Electric circuit and method for estimating the angular position of a rotor of an electric motor, and device for controlling an electric motor

1. An electric circuit for estimating the angular position of a rotor of an electric motor, comprising:

a sensing module configured to receive at least one electric signal representative of a drive current of the electric motor and to simultaneously generate

a measuring signal indicative of a switching of the at least one electric signal, and

a switching index indicative of the switching type, rising or falling, of the at least

one electric signal; and

a computing module configured to supply, from the measuring signal and the switching index, a position signal representative of an angular position of the electric motor rotor, said computing module comprising

a timing block configured to receive pulses of the measuring signal and generate a first timing signal representing an elapsed time interval with respect to an elapsed received pulse, and a second time signal representing a last time interval between a last pulse and a preceding one, and

a processing module configured to process the measuring signal, switching index, and the first and second timing signals so as to generate the position signal.

2. The electric circuit according to claim 1 , wherein said processing module is configured to generate the position signal representative of an actual angle of the rotor at an actual time as a function of the first and second timing signals and a predefined angle value associated to the occurred switching index.

3. The electric circuit according to claim 1 , wherein said measuring module is configured to

receive a first electric signal, a second electric signal, and a third electric signal representative of a first, second and third phases of a three-phase drive current of the electric motor;

generate a sequence of pulses of the measuring signal indicating that one of the three electric signals has crossed a reference value; and

define the switching index indicating that the electric signal switched at the reference value, has risingly or fallingly crossed the reference value.

4. A control device of an electric motor, comprising:

a control-drive module configured to receive a position signal representative of an angular position of the electric motor rotor, and generate at least one drive current of the electric motor; and

an electric circuit configured to receive at least one electric signal representative of the at least one drive current, and generate the position signal, said electric circuit comprising

a sensing module configured to receive the at least one electric signal and to simultaneously generate

a measuring signal indicative of a switching of the at least one electric signal, and a switching index indicative of the switching type, rising or falling, of the at least one electric signal, and

a computing module configured to supply, from the measuring signal and the switching index, a position signal representative of the angular position of the electric motor rotor, said computing module comprising

a timing block configured to receive pulses of the measuring signal and generate a first timing signal representing an elapsed time interval with respect to an elapsed received pulse, and a second time signal representing a last time interval between a last pulse and a preceding one,

and a processing module configured to process the measuring signal, switching index, and the first and second timing signals so as to generate the position signal.

5. The control device according to claim 4 , wherein said control-drive module is configured to implement one of the following control types: a sinusoidal control, field-oriented control, trapezoidal control.

6. The control device according to claim 4 , wherein said control-drive module comprises:

a control block configured to receive the position signal and generate at least one control signal according to one of the control types; and

a conversion block configured to receive the at least one control signal and generate the at least one drive current of the electric motor.

7. The control device according to claim 6 , wherein said control block comprises a modulator configured to generate, from the control signal at least one modulated control signal, with said modulator being configured for implementing a pulse-width-modulation.

8. A method for estimating the angular position of a rotor of an electric motor driven by a drive current, comprising:

measuring the drive current and generating at least one electric signal;

simultaneously generating a measuring signal indicative of a switching of at least one electric signal, and a switching index indicative of the switching type, rising or falling, of the at least one electric signal; and

supplying, from the measuring signal and switching index, a position signal representative of an angular position of the electric motor rotor, the supplying comprising

receiving pulses of the measuring signal, and generating a first timing signal representing an elapsed time interval with respect to an elapsed received pulse, and a second time signal representing a last time interval between a last pulse and a preceding one, and

processing the measuring signal, switching index, and the first and second timing signals so as to generate the position signal.