Method for controlling a polyphase and reversible rotating electrical machine for heat engine motor vehicle

• US 6,894,402 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2002
• Issued: 05/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valeo Equipements Electriques Moteur (Valeo SE)
• Original Assignee: Valeo Equipements Electriques Moteur (Valeo SE)
• Inventors: Westerholt, Eckart, Dubus, Jean-Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): Ponomarenko, Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US10/239,893
• Publication Number:
  US 20030038482A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,210 Days
• Field of Search: 290/40.A, 290/40.C, 290/40.D, 180/65.2, 318/8, 318/9, 322/16, 322/29
• US Class Current: 290/40.00C
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/003 said electric motor being also used as a drive for auxiliaries, e.g. for driving transmission pumps or fuel pumps during engine stop
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/04 the motors being associated with current generators
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0818 Conditions for starting or stopping the engine or for deactivating the idle-start-stop mode
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0866 comprising several power sources, e.g. battery and capacitor or two batteries
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/101 for preventing engine starter actuation or engagement
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/0814 Bonnet switches
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/0815 Vehicle door sensors
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2300/104 Control of the starter motor torque
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 5/04 of inertia type
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 13/00 Clutches or holding devices using electrostatic attraction, e.g. using Johnson-Rahbek effect
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 2101/45 for motor vehicles, e.g. car alternators
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 2209/07 Trapezoidal waveform
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 6/18 without separate position detecting elements
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 9/48 Arrangements for obtaining a constant output value at varying speed of the generator, e.g. on vehicle H02P9/04 - H02P9/46 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems

Abstract

Method for control of a multi-phase, reversible, rotating electrical machine, called alternator/starter, for a motor vehicle with a heat engine capable of operating either as an electrical generator—alternator mode—or as an electric motor, especially in order to start the heat engine, characterised in that, during operation in electric-motor mode, the said machine is driven according to two modes corresponding to different speed/torque characteristic curves, namely a first mode, called starter mode, making it possible to drive the heat engine of the vehicle in order to start it with high torques for low speeds, while the second mode, called auxiliary-motor mode, makes it possible to drive at least one power-consumer unit, such as an accessory, and/or the heat engine, at higher speeds and lower torques than those of the first mode.

Claims

1. Method for control of a multi-phase, reversible, rotating electrical machine, called alternator/starter, for a motor vehicle with a heat engine capable of operating either as an electrical generator—

alternator mode—

or as an electric motor, especially in order to start the heat engine, is [sic] characterised in that, during operation in electric-motor mode, the said machine is driven according to two modes corresponding to different speed/torque characteristic curves, namely a first mode, called starter mode, making it possible to drive the heat engine of the vehicle in order to start it with high torques for low speeds, while the second mode, called auxiliary-motor mode, makes it possible to drive the machine alone, or at least one power-consumer unit and/or the heat engine, at higher speeds and lower torques than those of the first mode.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that, when the power-consumer unit is used before the vehicle has been started, the said consumer is brought to its rotational speed via the said machine, passing through the first mode without driving the heat engine.

3. Method according to claim 2, characterised in that, to restart the vehicle—

with the electrical machine in the second mode of operation as an electric motor and with the crankshaft of the heat engine disengaged—

the machine is brought to its maximum attainable speed, and the crankshaft is then engaged.

4. Method according to claim 3, characterised in that the consumer unit is disconnected during the operation of restarting the heat engine.

5. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that, starting from a machine including a rotor (4) carrying at least one excitation winding, the excitation winding of the rotor is over-excited during the operation of the machine in starter mode in order to maximise the starting torque of the said machine.

6. Method according to claim 5, characterised in that, when the machine is operating as an electric motor, the excitation winding is over-excited in different ways in starter mode and in auxiliary-motor mode, and in that the excitation winding is over-excited in a different way when the machine is operating as an electric motor and when the machine is operating in alternator mode.

7. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that a parameter that is a function of the voltage at the terminals of the excitation winding and/or of the current in this excitation winding is monitored so as to keep this parameter continuously on the same side of a threshold value which corresponds to a maximum permissible temperature for the electrical machine and its components.

8. Method according to claim 5, characterised in that rapid demagnetisation of the over-excitation winding is performed before transferring to alternator mode.

9. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that, starting with an electrical machine equipped with a stator (8) having phases, with a rotor (4) and with means including sensors (52) for tracking the rotation of the rotor (4), the said sensors being suitable for sending signals to an electronic unit for controlling and monitoring the phases of the stator (8), the signals from the sensors (52) are used in straightforward order until the auxiliary-motor mode function is activated or the speed of activation of this function is reached.

10. Method according to claim 9, characterised in that, when the auxiliary-motor mode function is activated and the activation speed of this function is reached, permutation and inversion of the signals from the sensors are performed.

11. Method according to claim 10, characterised in that the permutation and inversion are carried out in such a way as to create a phase shift with a pitch of −

60 electrical degrees.

12. Method according to claim 10, characterised in that the inversion and permutation are carried out by means of two logic gates associated with each sensor and of a block that indicates the status of the auxiliary-motor mode function—

activated or not activated—

and the speed of activation of this function—

reached or not.

13. Method according to claim 12, characterised in that each first logic gates is a gate and open when the sensor concerned is activated in order to supply a signal and when the said function is not activated or its speed of activation is not reached.

14. Method according to claim 13, characterised in that each second logic gates is a gate and open when one of the other sensors is not activated in order to supply a signal and when the said function is activated—

speed of activation reached.

15. Method according to claim 10, characterised in that the inversion and permutation are carried out by data processing operations.

16. Method according to claim 10, characterised in that, beyond the speed of activation, inversion of the signals from the sensors is carried out for a speed above the speed of activation.