Apparatus for controlling motorized vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10680540-B2
Application number	US-201916285701-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 26, 2019
Priority date	Feb 28, 2018
Publication date	Jun 9, 2020
Grant date	Jun 9, 2020

Abstract

In an apparatus for controlling a motorized vehicle, a rotary electric machine controller is configured to perform intermittent operation by periodically alternating between a driving period and a coasting period. A torque determiner is configured to determine a first torque during the driving period and a second torque during the coasting period. A transition period determiner is configured to determine whether to set a transition period between the driving period and the coasting period. If the transition period is determined to be set, the torque determiner determines a third torque between the first torque and the second torque and within a predetermined rang. The rotary electric machine controller sets the transition period between the driving period and the coasting period and drive the rotary electric machine with the third torque during the transition period.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for controlling a motorized vehicle, the motorized vehicle being equipped with a rotary electric machine coupled to a drive shaft of the motorized vehicle via gears, the apparatus comprising:
a rotary electric machine controller configured to perform intermittent operation by periodically alternating between a driving period, in which the motorized vehicle is driven or braked by the rotary electric machine, and a coasting period, in which the motorized vehicle is caused to coast by stopping the rotary electric machine;
a torque determiner configured to determine a first torque of the rotary electric machine during the driving period and a second torque of the rotary electric machine during the coasting period;
a transition period determiner configured to, based on at least one of the first torque and the second torque, determine whether to set a transition period, during which a third torque of the rotary electric machine is output, between the driving period and the coasting period,
wherein the torque determiner is configured to, if the transition period determiner decides to set the transition period, determine, as the third torque, a torque that is between the first torque and the second torque and within a predetermined range including a torque of the rotary electric machine corresponding to a drive shaft torque of zero, and
the rotary electric machine controller is configured to, if the transition period determiner decides to set the transition period, provide the transition period between the driving period and the coasting period, and drive the rotary electric machine with the third torque during the transition period.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the torque determiner is configured to, when changing the torque of the rotary electric machine such that the drive shaft torque changes from negative to positive during the transition period, set the third torque to greater than the torque of the rotary electric machine corresponding to the drive shaft torque of zero, and when changing the torque of the rotary electric machine such that the drive shaft torque changes from positive to negative during the transition period, set the third torque of the rotary electric machine to less than the torque of the rotary electric machine corresponding to the drive shaft torque of zero.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the rotary electric machine controller is configured to, when the torque of the rotary electric machine is within the predetermined range during the transition period, set an upper-limit for a rate of change of the torque of the rotary electric machine.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the torque determiner is configured to determine the third torque based on a rotational speed of the rotary electric machine.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the transition period determiner is configured to, if a rotational speed of the rotary electric machine is less than a threshold, decide not to set a transition period.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the motorized vehicle is equipped with a rechargeable battery electrically connected to the rotary electric machine, and electrical loads electrically connected to the rechargeable battery,
the apparatus further comprises:
an amount-of-current calculator configured to calculate an amount of current flowing through the rechargeable battery; and
a machine operating point setter configured to, when current is passing between the rechargeable battery and the rotary electric machine, set operating points of the rotary electric machine, each specifying a system efficiency representing a ratio of input/output dynamical power of the rotary electric machine to input/output power of the rechargeable battery, a torque of the rotary electric machine, and a rotational speed of the rotary electric machine that are taken as parameters, based on the amount of current flowing through the rechargeable battery, and

the rotary electric machine controller is configured to, during the driving period, control the rotary electric machine to operate at operating points of the rotary electric machine set by the machine operating point setter.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein
the rotary electric machine controller is configured to, during the driving period for the intermittent operation, control the rotary electric machine to operate at an operating point of higher system efficiency, among the operating points of the rotary electric machine set by the rotary electric machine controller, as compared with when continuous operation, in which the motorized vehicle is continuously driven or braked by the rotary electric machine, is performed.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the transition period determiner is configured to, if there is not any torque of the rotary electric machine corresponding to the drive shaft torque of zero between the first torque and the second torque, determine not to set any transition period.

Assignees

• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Suzuki Masaru
• Baba Kousuke
• Maeda Shigeru
• Washizu Chinatsu

Classifications

• H02P2205/05

  Torque loop, i.e. comparison of the motor torque with a torque reference · CPC title

• H02P6/08 Primary

  Arrangements for controlling the speed or torque of a single motor (H02P6/10, H02P6/28 take precedence) · CPC title

• H02J7/14

  for charging batteries from dynamo-electric generators driven at varying speed, e.g. on vehicle · CPC title

• H02P23/0027 Primary

  using different modes of control depending on a parameter, e.g. the speed · CPC title

• H02P6/24

  Arrangements for stopping · CPC title