area required on the circuit board is dramatically reduced while maintaining the ability to control multiple actuators with full bi-directional capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated driving circuit employs a nested structure where multiple actuator control channels are contained within a single circuit package. Each channel is nested within the broader integrated circuit architecture, sharing common resources such as power supply rails, ground connections, and control logic blocks, thereby achieving compact integration.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
An electrochemical actuator drive system and method that provides for full control of an electrochemical pump system having at least three electrochemical actuators, including two valve actuators, and one pump actuator. The driving circuit is based on a standard H-bridge driving circuit wherein part of the circuit is shared among actuators. Because the system only needs to operate either the pump actuator or one of the valve actuators at any given time, part of the H-bridge driving circuit can be shared among the three actuators, thereby permitting the use of four half-bridge driving circuits.