IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,231,066
Granted Patent B2
US 12,231,066 · App. 17/862,953 · Granted Feb 18, 2025

Two degrees of control through pulse width modulation interface

Inventors: Jonathan Blake (Newington, CT); Michael S. Smyth (Andrews, IN); Luis Arnedo (South Glastonbury, CT)
Assignee: CARRIER CORPORATION
H02P23/14F25B49/025
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,231,066
App. No.
17/862,953
Granted
Feb 18, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method of operating a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system including: transmitting, using an equipment control board, an operation request in a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal to an electronically commutate motor (ECM) controller of a blower motor, wherein the operation request includes a switching period command configured to vary a switching period of the PWM signal; operating the blower motor in accordance with the operation request by varying the switching period of the PWM signal; detecting a parameter of the blower motor for each of a plurality of switching periods as the switching period varies; and mapping the parameter of the blower motor for each of the plurality of switching periods.

Claims (47)

1. A method of operating a heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) system, comprising:

transmitting, using an equipment control board, an operation request in a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal to an electronically commutate motor (ECM) controller of a blower motor, wherein the operation request comprises a switching period command configured to vary a switching period of the PWM signal;

operating the blower motor in accordance with the operation request by varying the switching period of the PWM signal;

detecting a parameter of the blower motor for each of a plurality of switching periods as the switching period varies; and

mapping the parameter of the blower motor for each of the plurality of switching periods;

the method further comprising:

transmitting, using the equipment control board, a second operation request in a second PWM signal to the ECM controller of the blower motor, wherein the second operation request comprises a second switching period command configured to hold a second switching period of the second PWM signal fixed; and

operating the blower motor in accordance with the second operation request by varying the duty cycle of the second PWM signal and holding the second switching period fixed;

detecting a second parameter of the blower motor for each second operation request; and

mapping the second parameter of the blower motor for each of the second operation requests.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the parameter is a speed of the blower motor.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the parameter is at least one of a speed ramp of the blower motor, a motor ID of the blower motor, or a second torque set point of the blower motor.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the operation request further comprises a duty cycle command configured to hold a duty cycle of the PWM signal fixed.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:

operating the blower motor in accordance with the operation request by varying the switching period of the PWM signal and holding the duty cycle of the PWM signal fixed.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the operation request further comprises a duty cycle command configured to vary a duty cycle of the PWM signal.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

transmitting the parameter of the blower motor for each of the plurality of switching periods to the equipment control board.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second operation request comprises:

a duty cycle command configured to vary a duty cycle of the second PWM signal.

9. The HVAC system of claim 1 , wherein the second operation request comprises:

a duty cycle command configured to vary a duty cycle of the second PWM signal.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second parameter is a torque of the blower motor.

11. A method of operating a heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) system, comprising:

transmitting, using an equipment control board, an operation request in a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal to an electronically commutate motor (ECM) controller of a blower motor, wherein the operation request comprises a switching period command configured to vary a switching period of the PWM signal;

operating the blower motor in accordance with the operation request by varying the switching period of the PWM signal;

detecting a parameter of the blower motor for each of a plurality of switching periods as the switching period varies; and

mapping the parameter of the blower motor for each of the plurality of switching periods;

wherein the operation request further comprises a duty cycle command configured to vary a duty cycle of the PWM signal;

operating the blower motor in accordance with the operation request by varying the switching period of the PWM signal and varying the duty cycle of the PWM signal.

12. A heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) system comprising:

a blower assembly comprising a blower motor;

an electronically commutated motor (ECM) controller in electrical communication with the blower motor; and

an equipment control board configured to:

transmit an operation request in a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal to the ECM controller of the blower motor, wherein the operation request comprises a switching period command configured to vary a switching period of the PWM signal; and

operate the blower motor in accordance with the operation request by varying the switching period of the PWM signal;

wherein the blower motor is configured to transmit a second operation request in a second PWM signal to the blower motor, wherein the second operation request comprises a second switching period command configured to hold a second switching period of the second PWM signal fixed; and

wherein the blower motor is configured to operate in accordance with the second operation request by varying the duty cycle of the second PWM signal and holding the second switching period fixed.

13. The HVAC system of claim 12 , wherein the blower motor is configured to detect a parameter of the blower motor for each of a plurality of switching periods as the switching period varies, and wherein the blower motor is configured to map the parameter of the blower motor for each of the plurality of switching periods.

14. The HVAC system of claim 13 , wherein the parameter is a speed of the blower motor.

15. The HVAC system of claim 13 , wherein the parameter is at least one of a speed ramp of the blower motor, a motor ID of the blower motor, or a second torque set point of the blower motor.

16. The HVAC system of claim 12 , wherein the operation request further comprises a duty cycle command configured to hold a duty cycle of the PWM signal fixed.

17. The HVAC system of claim 16 , wherein the ECM controller is configured to operate the blower motor in accordance with the operation request by varying the switching period of the PWM signal and holding the duty cycle of the PWM signal fixed.

18. The HVAC system of claim 12 , wherein the operation request further comprises a duty cycle command configured to vary a duty cycle of the PWM signal.

19. The HVAC system of claim 18 , wherein the ECM controller is configured to operate the blower motor in accordance with the operation request by varying the switching period of the PWM signal and varying the duty cycle of the PWM signal.

20. The HVAC system of claim 12 , wherein the ECM controller of the blower motor is configured to transmit the parameter of the blower motor for each of the plurality of switching periods to the equipment control board.

21. The HVAC system of claim 12 , wherein the blower motor is configured to detect a torque of the blower motor for each of a plurality of duty cycles as the duty cycle varies, and wherein the blower motor is configured to map the torque of the blower motor for each of the plurality of duty cycles.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 13, 2022
From: BLAKE, JONATHAN; SMYTH, MICHAEL S.; ARNEDO, LUIS
To: CARRIER CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 060492/0485 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63222777 · Jul 16, 2021
Related Publication 20230015020A1 · Jan 19, 2023
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