JP2008156942A - Power window device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a power window device capable of eliminating the need for setting a starting voltage on each vehicle model. <P>SOLUTION: In an initial stage (a point A to a point B) when an impression voltage to a motor is increased from zero, the rotation of the motor is still locked, and thus, in this case, a lock current (a stalling current) flows to the motor along a virtual current characteristic provided by dividing the impression voltage to the motor by the coil resistance of the motor. When the rotation of the motor is started soon accompanied by an increase in the impression voltage to the motor, an electric current smaller than the virtual current characteristic flows to its motor (the point B to a point C). A controller determines that the rotation of the motor is started when there is a behavior of a such a current, that is, when the electric current smaller than the virtual current characteristic flows to the motor from a state of making the lock current flow to the motor along the virtual current characteristic. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a power window device that automatically opens and closes a window glass by a rotational driving force of a motor.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a technique related to a power window device having a function (a pinching detection function) for detecting when a foreign object is pinched in a window glass being closed. In this type of power window device, the load applied to the foreign matter sandwiched in the window glass is made small, and in the case where the foreign matter is sandwiched in advance, it is sandwiched at the earliest possible stage after the start of the closing drive. It is important to be able to detect the occurrence of the occurrence.

Therefore, it is conceivable to apply a voltage (starting voltage) to the motor so that the motor rotates but the window glass is not driven immediately after the start of the closed drive. The starting voltage may be applied until there is no mechanical gap such as backlash between various gears, backlash of the regulator, and deflection of the damper. Here, the higher the starting voltage applied to the motor, the higher the rotational speed of the motor, so that a mechanical gap can be eliminated at an earlier stage. Therefore, it is desirable that a maximum value of a voltage at which the window glass is not driven is set in advance as a starting voltage, and the starting voltage is applied to the motor.
JP-A-9-324581 (paragraph numbers 0002 to 0009, FIG. 4)

  However, since the maximum value of the voltage at which the window glass is not driven differs depending on the weight of the window glass, the sliding resistance of the window glass, etc., it is necessary to set the starting voltage for each vehicle type. If it tries, development man-hour will increase and will be complicated.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a power window device capable of eliminating the setting of the starting voltage for each vehicle type. .

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, in the power window device that automatically opens and closes the window glass by the rotational driving force of the motor, when the rotation of the motor is locked, A lock current along the virtual current characteristic obtained by dividing the applied voltage to the motor by the coil resistance of the motor flows to the motor, and the applied voltage to the motor is increased from zero. Rotation start determination means for determining that rotation of the motor has started when a current lower than the virtual current characteristic flows to the motor from a state where a lock current along the current characteristic flows to the motor. The gist of this is.

  According to this configuration, when the rotation of the motor is locked, a lock current flows through the motor, and when the motor starts rotating, a current smaller than the lock current flows through the motor. It is used. In other words, if the rotation of the motor is locked, the current flowing through the motor will follow the virtual current characteristics, but if the motor is rotated halfway, the current flowing through the motor will be the virtual current. It will be below the characteristics. In short, even if the starting voltage is not set in advance, by increasing the voltage applied to the motor from zero, the rotation of the motor will eventually be started and can be detected. . Therefore, it is possible to eliminate the setting of the starting voltage for each vehicle type.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the power window device according to the first aspect, the rotation start determining unit is configured to reduce a current flowing through the motor as the applied voltage to the motor is increased from zero. The gist is to determine that rotation of the motor is started in a mode in which the motor rotates but the window glass is not driven when there is a first behavior below the virtual current characteristic.

  According to this configuration, it is assumed that when the applied voltage to the motor is low, the window glass is not driven even if the rotation of the motor is started. That is, in this case, the process proceeds in a direction that eliminates a mechanical gap on the path for transmitting the rotational driving force of the motor to the window glass. The point is to detect the start of rotation of the motor for the purpose of eliminating the mechanical gap, based on the behavior of the first current that suggests that the rotation of the motor has started. be able to.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the power window device according to the second aspect of the present invention, the rotation start determination unit is configured to reduce a current flowing through the motor as the applied voltage to the motor is increased from zero. The gist is to determine that the rotation of the motor in a mode in which the window glass is driven by the rotational driving force of the motor when the second behavior is lower than the virtual current characteristic. .

  According to this configuration, in a state where the window glass is not yet driven at a stage after the mechanical gap is eliminated, the lock current flows again to the motor. At the same time, when the voltage applied to the motor is further increased, it is assumed that the window glass is driven this time as the rotation of the motor starts again. The point is to detect the start of motor rotation for the purpose of driving the window glass, based on the behavior of the second current that suggests that the motor has started rotating. Can do.

Since this invention is comprised as mentioned above, there exist the following effects.
According to the present invention, it is possible to eliminate the setting of the starting voltage for each vehicle type.

Hereinafter, an embodiment embodying the present invention will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, the power window device 1 includes an actuator 4 that opens and closes a window glass 3 using a motor 2 as a driving source, and an ECU 5 that controls the operation of the actuator 4 by supplying driving power to the motor 2. Yes.

  In the present embodiment, a direct current motor is employed as the motor 2, and the motor 2 rotates forward and backward depending on the energization direction. The actuator 4 decelerates the rotation of the motor 2 by the speed reduction mechanism 6 and transmits it to a window regulator (not shown), thereby opening and closing the window glass 3.

  On the other hand, the ECU 5 is provided in the middle of a power supply path between the controller 8 that performs opening / closing drive determination of the window glass 3 and the in-vehicle power supply 7 and the motor 2, and is controlled by the controller 8 to drive power to the motor 2. And a drive circuit 9 for switching the energization direction.

  Specifically, the controller 8 is connected to a switch group 10 that is operated to open and close the window glass 3, and the controller 8 receives an operation signal (manual open / close signal, And open / close drive determination of the window glass 3 based on the automatic open / close signal). On the other hand, the drive circuit 9 of the present embodiment is formed by connecting in parallel a pair of series circuits (arms) composed of a pair of switching elements (FETs) connected in series. Specifically, the drive circuit 9 includes a series circuit of FETs 9a and 9b and a series circuit of FETs 9c and 9d connected in parallel. The connection point P1 of the FETs 9a and 9b and the connection point P2 of the FETs 9c and 9d are respectively Connected to the power supply terminal of the motor 2, the gate terminals of the FETs 9 a to 9 d are connected to the controller 8. Then, the controller 8 outputs gate on / off signals S1 to S4 to these FETs 9a to 9d and performs on / off control of the FETs 9a to 9d, thereby supplying driving power to the motor 2 and switching its energization direction. That is, the operation of the actuator 4 is controlled.

  In this embodiment, the motor 2 rotates forward when the FET 9a is turned on (FET 9b is turned off) and the FET 9d is turned on (FET 9c is turned off) in the drive circuit 9, and the FET 9b is turned on (FET 9a is turned off) and the FET 9c is turned on. When it is turned on (FET 9d is turned off), it is connected to the drive circuit 9 (respective connection points P1, P2 thereof) so as to reversely rotate. The actuator 4 is configured to open the window glass 3 by forward rotation of the motor 2 and to close the window glass 3 by reverse rotation thereof.

  Here, the relationship between the torque generated in the motor 2 and the current flowing through the motor 2 ("torque-current characteristics of the motor 2") will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, when a stalling torque is generated in the motor 2, that is, when the rotation of the motor 2 is locked, a lock current (stagnation current) flows through the motor 2, and at this time The current flowing through the motor 2 is the maximum. As the torque generated in the motor 2 gradually decreases from the stalling torque, that is, as the load on the motor 2 approaches no load, the current flowing through the motor 2 decreases linearly from the lock current, In the no-load state, no-load current flows through the motor 2, and at this time, the current flowing through the motor 2 is minimized.

  2 shows the relationship between the torque generated in the motor 2 and the rotation speed of the motor 2 in addition to the “torque-current characteristics” of the motor 2 (“torque-rotation speed characteristics” of the motor 2). )It is shown. According to this, when the stationary torque is generated in the motor 2, that is, when the rotation of the motor 2 is locked, the rotation speed of the motor 2 is zero, and at this time, the rotation speed of the motor 2 is minimum. Become. As the torque generated in the motor 2 gradually decreases from the stationary torque, that is, as the load on the motor 2 approaches no load, the rotation speed of the motor 2 increases linearly from zero and In the loaded state, the motor 2 is rotated at a no-load rotational speed, and at this time, the rotational speed of the motor 2 is maximized.

  The current flowing in the motor 2 in this way is detected by the current detection circuit 11 shown in FIG. 1 and this current is detected by the controller 8. In this embodiment, the controller 8 determines whether or not the rotation of the motor 2 has started based on the behavior of the current flowing through the motor 2.

  Next, such a rotation start determination method by the controller 8 will be described. The controller 8 increases the voltage applied to the motor 2 linearly from zero as shown in FIG. 3A in order to determine whether or not the rotation of the motor 2 has started. This is realized by turning off the FETs 9a and 9d and turning on the FET 9b, and increasing the on-duty for the FET 9c linearly from zero. That is, at this time, the controller 8 performs PWM control in a mode in which the motor 2 is rotated in the reverse direction (mode in which the window glass 3 is driven to be closed).

When a voltage is applied to the motor 2 in this way, a current flows through the motor 2 in the manner shown in FIG.
To explain this, first, at the initial stage (time point A to time point B) where the applied voltage to the motor 2 is increased from zero, the rotation of the motor 2 is still locked. Is divided by the coil resistance of the motor 2, a lock current (stall current) along the virtual current characteristic obtained by dividing the motor 2 flows into the motor 2. FIG. 3B shows a virtual current obtained by dividing the applied voltage by the coil resistance of the motor 2 when a voltage is applied to the motor 2 in the manner shown in FIG. The characteristic is indicated by a broken line.

  Then, as the applied voltage to the motor 2 increases, when the rotation of the motor 2 eventually starts, a current less than the virtual current characteristic flows through the motor 2 (time point B). ~ Time C). The reason for this will be described with reference to the “torque-current characteristics” of the motor 2 shown in FIG. 2. When the rotation of the motor 2 is started, the torque generated in the motor 2 gradually decreases from the stationary torque, This is because the current flowing through the motor 2 gradually decreases from the stationary current (lock current).

  Then, as a result of analyzing the detection contents by the current detection circuit 11, the controller 8 has such a current behavior indicated by an arrow α in FIG. 3B, that is, a lock current along the virtual current characteristic. When a current lower than the virtual current characteristic flows from the state in which the motor 2 is flowing to the motor 2, it is determined that the rotation of the motor 2 has started.

  When the applied voltage to the motor 2 is low, the window glass 3 is not driven even if the rotation of the motor 2 is started. In other words, from time B to time C, as the motor 2 is rotated, mechanical gaps included in the actuator 4 (backlash between various gears, backlash of the regulator, deflection of the damper, etc.) are eliminated. Is advanced. In the present embodiment, this is assumed, and the controller 8 is the first time that the current flowing through the motor 2 falls below the virtual current characteristic as the applied voltage to the motor 2 increases from zero. When the above behavior is found, it is determined that the rotation of the motor 2 is started in such a manner that the motor 2 rotates but the window glass 3 is not driven.

  As the motor 2 rotates in this manner, the mechanical gap is eventually lost (time C), but a voltage that does not yet drive the window glass 3 is applied to the motor 2. In such a situation as applied, the rotation of the motor 2 is locked again (time point C to time point D). Therefore, from time C to time D, a lock current along the virtual current characteristic flows to the motor 2.

  Then, as the applied voltage to the motor 2 is further increased, when the rotation of the motor 2 is started again, a current less than the virtual current characteristic flows again to the motor 2 again. (After time D). This is for the same reason as before.

  Then, as a result of analyzing the detection contents by the current detection circuit 11, the controller 8 has such a current behavior indicated by an arrow β in FIG. 3B, that is, the lock current along the virtual current characteristic. When a current lower than the virtual current characteristic flows from the state in which the motor 2 is flowing to the motor 2, it is determined that the rotation of the motor 2 has started.

  Since the mechanical gap has already disappeared at the stage of time point C, the fact that the rotation of the motor 2 is started after that means that the window glass 3 has been driven. In the present embodiment, this is assumed, and the controller 8 is the second time that the current flowing through the motor 2 falls below the virtual current characteristic as the applied voltage to the motor 2 increases from zero. When the above behavior occurs, it is determined that the rotation of the motor 2 in the mode in which the window glass 3 is driven by the rotational driving force of the motor 2 is started.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the following operations and effects can be obtained.
(1) When the rotation of the motor 2 is locked, a lock current flows through the motor 2, and when the motor 2 is rotated, a current smaller than the lock current flows through the motor 2. The principle is used. In other words, if the rotation of the motor 2 is locked, the current flowing through the motor 2 is in line with the virtual current characteristic indicated by the broken line in FIG. When rotated, the current flowing through the motor 2 falls below the virtual current characteristic as indicated by the arrows α and β. In short, even if the starting voltage is not set in advance, the rotation of the motor 2 will eventually start when the voltage applied to the motor 2 is increased from zero, and this must be detected. Can do. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate the setting of the starting voltage for each vehicle type.

  (2) When the applied voltage to the motor 2 is low, it is assumed that the window glass 3 is not driven even if the rotation of the motor 2 is started. That is, in this case, the process proceeds in a direction that eliminates a mechanical gap on the path for transmitting the rotational driving force of the motor 2 to the window glass 3. The point is that the rotation of the motor 2 for the purpose of eliminating the mechanical gap was started on the basis of the behavior of the first current that suggested that the rotation of the motor 2 was started. Can be detected.

  (3) In a state where a voltage that does not yet drive the window glass 3 is applied to the motor 2 at a stage after the mechanical gap disappears, a lock current is again applied to the motor 2. When the voltage applied to the motor 2 is further increased while flowing, it is assumed that the window glass 3 is now driven as the rotation of the motor 2 starts again. The point is that the rotation of the motor 2 for the purpose of driving the window glass 3 has been started on the basis of the behavior of the second current that suggests that the rotation of the motor 2 has started. Can be detected.

  (4) Unlike the configuration of the present embodiment, a sensor that generates a pulse signal synchronized with the rotation of the motor 2 is provided, and the motor is based on the detection of an edge (rising or falling) of the pulse signal. It is also conceivable to adopt a configuration in which it is determined that rotation of 2 has started. However, in such a configuration, the time lag from when the rotation of the motor 2 is started until the first edge is detected cannot be denied, and therefore the detection that the rotation of the motor 2 has started is delayed. become. On the other hand, in the configuration of the present embodiment, the configuration in which it is determined that the rotation of the motor 2 is started not by the pulse detection method but by the current detection method is adopted. It can be detected.

In addition, the said embodiment can also be changed and actualized as follows.
-The rotation start determination of the motor 2 by the current detection method may be applied to determine the rotation stop by the current detection method, and this may be applied to the pinching detection function. In this case, on the premise that the window glass 3 is being driven to close, the second current that suggests that the rotation of the motor 2 has started as the applied voltage to the motor 2 increases from zero. When there is a current behavior suggesting that the rotation of the motor 2 is locked (stopped) even though the window glass 3 has not reached the fully closed position, It is determined that there was. The behavior of the current suggesting that the rotation of the motor 2 is locked (stopped) is that a lock current along the virtual current characteristic indicated by the broken line in FIG.

  With this configuration, since it is possible to immediately detect that the rotation of the motor 2 is locked (stopped), that is, pinching detection is performed before a large load is applied to the foreign matter pinched by the window glass 3. Therefore, the stress generated in the foreign matter can be reduced.

If the inclination when the applied voltage to the motor 2 is increased from zero is increased, the driving of the window glass 3 can be started at an earlier stage.
Next, a technical idea that can be grasped from the above embodiment and another example will be added below.

  (A) In the power window device according to claim 3, on the premise that the window glass is being driven to be closed, the current flowing through the motor as the applied voltage to the motor is increased from zero. When a lock current along the virtual current characteristic flows into the motor at a stage after the second behavior below the virtual current characteristic, even though the window glass has not reached the fully closed position. A power window device comprising a pinch determination means for determining that a foreign object is pinched in the window glass.

  According to this configuration, since it is possible to immediately detect that the rotation of the motor is locked, that is, the pinch detection is performed before a large load is applied to the foreign matter pinched by the window glass, so that the stress generated in the foreign matter is reduced. You can do it with small things. In the embodiment, the controller 8 corresponds to a pinch determination unit.

  (B) In the power window device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 and (a) above, the rotation of the motor is caused as the applied voltage to the motor is increased from zero. Rotation stop that determines that the rotation of the motor has been stopped when a lock current that conforms to the virtual current characteristic flows to the motor at a stage after the determination that the rotation has started is made by the rotation start determination means A power window device comprising a determination means.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to perform the rotation stop determination by the current detection method by applying the motor rotation start determination by the current detection method. In the embodiment, the controller 8 corresponds to a rotation stop determination unit.

The schematic block diagram of a power window apparatus. “Torque-current characteristics” of the motor and “torque-rotation characteristics” of the motor. (A) is a graph which shows a mode that the applied voltage with respect to a motor raises linearly from zero, (b) is what the current flows into the motor when such a voltage is applied to the motor A graph showing the situation.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Power window apparatus, 2 ... Motor, 3 ... Window glass, 8 ... Controller (rotation start determination means).

Claims (3)

In the power window device that automatically opens and closes the window glass by the rotational driving force of the motor,
When the rotation of the motor is locked, a lock current along the virtual current characteristic obtained by dividing the applied voltage to the motor by the coil resistance of the motor flows to the motor,
As the applied voltage to the motor is increased from zero, when a current that is lower than the virtual current characteristic flows from the state in which the lock current along the virtual current characteristic flows to the motor, A power window device comprising rotation start determining means for determining that the rotation of the motor has started. The power window device according to claim 1, wherein
The rotation start determining means is configured to rotate the motor when the current flowing through the motor is lower than the virtual current characteristic as the applied voltage to the motor is increased from zero. However, it is determined that rotation of the motor in a mode in which the window glass is not driven is started. In the power window device according to claim 2,
The rotation start determining means is configured to rotate the motor when the voltage applied to the motor is increased from zero and the current flowing through the motor has a second behavior below the virtual current characteristic. It is determined that the rotation of the motor in a mode in which the window glass is driven by force is started.

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