VEHICLE CONTROL DEVICE

• US 20160176295A1
• Filed: 08/05/2014
• Published: 06/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: NIIMI, Yoshitaka, OKAMURA, Masaki, TSUJII, Shintaro, ANG, Wanleng, YAGUCHI, Hideaki, MORISAKI, Keisuke
• Application Number:
  US14/910,190
• Publication Number:
  US 20160176295A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 15/20 for control of the vehicle or its driving motor to achieve a desired performance, e.g. speed, torque, programmed variation of speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2009 for braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/40 DC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/12 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/421 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/423 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/80 Time limits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/26 by pedal actuation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0069 relating to the isolation, e.g. ground fault or leak current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/12 Recording operating variables ; Monitoring of operating variables
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/40 using propulsion power supplied by capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/61 by batteries charged by engine-driven generators, e.g. series hybrid electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/20 having different nominal voltages
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• 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

Abstract

A vehicle control device that controls a vehicle including a first electric motor that is driven at a rotation speed synchronized with a rotation speed of a drive shaft of the vehicle includes an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit is configured to carry out first determination that determines whether the rotation speed of the first electric motor is lower than or equal to a first threshold and whether a stop operation that stops the vehicle is being carried out, and to carry out second determination that the vehicle is stopped when the electronic control unit has determined in the first determination that the rotation speed of the first electric motor is lower than or equal to the first threshold and the stop operation is being carried out.

Claims

1. A vehicle control device that controls a vehicle including a first electric motor that is driven at a rotation speed synchronized with a rotation speed of a drive shaft of the vehicle, the vehicle control device comprising:

an electronic control unit configured to;

(a) carry out first determination as to whether the rotation speed of the first electric motor is lower than or equal to a first threshold and whether a stop operation that stops the vehicle is being carried out, and

(b) carry out second determination that the vehicle is stopped when in the first determination the electronic control unit determines that the rotation speed of the first electric motor is lower than or equal to the first threshold and the stop operation is being carried out.

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein

the first electric motor is a three-phase alternating-current motor,

the vehicle includes a pair of serially connected first switching element and second switching element in each of the three phases of the first electric motor,

the vehicle further includes a first power converter that converts direct-current power to alternating-current power, the direct-current power being supplied to the first electric motor, and

the electronic control unit is configured to execute first control that controls the first power converter such that a state of the first power converter is set to a specific state where one of the set of first switching elements all and the set of second switching elements all are in an off state and at least one switching element of the other one of the set of first switching elements and the set of second switching elements is in an on state, when the electronic control unit has carried out the second determination that the vehicle is stopped.

3. The vehicle control device according to claim 2, wherein

the vehicle further includes a ground fault detector that detects a ground fault in an electrical system including the first electric motor, and

the electronic control unit is configured to control the first power converter such that the state of the first power converter becomes the specific state when the electronic control unit has carried out the second determination that the vehicle is stopped, and

the electronic control unit is configured to control the ground fault detector such that the ground fault detector carries out detection of the ground fault when the state of the first power converter is the specific state.

4. The vehicle control device according to claim 3, wherein

the electronic control unit is configured to control the ground fault detector such that the ground fault detector carries out detection of the ground fault, and

the electronic control unit is configured to determine that the first electric motor is not stopped when a stop cancellation condition is satisfied in the vehicle after the detection is carried out.

5. The vehicle control device according to claim 4, wherein

the stop cancellation condition includes a condition that the rotation speed of the first electric motor is higher than a second threshold or a condition that the stop operation is not being carried out.

6. The vehicle control device according to claim 4, wherein

the electronic control unit is configured to determine that the first electric motor is not stopped when the stop cancellation condition is satisfied, and

the electronic control unit is configured to cancel the specific state and end the detection of the ground fault after determining that the first electric motor is not stopped.

7. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein

the electronic control unit is configured to carry out the second determination that the vehicle is stopped, when a duration of a state is longer than or equal to a predetermined period, the state being where in the first determination the electronic control unit determines that the rotation speed of the first electric motor is lower than or equal to the first threshold and the stop operation is being carried out.

8. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein

the vehicle further includes a second electric motor coupled to the first electric motor via a power split mechanism, and

the electronic control unit is configured to further determine in the first determination whether a rotation speed of the second electric motor is lower than or equal to a third threshold, and

the electronic control unit is configured to carry out the second determination that the vehicle is stopped when the electronic control unit determines in the first determination that the rotation speed of the first electric motor is lower than or equal to the first threshold, the stop operation is being carried out and the rotation speed of the second electric motor is lower than or equal to the third threshold.

9. The vehicle control device according to claim 8, wherein

the second electric motor is a three-phase alternating-current motor,

the vehicle includes a pair of serially connected third switching element and fourth switching element in each of the three phases of the second electric motor,

the vehicle further includes a second power converter that converts direct-current power to alternating-current power, the direct-current power being supplied to the second electric motor, and

the electronic control unit is configured to execute second control that controls the second power converter such that a state of the second power converter is set to a specific state where one of the set of third switching elements all and the set of fourth switching elements all are in an off state and at least one switching element of the other one of the set of third switching elements and the set of fourth switching elements is in an on state, when the electronic control unit has carried out the second determination that the vehicle is stopped.

10. The vehicle control device according to claim 9, wherein

the vehicle further includes a ground fault detector that detects a ground fault in an electrical system including the second electric motor, and

the electronic control unit is configured to execute the second control that controls the second power converter such that the state of the second power converter becomes the specific state when the electronic control unit has determined that the second electric motor is stopped, and

the electronic control unit is configured to control the ground fault detector such that the ground fault detector carries out detection of the ground fault when the state of the second power converter is the specific state.

11. The vehicle control device according to claim 10, wherein

the electronic control unit is configured to control the ground fault detector such that the ground fault detector carries out detection of the ground fault, and

the electronic control unit is configured to determine that the second electric motor is not stopped when a stop cancellation condition is satisfied in the vehicle after the detection is carried out.

12. The vehicle control device according to claim 11, wherein

the stop cancellation condition includes a condition that the first electric motor is not stopped or a condition that the rotation speed of the second electric motor is higher than a fourth threshold.

13. The vehicle control device according to claim 11, wherein

the stop cancellation condition includes a condition that the first electric motor is not stopped or a condition that an engine is not stopped.

14. The vehicle control device according to claim 11, wherein

the stop cancellation condition includes a condition that the rotation speed of the first electric motor is higher than a second threshold, a condition that the rotation speed of the second electric motor is higher than a fourth threshold, or a condition that the stop operation that stops the vehicle is not being carried out.

15. The vehicle control device according to claim 11, wherein

the electronic control unit is configured to cancel the specific state and end the detection of the ground fault of the second electric motor when the stop cancellation condition is satisfied in the vehicle.