Motor control apparatus and electric power steering apparatus

• US 8,237,392 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2009
• Issued: 08/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jtekt Corporation (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Jtekt Corporation (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ueda, Takeshi, Nagase, Shigeki
• Primary Examiner(s): DUDA, RINA I
• Application Number:
  US12/461,764
• Publication Number:
  US 20100045217A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,079 Days
• Field of Search: 318/599, 318/811, 318/727, 318/798, 318/801, 318/812
• US Class Current: 318/599
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 5/046 Controlling the motor
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 21/16 Estimation of constants, e.g. the rotor time constant
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 2205/05 Torque loop, i.e. comparison of the motor torque with a torque reference
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 27/08 with pulse width modulation

Abstract

An angle calculation portion of a motor control apparatus determines an angle θ of a rotor, and an angular velocity calculation portion determines an angular velocity ωe of the rotor. A command current calculation portion determines command currents id* and iq* on dq axes, based on a steering torque T and a vehicle speed S. An open-loop control portion determines command voltages vd and vq on the dq axes based on the command currents id* and iq* and the angular velocity ωe, according to circuit equations of a motor. A dq-axis/three-phase conversion portion converts the command voltages vd and vq to command voltages of three phases. A three-phase voltage correction portion corrects the command voltage so that an actual time average value of a voltage applied to each phase is equal to a time average value of a voltage that is to be applied to the phase if the voltage is not decreased, in order to compensate for a decrease in the applied voltage. By performing the correction, it is possible to eliminate or suppress a decrease in control accuracy due to a wiring resistance and the like.

Claims

1. A motor control apparatus that drives a motor with n phases, wherein n is a natural number equal to or larger than 3, the motor control apparatus comprising:

a controller that determines a level of a command voltage used to drive the motor;

a motor drive signal generator that generates a pulse width modulation signal having a predetermined pulse width in each unit period, using a voltage whose level is equal to the level determined by the controller; and

a motor drive circuit having

a plurality of upper and lower switching elements that drive the motor based on the pulse width modulation signal from the motor drive signal generator, and

a switching circuit that supplies a current to the motor when the pulse width modulation signal turns the plurality of switching elements on/off,

wherein the controller corrects the level of the command voltage to compensate for a change in voltage applied to the motor drive circuit in accordance with on/off states of the switching element, wherein the voltage applied to the motor drive circuit changes based on a number of the upper switching elements that is turned on.

2. The motor control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a voltage detector that detects the voltage applied to the motor drive circuit from a power supply via a predetermined wire,

wherein the controller corrects the level of the command voltage based on the voltage detected by the voltage detector.

3. The motor control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the controller comprises an open-loop controller that determines the level of the command voltage based on a command current value that indicates an amount of a current to be supplied to the motor, and an angular velocity of a rotor of the motor, using a circuit equation of the motor.

4. The motor control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the controller corrects the level of the command voltage so that an on-period of the pulse width modulation signal is increased or decreased, in accordance with a change in voltage applied to the motor drive circuit, by a predetermined correction period that is set so that a value obtained by multiplying an amount of the change in voltage applied to the motor drive circuit from a reference voltage value to a changed voltage value by a period during which the voltage remains at the changed voltage value is equal to a value obtained by multiplying the changed voltage value by the predetermined correction period, in each of the n phases during the unit period.

5. The motor control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the controller comprises a current value calculator that determines any one current value of a detected current value that indicates an amount of a detected current flowing into the motor, a command current value that indicates an amount of a current to be supplied to the motor, and an estimated current value that indicates an amount of a current that is estimated to flow into the motor;

and

wherein

the motor control apparatus calculates a value of a resistance including a resistance of a predetermined wire from the power supply, based on the current value determined by the current value calculator, and the voltage detected by the voltage detector, and the motor control apparatus corrects the level of the command voltage based on the calculated value of the resistance.

6. The motor control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the controller comprises a current value calculator that determines any one current value of a detected current value that indicates an amount of a detected current flowing into the motor, a command current value that indicates an amount of a current to be supplied to the motor, and an estimated current value that indicates an amount of a current that is estimated to flow into the motor;

and

the motor control apparatus calculates a limit value that limits the level of the command voltage based on the current value determined by the current value calculator, and a value of a resistance including a resistance of a predetermined wire from the power supply so that an on-period that is an on-period for the phase to which a highest voltage is applied among the n phases, and that is increased by the correction does not exceed a period equivalent to one period of the pulse width modulation signal, or an on-period that is an on-period for the phase to which a lowest voltage is applied among the n phases, and that is decreased by the correction is equal to or greater than zero, based on the calculated value of the resistance and the current value determined by the current value calculator, and the motor control apparatus limits the level of the command voltage to a value equal to or lower than the calculated limit value.

7. The motor control apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

the controller calculates a predetermined limit period so that a value obtained by multiplying a voltage value, which is obtained by multiplying the current value determined by the current value calculator by the value of the resistance, by a period set to be in a range in which the correction period is a minimum value and the period equivalent to the one period is a maximum value is equal to a value obtained by multiplying the voltage value changed by the resistance by the limitation period;

the controller calculates the limit value that limits the level of the command voltage so that a period obtained by adding a half of the limitation period to the on-period for the phase to which the highest voltage is applied among the n phases before the on-period is increased by the correction does not exceed the period equivalent to the one period, or a period obtained by subtracting a half of the limitation period from the on-period for the phase to which the lowest voltage is applied among the n phases before the on-period is decreased by the correction is equal to or greater than zero, and the controller limits the level of the command voltage to a value equal to or lower than the calculated limit value; and

the controller sets a new on-period to a period obtained by subtracting a half of a period set to be in a range in which the correction period is a minimum value and the limitation period is a maximum value, from an on-period for each of all the n phases when the on-period is to be increased by the correction, and the controller sets the new on-period to a period obtained by adding a half of the period set to be in the range in which the correction period is the minimum value and the limitation period is the maximum value, to the on-period for each of all the n phases when the on-period is to be decreased by the correction.

8. The motor control apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

the controller calculates a predetermined limitation period so that a value obtained by multiplying a voltage value, which is obtained by multiplying the current value determined by the current value calculator by the value of the resistance, by a difference between a maximum permissible value of the on-period and a minimum permissible value of the on-period is equal to a value obtained by multiplying a voltage value changed by the resistance by the limitation period, and the controller calculates the limit value based on the calculated limitation period.

9. The motor control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the voltage detector comprises:

a first detector that detects a voltage applied to a first end of the motor drive circuit, the first end being connected to a positive electrode side of the power supply;

a second detector that detects a voltage applied to a second end of the motor drive circuit, the second end being connected to a negative electrode side of the power supply; and

a calculator that detects the voltage applied to the motor drive circuit by calculating a value of a difference between the voltage detected by the first detector and the voltage detected by the second detector.

10. The motor control apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

a storage device in which the value of the resistance is stored, wherein the controller calculates the value of the resistance at time intervals longer than time intervals at which the level of the command voltage is determined, the controller stores the calculated value of the resistance in the storage device, and the controller corrects the level of the command voltage based on the value of the resistance stored in the storage device and the current value when the value of the resistance is not calculated.

11. The motor control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the voltage detector includes:

a first input terminal that is connected between the motor drive circuit and a positive electrode side of the power supply; and

a second input terminal that is connected between the motor drive circuit and a shunt resistance.