Hybrid vehicle power generation control apparatus

• US 10,131,366 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2011
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Wada, Yasuhiko, Yamasaki, Hisanori, Hatanaka, Keita, Kitanaka, Hidetoshi, Okada, Yuruki
• Primary Examiner(s): Truong, Minh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Butler, Michael E
• Application Number:
  US14/363,140
• Publication Number:
  US 20140330462A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,533 Days
• Field of Search: 701 19
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/30 AC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/40 DC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/421 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/423 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/441 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/443 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/145 Structure borne vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0023 Detecting, eliminating, remedying or compensating for drive train abnormalities, e.g. failures within the drive train
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B61C 7/04 Locomotives or motor railcars with two or more different kinds or types of engines, e.g. steam and IC engines
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/902 Prime movers comprising electrical and internal combustion motors

Abstract

A hybrid-vehicle power generator control apparatus includes an integrated control unit that issues a driving command and a control command to an engine control unit and an electric-power conversion system control unit, respectively, based on requested electric power requested by a load apparatus, and a limiter that limits the control command from the integrated control unit such that when rotation frequency of an electric power generator is same as or lower than a predetermined value, the value of torque generated by the electric power generator becomes smaller than the value of torque generated by an engine. A limitation of the control command by the limiter prevents torques of the engine and the electric power generator from stepping out of the stable operating points.

Claims

1. An electric power generator control apparatus comprising:

an electric power generator that is directly coupled with an engine, and is driven by the engine at a rotation frequency the same as that of the engine so as to generate AC electric power and supply electric power to a load apparatus;

a rotation frequency detector that detects a rotation frequency of the electric power generator;

an electric-power conversion system that performs electric power conversion between the electric power generator and a load apparatus;

an electric-power conversion system control unit that PWM-controls the electric-power conversion system, based on a control command;

an integrated control unit that issues a driving command and the control command to the engine control unit and the electric-power conversion system control unit, respectively, based on requested electric power from the load apparatus; and

a limiter that limits the control command from the integrated control unit,

wherein the limiter device is configured to limit the control command in such a way that in a transient mode where the rotation frequency of the electric power generator is lower than that in a steady mode where a value of torque of the engine and a value of torque of the electric power generator coincide with each other and the value of torque of the electric power generator corresponding to the requested electric power is larger than the value of torque of the engine, the value of torque of the electric power generator becomes smaller than the value of torque of the engine,

wherein the electric power generator is controlled based on the limited control command to be brought into the steady mode by the rotation frequency of the electric power generator increasing from that in the transient mode, and supplies the requested electric power to the load apparatus in the steady mode,

wherein the engine control unit includes an engine torque characteristic map indicating an engine torque characteristic corresponding to the rotation frequency of the engine and controls a fuel injection amount, in accordance with engine torque that is extracted from the engine torque characteristic map, based on the rotation frequency detected by the rotation frequency detector and the driving command,

wherein the integrated control unit includes an electric power generator torque characteristic map indicating an electric power generator torque characteristic corresponding to the rotation frequency of the electric power generator and creates an electric power generator torque command value corresponding to electric power generator torque that is extracted from the electric power generator torque characteristic map, based on the rotation frequency detected by the rotation frequency detector and the requested electric power, and

wherein the electric-power conversion system control unit PWM-controls the electric-power conversion system, based on the electric power generator torque command value created by the integrated control unit,

wherein the limiter includes a limiting characteristic set in such a way that the value of torque of the electric power generator corresponding to a predetermined rotation frequency or lower is smaller than the value of torque of the engine corresponding to the predetermined rotation frequency or lower and limits the electric power generator torque command value created by the integrated control unit, based on the limiting characteristic.

2. The electric power generator control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving command is a speed command for the engine.

3. The electric power generator control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the limiting characteristic is set by a straight line that connects the intersection point of a torque value smaller than the maximum value of torque in the engine torque characteristic with the electric power generator torque characteristic with a point at which the rotation frequency is lower the predetermined rotation frequency and the electric power generator torque is zero.

4. The electric power generator control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the engine torque characteristic map includes a plurality of engine torque characteristics, and

wherein based on the driving command, the engine control unit selects and utilizes one of the plurality of engine torque characteristics.

5. The electric power generator control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the driving command issued from the integrated control unit to the engine control unit is a notch command for selecting one of the plurality of engine torque characteristics.

6. The electric power generator control apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein, in the selected one of the engine torque characteristics, the predetermined value of the rotation frequency of the electric power generator is a rotation frequency value on a lower side of rotation frequency conditions in which the electric power generator torque characteristic and the engine torque characteristic are equal to each other.

7. The electric power generator control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the electric power generator torque characteristic map includes a plurality of electric power generator torque characteristics, and

wherein based on the control command, the electric-power conversion system control unit selects and utilizes one of the plurality of electric power generator torque characteristics.

8. The electric power generator control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the limiter includes a plurality of limiting characteristics corresponding to the plurality of electric power generator torque characteristics.

9. The electric power generator control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the limiter includes a common engine torque limiting characteristic lying across the plurality of electric power generator torque characteristics and limits the electric power generator torque command value created by the integrated control unit, based on the common engine torque limiting characteristic.

10. The electric power generator control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein when the steady mode includes a first steady mode and a second steady mode having a rotation frequency higher than the rotation frequency in the first steady mode, and

when the rotation frequency of the electric power generator in the transient mode is higher than the rotation frequency in the first steady mode and is the same as or lower than the rotation frequency in the second steady mode,

acceleration torque of the engine which is a value obtained by subtracting the value of torque of the electric power generator from the value of torque of the engine becomes a positive value, so that the rotation frequency increases from that in the transient mode, and that the transient mode converges at the second steady mode.

11. The electric power generator control apparatus according to claim 10,

wherein when the rotation frequency of the electric power generator in the transient mode is higher than the rotation frequency in the second steady mode,

the acceleration torque becomes a negative value, so that the rotation frequency decreases from that in the transient mode, and that the transient mode converges at the second steady mode.