Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
  • H02P—CONTROL OR REGULATION OF ELECTRIC MOTORS, ELECTRIC GENERATORS OR DYNAMO-ELECTRIC CONVERTERS; CONTROLLING TRANSFORMERS, REACTORS OR CHOKE COILS
  • H02P6/00—Arrangements for controlling synchronous motors or other dynamo-electric motors using electronic commutation dependent on the rotor position; Electronic commutators therefor
  • H02P6/12—Monitoring commutation; Providing indication of commutation failure
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
  • H02P—CONTROL OR REGULATION OF ELECTRIC MOTORS, ELECTRIC GENERATORS OR DYNAMO-ELECTRIC CONVERTERS; CONTROLLING TRANSFORMERS, REACTORS OR CHOKE COILS
  • H02P25/00—Arrangements or methods for the control of AC motors characterised by the kind of AC motor or by structural details
  • H02P25/16—Arrangements or methods for the control of AC motors characterised by the kind of AC motor or by structural details characterised by the circuit arrangement or by the kind of wiring
  • H02P25/22—Multiple windings; Windings for more than three phases
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
  • H02K—DYNAMO-ELECTRIC MACHINES
  • H02K7/00—Arrangements for handling mechanical energy structurally associated with dynamo-electric machines, e.g. structural association with mechanical driving motors or auxiliary dynamo-electric machines
  • H02K7/10—Structural association with clutches, brakes, gears, pulleys or mechanical starters
  • H02K7/102—Structural association with clutches, brakes, gears, pulleys or mechanical starters with friction brakes
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
  • H02P—CONTROL OR REGULATION OF ELECTRIC MOTORS, ELECTRIC GENERATORS OR DYNAMO-ELECTRIC CONVERTERS; CONTROLLING TRANSFORMERS, REACTORS OR CHOKE COILS
  • H02P3/00—Arrangements for stopping or slowing electric motors, generators, or dynamo-electric converters
  • H02P3/02—Details of stopping control
  • H02P3/04—Means for stopping or slowing by a separate brake, e.g. friction brake or eddy-current brake
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
  • H02P—CONTROL OR REGULATION OF ELECTRIC MOTORS, ELECTRIC GENERATORS OR DYNAMO-ELECTRIC CONVERTERS; CONTROLLING TRANSFORMERS, REACTORS OR CHOKE COILS
  • H02P31/00—Arrangements for regulating or controlling electric motors not provided for in groups H02P1/00 - H02P5/00, H02P7/00 or H02P21/00 - H02P29/00

Definitions

• the present invention relates to an actuator having multi-phase motors and usable in particular for moving a movable element.
• a movable element may be constituted for example by a movable flight control surface of the aircraft, such as an aileron, which control surface is moved to enable the aircraft to be piloted.
• Actuators are known that have a single-phase motor, or a DC motor with brushes, in which a rotor is connected to the movable element by a movement transmission assembly.
• a rotor is connected to the movable element by a movement transmission assembly.
• the other actuator is used for moving the movable flight control surface without that impeding piloting of the aircraft.
• Such redundancy nevertheless gives rise to significant constraints in terms of integrating actuators in the structure of the aircraft (weight, cabling, ... ) and provides only moderate additional safety.
• actuators including two or even three motors (to ensure redundancy of their coils) with a corresponding number of control units (to ensure redundancy of the electronics) and with one power bridge per motor.
• An object of the invention is to provide means for improving the availability of such actuators.
• the invention provides an actuator comprising at least one multiphase motor having phases facing a rotor secured to an outlet shaft associated with a braking member and provided with means for connecting it to a movable element that is to be moved, the motors and the braking member being connected to at least one motor control unit for controlling the motors by powering their phases.
• the motor has at least four phases wound in such a manner as to avoid a neutral point
• the control unit has one single-phase inverter per phase and is arranged to implement a nominal mode of control over all of the phases, and a degraded mode of control that enables the rotor to be driven in rotation by powering two non-collinear phases thereof.
• the actuator has a normal mode in which the actuator operates on at least three phases and a degraded mode in which the actuator operates on two phases.
• the degraded mode is implemented when the other phases can no longer be powered, e.g. as a result of an open circuit or of a short circuit on the phases or the circuits powering them.
• Increasing the number of phases around a common rotor and using one power bridge per phase increases the options for having a sufficient number of phases
• the control unit preferably has a plurality of control modules connected to the various phases.
• the degraded mode can then be implemented also when the phases cannot be powered as a result of a failure of a control module for powering them.
• Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view showing the general principle of an actuator in accordance with the invention.
• Figure 2 is a diagrammatic cross-section view of a motor of an actuator in a first embodiment of the invention
• Figure 3 is an electric circuit diagram for the Figure 2 actuator
• Figure 4 is a diagrammatic cross-section view of a motor of an actuator in a second embodiment of the invention.
• Figure 5 is an electric circuit diagram of the Figure 4 actuator.
• Figure 6 is a diagrammatic cross-section view of a motor in a variant embodiment.
• the invention comprises a multiphase motor 100 having phases facing a rotor secured to an outlet shaft 1.
• the motor 100 is of the brushless type with its phases wound so as to avoid a neutral or "star" point.
• the outlet shaft 1 is
• connection means comprise a motion transmission system such as a screw and nut system or a crank and connecting rod system
• the movable element for moving may, be a movable flight control surface in an application to an aircraft.
• the motor 100 and the braking member 2 are connected to at least one control unit, given overall reference 5, that is arranged to power them as a function of commands received from the central piloting control unit of the aircraft.
• the control unit 5 controls the motor by powering its phases.
• the control unit 5 comprises two identical subunits
• a power supply line is connected to power the power modules 8.1, 9.1, 8.2, and 9.2 directly.
• Each control module 7.1 or 7.2 is arranged:
• control module 7.1 or 7.2 is connected to means for determining the speed and the position of the movable element that is to be moved, and also to means for measuring the current flowing in the phases of the actuator, the position sensors thus comprising in particular two position sensors on
• control modules are each connected to one of these sets and they are arranged to communicate with each other in order to detect a faulty sensor so as to avoid processing the signals coming therefrom.
• Each of the control modules 7.1 and 7.2 is connected to both of the power modules 8.1 and 8.2 in order to be able to control both of them.
• each of the control modules 7.1 and 7.2 can control both groups of phases in the event of the other control module failing.
• a so-called "master" one of the control modules 7.1 and 7.2 has priority over the other module referred to as a "slave".
• the control unit 5 is arranged to implement a degraded mode of control that serves to drive the rotor in rotation by powering at least two non-collinear phases from among the phases.
• the motor 100 has six phases that are split into two groups 101.1 and 101.2 of three phases each, and a common rotor 102 having permanent magnets 103.
• Each phase 101 of the group 101.1 or 101.2 is connected to an inverter 11 of a respective one of the power modules 8.1 or 8.2.
• the inverters 11 are single- phase H-connected bridges. There are thus as many inverters 11 as there are phases 101, with each power module 8.1 or 8.2 having three inverters 11.
• the control unit 5 is arranged to implement a nominal mode of control in which the control unit 5 controls at least three and preferably six of the phases 101 of the motor 100 in conventional manner, and a degraded mode of control in which the control unit 5 controls two non-collinear phases 101 of the motor 100.
• the nominal mode may be maintained even in the event of three phases failing since there remain three phases that can be controlled conventionally in three-phase manner.
• control unit 5 determines the currents I x (t) and I 2 (t) to be fed to the two
• the control unit 5 injects the corresponding currents into the remaining phases 101 of the motor 100.
• the changeover from nominal mode to degraded mode is performed automatically and, in this example, under the control of the control unit 5 that, after performing self-checks, detects when it is not possible to power four of the phases.
• the self-checks may for example be performed on the basis of measurements taken by the means for determining the speed and the position of the movable element that is to be moved, and by the means for measuring the current flowing in the phases. It is also possible to provide other detector means for performing these failure tests, and for example means for detecting other electrical parameters of the actuator and/or means for detecting proper operation of portions of the control circuits, such as the servo-control loops.
• control unit reconfigures the actuator to function with power being delivered to three out of the six phases;
• control unit ensures operation using five out of the six phases
• control unit reconfigures the actuator to operate using two out of six of the phases.
• this actuator structure also provides:
• the actuator in the second embodiment is generally identical in structure and in operation to the actuator of the first embodiment.
• the main motor 100 has a stator with six poles, each having three coils 104.1, 104.2, and 104.3 arranged thereabout, and a common rotor 102 having magnets 103.
• the phases are distributed as three groups of two phases each .
• the control unit 5 has three control modules 7.1,
• Each coil 104.1, 104.2, and 104.3 is connected to a respective inverter 11 of the power module 8.1, 8.2, or
• Each inverter 11 is a single-phase H-connected bridge. There are therefore as many inverters 11 as there are phases 101, with each power module 8.1, 8.2, 8.3 having two inverters 11. In this embodiment it should be observed that only the subunits 6.1 and 6.2 include a respective module 9.1, 9.2 for powering the brake .
• control unit 5 is arranged to
• control unit 5 implements a nominal mode of control in which the control unit 5 controls at least three phases of the motor 100 in conventional manner, and a degraded mode of control in which the control unit 5 controls two non-collinear phases of the motor 100.
• the rotor 102 is arranged to present reluctance that varies
• This variable reluctance is obtained by the shape of the cross-section of the rotor that is substantially in the form of a cross in this example.
• variable reluctance rotor makes it possible to avoid an opposing force appearing such as that which acts on the permanent magnet rotor when a phase of the motor is short circuited.
• the invention is applicable both to synchronous motors and to asynchronous motors.
• the two groups of phases may be axially offset along the shaft of the motor, or they may even be mounted on two distinct stators.
• At least some of the phases may be wound using wires having differing electrical conduction properties. This makes it possible to avoid having a neutral point.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Power Engineering (AREA)
• Control Of Multiple Motors (AREA)
• Control Of Motors That Do Not Use Commutators (AREA)
• Control Of Eletrric Generators (AREA)
• Hybrid Electric Vehicles (AREA)
• Connection Of Motors, Electrical Generators, Mechanical Devices, And The Like (AREA)

Priority Applications (7)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (2)

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Family Applications (1)

Country Status (8)

Cited By (1)

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• 2012
  • 2012-11-21 IN IN4429CHN2014 patent/IN2014CN04429A/en unknown
  • 2012-11-21 WO PCT/EP2012/073267 patent/WO2013076161A2/en not_active Ceased
  • 2012-11-21 US US14/355,538 patent/US8957621B2/en active Active
  • 2012-11-21 CA CA2853414A patent/CA2853414C/en active Active
  • 2012-11-21 EP EP12798215.5A patent/EP2783462B1/en active Active
  • 2012-11-21 BR BR112014012009A patent/BR112014012009A2/pt not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2012-11-21 CN CN201280057306.XA patent/CN103959641B/zh active Active
  • 2012-11-21 RU RU2014125280/07A patent/RU2573585C1/ru not_active IP Right Cessation

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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