Controller for an electric four-wheel-drive vehicle

• US 7,495,411 B2
• Filed: 01/24/2007
• Issued: 02/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Motor Co., Ltd., Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd., Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Izumi, Shiho, Akaishi, Shigeru, Kaneko, Satoru, Matsunaga, Yasuo, Yamamoto, Tatsuyuki, Katsuhama, Kenta, Sugita, Hidehiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Ro; Bentsu
• Assistant Examiner(s): DINH, THAI T
• Application Number:
  US11/657,032
• Publication Number:
  US 20070200529A1
• Time in Patent Office: 762 Days
• Field of Search: 318/140, 318/801, 318/802, 318/803, 318/800, 180/65.1, 180/65.3
• US Class Current: 318/801
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/525 Temperature of converter or components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/61 by batteries charged by engine-driven generators, e.g. series hybrid electric vehicles
• 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 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a controller for an electric four-wheel-drive vehicle, which is capable of minimizing torque changes and consuming excessive power even when the excessive power is generated by a generator. A motor control unit causes an AC motor to generate desired torque by controlling an inverter. When the power generated by the generator exceeds the power consumed by the inverter and AC motor to generate excessive power, a current command determination unit in the motor control unit consumes the excessive power by increasing a loss in the AC motor.

Claims

1. A controller for an electric four-wheel-drive vehicle which includes an internal combustion engine for giving driving force to wheels of an automobile, a generator connected to the internal combustion engine for outputting DC power by using rotational power of the internal combustion engine, an inverter for directly converting the DC power, which is output from the generator, to AC power, and an AC motor for driving the other wheels by using an output from the inverter, the controller comprising:

control means for generating desired torque from the AC motor by controlling the inverter,

wherein, when the power generated by the generator is larger than the power consumption of the inverter and the AC motor to generate excessive power, said control means consumes the excessive power by increasing a loss in the AC motor,

wherein, when the loss in the AC motor is to be increased, said control means increases an armature current in the d-axis direction, which is a rotor flux direction of the AC motor.

2. The controller according to claim 1, further comprising power storage means which is connected between an output section of the generator and an input section of the inverter,

wherein, when the power generated by the generator is larger than the power consumption of the inverter and the AC motor to generate excessive power and the generated excessive power cannot be stored in said power storage means, said control means consumes the excessive power by increasing a loss in the AC motor.

3. The controller according to claim 2, wherein, when a monitored voltage of said power storage means exceeds a predetermined value, said control means judges that the excessive power is generated.

4. The controller according to claim 1, wherein, when an electrical current flowing to the inverter is within a predetermined range from a maximum value, said control means limits a loss increase in the AC motor.

5. The controller according to claim 1, wherein, when the temperature of the inverter or the AC motor rises above a predetermined value, said control means limits a loss increase in the AC motor.

6. The controller according to claim 1, wherein, when the voltage of a smoothing capacitor built in the inverter rises above a predetermined value, said control means judges that the excessive power is generated.

7. The controller according to claim 1, wherein said control means comprises:

generated power monitoring means for calculating the power generated by the generator; and

input power monitoring means for calculating the power consumption of the AC motor and the inverter;

wherein, when an output value generated by said generated power monitoring means is greater than an output value generated by said input power monitoring means by a predetermined value, said control means judges that the excessive power is generated.

8. The controller according to claim 1, wherein, when a slip ratio of the wheels driven by the internal combustion engine exceeds a predetermined value, said control means consumes the excessive power by increasing a loss in the AC motor.

9. A controller for an electric four-wheel-drive vehicle which includes an internal combustion engine for giving driving force to wheels of an automobile, a generator connected to the internal combustion engine for outputting DC power by using rotational power of the internal combustion engine, an inverter for converting the DC power, which is output from the generator, to AC power, power storage means connected between an output section of the generator and an input section of the inverter, and an AC motor for driving the other wheels by using an output from the inverter, the controller comprising:

control means for generating desired torque from the AC motor by controlling the inverter,

wherein, when the power generated by the generator is larger than the power consumption of the inverter and the AC motor to generate excessive power and the generated excessive power cannot be stored in said power storage means, said control means consumes the excessive power by increasing a loss in the AC motor,

wherein, when the loss in the AC motor is to be increased, said control means increases an armature current in the d-axis direction, which is a rotor flux direction of the AC motor.