Control system for electric vehicle

• US 5,796,224 A
• Filed: 04/29/1996
• Issued: 08/18/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Itoh, Tomoyuki, Hayashi, Kiyotaka, Hoshi, Naofumi, Ito, Hisahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Cabeca, John W.
• Application Number:
  US08/639,407
• Time in Patent Office: 841 Days
• Field of Search: 318/52, 318/151, 318/71, 318/139, 318/802, 318/807, 318/801, 318/299, 318/148, 318/803, 318/152, 318/805, 318/459, 318/721, 318/723, 318/722, 318/376, 363/20, 363/15, 363/16, 363/123, 320/27, 320/61, 320/64, 320/65
• US Class Current: 318/139
• 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 2220/14 Synchronous machines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/16 DC brushless machines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/421 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/423 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/427 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/429 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/486 Operating parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/28 Accelerator pedal thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0023 Detecting, eliminating, remedying or compensating for drive train abnormalities, e.g. failures within the drive train
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/51 characterised by AC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/14 for vehicles propelled by ac motors
• 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 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility

Abstract

An electronic control unit for controlling an inverter mounted between a main battery and a motor in an electric vehicle includes a feed-back control device which ensures that an actual electric power calculated from an electric current and a voltage inputted to the inverter is equalized to a target electric power calculated from the motor revolution-number, an accelerator opening degree and a shift position. If a circuit between the main battery and the motor is opened during regenerative operation, so that the charging of the main battery with a regenerative electric power cannot be performed and as a result, the voltage is increased to exceed a predetermined value, a regeneration prohibiting device prohibits the regenerative operation of the motor to prevent damage to the inverter due to a counter-electromotive voltage of the motor.

Claims

1. A control system for an electric vehicle, comprising:

an inverter which is disposed between a battery and a motor and which converts a DC electric power of said battery into an AC electric power to supply it to said motor during driving of said motor, and converts an AC electric power generated by said motor into a DC electric power to supply it to said battery during regenerative operation of said motor;

an electric current sensor for detecting an electric current in a DC section of said inverter;

a voltage sensor for detecting a voltage in the DC section of said inverter;

an actual electric power calculating means for calculating an actual electric power to be inputted to said inverter, based on an electric current detected by said electric current sensor and a voltage detected by said voltage sensor;

a target electric power calculating means for calculating a target electric power to be inputted to said inverter, based on at least an accelerator opening degree;

and a feed-back control means for controlling the operational state of said motor through said inverter to make the actual electric power calculated by said actual electric power calculating means coincide with the target electric power calculated by said target electric power calculating means;

wherein

said control system further includes a regeneration prohibiting means for prohibiting the regenerative operation of said motor for protecting said inverter, said regeneration prohibiting means being operated when the voltage in the DC section of said inverter exceeds a predetermined value, and the operation of said regeneration prohibiting means being stopped when the electric current in the DC section of said inverter exceeds a predetermined value during operation of said regeneration prohibiting means.

3. A control system for an electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said regeneration prohibiting means prohibits the regenerative operation of said motor by converting the target electric power calculated by said target electric power calculating means from a negative value into a positive value.

2. A control system for an electric vehicle, comprising:

an inverter which is disposed between a battery and a motor and which converts a DC electric power of said battery into an AC electric power to supply it to said motor during driving of said motor, and converts an AC electric power generated by said motor into a DC electric power to supply it to said battery during regenerative operation of said motor;

an electric current sensor for detecting an electric current in a DC section of said inverter;

a voltage sensor for detecting a voltage in the DC section of said inverter;

an actual electric power calculating means for calculating an actual electric power to be inputted to said inverter, based on an electric current detected by said electric current sensor and a voltage detected by said voltage sensor;

a target electric power calculating means for calculating a target electric power to be inputted to said inverter, based on at least an accelerator opening degree;

and a feed-back control means for controlling the operational state of said motor through said inverter to make the actual electric power calculated by said actual electric power calculating means coincide with the target electric power calculated by said target electric power calculating means;

wherein

said control system further includes a regeneration prohibiting means for prohibiting the regenerative operation of said motor for protecting said inverter, said regeneration prohibiting means being operated when the voltage in the DC section of said inverter exceeds a predetermined value, and the operation of said regeneration prohibiting means being stopped when the voltage in the DC section of said inverter, after being decreased, is increased to exceed a second predetermined value during operation of said regeneration prohibiting means.

4. A control system for an electric vehicle according to claim 2, wherein said regeneration prohibiting means prohibits the regenerative operation of said motor by converting the target electric power calculated by said target electric power calculating means from a negative value into a positive value.

5. A control system for an electric vehicle, comprising:

an inverter which is disposed between a battery and a motor and which converts a DC electric power of said battery into an AC electric power to supply it to said motor during driving of said motor, and converts an AC electric power generated by said motor into a DC electric power to supply it to said battery during regenerative operation of said motor;

an electric current sensor for detecting an electric current in a DC section of said inverter;

a voltage sensor for detecting a voltage in the DC section of said inverter;

an actual electric power calculating means for calculating an actual electric power to be inputted to said inverter, based on an electric current detected by said electric current sensor and a voltage detected by said voltage sensor;

a target electric power calculating means for calculating a target electric power to be inputted to said inverter, based on at least an accelerator opening degree;

and a feed-back control means for controlling the operational state of said motor through said inverter to make the actual electric power calculated by said actual electric power calculating means coincide with the target electric power calculated by said target electric power calculating means;

wherein

said control system further includes a regeneration prohibiting means for prohibiting the regenerative operation of said motor for protecting said inverter, said regeneration prohibiting means being operated when the voltage in the DC section of said inverter exceeds a predetermined value, and the operation of said regeneration prohibiting means being stopped when at least one of (a) the electric current in the DC section of said inverter exceeds a predetermined value during operation of said regeneration prohibiting means and (b) the voltage in the DC section of said inverter, after being decreased, is increased to exceed a second predetermined value during operation of said regeneration prohibiting means.