Patent ID: 9417617
Filing Date: 2016-08-16
CPC Classification: F16H,G05B,G06N,H02P

Claim Text:
1. A control apparatus that controls a motor, which has a plurality of windings respectively corresponding to a plurality of phases, and is supplied an electric power from a power source so that the motor rotates, for rotating and driving an object, the control apparatus comprising: a plurality of switching devices, each of which corresponds to one of the plurality of phases, allows energization to a corresponding winding when the switching device turns on, and interrupts the energization to the corresponding winding when the switching device turns off; a controller that controls the switching devices to turn on and off so that the controller controls an operation of the motor; a current detecting circuit that detects a current flowing through each winding and each switching device; a current limit circuit that limits the current flowing through each winding and each switching device to match the current to one of two or more current limiting values; a standard position learning device that learns a standard position of the motor in such a manner that the current limit circuit limits the current flowing through each winding and each switching device, and the controller controls the motor to rotate until the object stops at a limit position of a movable range; a rotation angle change amount detecting device that detects a change amount of a rotation angle of the object; and an error determination device that determines whether the current detecting circuit malfunctions, wherein a first state is defined as a state that the current limit circuit limits the current flowing through each winding and each switching device to match the current with a first current limit value, and the object stops at the limit position of the movable range, wherein a second state is defined as a state that the current limit circuit limits the current flowing through each winding and each switching device to match the current to a second current limit value, and the object stops at the limit position of the movable range, and wherein the error determination device determines that the current detecting circuit malfunctions under a condition that the change amount detected by the rotation angle change amount detecting device is out of a predetermined range when the object changes from one of the first state and the second state to the other of the first state and the second state.