Multiple inverter system with single controller and related operating method

• US 7,372,712 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2007
• Issued: 05/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations Incorporated (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Stancu, Constantin C., Selogie, Mark L
• Primary Examiner(s): BERHANE, ADOLF D
• Application Number:
  US11/756,398
• Publication Number:
  US 20070223262A1
• Time in Patent Office: 348 Days
• Field of Search: 363/65, 363/71, 363/95, 363/131, 363/56.01
• US Class Current: 363/71
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/46 with more than three phases
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/58 with more than three phases
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/526 Operating parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/003 relating to inverters
• 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 3/12 Recording operating variables ; Monitoring of operating variables
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/51 characterised by AC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/32 Means for protecting converters other than automatic disconnection
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/325 with means for allowing continuous operation despite a fault, i.e. fault tolerant converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/493 the static converters being arranged for operation in parallel
• 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 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility

Abstract

Methods for controlling a multiple DC-to-AC inverter system, which is suitable for an electric or hybrid vehicle application, are disclosed. In one embodiment, if an inverter fails or suffers from degraded performance (faulty inverter), the faulty inverter is disabled and drive signals to a healthy inverter that is coupled to the faulty inverter are updated such that the healthy inverter can remain active without being driven into an over-current condition.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a multiple DC-to-AC inverter system of a vehicle having a plurality of inverters, the method comprising:

generating a fault status for a faulty inverter among the plurality of inverters if the faulty inverter fails or suffers from degraded performance;

detecting the fault status for the faulty inverter;

disabling the faulty inverter in response to detection of the fault status to prevent loss of drive power in the vehicle;

determining new operating parameters for a healthy inverter among the plurality of inverters; and

generating an updated gate drive signal set for the healthy inverter, the updated gate drive signal set being influenced by the new operating parameters.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining step further comprises:

recalculating a current reference for reduced overall performance with the faulty inverter disabled and the healthy inverter enabled;

recalculating electrical quantities that depend upon the current reference; and

calculating updated load current requirements that account for the disabling of the faulty inverter.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the electrical quantities comprise voltage feed-forward terms of an electric motor control algorithm for the vehicle.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the updated gate drive signal set operates to disable the faulty inverter.

5. A method for controlling a multiple DC-to-AC inverter system having a plurality of inverters, the method comprising:

generating a fault status if a faulty inverter among the plurality of inverters fails or suffers from degraded performance;

detecting the fault status for the faulty inverter;

disabling the faulty inverter in response to detection of the fault status to prevent an over-current condition in a healthy inverter;

recalculating a current reference for reduced overall performance with the faulty inverter disabled and the healthy inverter enabled;

recalculating electrical quantities that depend upon the current reference;

calculating updated load current requirements that account for the disabling of the faulty inverter; and

generating an updated gate drive signal set for the healthy inverter, the updated gate drive signal set being influenced by the current reference, the electrical quantities, and the updated load current requirements.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the electrical quantities comprise voltage feed-forward terms of an electric motor control algorithm for the vehicle.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the updated gate drive signal set operates to disable the faulty inverter.

8. A system for controlling a multiple DC-to-AC inverter system of a vehicle having a plurality of inverters, the system comprising:

means for generating a fault status if an inverter fails or suffers from degraded performance;

means for detecting the fault status for a faulty inverter among a plurality of inverters;

means for disabling the faulty inverter in response to detection of the fault status to prevent loss of drive power in a vehicle;

means for determining new operating parameters for a non-faulty inverter among the plurality of inverters; and

means for generating an updated gate drive signal set for the non-faulty inverter, the updated gate drive signal set being influenced by the new operating parameters.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the means for determining the new operating parameters further comprises means for recalculating a current reference for reduced overall performance with the faulty inverter disabled and the non-faulty inverter enabled.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the means for determining the new operating parameters further comprises means for recalculating electrical quantities that depend upon the current reference.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the electrical quantities comprise voltage feed-forward terms of an electric motor control algorithm for the vehicle.

12. The system according to claim 8, wherein the means for determining the new operating parameters further comprises means for calculating updated load current requirements that account for disabling of the faulty inverter.

13. The system according to claim 8, wherein the updated gate drive signal set operates to disable the faulty inverter.