CONTROL APPARATUS FOR ELECTRIC ROTATING MACHINE

• US 20130151051A1
• Filed: 12/06/2012
• Published: 06/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: INAMURA, Hiroshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,818,599 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 11/02 with liquid cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/003 with means for cooling the electrical propulsion units
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/08 including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/00 Control systems specially adapted for hybrid vehicles hybrid vehicle design, B60K6/00; electric vehicles B60L
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/50 Control strategies for responding to system failures, e.g. for fault diagnosis, failsafe operation or limp mode
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/242 for electrical energy
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2306/05 Cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2400/89 Cooling systems, e.g. fan drives
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 9/24 Protection against failure of cooling arrangements, e.g. due to loss of cooling medium or due to interruption of the circulation of cooling medium
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/93 Conjoint control of different elements

Abstract

The control apparatus is for an electric rotating machine which is mounted as an engine on a vehicle together with a power conversion circuit to be connected to the electric rotating machine, and a cooling apparatus for circulating coolant to the electric rotating machine and the power conversion circuit through a circulation channel, including. The control apparatus includes a limiting means for performing a limiting operation to limit an amount of electric power supply from the inverter to the electric rotating machine each time a circulation starting timing of the coolant comes, and a terminating means for terminating the limiting operation after a lapse of a predefined period from start of the limiting operation.

Claims

1. A control apparatus for an electric rotating machine which is mounted as an engine on a vehicle together with a power conversion circuit to be connected to the electric rotating machine, and a cooling apparatus for circulating coolant to the electric rotating machine and the power conversion circuit through a circulation channel, comprising:

a limiting means for performing a limiting operation to limit an amount of electric power supply from the inverter to the electric rotating machine each time a circulation starting timing of the coolant comes; and

a terminating means for terminating the limiting operation after a lapse of a predefined period from start of the limiting operation.

2. The control apparatus for an electric rotating machine according to claim 1, wherein the limiting means is configured to limit an absolute value of the amount of electric power supply within a predetermined value larger than zero.

3. The control apparatus for an electric rotating machine according to claim 1, wherein the predefined period is a predetermined length of time.

4. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predefined period corresponds to a period necessary to elapse for a temperature of at least one of a temperature of switching elements of the power conversion circuit and a temperature of a material exchanging heat with the switching elements falls below a threshold temperature after a lapse of a predetermined time from the circulation starting timing.

5. The control apparatus for an electric rotating machine according to claim 1, further comprising an acquiring means for acquiring temperature data indicative of a temperature of the coolant in the vicinity of the electric rotating machine at the circulation starting timing,

the terminating means including a changing means for changing a length of the predefined period in accordance with the temperature of the coolant in the vicinity of the electric rotating machine.

6. The control apparatus for an electric rotating machine according to claim 1, wherein the limiting means is configured to limit an output torque of the electric rotating machine each time the circulation starting timing comes.

7. The control apparatus for an electric rotating machine according to claim 1, further comprising an acquiring means for acquiring temperature data for estimating a temperature in the vicinity the electric rotating machine,

the limiting means including an inhibiting means for inhibiting the limiting means from performing the limiting operation even when the circulation starting timing comes when the estimated temperature is below a predetermined temperature.

8. The control apparatus for an electric rotating machine according to claim 7, wherein the acquiring means acquires, as the temperature data, data indicative of a temperature of the coolant in the vicinity of the electric rotating machine.

9. The control apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the acquiring means is configured to acquire, as the temperature data, a temperature of switching elements of the power conversion circuit or a temperature of a material exchanging heat with the switching elements when the vehicle was stopped most recently.

10. The control apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the acquiring means is configured to acquire, as the temperature data, a difference of a temperature of switching elements of the power conversion circuit or a temperature of a material exchanging heat with the switching elements between when the vehicle was stopped most recently and when the circulation starting timing comes.

11. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the vehicle has an internal combustion engine as another main engine of the vehicle,

the control apparatus further comprising an acquiring means for acquiring temperature data of the coolant in the vicinity of the electric rotating machine at the circulation starting timing of the coolant, and an engine starting means for starting the internal combustion engine upon determining that the temperature in the vicinity of the electric rotating machine is higher than a predetermined temperature based on the acquired temperature data,

the limiting means being configured to determine an output power of each of the internal combustion engine and the electric rotating machine in accordance with power necessary to run the vehicle.