Electricity: motive power systems – Plural – diverse or diversely controlled electric motors
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-13
2002-02-05
Nappi, Robert E. (Department: 2837)
Electricity: motive power systems
Plural, diverse or diversely controlled electric motors
C318S112000, C318S054000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06344719
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a motor driving apparatus and particularly to a motor driving apparatus for controlling a plurality of motors to displace the position of the control object member with less motor driving units including a pair of semiconductor switches than the motors.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a vehicle uses a plurality of motors to displace the position of the control objects member such as power seats and power mirrors or the like and the motor driving units of the same number as the motors are used to individually drive these motors. Moreover, a motor driving apparatus is composed of a plurality of motors, a plurality of motor driving units and a control unit. In this case, it is preferable that the motor driving apparatus is as low in price as possible because the motor driving units in the same number as the motors used must be provided. Therefore, a motor driving unit comprising a pair of relays has been used.
Here,
FIG. 5
is a circuit diagram illustrating an example of the essential structure of the known motor driving apparatus. This structure utilizes a motor driving unit including a pair of relays.
As illustrated in
FIG. 5
, the known motor driving apparatus is composed of a first motor
41
1
, a second motor
41
2
, a third motor
41
3
, a fourth motor
41
4
, a first motor driving unit
42
1
, a second motor driving unit
42
2
, a third motor driving unit
42
3
, a fourth motor driving unit
42
4
, and a control unit
43
. In this case, the first motor driving unit
42
1
includes two relays
44
1
,
44
2
, the second motor driving unit
42
2
includes two relays
45
1
,
45
2
, the third motor driving unit
42
3
includes two relays
46
1
,
46
2
and the fourth motor driving unit
42
4
includes two relays
47
1
,
47
2
.
The first motor driving unit
42
1
is connected at one end of coils (not designated with the reference numeral) of the relays
44
1
,
44
2
to a DC power supply and to a control unit
43
at the other end. The movable contacts (not defined with the reference numerals) of the relays
44
1
,
44
2
are respectively connected to one end and the other end of the first motor
41
1
. One fixed contacts (not defined with the reference numerals) of the relays
44
1
,
44
2
are connected to the DC power supply, while the other contacts thereof (not defined with the reference numerals) are grounded. The second motor driving unit
42
2
is connected to the DC power supply at one end of the coils (not defined with the reference numerals) of relays
45
1
,
45
2
and to the control unit
43
at the other end. The movable contacts (not defined with the reference numerals) of the relays
45
1
,
45
2
are respectively connected to one end and the other end of the second motor
41
2
respectively. The one fixed contacts (not defined with the reference numerals) of the relays
45
1
,
45
2
are connected to the DC power supply, while the other fixed contacts (not defined with the reference numerals) are grounded. The third motor driving unit
42
3
is connected to the DC power supply at one end of coils (not defined with the reference numerals) of the relays
46
1
,
46
2
, while to the control unit
43
at the other end. The movable contacts (not defined with the reference numerals) of the relays
46
1
,
46
2
are respectively connected to the one and the other ends of the third motor
41
3
. The one fixed contacts (not defined with the reference numerals) of the relays
46
1
,
46
2
are connected to the DC power supply, while the other fixed contacts (not defined with the reference numerals) are grounded. The fourth motor driving unit
42
4
is connected to the DC power supply at one end of the coils (not defined with the reference numerals) of the relays
47
1
,
47
2
, while to the control unit
43
at the other end. The movable contacts (not defined with the reference numerals) of the relays
47
1
,
47
2
are respectively connected to the one end and the other end of the second motor
41
4
. The one fixed contacts (not defined with the reference numerals) of the relays
47
1
,
47
2
are connected to the DC power supply, while the other fixed contacts (not defined with the reference numerals) are grounded.
This known motor driving apparatus operates as follows.
First, when the control voltage for the grounded voltage is supplied to the coil of relay
44
1
of the first motor driving unit
42
1
from the control unit
43
, the coil is energized to switch the movable contact thereof to the condition illustrated in the figure and thereby the power supply voltage is supplied through the contract switched to one end of the first motor
41
1
. Simultaneously, when the control voltage of the power supply voltage is supplied to the coil of relay
44
2
of the first motor driving unit
42
1
from the control unit
43
, the coil is not energized to keep the movable contact thereof in the condition illustrated in the figure and thereby the ground potential is supplied through the contact held at the other end of the first motor
41
1
. Therefore, a drive current flows to the other end from one end in the first motor
41
1
and this first motor
41
1
rotates in one direction. Thereafter, when the polarity of the control voltage supplied to the first motor driving unit
42
1
from the control unit
43
is inverted, the movable contacts of the relays
44
1
,
44
2
are set to the inverted condition of the condition illustrated in the figure and the polarity of the voltage supplied to one end and the other end of the first motor
41
1
is also inverted, a drive current flows to one end from the other end in the first motor
41
1
and thereby the first motor
41
1
rotates in the other direction.
Moreover, when the control voltage same as that supplied to the first motor driving unit
42
1
from the control unit
43
is supplied to the second motor driving unit
42
2
, third motor driving unit
42
3
and fourth motor driving unit
42
4
even in the second motor driving unit
42
2
, third motor driving unit
42
3
, fourth motor driving unit
42
4
, the second motor
41
2
, third motor
41
3
and fourth motor
41
4
can respectively be rotated as in the case of rotating the first motor
41
1
. When the two motors, for example, the first motor
41
1
and second motor
41
2
are rotated simultaneously in the same direction, the movable contacts of the relays
44
1
,
44
2
of the first motor driving unit
42
1
and the movable contacts of the corresponding relays
45
1
,
45
2
of the second motor driving unit
42
2
are switched in the same manner by supplying the control voltages of the same polarity to the first motor driving unit
42
1
and second motor driving unit
42
2
from the control unit
43
and, as a result, the first motor
41
1
and second motor
41
2
are rotated simultaneously in the same direction. Moreover, when the other two motors other than the first motor
41
1
and second motor
41
2
, for example, the third motor
41
3
and fourth motor
41
4
are simultaneously rotated in the same direction, the same process as that explained above is executed.
The known motor driving apparatus explained above uses the motor driving units
42
1
to
42
4
including two relays of the same number as that of a plurality of motors
41
1
to
41
4
in order to respectively drive a plurality of motors
41
1
to
41
4
. Therefore this apparatus has a merit that the whole motor driving unit can be formed at a low cost in spite of use of a plurality of motor driving units
42
1
to
42
4
, but, on the other hand, has a disadvantage that since relays require a comparatively large volume, it is difficult to reduce the size of structure of the motor driving apparatus and moreover switching of contacts during operation of relays is rather noisy.
Therefore, it is also considered to use the motor driving units
42
1
to
42
4
including a semiconductor switch pair, for example, the field effect transistor pair in place of the motor driving units
42
1
to
42
4
including two relay
Hoshi Toshiyuki
Mizuta Ken
Shibazaki Ken
Tanaka Masaaki
Terashita Satoshi
Leykin Rita
Nappi Robert E.
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