Abstract: The invention concerns a method for regulating the rotation speed, of a motor with which a digital rotation speed controller is associated and which, during operation, furnishes an actual-value signal for the rotation speed in the form of a rotation speed frequency signal, toward a target rotation speed setpoint defined in the form of a setpoint frequency signal, having the following steps: in a first time segment, a first numerical frequency value that characterizes the rotation speed of the motor is ascertained from the rotation speed frequency signal; in a second time segment that is substantially simultaneous with the first time segment, a second numerical frequency value that characterizes the frequency of the setpoint frequency signal is ascertained from the setpoint frequency signal; by means of the first and second numerical frequency values, the rotation speed of the motor is regulated in the digital rotation speed controller to a rotation speed that is associated with the setpoint frequency signal a

Abstract: The invention concerns an arrangement for powering a load (12) that has non-continuous power consumption from a DC power supply (UB). The arrangement has a DC link circuit (14, 22) to which said load (12) can be connected and with which is associated a capacitor (21) that is suitable for briefly supplying energy to the load. A current regulator (24, 30) is provided for connecting the DC link circuit (14, 22) to the DC power supply (UB) in order to deliver a substantially constant current (i) to said capacitor (21) and to a load (12) connected to the link circuit. The target value of said current regulator (30) is adjusted adaptively, by means of a second regulator (34), to the instantaneous power demand of the load (12). An arrangement of this kind can also be referred to as an active filter that is particularly suitable for electronically commutated motors and for motors with a PWM current controller.

Abstract: A fan has a hub and a fan housing connected to the hub. The fan housing delimits an air passage of the fan outwardly. A fan wheel is connected to the hub and rotatably arranged in the air passage. A motor is arranged on the hub for driving the fan wheel. An electrical connection with at least one flexible line is connected to the motor and extends from the motor to the fan housing. A recess is provided within the fan housing and the flexible line extends from the motor to the recess. A holding member locks in place in the recess and deflects the flexible line at least at one deflection location about a predetermined minimum angle to thereby effect strain relief on the portion of the flexible line extending from the deflection location to the motor.

Abstract: An apparatus serves to sense the absolute value of the rotational position of a shaft (14). The apparatus has a first single-turn rotary encoder (30) that is arranged at one end (20) of the shaft (14) and is arranged to sense the latter's rotational position within a single shaft revolution. Also provided are: a multi-turn rotary encoder unit which senses the number of revolutions of the shaft (14) and which comprises a reduction gear linkage (18); a rotary element (42), driven by the output of the linkage, that is oriented as an imaginary continuation of the shaft (14) and coaxially therewith; and a second single-turn rotary encoder (48) which is arranged to sense the rotational position of the rotary element (42) within a single revolution. The reduction gear linkage (18) surrounds the shaft (14), and its output element (38) is connected, via a connecting member (40), to said rotary element (42) around the first single-turn rotary encoder (30).

Abstract: A ventilator housing of a ventilator has a flow passage having an intake opening and an outlet opening. Outflow contouring devices are arranged about the outlet opening and are configured to at least reduce a vortex formation within a shearing layer that is generated during operation of the ventilator so as to surround an actual airflow of the ventilator and that is located between the airflow and surrounding air. The outflow contouring devices enlarge the proportion of uninterrupted air flow relative to the entire flow cross-section of the flow passage.

Abstract: A low-ripple multi-phase internal rotor motor has a slotted stator (28) separated by an air gap (39) from a central rotor (36). The rotor has a plurality of permanent magnets (214), preferably neodymium-boron, arranged in pockets (204) formed in a lamination stack (37), thereby defining a plurality of poles (206) separated by respective gaps (210). In a preferred embodiment, the motor is three-phase, with four rotor poles and six stator poles. As a result, when the first and third rotor poles are so aligned, with respect to their opposing stator poles, as to generate a reluctance torque, the second and fourth rotor poles are aligned to generate oppositely phased reluctance torques, so that these torques cancel each other, and essentially no net reluctance torque is exerted on the rotor. In order to magnetically separate the rotor magnets from each other, a hollow space (224, 238) is formed at the interpolar-gap-adjacent end face (216, 218) of each rotor magnet.

Abstract: A method of digitizing a voltage comprises the following steps: A capacitor (80) is charged, through an impedance, to a voltage value (Um) dependent on the voltage to be digitized; that one of a plurality of voltage ranges in which, i.e. the limits between which, said voltage value (Um) lies, is ascertained, and the two limits of that voltage range are defined as a first limit and second limit; the voltage at the capacitor (80) is modified to the first limit by means of a charge modification circuit containing an impedance (84), and a first time interval (T1) needed therefor is identified; the voltage at the capacitor (80) is modified to the second limit; the voltage at the capacitor (80) is modified from the second to the first limit via the charge modification circuit. A second time interval (T2) needed therefor is identified.

Abstract: An improved fan useful for ventilating applications in motor vehicles features a modular structure, which facilitates quick replacement of any components likely to fail. A first module (110) is intended for permanent installation on the part that is to be cooled. A second module (110) is configured for quick engagement to and disengagement from the first module. The second module preferably comprises a hub (22; 362), an internal stator (60; 332) mounted on the hub, and one or more struts (74; 344) connecting the hub to a cylindrical casing part (76; 336) which surrounds but is spaced from the outside of the fan wheel (46; 348). The struts form a lattice (112) which can be easily grasped for swapping out the second module when repair or replacement becomes necessary.

Abstract: A radial blower, in particular, for a breathing apparatus, has a blower housing with a central, axial intake opening and a radial or approximately tangential outlet opening as well as a motor-driven radial blower wheel arranged axially between the intake opening and the outlet opening. The radial blower wheel has a cover disk at the axial side facing the outlet opening with such a large diameter that between the outer circumference of the cover disk and an inner circumferential surface of the housing a constricted annular flow gap for the medium flowing through the radial blower wheel in the direction toward the outlet opening is formed.

Abstract: A small electric motor has a rotor with a permanent magnet and a shaft having a first end provided with a depression. Axial and radial bearings support the shaft. A bushing receives the first end of the shaft. The axial bearing has a non-magnetic ball positioned in the depression. A side of the ball remote from the shaft runs against a running surface of the bushing. The shaft is magnetically loaded toward the running surface so that the ball is forced against the running surface. The shaft is ferromagnetic and part of a magnetic circuit of the permanent magnet. The ball forms an air gap at the first shaft end. An end face of the shaft facing the air gap forms a magnetic pole that attracts magnetic particles in the area of the axial bearing and keeps them away from the running surface to counteract destruction of running surface and ball.

Abstract: An axial ventilator has an external-rotor drive motor having an external rotor with a rotor shaft and an internal stator, wherein the external rotor rotates about the internal stator during operation of the external-rotor drive motor. A ventilator wheel driven by the external rotor is provided. A bearing support tube is arranged in the internal stator. A radial plain bearing is arranged in the bearing support tube and supports the rotor shaft. An axial bearing formed by a free end of the rotor shaft and a stationary counter member, against which the free end of the rotor shaft rests, are provided. The stationary counter member comprises a thrust element and an elastomeric shaped member. The thrust element is connected to the elastomeric shaped member.

Abstract: A motor arrangement has an electronically commutated motor of an explosion-protected design with a permanent-magnetic rotor, a stator, and an electronic commutation device. At least one galvanomagnetic rotor position sensor is arranged on the stator and separated from the permanent-magnetic rotor by an air gap, wherein the at least one galvanomagnetic rotor position sensor is configured to detect a magnetic field of said permanent-magnetic rotor and emits an output signal controlling said electronic commutation device. An opto-coupler transmits the output signal of the at least one galvanomagnetic rotor position sensor to the electronic commutation device. A current supply in the form of an ac system or a three-phase system supplies current to the at least one galvanomagnetic rotor position sensor. An isolating transformer is interconnected between the at least one galvanomagnetic rotor position sensor and the current supply.

Abstract: The rotation speed of an electric motor (9) is controlled by a controller (6) which receives its setpoint from a characteristic function (23). The characteristic function (23) calculates a setpoint for the controller (6) on the basis of an originally analog variable A (2) that is converted to digital by an A/D converter AD (10), with the aid of support values of a “MEM+DATA” characteristic that are stored in a memory (4); those values not predefined by the support values are calculated by interpolation.

Abstract: An improved method, for obtaining a datum concerning the rotation speed (n) of a rotating object, such as a motor rotor (32), offers high precision. Typically, the motor has a sensor (61) which supplies a sensor signal that has, for each revolution of the rotor, a plurality A of events such as pulses or pulse edges which are counted by a microprocessor (23) associated with the motor. In order to keep the computation load on the microprocessor from increasing as the rotor speed increases, yet maintain high precision, the measurement is done over a full rotation of the rotor, starts at a first signal event (176), and ends after a third or nth signal event (182) which happens at the same rotational position as the first signal event.

Abstract: A watchdog circuit for a microprocessor which has a reset input and a control output, which output, when operation is normal, periodically delivers, under program control, a signal (P0B2) of predefined duration (t1); and having a capacitor (32) that can be charged via a charging circuit; having a discharging circuit (40, 42), controlled by the control output, for said capacitor (32), for periodic discharge thereof during the predefined duration (t1); the charging circuit and discharging circuit being adapted to the program sequence of the microprocessor such that when the microprocessor is operating normally, charging of the capacitor via the charging circuit corresponds respectively to discharge thereof via the discharging circuit; so that the voltage at said capacitor rises and falls within a predefined voltage range; and having an apparatus (30), for monitoring the charge state of said capacitor (32), which, in the presence of a charge state thereof that does not occur in normal operation, effects a reset

Abstract: An electronically commutated direct-current motor has a permanent-magnet rotor (19), a stator (2) that has at least one drive winding (25), and an H-bridge circuit (52) in which two bridge elements are configured as transistors (54, 56) and the other two bridge elements as resistors (58, 60), the drive winding (25) being arranged on the diagonal of said H-bridge circuit (52); and it has a commutation circuit for alternate activation and deactivation of the two transistors (54, 56) of the H-bridge circuit (52). The motor operates quietly and with unusual reliability, and is well adapted for driving a fan.

Abstract: In an electronically commutated motor, both the driving current (i2) and the braking current (i2′) are monitored. When excessive driving current occurs, a pulse duty factor which regulates the current is reduced. When excessive braking current occurs, this pulse duty factor is increased. For this purpose, an analog circuit with two current limiting members is disclosed, as well as a circuit in which these functions are implemented by software in a microcontroller, so that current measurement can be dispensed with. Finally, a combination of these features is disclosed, in which hardware current limitation and software current limitation work together.

Abstract: An electronically commutated motor has a rotor and a stator interacting with one another. A semiconductor control member controls a motor current supplied to the stator. An arrangement is provided that detects values of the motor current which surpass a preset threshold value and generates a first signal upon surpassing the threshold value. An arrangement is provided that determines rotational speed values of the motor, which surpass a preset rotational speed, and generates a second signal upon surpassing the preset rotational speed. An arrangement is provided that combines the first and second signals for generating a combined signal, wherein the combined signal acts substantially without temporal delay on the semiconductor control member and reduces the motor current to a value which is greater than zero.

Abstract: An electronically commutated motor (4) has a permanent-magnet rotor (28) and has a stator (14) that has two winding phases (25, 26). During one rotor rotation of 360° el., firstly current is delivered to the one winding phase (25) within a first rotation angle range via an associated first semiconductor switch (68); and within a subsequent second rotation angle range, current is delivered to the other winding phase (26) via an associated second semiconductor switch (70). The motor further has a commutation apparatus for alternatingly switching ON the first semiconductor switch (68) and the second semiconductor switch (70).

Abstract: A ventilator housing of a ventilator has a flow passage having an intake opening and an outlet opening. Outflow contouring devices are arranged about the outlet opening and are configured to at least reduce a vortex formation within a shearing layer that is generated during operation of the ventilator so as to surround an actual airflow of the ventilator and that is located between the airflow and surrounding air. The outflow contouring devices enlarge the proportion of uninterrupted air flow relative to the entire flow cross-section of the flow passage.