METHOD OF OPERATING A BRUSHED COMMUTATOR MOTOR OF AN ADJUSTING DRIVE, AND ADJUSTING DRIVE

Abstract

A method operates a brushed commutator motor of an adjusting drive in a motor vehicle, particularly a window lifter, having a rotor and having a stator. An angular position of the rotor with respect to the stator is determined. The angular position is used to determine a ripple within the torque, which ripple can be expected on the basis of the commutation. The motor current is adapted such that the amplitude of the ripple that can be expected remains below a determined limit value.

Claims

1. A method for operating a brushed commutator motor of an adjusting drive of a motor vehicle, the brushed commutator motor having a rotor and a stator, which comprises the steps of: determining an angular position of the rotor with respect to the stator; determining an expected ripple of a torque that is to be expected as a result of commutation from the angular position; and adjusting a motor current such that an amplitude of the expected ripple remains below a specific threshold value.

2. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises determining the angular position on a basis of a current ripple that is present within the motor current.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein after a first time period the motor current is not adjusted for a second time period.

4. The method according to claim 3, which further comprises determining the angular position if the motor current is not adjusted.

5. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises: determining the angular position on a basis of a sensor signal of a position sensor and a point in time of the sensor signal plus a quotient of a reference value; and determining a rotational speed as a point in time of the expected ripple, wherein an angle that corresponds to a circle arc of a segment of a commutator is used as the reference value.

6. The method according to claim 5, which further comprises using one of an anisotropic magneto-resistive sensor or a Hall sensor as a component of the position sensor.

7. The method according to claim 5, which further comprises reading out the reference value from a non-volatile memory device of a motor electronic system.

8. The method according to claim 5, which further comprises determining the reference value on a basis of a current ripple that is present in the motor current prior to adjusting the motor current.

9. An adjusting drive of a motor vehicle, comprising: a brushed commutator motor having a rotor and a stator and configured to: determine an angular position of said rotor with respect to said stator; determine an expected ripple of a torque that is to be expected as a result of commutation from the angular position; and adjusting a motor current such that an amplitude of the expected ripple remains below a specific threshold value.

10. The adjusting drive according to claim 9, wherein the adjusting drive is a window lifter.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

[0028] FIG. 1 is an illustration of a window lifter having a commutator motor according to the invention;

[0029] FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic, perspective view of a section of the commutator motor;

[0030] FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a first method for operating the window lifter;

[0031] FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating schematically a second method for operating the window lifter; and

[0032] FIGS. 5A-5C are graphs illustrating progressions with respect to time of the rotational speed, motor current and sensor signal.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0033] Mutually corresponding parts are provided with like reference numerals in all the figures.

[0034] Referring now to the figures of the drawings in detail and first, particularly to FIG. 1 thereof, there is shown schematically an electric window lifter 2 having a window pane 4, wherein the window lifter 2 is integrated into a door 6 of a motor vehicle. The window pane 4 is moved along an adjustment path 10 by an adjusting drive 8. The adjusting drive 8 contains an electric motor 12 on the shaft-side of which is arranged a worm gear 14 by which the rotational movement of the electric motor 12 is converted into a translation movement of the window pane 4. The electric motor 12 is supplied with electrical energy by a motor electronic system 16 as soon as an occupant of the motor vehicle starts an adjusting movement of the window pane 4 along the adjustment path 10 by actuating a switch 18. An anti-trap protection is integrated within the motor electronic system 16, also referred to as the control electronic system, wherein the anti-trap protection prevents an object that is located within the adjustment path 10 from becoming trapped by the window pane 4.

[0035] FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a section of the electric motor 12 that is embodied as an inner rotor. The electric motor 12 contains a number of permanent magnets 20, of which two are illustrated. The permanent magnets 20 are a component of a stator 22 of the electric motor 12 and are held in position by a stack of laminations, not illustrated. A rotor 24 having a rotor shaft 26 is arranged within the stator 22 and a worm wheel, not illustrated, of the worm gear 14 is fastened to the rotor shaft. The rotor 24 contains an electromagnet structure 28 having a number of coils 30 that form the respective electromagnets. Each of the coils 30 is wound around a stack 32 of laminations that is fastened to the shaft 26 and electrically contacts two commutator segments 34 of a commutator 36, which for is part is connected in a non-rotatable manner to the rotor shaft 26. The commutator segments 34 differ from one another only as a result of their arrangement with respect to the rotor shaft 26, wherein the commutator segments 34 are offset with respect to one another in each case by a constant angle.

[0036] The commutator 36 is in electrical contact with two brushes 38 that brush over the commutator segments 34 during the operation of the electric motor 12. In so doing, each of the brush 38 is in electrical contact with the motor electronic system 16 by a stranded wire 40. An annular magnet 42 of a position sensor 44 is connected in a non-rotatable manner to the free end of the rotor shaft 26, the free end lying opposite the stack 32 of laminations. A position sensor 44 contains an AMR sensor 46 that is coupled to the motor electronic system by means of a line 48 so as to communicate signals. In an alternative embodiment, not illustrated here, the AMR sensor is replaced by a Hall sensor. The motor electronic system 16 contains a non-volatile memory device 50 that stores a reference value 52 during the production procedure of the adjusting drive 8.

[0037] The motor electronic system 16 is provided so as to perform a method 54 for operating the commutator motor 12 and is illustrated schematically in FIG. 3. In so doing, a motor current I is adjusted, the motor current being provided by the motor electronic system 16 by way of the stranded wire 40 of the electromagnet structure 28. FIG. 5C illustrates a first motor current progression 54 with respect to time t, the first motor current progression being produced after actuating the switch 18 if an adjustment procedure in accordance with the method 54 is not performed. The motor current I is directly proportional to the torque M by means of which the window pane 4 is moved along the adjustment path 10. As a result, the first motor current progression 54 corresponds to a first torque progression 56, wherein the scaling is different.

[0038] As the rotor 24 rotates with respect to the stator 22, the brushes 38 brush over the commutator segments 34. As soon as the two brushes 38 are in electrical contact in each case with two of the commutator segments 34, two of the coils 30 of the electromagnet structure 28 are energized, the two coils being connected in parallel with one another. As a result, the ohmic resistance of the electric motor 12 increases which leads to an interruption in the motor current I and consequently also in the motor torque M. As a result, the first motor current progression 54 and the first torque progression 56 contain a number of current ripples 58 or ripples 60 of the torque M. As soon as the brushes 38 are in electrical contact in each case only with one of the commutator segments 34, an overshoot occurs as a result of the inductivity 30 so that a fluctuation is formed within the progressions 54, 56, wherein the frequency of the fluctuation is equal to the rotational speed n of the electric motor 12 multiplied by the number of segments 34.

[0039] As a result of the comparatively constant load, namely of the window pane 4 and the essentially constant coefficient of friction along the adjustment path 10, the electric motor 12 contains in this case a first rotational speed progression 62 that is illustrated in FIG. 5a and corresponds essentially to the first motor current progression 54 or the first torque progression 56. In other words, the rotational speed n reduces at the point in time of the respective ripple 58, 60 and the first rotational speed progression 62 contains a fluctuation. As a result, the acoustic impression of the electric motor 12 deteriorates and the window pane 4 is not moved along the adjustment path at a constant rate. As a result, the worm gear 14 is loaded comparatively intensely as a result of the forces that occur owing to the alternating acceleration.

[0040] In order to prevent such fluctuations in the torque, the method 54 is performed in accordance with FIG. 3. In a first working step 64, the reference value 52 is read out from the memory device 50. The reference value 52 corresponds in this case to the angle that corresponds to the circle arc of each of the segments 34. In a second working step 66, an angular position of the rotor 24 is determined with respect to the stator 22. For this purpose, a sensor signal 68 of the position sensor 44 is used and the progression with respect to time thereof is illustrated in FIG. 5B. The sensor signal 68 always occurs when commutation takes place, in other words if a ripple 60 is present in the torque M. After determining the angular position , the point in time of the expected next ripple 60 is determined in a third working step 70, in that at the point in time of the sensor signal 68 the quotient of the reference value 52 and the rotational speed n is summed.

[0041] In a fourth working step 72, the motor current I is increased at this point in time. For this purpose, the electrical voltage that is applied at the two brushes 38 is temporarily increased by the motor electronic system 16. On the basis of the first angular position determination, all ripples 60 that are to be expected in the future are also compensated by adjusting the motor current I. In other words, the third working step 70 and also the fourth working step 72 are essentially repeated until the switch 18 is actuated so as to terminate the adjusting movement of the window pane 4. As an alternative thereto, the respective next ripple 60 is determined on the basis of each of the sensor signals 68. In other words, the second working step 66, the third working step 70 and also the fourth working step 72 are essentially continuously repeated.

[0042] As a result, an essentially constant second motor current progression 74 and also a second torque progression 76 that corresponds thereto and essentially does not comprise any ripples 58, 60 are produced. In other words, the amplitude of the ripples 60 is reduced to zero. Therefore, the resultant second rotational speed progression 78 is also essentially constant so that only a single frequency can be established by users of the window lifter 2.

[0043] Insofar as the reference value 52 is not stored in the memory device 50, the first working step 64 is modified. In so doing, both one of the sensor signals 68 and also the current ripple 58 that follows this sequentially are ascertained. The intermediate time period is multiplied by the corresponding rotation speed n so as to produce the reference value 52. In so doing, the reference value 52 is preferably only determined in the case of a first rotation of the rotor 24 and is stored in the memory device 50 that is embodied as a volatile memory device.

[0044] FIG. 4 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the method 54, wherein the third working step 70 and the fourth working step 72 correspond to that illustrated in FIG. 3. This method 54 is used insofar as a position sensor 44 is not provided. The angular position is determined in the second working step 66 by the current ripple 60 itself. In so doing, the time period between two sequential current ripples 60 is multiplied by the prevailing rotational speed n in order to set the reference value 52. Based on the prevailing point in time of the last ascertained current ripple 60, the quotient of the reference value 52 and the prevailing valid rotational speed n is summed in order to determine the point in time of the next ripple 58 within the torque M, which is performed in the third working step 70.

[0045] For a first time period 80, all expected ripples 60 are determined on the basis of an angular position that has been determined once and the motor current I is accordingly adjusted. The first time period 80 corresponds in so doing by way of example to ten rotations of the rotor 24. Within the first time period 80, a further angular position determination is consequently not performed. After the first time period 80 has ended, the motor current I is not adjusted in a fifth working step 82 for a second time period 84. As a result, the current ripples 58 that correspond to the current ripples 60 occur again. Within the second time period 84, the angular position is determined with the comparatively greatly pronounced current ripples 60 and consequently the reference value 52 is corrected.

[0046] The invention is not limited to the above described exemplary embodiments. On the contrary, other variants of the invention can also be derived therefrom by the person skilled in the art without departing from the subject matter of the invention. Moreover, in particular, all individual features that have been described in connection with the individual exemplary embodiments can also be combined with one another in other ways without departing from the subject matter of the invention.

[0047] The following is a summary list of reference numerals and the corresponding structure used in the above description of the invention: [0048] 2 Window lifter [0049] 4 Window pane [0050] 6 Door [0051] 8 Adjusting drive [0052] 10 Adjustment path [0053] 12 Electric motor [0054] 14 Worm gear [0055] 16 Motor electronic system [0056] 18 Switch [0057] 20 Permanent magnet [0058] 22 Stator [0059] 24 Rotor [0060] 26 Rotor shaft [0061] 28 Electromagnet structure [0062] 30 Coil [0063] 32 Stack of laminations [0064] 34 Commutator segment [0065] 36 Commutator [0066] 38 Brushes [0067] 40 Stranded wire [0068] 42 Annular magnet [0069] 44 Position sensor [0070] 46 AMR sensor [0071] 48 Line [0072] 50 Memory device [0073] 52 Reference value [0074] 54 First motor current progression [0075] 56 First torque progression [0076] 58 Current ripple [0077] 60 Ripple [0078] 62 First rotational speed progression [0079] 64 First working step [0080] 66 Second working step [0081] 68 Sensor signal [0082] 70 Third working step [0083] 72 Fourth working step [0084] 74 Second motor current progression [0085] 76 Second torque progression [0086] 78 Second rotational speed progression [0087] 80 First time period [0088] 82 Fifth working step [0089] 84 Second time period [0090] n Rotational speed [0091] t Time [0092] I Motor current [0093] M Torque [0094] Angular position