IP Library Granted Patent US 11,722,087
Granted Patent B2
US 11,722,087 · App. 17/630,723 · Granted Aug 8, 2023

PWM signal measurement device, motor drive control device, PWM signal measurement method, and motor drive control method

Inventors: Hidetoshi Hijikata (Hamamatsu, JP); Toshihiro Tamitsuji (Iwata, JP)
Assignee: MINEBEA MITSUMI Inc.
H02P27/08
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,722,087
App. No.
17/630,723
Granted
Aug 8, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present application makes it possible to measure a PWM signal in a wide frequency range. A PWM signal measurement device ( 20 ) includes: a first duty cycle measurement unit ( 24 ) of a capture type configured to measure a frequency (f) and a duty cycle of a PWM signal (Sc); a voltage measurement unit ( 23 ) configured to measure a smoothed voltage (Vad) obtained by smoothing the PWM signal using a smoothing circuit ( 13 ); a second duty cycle measurement unit ( 25 ) of a smoothing type configured to measure a duty cycle of the PWM signal on the basis of a measured voltage value (Vadm) of the smoothed voltage; and a measurement-type selecting unit ( 26 ) configured to select one of the capture type or the smoothing type on the basis of a measured value of the frequency and a measured value of the smoothed voltage.

Claims (75)

1. A PWM signal measurement device comprising:

a first duty cycle measurement unit of a capture type configured to use a measurement clock to measure a period based on an edge of a PWM signal that has been inputted, to measure a frequency and a duty cycle of the PWM signal on a basis of a measured value of the period;

a voltage measurement unit configured to measure a smoothed voltage obtained by smoothing the PWM signal using a smoothing circuit;

a second duty cycle measurement unit of a smoothing type configured to measure a duty cycle of the PWM signal on a basis of a measured voltage value of the smoothed voltage; and

a measurement-type selecting unit configured to select one of the capture type or the smoothing type as a measurement type for measuring a duty cycle of the PWM signal, on a basis of a measured value of the frequency of the PWM signal and a measured value of the smoothed voltage.

2. The PWM signal measurement device according to claim 1 , wherein

at least one of the capture type or the smoothing type is assigned, as the measurement type, to each of a plurality of classification regions for which classification is made on a basis of a threshold value concerning a frequency of the PWM signal and a threshold value concerning a voltage obtained by smoothing the PWM signal, and

the measurement-type selecting unit specifies at least one classification region of the plurality of classification regions on a basis of a measured value of the smoothed voltage and a measured value of a frequency of the PWM signal, and selects the measurement type assigned to the specified at least one classification region.

3. The PWM signal measurement device according to claim 2 , wherein

the threshold value concerning a frequency of the PWM signal includes:

an upper limit frequency defining an upper limit of a frequency of the PWM signal at which a duty cycle can be measured with the capture type;

a lower limit frequency defining a lower limit of a frequency of the PWM signal at which a duty cycle can be measured with the capture type; and

a smoothing-possible frequency falling in a range between the upper limit frequency and the lower limit frequency and defining a frequency of the PWM signal at which a duty cycle can be measured with the smoothing type, and

the measurement-type selecting unit selects the capture type in a case where a measured value of a frequency of the PWM signal is equal to or less than the smoothing-possible frequency, and selects the capture type or the smoothing type in a case where the measured value of the frequency of the PWM signal is higher than the smoothing-possible frequency.

4. The PWM signal measurement device according to claim 3 , wherein

the threshold value concerning a voltage obtained by smoothing the PWM signal includes:

a first low duty side voltage corresponding to a duty cycle of a pulse having a frequency being the smoothing-possible frequency and including a one-side level period corresponding to one cycle of the measurement clock; and

a first high duty side voltage corresponding to a duty cycle of a pulse having a frequency being the smoothing-possible frequency and including an other-side level period corresponding to one cycle of the measurement clock, and

the measurement-type selecting unit selects a fixed duty cycle that has been set in advance in a case where a measured value of the smoothed voltage falls in a classification region surrounded by the first low duty side voltage, the upper limit frequency, and the lower limit frequency, or in a case where the measured value of the smoothed voltage falls in a classification region surrounded by the first high duty side voltage, the upper limit frequency, and the lower limit frequency.

5. The PWM signal measurement device according to claim 4 , wherein

the threshold value concerning a voltage obtained by smoothing the PWM signal includes:

a second low duty side voltage corresponding to a duty cycle of a pulse having a frequency being the upper limit frequency and including a one-side level period corresponding to one cycle of the measurement clock; and

a second high duty side voltage corresponding to a duty cycle of a pulse having a frequency being the upper limit frequency and including an other-side level period corresponding to one cycle of the measurement clock,

the plurality of classification regions include:

a first classification region surrounded by the first low duty side voltage, the upper limit frequency, and a first boundary line connecting the first low duty side voltage at the smoothing-possible frequency and the second low duty side voltage at the upper limit frequency; and

a second classification region surrounded by the first high duty side voltage, the upper limit frequency, and a second boundary line connecting the first high duty side voltage at the smoothing-possible frequency and the second high duty side voltage at the upper limit frequency, and

the measurement-type selecting unit selects the smoothing type in a case where a specific point specified by a measured value of the smoothed voltage and a measured value of the frequency is disposed in the first classification region or in a case where the specific point is disposed in the second classification region.

6. The PWM signal measurement device according to claim 5 , wherein

the plurality of classification regions further include a predetermined classification region surrounded by: the first boundary line connecting the first low duty side voltage at the smoothing-possible frequency and the second low duty side voltage at the upper limit frequency; the second boundary line connecting the first high duty side voltage at the smoothing-possible frequency and the second high duty side voltage at the upper limit frequency; the smoothing-possible frequency; and the upper limit frequency, and

the measurement-type selecting unit selects the capture type in a case where the specific point is disposed in the predetermined classification region.

7. The PWM signal measurement device according to claim 5 , wherein

the plurality of classification regions further include:

a third classification region surrounded by the first boundary line, the second low duty side voltage, and the smoothing-possible frequency; and

a fourth classification region surrounded by the second boundary line, the second high duty side voltage, and the smoothing-possible frequency,

the measurement-type selecting unit calculates a difference between a measured value of a duty cycle by the first duty cycle measurement unit and a measured value of a duty cycle by the second duty cycle measurement unit in a case where the specific point is disposed in the third classification region or in a case where the specific point is disposed in the fourth classification region,

the measurement-type selecting unit selects the capture type in a case where the difference is smaller than a predetermined threshold value, and

the measurement-type selecting unit selects the smoothing type in a case where the difference is equal to or more than the predetermined threshold value.

8. The PWM signal measurement device according to claim 5 comprising:

a third low duty side voltage corresponding to a duty cycle of a pulse having a frequency being the upper limit frequency and including a one-side level period corresponding to two cycles of the measurement clock; and

a third high duty side voltage corresponding to a duty cycle of a pulse having a frequency being the upper limit frequency and including an other-side level period corresponding to two cycles of the measurement clock, wherein

the plurality of classification regions include:

a third classification region surrounded by the third low duty side voltage, the first boundary line, the smoothing-possible frequency, and the upper limit frequency; and

a fourth classification region surrounded by the third high duty side voltage, the second boundary line, the smoothing-possible frequency, and the upper limit frequency,

the measurement-type selecting unit calculates a difference between a measured value of a duty cycle by the first duty cycle measurement unit and a measured value of a duty cycle by the second duty cycle measurement unit in a case where the specific point is disposed in the third classification region or in the fourth classification region,

the measurement-type selecting unit selects the capture type in a case where the difference is smaller than a predetermined threshold value, and

the measurement-type selecting unit selects the smoothing type in a case where the difference is equal to or more than the predetermined threshold value.

9. The PWM signal measurement device according to claim 8 , wherein

the threshold value concerning a voltage obtained by smoothing the PWM signal includes:

a fourth low duty side voltage corresponding to a duty cycle of a pulse having a frequency being the smoothing-possible frequency and including a one-side level period corresponding to two cycles of the measurement clock; and

a fourth high duty side voltage corresponding to a duty cycle of a pulse having a frequency being the smoothing-possible frequency and including an other-side level period corresponding to two cycles of the measurement clock,

the plurality of classification regions further include:

a fifth classification region surrounded by the first low duty side voltage, the fourth low duty side voltage, the smoothing-possible frequency, and the lower limit frequency; and

a sixth classification region surrounded by the first high duty side voltage, the fourth high duty side voltage, the smoothing-possible frequency, and the lower limit frequency, and

the measurement-type selecting unit selects a fixed duty cycle that has been set in advance, in a case where the specific point is disposed in the fifth classification region or in a case where the specific point is disposed in the sixth classification region.

10. The PWM signal measurement device according to claim 2 , wherein

the measurement-type selecting unit selects the smoothing type in a case where the first duty cycle measurement unit does not measure a duty cycle for a certain period of time.

11. A motor drive control device comprising:

a PWM input circuit configured to receive input of a PWM signal;

a smoothing circuit configured to smooth the PWM signal;

a control unit configured to generate a control signal and including the PWM signal measurement device according to claim 1 configured to input the PWM signal inputted in the PWM input circuit and also input, as the smoothed voltage, a voltage obtained by smoothing the PWM signal by the smoothing circuit; and

a motor driving unit configured to drive a motor on a basis of the control signal.

12. A method of measuring a PWM signal, comprising:

a first duty cycle measurement step using a capture type including measuring a period based on an edge of an inputted PWM signal using a measurement clock to measure a frequency and a duty cycle of the PWM signal on a basis of a measured value of the period;

a voltage measurement step of measuring a smoothed voltage obtained by smoothing the PWM signal using a smoothing circuit;

a second duty cycle measurement step using a smoothing type including measuring a duty cycle of the PWM signal on a basis of a measured value of the smoothed voltage; and

a measurement-type selecting step of selecting one of the capture type or the smoothing type as a measurement type for measuring a duty cycle of the PWM signal on a basis of a measured value of the frequency of the PWM signal and a measured value of the smoothed voltage.

13. A method of controlling motor drive, comprising:

a PWM input step of receiving input of a PWM signal;

a smoothing step of smoothing the PWM signal;

a first duty cycle measurement step using a capture type including measuring a period based on an edge of the PWM signal using a measurement clock to measure a frequency and a duty cycle of the PWM signal on a basis of a measured value of the period;

a voltage measurement step of measuring a smoothed voltage obtained by smoothing the PWM signal using a smoothing circuit;

a second duty cycle measurement step using a smoothing type including measuring a duty cycle of the PWM signal on a basis of a measured value of the smoothed voltage;

a measurement-type selecting step of selecting one of the capture type or the smoothing type as a measurement type for measuring a duty cycle of the PWM signal on a basis of a measured value of the frequency of the PWM signal and a measured value of the smoothed voltage;

a control step of generating a control signal on a basis of the measurement type selected in the measurement-type selecting step; and

a motor drive step of driving a motor on a basis of the control signal.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 28, 2022
From: HIJIKATA, HIDETOSHI; TAMITSUJI, TOSHIHIRO
To: MINEBEA MITSUMI INC.
Reel/Frame 058803/0882 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2019-147147 · Aug 9, 2019 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220263450A1 · Aug 18, 2022