Control system for electric vehicle and control method therefor in which an inverter relay is controlled at the time of its re-closing after being disconnected

• US 5,877,601 A
• Filed: 04/25/1997
• Issued: 03/02/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Masaki, Ryoso, Ohtsu, Eiichi, Obara, Sanshiro, Katada, Hiroshi, Matsudaira, Nobunori
• Primary Examiner(s): Wysocki, Jonathan
• Application Number:
  US08/845,792
• Time in Patent Office: 676 Days
• Field of Search: 318/798-815, 318/722, 318/254, 318/376, 318/139, 318/439, 318/432, 307/10.1-10.7, 180/60, 180/65.1-65.8, 361/23, 361/31
• US Class Current: 318/139
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/14 Synchronous machines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/00 Electric devices on electrically-propelled vehicles for safety purposes; Monitoring operating variables, e.g. speed, deceleration or energy consumption methods or circuit arrangements for monitoring or controlling batteries or fuel cells B60L58/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0061 relating to electrical machines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0069 relating to the isolation, e.g. ground fault or leak current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0084 relating to control modules
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/04 Cutting off the power supply under fault conditions protective devices and circuit arrangements in general H01H; H02H
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/51 characterised by AC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/15 Preventing overcharging
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

In an electric vehicle having a synchronous motor as the driving source, a control system and a control method for the electric vehicle can prevent over current in the main circuit or over charging of the battery at the re-closing of an opened inverter relay and is always capable of operating the power-train system in a better condition. A control method for an electric vehicle having an inverter for supplying a direct current electric power from a battery to the synchronous motor, a smoothing capacitor, connected to the inverter in parallel for smoothing the direct current electric power, an inverter control circuit and an inverter relay for connecting and disconnecting the inverter and the smoothing capacitor to and from the battery. The inverter is controlled so as to prevent current from flowing into or flowing out of the inverter until the re-closing operation of the inverter relay is completed when the opened inverter relay is re-closed.

Claims

1. A control method for an electric vehicle having a permanent magnet type synchronous motor for driving the electric vehicle, an inverter for converting a direct current electric power from a battery into an alternating electric power and for supplying the alternating electric power to said synchronous motor, a smoothing capacitor for smoothing said direct current electric power and being connected to said inverter in parallel, inverter control means for controlling said inverter based on a torque reference and a motor current, inverter relays for connecting and disconnecting said inverter and said smoothing capacitor to and from said battery,

wherein in a case when said inverter relay is re-closed after being disconnected while said synchronous motor is rotating, three-phase short circuit current is allowed to flow to said synchronous motor by bringing any one of a power element connected to a positive voltage side of said inverter and a power element connected to a negative voltage side of said inverter into conduction until the re-closing operation of said inverter relay is completed and the voltage of said smoothing capacitor is recovered to a voltage of said battery.

2. A control method for an electric vehicle having a permanent magnet type synchronous motor for driving the electric vehicle, an inverter for converting a direct current electric power from a battery into an alternating electric power and for supplying the alternating electric power to said synchronous motor, a smoothing capacitor for smoothing said direct current electric power and being connected to said inverter in parallel, inverter control means for controlling said inverter based on a torque reference and a motor current, inverter relays for connecting and disconnecting said inverter and said smoothing capacitor to and from said battery,

wherein in a case when said inverter relay is re-closed after being disconnected where a speed of said synchronous motor is higher than a value in which a maximum value of induced electromotive force produced by rotation of said synchronous motor exceeds any one of said battery voltage and a minimum assurance voltage,

three-phase short-circuit current is allowed to flow to said synchronous motor by bringing any one of a power element connected to a positive voltage side of said inverter and a power element connected to a negative voltage side of said inverter into conduction until the re-closing operation of said inverter relay is completed and the voltage of said smoothing capacitor is recovered to a voltage of said battery.

3. A control method for an electric vehicle having a permanent magnet type synchronous motor for driving the electric vehicle, an inverter for converting a direct current electric power from a battery into an alternating electric power and for supplying the alternating electric power to said synchronous motor, a smoothing capacitor for smoothing said direct current electric power and being connected to said inverter in parallel, inverter control means for controlling said inverter based on a torque reference and a motor current, inverter relays for connecting and disconnecting said inverter and said smoothing capacitor to and from said battery,

wherein in a case when said inverter relay is re-closed after being disconnected where a speed of said synchronous motor is higher than a value in which a maximum value of induced electromotive force produced by rotation of said synchronous motor exceeds any one of said battery voltage and a minimum assurance voltage,

all power elements of said inverter are brought into non-conduction until the re-closing operation of said inverter relay is completed and the voltage of said smoothing capacitor is recovered to a voltage of said battery.

4. A control system for an electric vehicle having a permanent magnet type synchronous motor for driving the electric vehicle, an inverter for converting a direct current electric power from a battery into an alternating electric power and for supplying the alternating electric power to said synchronous motor, a smoothing capacitor for smoothing said direct current electric power and being connected to said inverter in parallel, inverter control means for controlling said inverter based on a torque reference and a motor current, inverter relays for connecting and disconnecting said inverter and said smoothing capacitor to and from said battery, which comprises:

an inverter relay re-closing means for controlling said inverter so as to prevent current from flowing into and out of said inverter until a re-closing operation of said inverter relay is completed and the voltage of said smoothing capacitor is recovered to a voltage of said battery when said inverter relay is re-closed after being disconnected while said synchronous motor is rotating,

wherein said inverter relay re-closing means is constructed in such a structure that three-phase short circuit current is allowed to flow to said synchronous motor by bringing any one of a power element connected to a positive voltage side of said inverter and a power element connected to a negative voltage side of said inverter into conduction until the re-closing operation of said inverter relay is completed in order to prevent charge current from flowing out of power elements of said inverter into said battery.

5. A control system for an electric vehicle according to claim 4, wherein said inverter relay re-closing means is constructed in such a structure that in a case where a speed of said synchronous motor is higher than a value in which a maximum value of induced electromotive force produced by rotation of said synchronous motor exceeds any one of said battery voltage and a minimum assurance voltage,

three-phase short-circuit current is allowed to flow to said synchronous motor by bringing any one of a power element connected to a positive voltage side of said inverter and a power element connected to a negative voltage side of said inverter into conduction until the re-closing operation of said inverter relay is completed in order to prevent charge current from flowing out of power elements of said inverter into said battery.

6. A control system for an electric vehicle having a permanent magnet type synchronous motor for driving the electric vehicle, an inverter for converting a direct current electric power from a battery into an alternating electric power and for supplying the alternating electric power to said synchronous motor, a smoothing capacitor for smoothing said direct current electric power and being connected to said inverter in parallel, inverter control means for controlling said inverter based on a torque reference and a motor current, inverter relays for connecting and disconnecting said inverter and said smoothing capacitor to and from said battery, which comprises:

an inverter relay re-closing means for controlling said inverter so as to prevent current from flowing into and out of said inverter until a re-closing operation of said inverter relay is completed and the voltage of said smoothing capacitor is recovered to a voltage of said battery when said inverter relay is re-closed after being disconnected while said synchronous motor is rotating,

wherein said inverter relay re-closing means is constructed in such a structure that all power elements of said inverter are brought into non-conduction until the re-closing operation of said inverter relay is completed in order to prevent charge current from flowing out of said battery into said power elements of said inverter.