ELECTRIC VEHICLE

• US 20170050524A1
• Filed: 08/16/2016
• Published: 02/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Imai, Yasuhito
• Granted Patent: US 9,981,558 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/26 characterised by the motors or the generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/28 characterised by the electric energy storing means, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/445 Differential gearing distribution type
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/003 relating to inverters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0084 relating to control modules
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/51 characterised by AC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/26 for electrical energy, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• 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 2030/082 Vehicle operation after collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/08 Active safety systems predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision or attempting to minimise its consequences
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/92 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2300/097 Vehicle operation after collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2306/15 Failure diagnostics
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2400/11 Electric energy storages
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2400/604 AC Machines, e.g. asynchronous motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2400/61 Arrangements of controllers for electric machines, e.g. inverters
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/906 : Motor or generator
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/907 : Electricity storage, e.g. battery, capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/93 : Conjoint control of different elements

Abstract

An electric vehicle includes a motor control unit. The motor control unit is configured to repeatedly execute a communication disruption determination for determining whether communication with a main control unit is disrupted; output a communication disruption signal when the motor control unit determines that the communication is disrupted; change a determination procedure of the communication disruption determination such that the communication disruption determination is completed in a shorter time when a crash possibility signal is received prior to the communication disruption determination, than when the crash possibility signal is not received prior to the communication disruption determination; and control a discharge circuit to discharge the electric charge of the smoothing capacitor, when the crash possibility signal is received prior to the communication disruption determination and the communication disruption signal is output.

Claims

1. An electric vehicle comprising:

a direct current power supply;

an inverter configured to convert a direct current voltage of the direct current power supply to an alternative current voltage;

a motor for traveling of the electric vehicle, the motor being configured to be rotated by the alternative current voltage;

a smoothing capacitor connected between input terminals of the inverter;

a discharge circuit configured to discharge electric charge of the smoothing capacitor;

a sensor group configured to measure a travel state;

a main control unit;

a crash possibility determination unit configured to determine a possibility of a crash based on data output by the sensor group; and

a motor control unit configured to

i) control the inverter and the discharge circuit,

ii) repeatedly execute a communication disruption determination for determining whether communication between the main control unit and the motor control unit is disrupted, the communication disruption determination being executed based on a periodical signal that the main control unit periodically transmits to the motor control unit,

iii) output a communication disruption signal when the motor control unit determines that the communication is disrupted,

iv) change a determination procedure of the communication disruption determination such that the communication disruption determination is completed in a shorter time when a crash possibility signal is received prior to the communication disruption determination, than when the crash possibility signal is not received prior to the communication disruption determination, the crash possibility signal being transmitted to the motor control unit by the crash possibility determination unit when there is possibility of the crash, and

v) control the discharge circuit to discharge the electric charge of the smoothing capacitor, when the crash possibility signal is received prior to the communication disruption determination and the communication disruption signal is output.

2. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the crash possibility determination unit is configured to transmit a first crash possibility signal and a second crash possibility signal , a possibility of the crash indicated by the second crash possibility signal being higher than a possibility of the crash indicated by the first crash possibility signal, and

the motor control unit is configured to change the determination procedure such that the communication disruption determination is completed in a shorter time when the second crash possibility signal is received prior to the communication disruption determination, than when the first crash possibility signal is received prior to the communication disruption determination.

3. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the periodical signal includes a first periodical signal and a second periodical signal, an interval of the second periodical signal being longer than an interval of the first periodical signal,

the motor control unit is configured to execute the communication disruption determination based on the first periodical signal when the crash possibility signal is received prior to the communication disruption determination, and

the motor control unit is configured to execute the communication disruption determination based on the second periodical signal when the crash possibility signal is not received prior to the communication disruption determination.

4. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the motor control unit is configured to reduce the number of the periodical signals that are used for the communication disruption determination to be smaller when the crash possibility signal is received prior to the communication disruption determination, than when the crash possibility signal is not received prior to the communication disruption determination.