JP6794147B2 - Motor driver evaluation tool - Google Patents

Description

The inventions disclosed herein relate to motor driver evaluation tools.

In order to properly drive a motor (for example, a stepping motor), it is important to correctly evaluate the motor driver that is the driving body thereof.

As an example of the prior art related to the above, Patent Document 1 can be mentioned.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-185718

However, in order to evaluate a motor driver, a measuring device such as an oscilloscope or a digital multimeter is required separately in addition to a computer and a power supply device. Therefore, for the motor driver user (set designer, etc.), preparing the evaluation environment for the motor driver itself has become a complicated task.

The invention disclosed in the present specification is an object of the present invention to provide a motor driver evaluation tool capable of easily evaluating a motor driver in view of the above problems found by the inventors of the present application. ..

The motor driver evaluation tool disclosed in the present specification is provided with an evaluation board on which the motor driver can be mounted and a detachable evaluation board, and drives the motor driver according to an instruction from a computer. It has a configuration (first configuration) including a control module that performs control and acquires various information necessary for evaluation of the motor driver and transmits it to the computer.

In the motor driver evaluation tool having the first configuration, the control module includes a power supply unit that supplies power to the motor driver, an oscillation unit that supplies an operation clock signal to the motor driver, and various controls to the motor driver. A configuration (second configuration) includes a control unit that supplies signals, an information acquisition unit that acquires various information of the motor driver, and a communication unit that communicates between the computer and the control unit. Good.

In the motor driver evaluation tool having the second configuration, the information acquisition unit uses the output voltage value and output current value of each phase of the motor driver, the drive voltage value and drive current value of the motor driver, and the motor driver. It is preferable to use a configuration (third configuration) for acquiring the temperature information of.

Further, in the motor driver evaluation tool having the second or third configuration, the control unit detects whether or not the motor driver is in an abnormal state based on various information acquired by the information acquisition unit. The configuration (fourth configuration) may be used.

Further, in the motor driver evaluation tool having any of the first to fourth configurations, the control unit prohibits the evaluation of the motor driver when the motor driver or the evaluation board is not a genuine product (fifth). (Structure of).

Further, in the motor driver evaluation tool having the fifth configuration, the control unit acquires ID information or characteristic information of the motor driver or the evaluation board to identify whether or not it is a genuine product (third configuration). It is preferable to use the configuration of 6).

Further, the motor driver evaluation system disclosed in the present specification includes a motor driver evaluation tool having any of the first to sixth configurations, a power supply device for supplying electric power to the motor driver evaluation tool, and the above. It is configured to have a computer for controlling a motor driver evaluation tool (seventh configuration).

In the motor driver evaluation system having the seventh configuration, the computer receives an input operation of control parameters related to drive control and information acquisition of the motor driver and instructs the motor driver evaluation tool (eighth). Configuration) is recommended.

Further, in the motor driver evaluation system having the seventh or eighth configuration, the computer may be configured to display various information transmitted from the motor driver evaluation tool on the screen (nineth configuration).

Further, the motor driver evaluation software disclosed in the present specification is executed by a computer used in the motor driver evaluation system having the seventh configuration, and inputs control parameters related to drive control and information acquisition of the motor driver. The computer is configured to function as a user interface that accepts an operation and gives an instruction to the motor driver evaluation tool and displays various information transmitted from the motor driver evaluation tool on the screen (tenth configuration).

According to the invention disclosed in the present specification, it is possible to provide a motor driver evaluation tool capable of easily evaluating a motor driver.

Block diagram showing the overall configuration of the motor driver evaluation system Schematic diagram showing the execution screen of the motor driver evaluation software Schematic diagram showing an example of combination change Schematic diagram showing a configuration example of a DUT board Schematic diagram showing the first identification example of a genuine product Schematic diagram showing a second identification example of a genuine product Schematic diagram showing a third identification example of a genuine product Schematic diagram showing a fourth identification example of a genuine product

<Motor driver evaluation system>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of a motor driver evaluation system. The motor driver evaluation system 1 of this configuration example includes a motor driver evaluation tool 10, a power supply device 20, and a computer 30.

The motor driver evaluation tool 10 operates by receiving the supply of the power supply voltage Vcc from the power supply device 20, and performs drive control and information acquisition for evaluating the motor driver 2 while communicating with the computer 30. ..

The power supply device 20 is a unit that generates a DC power supply voltage Vcc (for example, DC24V) from a commercial AC voltage (for example, AC100V) and supplies it to the motor driver evaluation tool 10.

If the computer 30 is the control body of the motor driver evaluation tool 10 and has specifications capable of functioning as a user interface of the motor driver evaluation system 1, its form (notebook type, desktop type, tablet type, etc.) can be changed. It doesn't matter.

<Motor driver evaluation tool>
Subsequently, the motor driver evaluation tool 10 will be described with reference to FIG. The motor driver evaluation tool 10 of this configuration example has a DUT [device under test] board 100 and a control board 200 separately and independently.

The DUT board 100 is an evaluation board on which the motor driver 2 can be mounted, and includes a plurality of connectors to which the control board 200 and the motor 3 are attached / detached. For example, when the motor 3 to be driven by the motor driver 2 is a two-phase stepping motor, as shown in this figure, four connectors (OUT1A, OUT1B, OUT2A) are used as motor connection terminals of the DUT boat 100. , OUT2B) may be prepared.

The control board 200 is a control module provided detachably from the DUT board 100, controls the drive of the motor driver 2 in response to an instruction from the computer 30, and acquires various information necessary for evaluating the motor driver 2. And transmit it to the computer 30. In the example of this figure, the control board 200 is equipped with a power supply unit 210, an oscillation unit 220, a control unit 230, an information acquisition unit 240, and a communication unit 250.

The power supply unit 210 is a DC / DC converter that generates a desired motor drive voltage VM (for example, DC12V) from a power supply voltage Vcc (for example, DC24V) and supplies it to the DUT board 100 (and thus, the motor driver 2).

The oscillating unit 220 supplies the operation clock signal CLK to the DUT board 100 (and thus the motor driver 2) in response to an instruction from the control unit 230.

The control unit 230 supplies various control signals Sctrl to the DUT board 100 (and thus the motor driver 2) while performing mutual communication with the computer 30 via the communication unit 250, or is acquired by the information acquisition unit 240. Various information is transmitted to the computer 30. Examples of the control signal Sctrl include various enable signals, operation mode switching signals, rotation direction switching signals, and excitation mode switching signals.

The information acquisition unit 240 acquires various information of the motor driver 2. The various information described above includes the output voltage value VOUT and output current value IOUT of each phase of the motor driver 2, the drive voltage value VM and drive current value IM of the motor driver 2, and the temperature information Tj (=) of the motor driver 2. Junction temperature) can be mentioned.

The communication unit 250 is a communication interface for performing mutual communication between the computer 30 and the control unit 230. As the communication unit 250, it is desirable to use a USB [universal serial bus] interface or the like that is widely installed in the computer 30.

As described above, the motor driver evaluation tool 10 of this configuration example not only has a function of controlling the drive of the motor driver 2 in response to an instruction from the computer 30, but also acquires various information necessary for evaluating the motor driver 2. A function (= automatic output capture function) for transmitting the signal to the computer 30 is provided.

Therefore, the evaluation environment for the motor driver 2 can be prepared by preparing only the computer 20 and the power supply device 30 without the need for measuring equipment such as an oscilloscope or a digital multimeter, so that the motor driver 2 can be easily evaluated. Is possible.

Further, the control unit 230 detects whether or not the motor driver 2 has fallen into an abnormal state (= step-out or the like) based on various information acquired by the information acquisition unit 240, and transmits the detection result to the computer 30. A function for notifying a flag (= self-judgment function) may be provided. By adding such a function, the user can immediately determine whether or not the output voltage is normally applied to the motor 30. The self-judgment function may be implemented in the motor driver evaluation software executed by the computer 30 instead of being implemented in the control unit 230.

<Motor driver evaluation software>
FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing an execution screen of the motor driver evaluation software displayed on the monitor of the computer 30. The motor driver evaluation software is a program for operating the computer 30 as a user interface of the motor driver evaluation system 1. The motor driver evaluation software is stored in a storage device (HDD [hard disk drive], SSD [solid state drive], flash memory, etc.) of the computer 30, and is expanded in the main memory like other programs. It is executed by the CPU [central processing unit].

When the motor driver evaluation software is executed, the software execution screen X of this figure is displayed on the monitor of the computer 30. The software execution screen X includes, for example, an information display area X1, a first setting area X2, and a second setting area X3.

In the information display area X1, various information transmitted from the motor driver evaluation tool 10 is mainly displayed. Examples of various information displayed here include the oscilloscope waveforms of the output voltage value VOUT and the output current value IOUT of each phase of the motor driver 2, and the temperature information Tj during driving of the motor driver 2. The above oscilloscope waveform can also be saved in the storage device of the computer 30.

By implementing such a waveform confirmation function and a temperature monitor function, the operating state of the motor driver 2 can be grasped at a glance, so that the evaluation can be easily performed. In the information display area X1, it is also possible to display the power consumption of the motor driver 2 from the drive voltage VM and the drive current IM of the motor driver 2.

In the first setting area X2, a GUI [graphical user interface] component for receiving an input operation of control parameters related to the drive control of the motor driver 2 is mainly displayed. The control parameters that can be set in the first setting area X2 include various voltage values and current values, the oscillation frequency of the operating clock signal CLK and its on / off, rotation direction, excitation mode, and the like. it can. The various control parameters set in the first setting area X2 are transmitted to the motor driver evaluation tool 10 (particularly the control unit 230) and reflected in the drive control of the motor driver 2.

In the second setting area X3, a GUI component for accepting an input operation of control parameters related to information acquisition of the motor driver 2 and information display in the information display area X1 is mainly displayed. The control parameters that can be set in the second setting area X3 include on / off for each channel, source selection (VOUT / IOUT), output terminal selection (OUT1A, OUT1B, OUT2A, OUT2B), display scale interval, and so on. Examples include the automatic sampling frequency. The various control parameters set in the second setting area X3 are transmitted to the motor driver evaluation tool 10 (particularly the information acquisition unit 240) and reflected in the information acquisition of the motor driver 2, and are reflected in the information acquisition in the information display area X1. It is also reflected in the information display.

In addition, as GUI components displayed in the first setting area X2 and the second setting area X3, a toggle button that switches between selection / non-selection each time a click (or tap) is made, and a setting value within a predetermined range are selected. Slider, a text box for entering settings directly, a drop-down list for selecting one setting from the list, and a radio button for selecting one from multiple choices. ..

By executing the motor driver evaluation software on the computer 30 in this way, it is possible to intuitively control the motor driver evaluation tool 10 via the software execution screen X having excellent visibility and operability.

<Technical significance of board division>
Next, the technical significance of the DUT board 100 and the control board 200 being divided in the motor driver evaluation tool 10 will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing how each evaluation is performed while arbitrarily changing the combination pattern of the DUT board, the control board, and the motor. For example, for the DUT boats 100A and 100B, the control boards 200A and 200B, and the motors 3A and 3B, eight combinations (1) to (8) can be considered as follows, and evaluations X1 to each of the combinations are considered. X8 can be obtained.

(1) 100A-200A-3A: Evaluation X1
(2) 100A-200A-3B: Evaluation X2
(3) 100A-200B-3A: Evaluation X3
(4) 100A-200B-3B: Evaluation X4
(5) 100B-200A-3A: Evaluation X5
(6) 100B-200A-3B: Evaluation X6
(7) 100B-200B-3A: Evaluation X7
(8) 100B-200B-3B: Evaluation X8

Therefore, by appropriately comparing the evaluations X1 to X8, it is possible to make a correct individual evaluation for each of the DUT boards 100A and 100B, the control boards 200A and 200B, and the motors 3A and 3B, respectively.

For example, when the heat generation abnormality of the motor driver 2 occurs in the combination (1), first, based on the combination (1), only the DUT board 100A is replaced with the DUT board 100B, and the combination (5) is re-evaluated. You should go. If the heat generation abnormality of the motor driver 2 does not occur in the combination (5), it can be identified that there is a problem in the DUT board 100A.

On the other hand, if the heat generation abnormality of the motor driver 2 occurs even in the combination (5), it is considered that there is a problem other than the DUT board 100A. Therefore, next, based on the combination (1), only the control board 200A may be replaced with the control board 200B, and the combination (3) may be re-evaluated. If the heat generation abnormality of the motor driver 2 does not occur in the combination (3), it can be identified that there is a problem in the control board 200A.

If the heat generation abnormality of the motor driver 2 occurs even in the combination (3), it is necessary to check whether there is a problem with the motor 3A. Therefore, next, it is advisable to replace only the motor 3A with the motor 3B based on the combination (1) and re-evaluate the combination (2). If the heat generation abnormality of the motor driver 2 does not occur in the combination (2), it can be identified that there is a problem in the motor 3A.

As described above, in the motor driver evaluation tool 10 of this configuration example, since the DUT board 100 and the control board 200 are separated, the evaluation comparison for each DUT board, the evaluation comparison for each control board, and each motor It is possible to easily perform evaluation comparison of. Further, if each evaluation is performed while arbitrarily changing the combination pattern of the DUT board, the control board, and the motor and the evaluation result is stored in the computer 30, each evaluation is automatically compared and the problem is solved. It is also possible to identify the location.

<Security function (counterfeit measures)>
As described above, the motor driver evaluation tool 10 of this configuration example is an epoch-making tool that can easily evaluate the motor driver 2 without requiring a separate measuring device. Therefore, if the evaluation target of the motor driver evaluation tool 10 can be limited to only genuine motor drivers (in-house products), it is considered that the superiority in the market can be greatly enhanced. Therefore, in the following, a method for excluding a non-genuine product (other company's product) motor driver from the evaluation target of the motor driver evaluation tool 10 will be described in detail.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing a configuration example of the DUT board 100. In the DUT board 100 of this configuration example, the motor driver mounting unit 110 has a form (package size, number of pins, pin arrangement, etc.) so that only a genuine (in-house product) motor driver 2x can be mounted. And pin spacing, etc.) are standardized. Therefore, the non-genuine motor driver 2y that does not satisfy this standard can be excluded from the evaluation target of the motor driver evaluation tool 10.

However, even if the non-genuine motor driver 2y has the same standard as the genuine motor driver 2x, it cannot be excluded from mounting on the DUT board 100. Further, in the motor driver evaluation tool 10, since the DUT board 100 and the control board 200 are separated, when a non-genuine (other company's product) DUT board is connected to the control board 200, the motor driver mounting unit 110 The exclusion function of non-genuine products (other companies' products) will be lost.

Therefore, the control unit 230 mounted on the control board 200 identifies whether or not the motor driver 2 or the DUT board 100 is a genuine product (in-house product), and when it is determined that these are not genuine products, the motor driver It has a function (= genuine product identification function) that prohibits the evaluation of 2. In the following, a method for identifying genuine products will be described with specific examples.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a first identification example of a genuine product by the control unit 230. In this figure, the control unit 230 acquires ID information (chip name, etc.) stored in the non-volatile memory of the motor driver 2 and identifies whether or not the motor driver 2 is a genuine product (in-house product). To do.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing a second identification example of a genuine product by the control unit 230. In this figure, the control unit 230 acquires ID information (board name, etc.) stored in the non-volatile memory mounted on the DUT board 100, and whether the DUT board 100 is a genuine product (in-house product). Identify whether or not.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing a third identification example of a genuine product by the control unit 230. In this figure, the control unit 230 acquires the forward voltage drop Vf (= one of the characteristic information of the motor driver 2) of the electrostatic protection diode provided at the external terminal (for example, a test pin) of the motor driver 2. Whether or not the motor driver 2 is a genuine product (in-house product) is identified according to whether or not the voltage value is within a predetermined range. It is also possible to adopt the same method as described above for the identification of the DUT board 100.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing a fourth identification example of a genuine product by the control unit 230. In this figure, the control unit 230 sends a predetermined test command (TEST) to the motor driver 2 to acquire the output voltage VOUT and the output current IOUT (= one of the characteristic information of the motor driver 2), which is an expected value. It identifies whether or not the motor driver 2 is a genuine product (in-house product) depending on whether or not it is as per.

As described above, the control unit 230 has a function of prohibiting the evaluation of the motor driver 2 when it is determined that the motor driver 2 or the DUT board 100 is not a genuine product. As the evaluation prohibition method, for example, the power supply and signal output from the control board 200 to the DUT board 100 (and thus the motor driver 2) may be prohibited, or the execution of the motor driver evaluation software in the computer 30 may be performed. It may be prohibited.

<Other variants>
In addition to the above-described embodiment, various technical features disclosed in the present specification can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the technical creation. That is, it should be considered that the above-described embodiment is exemplary in all respects and is not restrictive, and the technical scope of the present invention is shown not by the description of the above-mentioned embodiment but by the scope of claims. It should be understood that it includes all changes that fall within the meaning and scope of the claims.

The invention disclosed in the present specification can be suitably used as, for example, as an evaluation means of an H-bridge type motor driver IC that controls drive of a stepping motor.

1 Motor driver evaluation system 2, 2x, 2y Motor driver 3, 3A, 3B motor 10 Motor driver evaluation tool 20 Power supply device 30 Computer 100, 100A, 100B DUT board (evaluation board)
110 Motor driver mounting unit 200, 200A, 200B Control board (control module)
210 Power supply unit 220 Oscillation unit 230 Control unit 240 Information acquisition unit 250 Communication unit X Software execution screen X1 Information display area X2 First setting area X3 Second setting area

Claims (10)

An evaluation board on which the motor driver can be mounted and
A control module that is detachably provided from the evaluation board, controls the drive of the motor driver in response to an instruction from the computer, acquires various information necessary for evaluation of the motor driver, and transmits the information to the computer.
Have,
The control module
A power supply unit that supplies power to the motor driver,
An oscillator that supplies an operating clock signal to the motor driver,
A control unit that supplies various control signals to the motor driver,
An information acquisition unit that acquires various information about the motor driver,
A communication unit that communicates between the computer and the control unit,
Including
The control unit is a motor driver evaluation tool that detects whether or not the motor driver is in an abnormal state based on various information acquired by the information acquisition unit. The information acquisition unit acquires the output voltage value and output current value of each phase of the motor driver, the drive voltage value and drive current value of the motor driver, and the temperature information of the motor driver. Item 1. The motor driver evaluation tool according to Item 1. The motor driver evaluation tool according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit prohibits evaluation of the motor driver when the motor driver or the evaluation board is not a genuine product. An evaluation board on which the motor driver can be mounted and
A control module that is detachably provided from the evaluation board, controls the drive of the motor driver in response to an instruction from the computer, acquires various information necessary for evaluation of the motor driver, and transmits the information to the computer.
Have,
The control module is a motor driver evaluation tool, characterized in that evaluation of the motor driver is prohibited when the motor driver or the evaluation board is not a genuine product. The control module
A power supply unit that supplies power to the motor driver,
An oscillator that supplies an operating clock signal to the motor driver,
A control unit that supplies various control signals to the motor driver,
An information acquisition unit that acquires various information about the motor driver,
A communication unit that communicates between the computer and the control unit,
The motor driver evaluation tool according to claim 4, wherein the motor driver evaluation tool comprises. The motor driver evaluation according to claim 3 or 5, wherein the control unit acquires ID information or characteristic information of the motor driver or the evaluation board to identify whether or not the motor driver is a genuine product. tool. The motor driver evaluation tool according to any one of claims 1 to 6.
A power supply that supplies power to the motor driver evaluation tool,
A computer that controls the motor driver evaluation tool,
A motor driver evaluation system characterized by having. The motor driver evaluation system according to claim 7, wherein the computer receives an input operation of control parameters related to drive control and information acquisition of the motor driver and instructs the motor driver evaluation tool. The motor driver evaluation system according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the computer displays various information transmitted from the motor driver evaluation tool on a screen. It is executed by the computer used for the motor driver evaluation system according to claim 7, receives an input operation of control parameters related to drive control and information acquisition of the motor driver, and instructs the motor driver evaluation tool, and the motor driver evaluation tool. Motor driver evaluation software characterized in that the computer functions as a user interface for displaying various information transmitted from the computer on a screen.

Images