MOTOR DRIVE APPARATUS, HYBRID VEHICLE DRIVE APPARATUS USING THE SAME, AND COMPUTER READABLE RECORDING MEDIUM RECORDED WITH PROGRAM FOR CAUSING COMPUTER TO PERFORM CONTROL OF MOTOR DRIVE APPARATUS

• US 20060052915A1
• Filed: 07/10/2003
• Published: 03/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Sato, Eiji
• Granted Patent: US 7,099,756 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/445 Differential gearing distribution type
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/20 for control of the vehicle or its driving motor to achieve a desired performance, e.g. speed, torque, programmed variation of speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/10 DC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/14 Boost converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/20 AC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/36 Temperature of vehicle components or parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0069 relating to the isolation, e.g. ground fault or leak current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0092 with use of redundant elements for safety purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/04 Cutting off the power supply under fault conditions protective devices and circuit arrangements in general H01H; H02H
• 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: B60L 58/10 for monitoring or controlling batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/08 including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility

Abstract

Upon detection of a fault in a DC power supply based on a voltage from a voltage sensor or a temperature from a temperature sensor, a control device controls inverters to cause AC motors to output zero output torque, and generates and outputs signals STP1, STP2 to a voltage step-up converter and a DC/DC converter, respectively. The control device generates and outputs a signal SE of an L level to system relays to cut off the system relays. Thereafter, the control device generates and outputs a signal PWMDL to the voltage step-up converter to switch control of the voltage step-up converter to voltage step-down control.

Claims

1. A motor drive apparatus, comprising:

a first inverter driving a first motor;

a second inverter driving a second motor;

a DC power supply outputting a DC voltage;

a voltage converter boosting and supplying the DC voltage from said DC power supply to said first and second inverters, and down-converting and supplying the DC voltage from said first or second inverter to the side of said DC power supply;

a relay connected between said DC power supply and said voltage converter;

an electric load connected between said relay and said voltage converter; and

a control device cutting off said relay and switching control of said voltage converter to voltage step-down control in response to detection of a fault in said DC power supply.

2. The motor drive apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control device controls said first and second inverters to cause a total sum of first energy at said first motor and second energy at said second motor to be zero, and cuts off said relay when said electric load and said voltage converter are stopped.

3. The motor drive apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said control device controls said first and second inverters to cause said first and second energies to be zero.

4. The motor drive apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said control device sets a duty ratio with which a primary voltage of said voltage converter corresponding to its voltage on the side of said DC power supply is not greater than an upper limit, to switch the control of said voltage converter to the voltage step-down control.

5. The motor drive apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said upper limit corresponds to a withstand voltage of parts of said electric load.

6. The motor drive apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said control device sets a duty ratio with which said primary voltage falls within a range of an operating voltage of said electric load, to switch the control of said voltage converter to the voltage step-down control.

7. The motor drive apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the range of said operating voltage has a lower limit and said upper limit, and

when said primary voltage is lower than said lower limit, said control device controls said first and second inverters to cause a total sum of said first energy and said second energy to be regenerative energy.

8. The motor drive apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said electric load is a DC/DC converter that converts and supplies the DC voltage from said DC power supply to an auxiliary battery.

9. A hybrid vehicle drive apparatus for driving a hybrid vehicle, comprising:

an internal combustion engine;

a first motor connected to said internal combustion engine;

a second motor; and

a motor drive apparatus driving said first and second motors,

said motor drive apparatus including a first inverter driving said first motor,

a second inverter driving said second motor,

a DC power supply outputting a DC voltage,

a voltage converter boosting and supplying the DC voltage from said DC power supply to said first and second inverters, and down-converting and supplying the DC voltage from said first or second inverter to the side of said DC power supply,

a relay connected between said DC power supply and said voltage converter,

an electric load connected between said relay and said voltage converter, and

a control device cutting off said relay and switching control of said voltage converter to voltage step-down control in response to detection of a fault in said DC power supply,

said control device driving said first and second inverters so as to drive said second motor by electric power generated by said first motor in accordance with a running mode of said hybrid vehicle.

10. A computer readable recording medium recorded with a program for causing a computer to perform control of a motor drive apparatus in the event of a fault in a DC power supply,

said motor drive apparatus including a first inverter driving a first motor,

a second inverter driving a second motor,

said DC power supply outputting a DC voltage,

a voltage converter boosting and supplying the DC voltage from said DC power supply to said first and second inverters, and down-converting and supplying the DC voltage from said first or second inverter to the side of said DC power supply,

a relay connected between said DC power supply and said voltage converter, and

an electric load connected between said relay and said voltage converter,

said program causing the computer to perform a first step of detecting a fault in said DC power supply,

a second step of cutting off said relay in response to detection of the fault in said DC power supply, and

a third step of switching control of said voltage converter to voltage step-down control in response to cutting off of said relay.

11. The computer readable recording medium recorded with a program for causing a computer to perform control according to claim 10, wherein

said second step includes

a first sub-step of controlling said first and second inverters to cause a total sum of first energy at said first motor and second energy at said second motor to be zero,

a second sub-step of stopping said voltage converter,

a third sub-step of stopping said electric load, and

a fourth sub-step of cutting off said relay after completion of said first, second and third sub-steps.

12. The computer readable recording medium recorded with a program for causing a computer to perform control according to claim 11, wherein said first sub-step causes said first and second energies to be zero.

13. The computer readable recording medium recorded with a program for causing a computer to perform control according to claim 10, wherein

said third step includes a fifth sub-step of calculating a duty ratio for setting a primary voltage of said voltage converter corresponding to its voltage on the side of said DC power supply to not greater than an upper limit, and

a sixth sub-step of controlling said voltage converter based on said calculated duty ratio.

14. The computer readable recording medium recorded with a program for causing a computer to perform control according to claim 13, wherein said fifth sub-step calculates the duty ratio with which said primary voltage falls within a range of an operating voltage of said electric load.

15. The computer readable recording medium recorded with a program for causing a computer to perform control according to claim 13, wherein

the range of said operating voltage has a lower limit and said upper limit, and

said third step further includes a seventh sub-step of determining whether said primary voltage is not greater than said lower limit, and

an eighth sub-step of controlling said first and second inverters to cause a total sum of said first and second energies to be regenerative energy when said primary voltage is not greater than said lower limit.