Control device for vehicle

• US 9,944,184 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2015
• Issued: 04/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Aoki, Kazutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Melton, Todd
• Assistant Examiner(s): Roberson, Jason R
• Application Number:
  US14/861,284
• Publication Number:
  US 20160082841A1
• Time in Patent Office: 938 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2054 by controlling transmissions or clutches
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/167 of motors or generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0061 relating to electrical machines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/12 Recording operating variables ; Monitoring of operating variables
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility

Abstract

A control device for a vehicle capable of transmitting power of a rotating electrical machine to a driving wheel by a shift of a transmission, includes: an electronic control unit configured to (i) select, as an operation mode of the rotating electrical machine, a normal mode and a power mode in which the rotating electrical machine is operated such that a vehicle drive force is increased more than the normal mode, (ii) execute insulation protection control of the rotating electrical machine when the electronic control unit determines that dielectric breakdown of the rotating electrical machine occurs, and (iii) set a priority of the insulation protection control in an order of a change in a transmission gear ratio of the transmission, a decrease in an application voltage to the rotating electrical machine, and torque limitation of the rotating electrical machine in a state where the power mode is selected.

Claims

1. A control device for a vehicle capable of transmitting power of a rotating electrical machine to a driving wheel through a transmission, the control device comprising:

an electronic control unit configured to;

(i) select, as an operation mode of the rotating electrical machine at a time of driving of the vehicle based on a user input, one of a normal mode and a power mode in which the rotating electrical machine is operated such that a vehicle drive force in the power mode is increased from a vehicle drive force in the normal mode,

(ii) execute insulation protection control of the rotating electrical machine when the electronic control unit determines that dielectric breakdown of the rotating electrical machine has occurred, and

(iii) set a priority order of the insulation protection control in an order of a change in a transmission gear ratio of the transmission, a decrease in an application voltage to the rotating electrical machine, and torque limitation of the rotating electrical machine in a state where the power mode is selected as the operation mode,

wherein the electronic control unit is configured to determine an occurrence of the dielectric breakdown of the rotating electrical machine based on the application voltage to the rotating electrical machine and a rotation speed and torque of the rotating electrical machine.

2. The control device according to claim 1,

wherein, at a time of executing the insulation protection control in the state when the power mode is selected as the operation mode, the electronic control unit is configured to

(i) change the transmission gear ratio of the transmission as the insulation protection control when the electronic control unit determines that an occurrence of dielectric breakdown is prevented by a change in the transmission gear ratio of the transmission,

(ii) decrease the application voltage to the rotating electrical machine as the insulation protection control when the electronic control unit determines that dielectric breakdown has occurred even when the transmission gear ratio of the transmission is changed and the occurrence of dielectric breakdown is prevented by a decrease in the application voltage to the rotating electrical machine, and

(iii) limit torque of the rotating electrical machine as the insulation protection control when the electronic control unit determines that dielectric breakdown has occurred even when the application voltage to the rotating electrical machine is decreased.

3. The control device according to claim 1,

wherein the electronic control unit is configured to further select, as the operation mode of the rotating electrical machine, an economy mode in which the rotating electrical machine is operated such that energy consumption at a time of driving of the vehicle in the economy mode is decreased from the energy consumption in the normal mode, and

set a priority order of the insulation protection control in an order of a decrease in the application voltage to the rotating electrical machine and torque limitation of the rotating electrical machine in a state where the economy mode is selected as the operation mode.

4. The control device according to claim 1,

wherein the electronic control unit is configured to

(i) estimate a potential difference between insulating parts of the rotating electrical machine based on the application voltage to the rotating electrical machine and the rotation speed and torque of the rotating electrical machine, and

(ii) compare the potential difference with a set value to determine whether or not dielectric breakdown occurs in the rotating electrical machine.

5. The control device according to claim 4,

wherein the electronic control unit is configured to set the set value based on an atmospheric pressure around the rotating electrical machine and a temperature of the rotating electrical machine.