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Control apparatus for rotary electric machines

  • US 8,779,706 B2
  • Filed: 09/16/2011
  • Issued: 07/15/2014
  • Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2010
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A control apparatus for a rotary electric machine equipped with terminals receiving power from a DC power supply having positive and negative output terminals, comprising:

  • a DC-AC converting circuit provided with serially connected circuits each having a high-potential-side switching element and a low-potential-side switching element, the high-potential-side and low-potential-side switching elements selectively connecting the terminals of the rotary electric machine to the positive and negative output terminals of the power supply for controlling a controlled variable of the rotary electric machine;

    a connecting/disconnecting circuit arranged to be electrically opened and closed between the DC-AC converting circuit and the power supply to electrically connect and disconnect an electric path connecting both the DC-AC converting circuit and the power supply;

    determining means configured to determine whether or not at least one of the high-potential-side and low-potential-side switching elements have a malfunction which is due to a short-circuit caused in at least one of the turned-on high-potential-side and low-potential-side switching elements; and

    failsafe performing means configured to, as a failsafe operation, electrically open the connecting/disconnecting circuit and turn on both the high-potential-side and low-potential-side switching elements residing in a part of the serially connected circuits when it is determined by the determining means that the at least one of the high-potential-side and low-potential-side switching elements have the malfunction such that the turned-on high-potential-side and low-potential-side switching elements realize a short-circuit state therein,wherein the determining means is configured to;

    check that a current passing through any of the switching elements is over a previously set threshold,turn all the switching elements off when it is checked that the current is over the threshold,check whether or not a center of amplitude of current passing through the rotary electric machine is deviated from a current of zero by a given amount of current, anddecide that the at least one of the high-potential-side and low-potential-side switching elements has the malfunction when it is checked that the center of amplitude of current passing through the rotary electric machine is deviated from the current of zero and that the at least one of the high-potential-side and low-potential-side switching elements does not have the malfunction when it is checked that the center of amplitude of current passing through the rotary electric machine is not deviated from the current of zero.

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