Inverter system for vehicle and control method thereof

• US 10,651,772 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2018
• Issued: 05/12/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: Kim, Beom Sik, Jung, Jin Hwan, Jang, Ki Young
• Primary Examiner(s): Masih, Karen
• Application Number:
  US16/142,594
• Publication Number:
  US 20190319571A1
• Time in Patent Office: 594 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/007 Physical arrangements or structures of drive train converters specially adapted for the propulsion motors of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/40 DC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/525 Temperature of converter or components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/51 characterised by AC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0048 Circuits or arrangements for reducing losses using snubbers H02M1/34
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/088 for the simultaneous control of series or parallel connected semiconductor devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/327 against abnormal temperatures
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/5387 in a bridge configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 25/22 Multiple windings; Windings for more than three phases
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 27/06 using dc to ac converters or inverters H02P27/05 takes precedence
• 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 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility

Abstract

An inverter system for vehicles according to the present disclosure may include: an energy storage storing electrical energy; a first inverter which includes a plurality of first switches and converts the energy stored in the energy storage into AC power; a second inverter which includes a plurality of second switches, which are different from the first switches, is connected in parallel with the first inverter to the energy storage and converts the energy stored in the energy storage into AC power; a motor driven by receiving the AC power converted through the first inverter and the second inverter; and a controller for controlling operations of the first inverter and the second inverter based on power requirements of the motor.

Claims

1. An inverter system for a vehicle, comprising:

an energy storage storing electrical energy;

a first inverter including a plurality of first switches and converting the energy stored in the energy storage into AC power;

a second inverter including a plurality of second switches, which are different from the first switches, the second inverter converting the energy stored in the energy storage into AC power, and connected in parallel with the first inverter to the energy storage;

a motor driven by AC power converted through the first inverter and the second inverter; and

a controller for controlling operations of the first inverter and the second inverter based on power requirements of the motor,

wherein the plurality of first switches are silicon carbide field effect transistors (SiC-FETs), and the plurality of second switches are silicon-insulated gate type bipolar transistors (Si-IGBTs), and

wherein the controller controls the plurality of first switches to drive the first inverter when the power requirements of the motor are lower than a preset power value.

2. The inverter system according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls the second switches to drive the second inverter when the power requirements of the motor are higher than the preset power value.

3. The inverter system according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls the first switches and the second switches together to drive the first inverter and the second inverter when the power requirements of the motor are higher than the preset power value.

4. The inverter system according to claim 1, wherein the first inverter has less switching loss and conducting loss than the second inverter.

5. The inverter system according to claim 1, wherein the first inverter has a lower rated output for driving the motor than that of the second inverter.

6. The inverter system according to claim 1, further comprising a temperature sensor for measuring a temperature of the plurality of the second switches.

7. The inverter system according to claim 6, wherein the controller decreases gate voltages of the second switches when the temperature measured through the temperature sensor is equal to or higher than a preset temperature.

8. The inverter system according to claim 1, wherein the motor is a single motor driven by selectively receiving power converted through the first inverter or power converted through the second inverter or simultaneously receiving the power converted through the first inverter and the power converted through the second inverter according to the power requirements of the motor.

9. The inverter system according to claim 1, wherein the motor includes a first motor driven by receiving power converted through the first inverter and a second motor driven by receiving power converted through the second inverter.

10. A method of controlling an inverter system for vehicles, comprising:

comparing, by a controller, power requirements of a motor with a preset power value;

controlling, by the controller, first switches to drive a first inverter when the power requirements of the motor are lower than the preset power value; and

controlling, by the controller, second switches to drive a second inverter when the power requirements of the motor are higher than the preset power value.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising decreasing gate voltages of the second switches when a temperature measured through a temperature sensor for measuring a temperature of each of the second switches is equal to or higher than a preset temperature.