Inverter system and vehicle

• US 20050132726A1
• Filed: 08/18/2004
• Published: 06/23/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Maekawa, Keiji, Ishikawa, Katsumi, Miyazaki, Hideki, Sasaki, Masataka
• Granted Patent: US 7,954,334 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 62/129
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/20 AC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/525 Temperature of converter or components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/00 Electric devices on electrically-propelled vehicles for safety purposes; Monitoring operating variables, e.g. speed, deceleration or energy consumption methods or circuit arrangements for monitoring or controlling batteries or fuel cells B60L58/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/48 using discharge tubes with control electrode or semiconductor devices with control electrode
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility

Abstract

The object of the invention is to provide an inverter system and vehicles using this inverter wherein accurate detection of the abnormal heat generation from the inverter is ensured, despite a large amount of noise signals, a substantial fluctuation in environmental temperature, or a change of cooling performances resulting from the environmental conditions.

Based on the output value of an outside air temperature detecting means 150 and temperature calculation parameters inputted from outside the inverter system, the temperature calculation circuit 144B of an error detecting section 144 calculates the temperature T_cal where a temperature detecting means below semiconductor device 152 is installed. A calculation approximate line calculation circuit 144C works out the approximate curve of the difference between the theoretical temperature value and the real temperature value T_real detected by a temperature detecting means below semiconductor device 152, and captures the trend of the temperature difference, using a periodic sampling method, whereby a error determining circuit 144E determines an error, based on the difference from the initial trend obtained in advance or change of the trend.

Claims

1. An inverter system comprising a semiconductor device constituting a main circuit and a control circuit for on/off control of said semiconductor device, said inverter system further comprising:

a plurality of temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature at a plurality of sites; and

error detecting means for detecting an error of the inverter system through statistics processing of the output value of said temperature detecting means.

2. The inverter system-described in claim 1 wherein said plurality of temperature detecting means further comprise first temperature detecting means and second temperature detecting means;

and said error detecting means comprises steps of;

calculating the temperature where said second temperature detecting means is arranged, from the output value of said first temperature detecting means and the temperature calculation parameter inputted outside the inverter system; and

capturing the trend of the differential value between said calculated temperature value and the actual temperature value detected by said second temperature detecting means, using a periodic sampling method, whereby an error is determined based on the difference from the initial trend obtained in advance or change of the trend.

3. The inverter system described in claim 2 wherein said first and second temperature detecting means are a temperature detecting element below the semiconductor device and an outside air temperature detecting element, respectively.

4. The inverter system described in claim 2 wherein said first and second temperature detecting means are an element temperature detecting element inside the semiconductor device and an outside air temperature detecting element, respectively.

5. The inverter system described in claim 2 wherein said first and second temperature detecting means are an atmosphere temperature detecting element inside the semiconductor device and an outside air temperature detecting element, respectively.

6. A vehicle comprising:

an inverter system further comprising a semiconductor device constituting a main circuit and a control circuit for on/off control of said semiconductor device; and

a motor controlled by said inverter system;

wherein said vehicle further comprises;

a plurality of temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature at a plurality of sites; and

error detecting means for detecting an error of the inverter system through statistics processing of the output value of said temperature detecting means.

7. The vehicle described in claim 6 wherein said plurality of temperature detecting means further comprise first temperature detecting means and second temperature detecting means;

and said error detecting means comprises steps of;

calculating the temperature where said second temperature detecting means is arranged, from the output value of said first temperature detecting means

and the temperature calculation parameter inputted outside the inverter system; and

capturing the trend of the differential value between said calculated temperature value and the actual temperature value detected by said second temperature detecting means, using a periodic sampling method, whereby an error is determined based on the difference from the initial trend obtained in advance or change of the trend.

8. The vehicle described in claim 7 wherein said vehicle is a railway vehicle, and said error detecting means performs periodic sampling in the operation pattern in a specific section of said railway vehicle.

9. The vehicle described in claim 7 wherein, if an error has been detected by said error detecting means, the operation command value is modified so as to reduce the heat generated by the inverter.