VEHICLE COOLING-FAN MOTOR/INVERTER SYSTEM, CONTROL METHOD THEREFOR, AND PROGRAM THEREFOR

• US 20150365039A1
• Filed: 08/29/2013
• Published: 12/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Thermal Systems, Ltd. (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Automotive Thermal Systems Co., Ltd. (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.)
• Inventors: NAKANO, Koji, SUZUKI, Atsushi, KAMITANI, Hiroyuki
• Granted Patent: US 10,050,577 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00428 electric
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00828 Ventilators, e.g. speed control B60H1/00864 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 7/04 by varying pump speed, e.g. by changing pump-drive gear ratio
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 7/048 using electrical drives
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 25/06 the pump being electrically driven F04D25/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 25/08 the working fluid being air, e.g. for ventilation
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 27/004 by varying driving speed
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 27/08 with pulse width modulation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/70 Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/88 Optimized components or subsystems, e.g. lighting, actively controlled glasses

Abstract

Included are: a motor control device that has a switching element, that converts DC power supplied from a high-voltage power supply into three-phase AC power, and that supplies the three-phase AC power to a three-phase motor; a first control portion that controls the motor control device; an isolated-type CAN driver that is activated by using power supplied from a low-voltage power supply and that exchanges information with a vehicle ECU that is mounted in the vehicle and that is superordinate to a vehicle cooling-fan motor/inverter system; and an isolation portion that electrically isolates a low-voltage system to which power is supplied from the low-voltage power supply from a high-voltage system to which power is supplied from the high-voltage power supply. If a fault in the switching element is detected, the first control portion outputs fault information notifying that there is a fault in control of the three-phase motor to the vehicle ECU via the isolated-type CAN driver.

Claims

1-5. -5. (canceled)

6. A vehicle cooling-fan motor/inverter system that controls a three-phase motor that drives a cooling fan for supplying air to an in-vehicle heat exchanger, comprising:

a motor control device that has a switching element, that converts DC power supplied from a high-voltage power supply into three-phase AC power, and that supplies the three-phase AC power to the three-phase motor;

a first control unit that controls the motor control device;

a communication control unit that is activated by using power supplied from a low-voltage power supply and that exchanges information with a second control unit that is mounted in a vehicle and that is on a superordinate side to the vehicle cooling-fan motor/inverter system; and

an isolation unit that electrically isolates a low-voltage system to which power is supplied from the low-voltage power supply from a high-voltage system to which power is supplied from the high-voltage power supply,

wherein, if a fault in the switching element is detected, the first control unit outputs fault information notifying that there is a fault in control of the three-phase motor to the second control unit via the communication control unit.

7. A vehicle cooling-fan motor/inverter system according to claim 6, further comprising a PWM control unit that is activated by using power supplied from the low-voltage power supply, that performs PWM (pulse width modulation) control in response to a duty, and that controls the switching element of the motor control device,

wherein the first control unit obtains a rotation-speed instruction for the three-phase motor via at least one of the PWM control unit and the communication control unit.

8. A vehicle cooling-fan motor/inverter system according to claim 6, further comprising a measurement unit that measures and outputs at least one of a temperature value, a current value, and a voltage value of the switching element of the motor control device,

wherein the first control unit includes a determination unit that determines whether there is a fault in the switching element based on at least one of the temperature value, the current value, and the voltage value obtained from the measurement unit.

9. A control method for a vehicle cooling-fan motor/inverter system that controls a three-phase motor that drives a cooling fan for supplying air to an in-vehicle heat exchanger,

the vehicle cooling-fan motor/inverter system including:

a motor control device that has a switching element, that converts DC power supplied from a high-voltage power supply into three-phase AC power, and that supplies the three-phase AC power to the three-phase motor;

a first control unit that controls the motor control device;

a communication control unit that is activated by using power supplied from a low-voltage power supply and that exchanges information with a second control unit that is mounted in a vehicle and that is on a superordinate side to the vehicle cooling-fan motor/inverter system; and

an isolation unit that electrically isolates a low-voltage system to which power is supplied from the low-voltage power supply from a high-voltage system to which power is supplied from the high-voltage power supply,

the control method comprising outputting, if a fault in the switching element is detected, fault information notifying that there is a fault in control of the three-phase motor to the second control unit via the communication control unit.

10. A control program for a vehicle cooling-fan motor/inverter system that controls a three-phase motor that drives a cooling fan for supplying air to an in-vehicle heat exchanger,

the vehicle cooling-fan motor/inverter system including:

a motor control device that has a switching element, that converts DC power supplied from a high-voltage power supply into three-phase AC power, and that supplies the three-phase AC power to the three-phase motor;

a first control unit that controls the motor control device;

a communication control unit that is activated by using power supplied from a low-voltage power supply and that exchanges information with a second control unit that is mounted in a vehicle and that is on a superordinate side to the vehicle cooling-fan motor/inverter system; and

an isolation unit that electrically isolates a low-voltage system to which power is supplied from the low-voltage power supply from a high-voltage system to which power is supplied from the high-voltage power supply,

the control program comprising outputting, if a fault in the switching element is detected, fault information notifying that there is a fault in control of the three-phase motor to the second control unit via the communication control unit.