阅读说明：本技术 制动器电路放电系统 (Brake circuit discharge system ) 是由 酒井竜児 于 2019-06-12 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明的目的在于提供能够迅速且可靠地停止动力源的制动器电路放电系统。本发明所涉及的制动器电路放电系统(100)具备：马达驱动电路(101),其驱动马达(M)；制动器驱动电路(102),其驱动使马达(M)的驱动减速停止的制动器(B),在电力切断时发动所述制动器；控制部(103),其控制马达驱动电路(101)和制动器驱动电路(102)的动作；电容器(106),其连接于制动器驱动电路(102)的动力线；放电电阻(108),其与电容器(106)并联连接于制动器驱动电路(102)的动力线,对电容器(106)中积蓄的电荷进行放电；放电切换开关(109),其与放电电阻(108)串联连接；以及放电指令生成电路(110),其连接于放电切换开关(109),生成切换放电切换开关(109)的开闭的切换指令信号。(The invention aims to provide a brake circuit discharging system capable of rapidly and reliably stopping a power source. A brake circuit discharge system (100) according to the present invention includes: a motor drive circuit (101) that drives the motor (M); a brake drive circuit (102) that drives a brake (B) that decelerates and stops the driving of a motor (M), and that actuates the brake when power is cut off; a control unit (103) that controls the operation of the motor drive circuit (101) and the brake drive circuit (102); a capacitor (106) connected to a power line of the brake drive circuit (102); a discharge resistor (108) which is connected in parallel to the capacitor (106) to the power line of the brake drive circuit (102) and discharges the electric charge accumulated in the capacitor (106); a discharge changeover switch (109) connected in series with the discharge resistor (108); and a discharge command generation circuit (110) that is connected to the discharge changeover switch (109) and generates a changeover command signal for changing over the opening and closing of the discharge changeover switch (109).)

1. A brake circuit discharge system is provided with:

a motor drive circuit that drives a motor;

a brake drive circuit that drives a brake that decelerates and stops driving of the motor, and that actuates the brake when power is cut off;

a control unit that controls operations of the motor drive circuit and the brake drive circuit and continuously transmits a brake release signal to the brake drive circuit;

a capacitor connected to at least one of the power line of the brake drive circuit and the power line of the control unit;

a discharge resistor connected to a power line to which the capacitor is connected, for discharging the electric charge accumulated in the capacitor;

a discharge changeover switch connected in series with the discharge resistor; and

and a discharge command generation circuit connected to the discharge changeover switch and generating a changeover command signal for changing over the opening and closing of the discharge changeover switch.

2. The brake circuit discharge system of claim 1,

the capacitor is a capacitor for a brake drive circuit connected to a power line of the brake drive circuit,

the discharge resistor and the capacitor for the brake driving circuit are connected in parallel to a power line of the brake driving circuit.

3. The brake circuit discharge system of claim 1,

the capacitor is a capacitor for the control part connected with the power line of the control part,

the discharge resistor and the capacitor for the control part are connected in parallel to a power line of the control part.

4. The brake circuit discharge system of any one of claims 1-3,

the discharge instruction generating circuit is a non-circuit.

5. The brake circuit discharge system of claim 4,

the discharge command generation circuit includes: an overvoltage detection circuit connected between a power line to which the capacitor is connected and the discharge resistor; and an OR circuit connected to the overvoltage detection circuit and the NOT circuit,

the OR circuit outputs the logical OR of the output signal of the overvoltage detection circuit and the switching instruction signal to the discharging switching switch.

6. The brake circuit discharge system of claim 1,

further provided with:

a motor drive circuit converter connected in series to a power line of the motor drive circuit;

a brake drive circuit converter connected in series to a power line of the brake drive circuit; and

a converter for a control unit connected in series to a power line of the control unit,

the discharge resistor is connected to input stages of the motor drive circuit converter, the brake drive circuit converter, and the control unit converter, respectively.

7. The brake circuit discharge system of any one of claims 1-6,

the resistance value of the discharge resistor is 1 Ω to 1000 Ω.

8. The brake circuit discharge system of any one of claims 1-7,

the motor drive circuit, the brake drive circuit, the control unit, and the capacitor are built in the robot.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a brake circuit discharge system, and more particularly to a brake circuit discharge system including a power source such as a motor, a brake for decelerating and stopping driving of the power source, and a control unit for controlling operations of the brake and the brake.

Background

A motor or a robot including a motor, which is a conventional power source, is separately provided with a control board, and the rotation of the motor is controlled by adjusting electric power supplied to the motor by an actuator in the control board. In recent years, however, devices in which a driver is built in a motor or a robot have been developed.

Such a built-in driver motor adjusts power supply to the motor to control the rotation speed of the motor or to actuate a brake when receiving a command through communication from a control board or the like. In particular, the following methods are used for deceleration stop: (1) the driver actuates the driving system of the brake to start the brake and stop the rotation of the motor; (2) a driver adjusting power supplied to the motor to apply a force opposite to a rotation direction to stop rotation of the motor; or (3) the driver stops the rotation of the motor by setting the electric power supplied to the motor to 0.

For example, patent document 1 describes a control device provided with a power cut function for cutting off power of a drive system of a servo motor and stopping a robot arm of a multi-axis robot by operating a brake drive system by operating an emergency stop switch in an emergency. This makes it possible to safely and reliably stop the drive motor of the multi-axis robot.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent No. 5552564

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

However, in the case of the built-in actuator motor, when a failure of the actuator or a disconnection of a communication line for performing communication is taken into consideration, the above-described case (1) may cause the motor to continue rotating without actuating the brake. In the case of (2), the motor may be uncontrollable by supplying power so as to apply a force in the rotational direction without being adjusted properly or by supplying insufficient power by applying a force opposite to the rotational direction. In the case of (3), the power supply to the motor may not be cut off and the power supply may be continued. As a result, it is considered that the robot is in a dangerous state such as a runaway robot in which the arm is dropped without starting an emergency stop.

In order to solve such a problem, it is recommended that the power supply to the motor be completely 0 by performing the deceleration stop described above and cutting off the power of the built-in actuator motor as in the power cutting device of patent document 1 when stopping the motor. However, even if the power is cut off, since electric charge remains in the capacitor in the built-in actuator unlike the power cutting device of patent document 1, the state of the electric power remaining in the built-in actuator motor is established even though the electric power is present for a short time, and the motor cannot be reliably stopped.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a brake circuit discharging system capable of quickly and reliably stopping a power source.

Means for solving the problems

In order to solve the above problem, a brake circuit discharge system according to the present invention includes: a motor drive circuit that drives a motor; a brake drive circuit that drives a brake that decelerates and stops driving of the motor, and that starts the brake when power is cut off; a control unit for controlling the operation of the motor drive circuit and the brake drive circuit and continuously transmitting a brake release signal to the brake drive circuit; a capacitor connected to at least one of the power line of the brake drive circuit and the power line of the control unit; a discharge resistor connected to a power line to which the capacitor is connected, for discharging the electric charge accumulated in the capacitor; a discharge changeover switch connected in series with the discharge resistor; and a discharge command generation circuit connected to the discharge changeover switch and generating a changeover command signal for changing over the opening and closing of the discharge changeover switch.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

According to the brake circuit discharge system of the present invention, it is possible to quickly and reliably stop the power source by discharging the electric charge accumulated in the electric circuit for driving the brake. The effects described herein are not necessarily limited, and may be any of the effects described in the present technology.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a brake circuit discharge system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a graph illustrating an operation at the time of an emergency stop of the brake circuit discharge system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a graph illustrating an operation at the time of an emergency stop of the brake circuit discharge system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a brake circuit discharge system of a conventional example.

Fig. 5 is a graph illustrating an operation of the brake circuit discharge system of the conventional example at the time of an emergency stop.

Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a brake circuit discharge system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a graph illustrating an operation at the time of an emergency stop of the brake circuit discharge system according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a brake circuit discharge system according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a brake circuit discharge system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 10 is a graph illustrating an operation at the time of an emergency stop of the brake circuit discharge system according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 11 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a brake circuit discharge system according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 12 is a graph illustrating an operation at the time of an emergency stop of the brake circuit discharge system according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiments described below are merely examples of typical embodiments of the present invention, and thus the scope of the present invention is not narrowly explained.

< first embodiment >

First, a brake circuit discharge system 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a brake circuit discharge system 100 according to the present embodiment. Fig. 1 illustrates a simplified circuit configuration in each block. In fig. 1, only blocks related to the present invention are illustrated, and blocks necessary for other systems are omitted.

As illustrated in fig. 1, the actuator targeted by the brake circuit discharge system 100 includes at least: a motor drive circuit 101 for controlling and driving the motor M and the operation of the motor M; a brake drive circuit 102 for controlling the brake B and the operation of the brake B; and a control unit 103 for controlling operations of the motor drive circuit 101 and the brake drive circuit 102. The motor drive circuit 101 includes an inverter 104 that converts direct current into alternating current. The motor drive circuit 101, the brake drive circuit 102, and the control unit 103 are collectively referred to as a driver unit. The motor drive circuit 101, the brake drive circuit 102, and the control unit 103 have capacitances capable of accumulating electric charges, such as capacitors and circuit patterns, which are attached to stabilize the operation, and the capacitances are referred to as a motor drive circuit capacitor 105, a brake drive circuit capacitor 106, and a control unit capacitor 107, respectively. The motor drive circuit capacitor 105, the brake drive circuit capacitor 106, and the control unit capacitor 107 are connected to the power lines of the motor drive circuit 101, the brake drive circuit 102, and the control unit 103, respectively.

In contrast to such an actuator, the brake circuit discharge system 100 according to the present embodiment includes a discharge resistor 108 that discharges the electric charge stored in each of the capacitors 105 to 107, a discharge changeover switch 109, and a discharge command generation circuit 110, and is inserted in parallel with the brake drive circuit capacitor 106. The discharge resistor 108 of the present embodiment is connected in parallel with the brake drive circuit capacitor 106 to a power line to which the brake drive circuit capacitor 106 is connected.

In fig. 1, although not essential elements of the present invention in the present embodiment, the following are included as elements generally included in an actuator. The brake circuit discharge system 100 according to the present embodiment includes: a driver for receiving a user's instruction to control the operation of the actuator or control the supply of electric power as in the instruction; a power cut-off switch 113 for opening and closing the power supply from the power supply 112; converters 114, 115, and 116 that convert the power supply voltage into appropriate voltages corresponding to the motor drive circuit 101, the brake drive circuit 102, and the control unit 103, respectively; and a diode unit 117 for preventing a circuit failure caused by reverse flow of regenerative power from the motor M to the converter 114 or the power supply 112. In addition, although a capacitor for stabilizing the output voltage and a capacitor for stabilizing the input voltage are generally connected to the converters 114, 115, and 116, for simplicity of description, it is assumed that the capacitors are included in the motor drive circuit capacitor 105, the brake drive circuit capacitor 106, and the control unit capacitor 107 for processing, and a separate description will be made as necessary.

Next, the components of the brake circuit discharge system 100 according to the present embodiment will be described in more detail below.

The motor M converts electric power into mechanical energy, and the principle or structure thereof is not particularly limited. Examples of the motor include motors called rotary motors such as DC motors and AC motors, and motors called linear motors using solenoid coils.

The motor drive circuit 101 is not particularly limited as long as it has a function of adjusting the rotation amount, the rotation speed, and the like of the motor M based on a signal of the control unit 103. The method of adjusting the rotation amount, rotation speed, and the like of the motor M may be a method of changing the voltage or current supplied to the motor M, or a method of changing the period of short pulses as in PWM. Further, the motor drive circuit 101 may not be used particularly when it is not necessary to adjust the rotation amount, rotation speed, or the like of the motor M.

The brake B is used to apply a load to the motor M or a movable portion connected to the motor M to stop the rotation of the motor M and decelerate and stop the driving of the motor M. The principle or shape thereof is not particularly limited. For example, a brake using electromagnetic force such as an electromagnetic brake, a brake using frictional force such as a disc brake or a drum brake, or the like is used.

The brake drive circuit 102 is configured to operate whether or not to actuate the brake B based on a signal from the control unit 103 to drive the brake. As a simple drive circuit, a switch for switching the supply of electric power to the brake B may be used.

However, the brake B and the brake drive circuit 102 need to actuate the brake B when the electric power is cut off and set the brake released state when the electric power is supplied. For example, if a disc brake is used, the motor M or a movable portion connected to the motor M is held by the disc brake at the time of power interruption to set the brake B in an activated state, and the disc brake is released at the time of power supply to set the brake released state.

The control unit 103 may be any module as long as it transmits a signal to the motor drive circuit 101 or the brake drive circuit 102 based on a signal received from the controller 111 to control the motor M or the brake B, and the principle and structure thereof are not particularly limited. The controller 111 may be a controller including the function of the control unit 103, or may be included in each of the motor drive circuit 101 and the brake drive circuit 102. However, it is desirable that the signal from the control unit 103 to the brake drive circuit 102 activates the brake B when the supply of electric power to the control unit 103 is interrupted.

The discharge resistor 108 is connected in parallel with the brake drive circuit capacitor 106, for example, between the brake drive circuit capacitor 106 and the converter 115. The discharge resistor 108 is a resistor that is often used in a circuit, and is configured to limit a current according to an applied voltage, cause a voltage drop, and consume energy according to the current and the voltage drop. However, in order to discharge the electric charge accumulated in the brake drive circuit capacitor 106, which is the purpose of the discharge resistor 108, a resistor having a resistance value as small as possible may be used, and it is desirable that the resistance value is 1 Ω to 1000 Ω. Specifically, the resistance value may be designed such that the product of the discharge resistor 108 and the brake driving capacitor 106 is equal to or less than the time required for completion of the discharge. For example, when the time required for completion of discharge is 1 millisecond and the capacitance of the brake driving capacitor 106 is 10 microfarads (μ F), the resistance value of the discharge resistor 108 is 10 Ω or less. In addition, since a large current flows instantaneously at the time of charge discharge, a resistance having impact resistance is preferable. Although detailed description is omitted in the present specification, the discharge resistor 108 is not limited to a resistor, and may be an element that consumes electric power and converts the electric power into other energy, and may be an element that converts electric power into light energy using, for example, an LED.

The discharge changeover switch 109 is connected in series between the discharge resistor 108 and the ground. The discharge changeover switch 109 may be used to switch whether or not a closed circuit is formed by the discharge changeover switch discharge resistor 108 and the brake drive circuit capacitor 106, and the shape, material, and principle thereof are not particularly limited. For example, a semiconductor switch such as a transistor or an electromagnetic relay is given, but in order to discharge electric charge accumulated in the brake drive circuit capacitor 106 as soon as possible at a necessary timing, a semiconductor switch having a high response speed from the reception of a discharge switching command to the switching is desired. Although not shown, a driving circuit required for switching is included in the discharge switching switch 109 as needed.

The output side of the discharge command generation circuit 110 is connected to the discharge changeover switch 109, and the discharge command generation circuit 110 generates a changeover command signal for changing over the opening and closing of the discharge changeover switch 109. The discharge command generation circuit 110 determines the timing at which the discharge changeover switch 109 switches the open/closed state, and switches the state, and the shape, material, and principle thereof are not particularly limited. For example, the present invention may be realized by a logic circuit using a logic IC or a diode, a comparator circuit using a comparator, or software processing included in the controller, the control unit, the external microcomputer, or the like. The input side of the discharge command generation circuit 110 may be connected to a reaction site after issuing a command (emergency stop or stop command) when the user wants to stop. For example, in fig. 1, the input side of the discharge command generation circuit 110 can be connected to any one of a command, the controller 111, the input side of the power cut-off switch 113, the auxiliary contact of the power cut-off switch 113, the output side of the power cut-off switch 113, the control unit 103, or the input side of the brake drive circuit 102.

The controller 111 controls each section based on an instruction from a user. Generally, the power cut-off switch 113 is opened and closed, and a command from a user is converted into a command value in the control unit 103. The controller 111 is connected to the control unit 103 and the power cut-off switch 113. Any signal such as a logic signal or a communication signal can be used as a control signal for each part from the controller 111. In this embodiment, for the sake of explanation, a broken line is a logic signal, and a block arrow is a communication signal. The thick lines indicate the power lines.

The power cut-off switch 113 is configured to receive a signal from the controller and switch on and off of power supplied from the power supply 112 to the subsequent stage according to the signal. Generally, a switch having a mechanical contact such as a circuit breaker, a relay, an electromagnetic switch, or a semiconductor switch such as an FET or an IGBT can be used, but the present invention is not limited to this, and any switch may be used as long as switching is possible. For convenience of explanation, the power cut-off switch 113 is configured to receive a signal from the controller 111 and perform switching, but may be directly operable by a user or may be operated by a signal from the control unit 103. Although not shown, a drive circuit required for switching is included in the power cut-off switch 113. In addition, it is desirable that electromagnetic switches and the like have a member called an auxiliary contact that changes an open/closed state in accordance with a state of a switch.

The converters 114 to 116 are modules for converting an input voltage into an arbitrary output voltage, and also realize a function of converting an alternating current into a direct current. The converters 114 to 116 of the present embodiment are used to convert the voltage supplied from the power supply 112 into voltages present in the motor drive circuit 101, the brake drive circuit 102, and the control unit 103. The inverters 114 to 116 are referred to as a motor drive circuit inverter 114 connected in series to the power line of the motor drive circuit 101, a brake drive circuit inverter 115 connected in series to the power line of the brake drive circuit 102, and a control unit inverter 116 connected in series to the power line of the control unit 103. If the voltage of the power supply 112 is in accordance with the rated input voltage of each unit, the converters 114 to 116 are not required, and components having the same rated input voltage among the motor drive circuit 101, the brake drive circuit 102, and the control unit 103 may be combined. Further, the output of the motor drive circuit converter 114 may be connected in a multistage manner as an input of the brake drive circuit converter 115.

Diode unit 117 is a rectifying element for protecting motor M from being damaged by reverse flow of regenerative power generated in motor M when motor M is stopped or decelerated. The diode portion is not particularly essential as long as the regenerative power is small enough to cause no problem.

Next, the timing at which the discharge changeover switch switches the open/closed state will be described below.

The purpose of the present invention is to quickly and reliably drive a brake of an actuator. For this reason, the discharge command generation circuit 110 needs to output a discharge command to the discharge changeover switch 109 in accordance with the timing at which the brake B is to be driven. In the driving of the brake B, there is first a control stop that is performed at ordinary times. In the present embodiment, the controller 111, upon receiving an instruction to start the brake B from the user, transmits a brake start instruction to the control unit 103 to drive the brake B. Then, the control unit 103 controls the brake drive circuit 102, and the brake B is activated. In this case, any one of a command from the user to the controller 111, a command from the controller 111 to the control unit 103, and a command from the control unit 103 to the brake drive circuit 102 may be used as the input of the discharge command generation circuit 110. This is because: since the command is transmitted to each unit from when the brake B is to be activated to when the brake B is activated, the command may be monitored to know the timing when the brake B is to be activated.

Next, an emergency stop performed in an emergency is described. The emergency stop is an operation of preferentially stopping the actuator in all cases where the actuator cannot be controlled or where there is a possibility of harm to a person. Basically, the operation is the same as the above-described operation of controlling the stop, but the following are important differences: the controller 111 transmits a power cutoff instruction to the power cutoff switch 113 to cut off the power supply 112. Further, although there is also an operation of cutting off the power supply 112 and simultaneously controlling the stop according to the product, the brake circuit discharging system 100 is also effective in this case. In the present embodiment, the case where the control stop is performed also at the time of the emergency stop is described.

The purpose of cutting off the power supply 112 like this is because: even when any one of the elements related to the brake operation, such as the control unit 103 and the brake drive circuit 102, fails, the brake B is activated by stopping the supply of electric power to the motor M without activating it and stopping the supply of electric power to the brake drive circuit 102 so that the brake released state cannot be maintained.

However, even when the power supply is stopped, if electric charge is accumulated in the brake drive circuit capacitor 106 as described above, the electric charge accumulated in the brake drive circuit capacitor 106 is supplied to the brake drive circuit 102 during this period, and the brake released state can be maintained. Therefore, by immediately closing the discharge changeover switch 109 to discharge the electric charge accumulated in the brake drive circuit capacitor 106, the electric power for operating the brake drive circuit 102 is quickly eliminated, and the time until the brake B is activated can be shortened.

That is, in addition to the case where the control is stopped, a signal having a power cutoff command from the controller 111 to the power cutoff switch 113 or a voltage drop on the output side of the power cutoff switch 113 as a trigger may be used as an input to the discharge command generating circuit 110. However, since the electric charge is accumulated in the capacitance component included in the input stage of the converter 114 or the like, the output voltage of the power cut-off switch 113 does not drop instantaneously even after the power cut-off, and therefore, when the drop in the output voltage of the power cut-off switch 113 is triggered, it takes time until the threshold voltage value determined that the voltage dropped is reached. That is, there is a problem that a delay or the like actually occurs with respect to the timing at which an emergency stop is intended, or there is a problem that a voltage drop does not occur in any way in the case where the power cut switch 113 has a failure, and therefore, a power cut command by the controller 111 or a stop command from a user is desired.

In consideration of the case where the power cut-off switch 113 is failed, the power supplied from the converter 115 is consumed only by the discharge resistor 108 even if the discharge changeover switch 109 is closed, and thus a state in which sufficient power is supplied to the brake release can be generated. In this case, it is desirable to be able to perform power shutoff by adding a switch for shutting off power to the brake B, which is different from the power shutoff switch 113, such as stopping the operation of the converter 115 by the output of the discharge command generation circuit 110. In the above description, the power cut-off is given as a difference between the control stop and the emergency stop, but the power cut-off is not necessarily required to be distinguished, and may be performed when the control stop is performed.

Therefore, the brake circuit discharge system will be described below by taking the operation at the time of emergency stop in the present embodiment as an example.

First, fig. 2 shows the state at each point after time t from the generation of the emergency stop signal in the normal state where there is no failure. Fig. 2 is a graph illustrating an operation of the brake circuit discharge system 100 according to the present embodiment at the time of an emergency stop. However, since the delay amount due to the communication time or the operation time varies depending on the components or the control method used, the timing does not become timing as described in the present specification and the effect of the present embodiment is not impaired by the variation, although the variation may occur to some extent.

An emergency stop signal is first generated at time t 0. At time t1, controller 111 that has received the emergency stop signal transmits a discharge signal to discharge command generation circuit 110, a brake start command to control unit 103, and a power cut signal to power cut switch 113, respectively. At this time, the discharge command generation circuit 110 that has received the discharge signal closes the discharge changeover switch 109 to set the state in which the current flows to the discharge resistor 108. Then, the input voltage of the brake drive circuit 102 starts to drop, but the voltage drops slowly because power is supplied from the brake drive circuit converter. Here, the power cutoff signal and the discharge signal are described as logical signals, and the brake start command is described as a communication signal, but the effect of the present invention is not impaired by the type of the signal as described above.

Next, at time t2, the control section that has received the braking start command sends a braking signal to the brake drive circuit 102 to actuate the brake B.

Further, at time t3, the brake drive circuit 102 that has received the brake signal enters a state in which the brake B is activated when the brake is released, and the motor M starts decelerating.

Then, at time t4, power cutoff switch 113 that has received the power cutoff signal cuts off the power supply to each of converters 114 to 116. Then, since the power supply from the brake drive circuit converter 115 that has supplied the energy consumed by the discharge resistor 108 up to this point is lost, the electric charge accumulated in the brake drive circuit capacitor 106 is consumed by the discharge resistor 108. As a result, the input voltage of the brake drive circuit 102 drops sharply.

Further, at time t5, the input voltage of the brake drive circuit 102 is stepped down to a state where the brake release cannot be held, but since the brake has been actuated at time t3, the state does not particularly change.

At time t6, the charge of the capacitor of the brake drive circuit disappears, and the input voltage of the brake drive circuit 102 becomes 0, but the state does not change particularly.

Finally, at time t7, the rotation speed of the motor M is 0, and the actuator is completely stopped.

In the present example, although the case where the brake B is activated in response to the brake start signal has been described, the input voltage of the brake drive circuit 102 may be lower than the voltage necessary to release the brake B due to the delay until the brake start signal reaches the brake drive circuit 102, the speed at which the voltage of the input voltage of the brake drive circuit 102 drops, and the delay of the power cut-off switch 109, and the brake may be activated.

Next, in order to explain the effects of the present invention, a state in which the control unit 103 has failed in the present embodiment will be described. Fig. 3 is a graph illustrating an operation at the time of an emergency stop in the brake circuit discharge system 100 according to the present embodiment. Fig. 3 shows the state at each point after time t from the generation of the emergency stop signal.

An emergency stop signal is first generated at time t 0. At time t1, controller 111 that has received the emergency stop signal transmits a brake start command to control unit 103, a power cutoff signal to power cutoff switch 113, and a discharge signal to discharge command generation circuit 110, respectively. At this time, the discharge command generation circuit 110 that has received the discharge signal closes the discharge changeover switch 109 to set the state in which the current flows to the discharge resistor 108. Then, the input voltage of the brake drive circuit 102 starts to drop, but the voltage drops slowly because power is supplied from the brake drive circuit converter 115.

Next, at time t2, the control unit 103 that has received the brake start command should send a brake signal to the brake drive circuit 102 to actuate the brake B, but the control unit 103 has failed and therefore does not send a brake signal.

That is, even at time t3, the brake drive circuit 102 does not receive the brake signal, and therefore, the brake released state continues, the brake B is not started, and the motor M is not decelerated.

On the other hand, at time t4, power cut switch 113 that has received the power cut signal cuts off the power supply to each of converters 114 to 116. Then, since the power supply from the brake drive circuit converter 115 that has supplied the energy consumed by the discharge resistor 108 up to this point is lost, the electric charge accumulated in the brake drive circuit capacitor 106 is consumed by the discharge resistor 108. As a result, the input voltage of the brake drive circuit 102 starts to fall abruptly.

Further, at time t5, the brake drive circuit input voltage drops to a voltage at which the brake release state cannot be held, and the brake release is released, the brake B starts to be applied, and the motor M starts to decelerate.

At time t6, the charge of the brake drive circuit capacitor 106 disappears, and the input voltage of the brake drive circuit 102 becomes 0, but the state does not change particularly.

Finally, when the time t7 elapses and the time t8 elapses, the rotation speed of the motor is 0, and the actuator is completely stopped.

As described above, although it takes time compared with the normal state, according to the brake circuit discharge system 100, the actuator can be completely stopped.

< conventional example >

In order to make the effects of the present invention easier to understand, the following description will discuss a conventional example. Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a brake circuit discharge system of a conventional example. In fig. 4, the circuit structure in each block is simplified and illustrated.

The actuator targeted for the brake circuit discharge system 400 is configured by a motor M, a motor drive circuit 401, a brake B, a brake drive circuit 402, and a control unit 403, as in the brake circuit discharge system 100 of the first embodiment. The motor drive circuit 401 includes an inverter 404. Further, a motor drive circuit capacitor 405, a brake drive circuit capacitor 406, and a control unit capacitor 407 are mounted on the motor drive circuit 401, the brake drive circuit 402, and the control unit 403, respectively.

Further, the brake circuit discharge system 400 according to the conventional example includes: a controller 411; a power cut-off switch 413 for opening and closing the power supply from the power source 412; converters 414, 415, and 416 for converting the power supply voltage into appropriate voltages corresponding to the motor drive circuit 401, the brake drive circuit 402, and the control unit 403, respectively; and a diode unit 417 for preventing a circuit failure due to a reverse flow of regenerative power from the motor M to the converter 414 or the power supply 412.

That is, the brake circuit discharge system 400 of the conventional example is a system in which the discharge resistor 108, the discharge changeover switch 109, and the discharge command generation circuit 110 are removed from the brake circuit discharge system 100 of the first embodiment.

Next, a state in which the control unit 403 in the conventional example has failed will be described. Fig. 5 is a graph illustrating an operation at the time of an emergency stop in the brake circuit discharge system 400 according to the conventional example. Fig. 5 shows a state at each point after time t from the generation of the emergency stop signal.

An emergency stop signal is first generated at time t 0. Then, at time t1, controller 411, having received the emergency stop signal, transmits a power cutoff signal to power cutoff switch 413 and a brake start command to control unit 403, respectively. Here, since the brake circuit discharge system 400 of the conventional example does not include a discharge resistor, a phenomenon in which the input voltage of the brake drive circuit 402 drops due to a current flowing through the discharge resistor does not occur.

Next, at time t2, the control unit 403 that has received the brake start command should send a brake signal to the brake drive circuit 402 to actuate the brake, but the control unit 403 has failed and therefore does not send a brake signal.

That is, even at time t3, the brake drive circuit 402 does not receive the brake signal, and therefore, the brake released state continues, the brake B is not started, and the motor M is not decelerated.

Then, at time t4, the power cut switch 413 that has received the power cut signal cuts off the power supply to the converters 414 to 416. Accordingly, although the power supply from the brake drive circuit converter 415 is lost, the electric charge accumulated in the brake drive circuit capacitor 406 is not consumed by the discharge resistor, and therefore the input voltage of the brake drive circuit 402 does not drop abruptly. However, although the description of the first embodiment is omitted, the input voltage of the brake drive circuit 402 may gradually decrease in voltage because of power consumption of the brake drive circuit 402 and natural discharge of the capacitor 406. This will be explained below.

Even if time elapses from time t5 to time t8 as such, the input voltage of the brake drive circuit 402 does not drop to a level at which the brake release state cannot be maintained, and therefore, the brake release state continues and the state does not change particularly. Further, although the brake B is not actuated, the reduction in the rotation speed of the motor by the brake B is not recognized, the power supply to the motor drive circuit 402 is also interrupted by the power cutoff switch 413 at time t4, and therefore, the rotation speed of the motor M cannot be maintained and the motor M is decelerated slowly. However, such a phenomenon is not described because the description is complicated by the influence of the electric charge accumulated in the motor drive circuit capacitor 405, the friction of the motor M, and the like, and it is difficult to understand the effects of the conventional example.

At time t9, the input voltage of brake drive circuit 402 drops to a voltage level at which the brake release cannot be held, and the brake release is released to activate brake B, thereby starting deceleration of motor M.

As described above, when comparing the first embodiment with the conventional example, it is known that the brake circuit discharging system 100 of the first embodiment can start the brake B earlier.

< second embodiment >

Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a brake circuit discharge system 600 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The circuit configuration in each block of the brake circuit discharging system 600 is simplified and illustrated. In fig. 6, only the blocks related to the present embodiment are illustrated, and the blocks necessary for the other systems are omitted.

The first difference between the present embodiment and the first embodiment is that a signal from the controller 111 to the power cut-off switch 113 is used as an example of the discharge command generation circuit. Secondly, the motor drive circuit inverter 114 is configured to share the brake drive circuit inverter 115. Hereinafter, the motor drive circuit converter 114 and the brake drive circuit converter 115 are collectively referred to as a drive circuit converter 114, and the motor drive circuit input voltage and the brake drive circuit input voltage are collectively referred to as a drive circuit input voltage.

The discharge command generation circuit in this embodiment is an inverter circuit 601, and the inverter circuit 601 includes a circuit for inverting the logic of an input signal and a circuit for operating the discharge changeover switch 109. A signal line connected from the controller 111 to the power cut-off switch 113 is also connected to an input of the not circuit 601, and an output of the not circuit 601 is connected to a signal input terminal of the discharge changeover switch 109. Here, the input of the power cut-off switch 113 is closed at a high level and opened at a low level. The input of the discharge changeover switch 109 is also closed at a high level and opened at a low level. That is, the power cut-off switch 113 and the discharge changeover switch 109 have the same logic because the operation of supplying power without discharging is realized when the actuator is operated, and the operation of discharging without supplying power is realized when the actuator is stopped. Therefore, if the logic of the power cut-off switch 113 is opposite to that of the discharge changeover switch 109, a circuit for inverting the logic in the not circuit 601 is not necessary. In the present embodiment, the signal line connected from the controller 111 to the power cut-off switch 113 is used, but when the power cut-off switch is an electromagnetic switch, the input of the not circuit 601 may be connected to the auxiliary contact. However, in this case, since there is a possibility that the auxiliary contact may not operate when the electromagnetic switch fails, it is more desirable to directly use the signal from the controller 111 as in the present embodiment.

The converter 114 in the present embodiment supplies electric power to the motor M and the brake B, respectively. This assumes that the rated input voltages of the motor drive circuit 101 and the brake drive circuit 102 are equal to a tolerable level as described above. In the case of such a configuration, it is necessary to connect discharge resistor 108 and discharge changeover switch 108 to the motor M or brake B side of diode unit 117 as a point of attention. The reason is that: when discharge resistor 108 and discharge changeover switch 108 are connected to converter 114 side with respect to diode unit 117, the electric charge accumulated in motor drive circuit capacitor 105 or brake drive circuit capacitor 106 due to diode unit 117 does not flow into discharge resistor 108 by the rectifying action of diode unit 117, and the effect of the present embodiment does not occur.

Next, in a state where a failure has occurred in the control unit 103 of the present embodiment, a state at each point after time t from generation of the emergency stop signal will be described with reference to fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a graph illustrating an operation of the brake circuit discharge system 600 according to the present embodiment at the time of an emergency stop.

First, an emergency stop signal is generated at time t 0. At time t1, controller 111 that has received the emergency stop signal transmits a power cutoff signal to power cutoff switch 113, a discharge signal to the discharge command generation circuit, and a brake start command to control unit 103. At this time, the discharge command generation circuit that has received the discharge signal closes the discharge changeover switch 109 to set the state in which the current flows to the discharge resistor 108. Then, the input voltage of the motor drive circuit 101 starts to drop, but the voltage drops slowly because power is supplied from the motor drive circuit converter 114. Here, the voltage of the input voltage of the motor drive circuit 101 decreases, and the electric power supplied to the motor M decreases, so that the rotation speed cannot be maintained, and therefore the motor M starts to decelerate.

Next, at time t2, the control unit 103 that has received the brake start command should send a brake signal to the brake drive circuit 102 to actuate the brake B, but the control unit 103 has failed and therefore does not send a brake signal.

That is, even at time t3, the brake drive circuit 102 does not receive the brake signal, and therefore, the brake released state continues, the brake B is not started, and the motor M is not decelerated.

On the other hand, at time t4, power cut switch 113 that has received the power cut signal cuts off the power supply to each of converters 114 and 116. Then, since the power supply from the drive circuit converter 114 that has supplied the energy consumed by the discharge resistor 108 up to this point is lost, the electric charges accumulated in the motor drive circuit capacitor 105 and the brake drive circuit capacitor 106 are consumed by the discharge resistor 108. As a result, the drive circuit input voltage abruptly starts a voltage drop.

Further, at time t5, the drive circuit input voltage drops to a voltage level at which the brake release state cannot be held, and the brake release is released, the brake B is activated, and the motor M is further decelerated.

At time t6, the charge of the brake drive circuit capacitor 106 disappears, and the brake drive circuit input voltage becomes 0, but the state does not change particularly.

Finally, at time t7.5, the rotation speed of the motor is 0, and the actuator is completely stopped.

As described above, when the brake circuit discharge system 600 according to the present embodiment is compared with the brake circuit discharge system 100 according to the first embodiment, it is known that the brake circuit discharge system 600 can start the brake B earlier because the rotation itself of the motor M can be suppressed by the voltage drop of the drive circuit input voltage.

< third embodiment >

Fig. 8 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a brake circuit discharge system 800 according to a third embodiment of the present invention. The circuit configuration in each block of the brake circuit discharging system 800 is simplified and exemplified. In fig. 8, only the blocks related to the present embodiment are illustrated, and the blocks necessary for the other systems are omitted.

The brake circuit discharge system 800 according to the present embodiment is also connected to the inverter circuit 801 by branching a signal line connected from the controller 111 to the power cutoff switch 113, similarly to the brake circuit discharge system 600 according to the second embodiment. The difference between the present embodiment and the second embodiment is a configuration in which an overvoltage detection circuit 802 is added, and a logical or circuit 803 that outputs an output signal of the overvoltage detection circuit 802 and the switching command signal (discharge signal command) described above to a discharge switching switch 109 is added. Here, the component including the not circuit 801, the overvoltage detection circuit 802, and the or circuit 803 is a discharge command generation circuit in the present embodiment. Further, overvoltage detection circuit 802 is connected between diode unit 117 and motor drive circuit 101. That is, the overvoltage detection circuit 802 is connected between the power line of the motor drive circuit 101 to which the motor drive circuit capacitor 105 is connected and the discharge resistor 108. The or circuit 803 is connected to the output of the not circuit 801 and the output of the overvoltage detection circuit 802.

In the present embodiment, the actuator 810 and the control board 81 including elements other than the actuator 810 are housed in different housings, and the signal lines and the power lines are connected by cables between the housings. The actuator 810 includes a motor drive circuit 101, a brake drive circuit 102, a control unit 103, and a driver 811 including capacitors 105 to 107. The brake circuit discharging system 800 according to the present embodiment can be applied to a robot incorporating an actuator 810 as an example, and the actuator 810 includes a driver 811.

Here, overvoltage detection circuit 802 may have a function of generating an output to close discharge changeover switch 109 when the voltage at the connection portion between diode unit 117 and motor drive circuit 101 exceeds a certain threshold value, and the principle and configuration thereof are not particularly limited. For example, the comparator and the comparator circuit using the reference voltage, or the zener diode may be used. Further, the voltage value may be compared by software by introducing the value obtained by digitally converting the voltage value by the a/D converter into a microcomputer or the like.

The overvoltage detection circuit 802 is used to detect an overvoltage caused by regenerative electric power generated when the motor M is decelerated by the brake B or accelerated by an external force. When such an overvoltage is detected, the discharge changeover switch 109 is closed to consume the regenerative power in the discharge resistor 108, thereby suppressing the overvoltage state, and thus, a failure of the circuit can be prevented.

< fourth embodiment >

Fig. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a brake circuit discharge system 900 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. The circuit configuration in each block of the brake circuit discharging system 900 is simplified and exemplified. In fig. 9, only the blocks related to the present embodiment are illustrated, and the blocks necessary for the other systems are omitted. The present embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that: the discharge resistor 108 is connected in parallel with the control unit capacitor 107 to the output of the control unit converter 116 instead of being connected in parallel with the brake drive circuit converter 115.

Here, a signal is sent from the control unit 103 to the brake drive circuit 102 so that the brake B is activated when the control unit 103 stops due to insufficient electric power. Specifically, the brake B may be released when the signal is at a high level, and a signal line for transmitting the signal may be pulled down. Alternatively, the control unit 103 and the brake drive circuit 102 may be connected by communication, and the brake B may be started if a brake release signal is transmitted in a certain cycle.

According to this configuration, even when the control unit 103 is out of control or has failed, the power cut-off switch 113 cuts off the supply of power to the control unit converter 116 and the discharge resistor 108 discharges the electric charge accumulated in the control unit capacitor 107, thereby stopping the control unit 103 due to insufficient power and activating the brake B.

Next, fig. 10 shows a state at each point after time t from the generation of the emergency stop signal in a state where the control unit 103 of the present embodiment has failed. Fig. 10 is a graph illustrating an operation at the time of an emergency stop of the brake circuit discharge system according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

An emergency stop signal is first generated at time t 0. At time t1, controller 111 that has received the emergency stop signal transmits a power cutoff signal to power cutoff switch 113, a discharge signal to discharge command generation circuit 110, and a brake start command to control unit 103, respectively. At this time, the discharge command generation circuit 110 that has received the discharge signal 108 closes the discharge changeover switch 109 to set the state in which current flows to the discharge resistance 108. Then, the control unit input voltage starts to drop, but the voltage drops slowly because power is supplied from the control unit converter 116.

An emergency stop signal is first generated at time t 0. At time t1, controller 111 that has received the emergency stop signal transmits a power cutoff signal to power cutoff switch 113, a discharge signal to discharge command generation circuit 110, and a brake start command to control unit 103, respectively. At this time, the discharge command generation circuit 110 that has received the discharge signal closes the discharge changeover switch 109 to set the state in which the current flows to the discharge resistor 108. The control unit input voltage starts to drop, but is a graph illustrating an operation at the time of an emergency stop of the brake circuit discharge system according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. Since power is supplied from the control unit converter 116, the voltage drops slowly.

Next, at time t2, the control unit 103 that has received the brake start command should send a brake signal to the brake drive circuit 102 to actuate the brake B, but the control unit fails and therefore does not send a brake signal.

That is, even at time t3, since the brake drive circuit 102 does not receive the brake signal, the brake released state continues, the brake B is not started, and the motor M is not decelerated.

On the other hand, at time t4, power cut switch 113 that has received the power cut signal cuts off the power supply to each of converters 114 to 116. Then, since the power supply from the converter 116 for the control unit, which has provided the energy consumed by the discharge resistor 108 so far, is lost, the electric charge accumulated in the capacitor 107 for the control unit is consumed by the discharge resistor 108. As a result, the input voltage of the control section 103 starts to fall abruptly.

However, even at time t5, the input voltage of the brake drive circuit 102 does not drop in voltage, and therefore the brake released state is maintained.

Further, at time t6, the control unit capacitor 107 loses its charge, the input voltage to the control unit 103 becomes 0, and the control unit 103 stops. Here, since the control unit 103 is stopped due to insufficient electric power, a signal for commanding the brake B to be activated is transmitted from the control unit 103 to the brake drive circuit 102 as described above.

Then, at time t7, the brake release is released and the motor M starts decelerating.

Finally, when the time t8 elapses and the time t9 elapses, the rotation speed of the motor M becomes 0, and the actuator is completely stopped.

As described above, when the brake circuit discharge system 900 according to the present embodiment is compared with the brake circuit discharge system 100 according to the first embodiment, it is known that the brake circuit discharge system 900 can start the brake B earlier because the rotation itself of the motor M can be suppressed by the voltage drop of the drive circuit input voltage. In addition, since the brake circuit discharge system 900 can quickly and reliably stop the control unit 103 that has failed and cannot be controlled, it is possible to prevent malfunction due to the control unit 103 transmitting an erroneous signal.

< fifth embodiment >

Fig. 11 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a brake circuit discharge system 1100 according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. The circuit configuration in each block of the brake circuit discharging system 1100 is simplified and exemplified. In fig. 11, only the blocks related to the present embodiment are illustrated, and the blocks necessary for the other systems are omitted. The present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the discharge resistor 108 is connected to each of the input stages of the converters 114 to 116.

According to the configuration of the brake circuit discharge system 1100 according to the present embodiment, the electric charges accumulated in the capacitors included in the converters 114 to 116 of the motor drive circuit 101, the brake drive circuit 102, and the control unit 10 are simultaneously discharged, whereby the rotation and control of the actuator can be simultaneously stopped. However, when the reverse-current prevention circuit is included in the circuit after the converters 114 to 116, the discharging effect of the capacitors 105 to 107 of the motor drive circuit 101, the brake drive circuit 102, and the control unit 103 cannot be obtained, and therefore attention is required.

< sixth embodiment >

Next, the influence of the difference in the resistance value and various kinds of retardation amounts of the discharge resistor 108 will be described with respect to the sixth embodiment of the present invention. The present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the resistance value of the discharge resistor 108 is made as small as possible. In this embodiment, a discharge resistor 108 of 10 Ω is used. As described above, the brake circuit discharge system according to the present embodiment having the same configuration as the brake circuit discharge system 100 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 12 in a normal state where there is no fault at all, and in a state at each point after time t from the generation of the emergency stop signal. Fig. 12 is a graph illustrating an operation at the time of an emergency stop of the brake circuit discharge system according to the present embodiment.

An emergency stop signal is first generated at time t 0. At time t1, controller 111 that has received the emergency stop signal transmits a power cutoff signal to power cutoff switch 113, a discharge signal to discharge command generation circuit 110, and a brake start command to control unit 103, respectively. At this time, the discharge command generation circuit 110 that has received the discharge signal closes the discharge changeover switch 109 to set the state in which the current flows to the discharge resistor 108. Then, the input voltage of the brake drive circuit 102 starts to drop, but the resistance value of the discharge resistor 108 is as small as possible, and a current close to the time when the power line and GND are short-circuited flows. Therefore, although power is supplied from the brake drive circuit converter 115, the voltage drops abruptly due to the supply of power.

Next, at time t1.5, the input voltage of the brake drive circuit 102 drops to a voltage at which the brake release state cannot be held, and the brake release is released, the brake B starts to run, and the motor M starts to decelerate.

Here, according to the brake circuit discharging system 100 of the first embodiment, the control unit 103 receives the brake start command at time t2, and the brake B starts at time t3, but in the brake circuit discharging system of the present embodiment, the brake B can be started before the control unit 103 has received the brake start command.

Industrial applicability

The present invention relates to a brake circuit discharge system including a brake drive circuit, and has industrial applicability.

Description of the reference numerals

100. 400, 600, 800, 900, 1100: a brake circuit discharge system; 101. 401: a motor drive circuit; 102. 402, a step of: a brake drive circuit; 103. 403: a control unit; 104. 404: an inverter; 105 to 107, 405 to 407: a capacitor; 108: a discharge resistor; 109: a discharge changeover switch; 110: a discharge command generation circuit; 111. 411: a controller; 112. 412: a power source; 113. 413: a power cut-off switch; 114 to 116, 414 to 416: a converter; 117. 417: a diode section; 601. 801: a not circuit; 802: an overvoltage detection circuit; 803: or a circuit; 810: an actuator; 811: a driver; 812: a control panel; m: a motor; b: and a brake.