System for controlling a motor of vehicle

• US 8,884,556 B2
• Filed: 07/19/2011
• Issued: 11/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: Yoo, Taeil
• Primary Examiner(s): DUDA, RINA I
• Application Number:
  US13/185,720
• Publication Number:
  US 20120139458A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,211 Days
• Field of Search: 318/139, 318/799, 318/800, 318/802, 318/400.02, 318/432, 318/434
• US Class Current: 318/139
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/003 relating to inverters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0061 relating to electrical machines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/33 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/34 by heating
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/007 Plural converter units in cascade push-pull DC/DC converters with pre-regulator H02M3/3374; DC-AC converters following a DC-DC stage including a high frequency transformer H02M7/4807; DC-AC converters following a DC-DC conversion stage generating periodically varying voltages H02M7/4826
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 21/0089 using field weakening
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 27/08 with pulse width modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 29/60 Controlling or determining the temperature of the motor or of the drive H02P29/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/40 Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells

Abstract

A system for controlling a motor of a vehicle that improves fuel economy by minimizing a sum of heat generated by the motor and heat generated by a converter, is disclosed. More specifically, a power source supplies DC electricity; a converter selectively receives and converts the DC electricity of the power source into inverter input voltage. A relay module selectively connects the power source to the converter and an inverter module receives the inverter input voltage from the converter, converts the inverter input voltage into 3-phase AC current, and supplies the 3-phase AC current to the motor. Further, a controller controls operations of the converter, the relay module, and the inverter module, to perform to minimize the inverter input voltage that is a sum of heat generated due to the flux-weakening control and heat generated due to suppression of the flux-weakening control.

Claims

1. A system for controlling a motor of a vehicle, comprising:

a power source configured to supply direct current (DC) electricity;

a converter configured to selectively receive and convert the DC electricity of the power source into inverter input voltage;

a relay module configured to selectively connect the power source to the converter;

an inverter module configured to receive the inverter input voltage from the converter, convert the inverter input voltage into 3-phase AC current, and supply the 3-phase AC current to the motor; and

a controller configured to control operations of the converter, the relay module, and the inverter module,

wherein the controller performs a minimum heat-generation control to minimize the inverter input voltage that is a sum of heat generated due to a flux-weakening control and heat generated due to suppression of the flux-weakening control by the converter, the minimized inverter input voltage input to the inverter module.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the inverter input voltage is calculated from a first characteristic value relating to currents of the first and second axes and a second characteristic value relating to voltage-converting characteristics of the converter.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the minimum heat-generation control is performed by the controller unless a maximum voltage or a minimum voltage is to be secured, the motor is controlled to be operated with a maximum torque, or a state of charge (SOC) needs to be conserved.

4. A system for controlling a motor of a vehicle comprising

a converter configured to convert direct current (DC) electricity of a power source into inverter input voltage, an inverter module configured to convert the inverter input voltage of the converter into 3-phase alternating current (AC) current and supply the AC current to the motor, and a controller configured to control operations of the converter and the inverter module,

wherein the controller performs flux-weakening control where flux having a direction opposite to a direction of flux generated by the motor is generated, and suppresses the flux-weakening control so as to reduce heat generated by the flux-weakening control, and

wherein the controller performs a minimum heat-generation control to minimize the inverter input voltage that is a sum of heat generated due to the flux-weakening control and heat generated due to suppression of the flux-weakening control, the minimized inverter input voltage input to the inverter module.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the inverter input voltage is calculated from a first characteristic value relating to currents of the first and second axes and a second characteristic value relating to voltage-converting characteristics of the converter.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the minimum heat-generation control is performed by the controller unless a maximum voltage or a minimum voltage is to be secured, the motor is controlled to be operated with a maximum torque, or a state of charge (SOC) is to be secured.

7. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing executable program instructions executed by a controller, comprising:

program instructions that convert direct current (DC) electricity of a power source into inverter input voltage;

program instructions that convert the inverter input voltage of the converter into 3-phase alternating current (AC) current and supply the AC current to the motor;

program instructions that control operations of the converter and the inverter module;

program instructions that perform a minimum heat-generation control to minimize the inverter input voltage that is a sum of heat generated due to the flux-weakening control and heat generated due to suppression of the flux-weakening control; and

program instruction that input the minimized inverter input voltage into the inverter module.

8. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 7, further comprising program instructions that calculate the inverter input voltage from a first characteristic value relating to currents of the first and second axes and a second characteristic value relating to voltage-converting characteristics of the converter.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the minimum heat-generation control is performed by the controller unless a maximum voltage or a minimum voltage is to be secured, the motor is controlled to be operated with a maximum torque, or a state of charge (SOC) is to be secured.

10. A method for controlling a motor of a vehicle, comprising:

converting, by a converter, direct current (DC) electricity of a power source into inverter input voltage;

converting, by an inverter module, the inverter input voltage of the converter into 3-phase alternating current (AC) current and supply the AC current to the motor;

performing, by a controller, a minimum heat-generation control to minimize the inverter input voltage that is a sum of heat generated due to the flux-weakening control and heat generated due to suppression of the flux-weakening control; and

inputting, by the controller, the minimized inverter input voltage into the inverter module.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising calculating the inverter input voltage from a first characteristic value relating to currents of the first and second axes and a second characteristic value relating to voltage-converting characteristics of the converter.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the minimum heat-generation control is performed by the controller unless a maximum voltage or a minimum voltage is to be secured, the motor is controlled to be operated with a maximum torque, or a state of charge (SOC) is to be secured.