Control methodology to reduce motor drive loss

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10848090-B2
Application number	US-201816022105-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 28, 2018
Priority date	Jun 28, 2018
Publication date	Nov 24, 2020
Grant date	Nov 24, 2020

Abstract

A system for reducing at least one of motor loss or motor drive loss in a vehicle. The system includes a motor designed to convert electrical energy into torque. The system also includes a sensor designed to detect motor data corresponding to at least one of a motor torque or a motor speed of the motor. The system also includes a memory designed to store testing data including optimized current commands for multiple combinations of motor torques that were determined during testing of the motor or a similar motor. The system also includes a speed or torque controller coupled to the motor, the sensor, and the memory and designed to receive a speed or torque command and to determine a current command signal usable to control the motor based on the speed or torque command, the testing data, the detected motor data, and an artificial intelligence algorithm.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for reducing at least one of motor loss or motor drive loss in a vehicle comprising:
a motor configured to convert electrical energy into torque;
a sensor configured to detect motor data corresponding to at least one of a motor torque or a motor speed of the motor, the sensor including a speed sensor configured to detect the motor speed and a torque sensor configured to detect torque data corresponding to the motor torque;
a memory configured to store testing data including optimized current commands for multiple combinations of motor torques that were determined during testing of the motor or a similar motor;
an estimator controller configured to estimate the motor torque based on the detected torque data, the estimated motor torque corresponding to a present torque of the motor; and
a speed or torque controller coupled to the motor, the sensor, and the memory and configured to receive a speed or torque command and to determine a current command signal usable to control the motor based on the speed or torque command, the testing data, the detected motor speed, the estimated motor torque, and an artificial intelligence algorithm, the current command signal corresponding to a commanded amount of current.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the artificial intelligence algorithm includes at least one of an artificial neural network or a fuzzy logic algorithm.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the testing data was determined during the testing of the motor or the similar motor in a testing environment to identify the optimized current commands for the multiple combinations of the motor torques and the motor speeds.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the memory is further configured to store the determined current command signal, the detected motor speed, and the estimated motor torque in the memory as learned data, and the speed or torque controller is further configured to receive a new speed or torque command and to determine a new current command signal based on the additional learned data in addition to the stored testing data.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the speed or torque controller continuously updates the artificial intelligence algorithm based on the detected motor data and the current command signal.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising:
an accelerator pedal sensor configured to receive an acceleration request corresponding to a requested acceleration of the vehicle; and
an electronic control unit (ECU) coupled to the accelerator pedal sensor and configured to determine the speed or torque command based on the acceleration request.

7. The system of claim 1 further comprising:
a current regulator configured to receive the current command signal and to output a voltage command signal based on the current command signal;
a modulator configured to receive the voltage command signal and to output a switching signal based on the voltage command signal; and
an inverter configured to receive the switching signal and to control the motor based on the switching signal.

8. A system for reducing at least one of motor loss or motor drive loss in a vehicle comprising:
a motor configured to convert electrical energy into torque;
a sensor configured to detect motor data corresponding to at least one of a motor torque or a motor speed of the motor, the sensor including a speed sensor configured to detect the motor speed and a torque sensor configured to detect torque data corresponding to the motor torque;
a memory configured to store:
learned data including previously detected or determined motor torques and motor speeds and corresponding current command signals that resulted in the previously detected or determined motor torques and motor speeds, and
testing data including optimized current commands for multiple combinations of motor torques and motor speeds;

an estimator controller configured to estimate the motor torque based on the detected torque data, the estimated motor torque corresponding to a present torque of the motor; and
a speed or torque controller coupled to the motor, the sensor, and the memory and configured to receive a speed or torque command and to determine a current command signal usable to control the motor based on the speed or torque command, the learned data, the testing data, the estimated motor torque, and an artificial intelligence algorithm, the current command signal corresponding to a commanded amount of current.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the artificial intelligence algorithm includes at least one of an artificial neural network or a fuzzy logic algorithm.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the testing data was determined during benchtop testing of the motor or a similar motor in a testing environment to identify the optimized current commands for the multiple combinations of the motor torques and the motor speeds.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein the memory is further configured to store the determined current command signal, the detected motor speed, and the estimated motor torque in the memory as additional learned data, and the speed or torque controller is further configured to receive a new speed or torque command and to determine a new current command signal based on the additional learned data.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein the speed or torque controller continuously updates the artificial intelligence algorithm based on the detected motor data and the current command signal.

13. The system of claim 8 further comprising:
an accelerator pedal sensor configured to receive an acceleration request corresponding to a requested acceleration of the vehicle; and
an electronic control unit (ECU) coupled to the accelerator pedal sensor and configured to determine the speed or torque command based on the acceleration request.

14. The system of claim 8 further comprising:
a current regulator configured to receive the current command signal and to output a voltage command signal based on the current command signal;
a modulator configured to receive the voltage command signal and to output a switching signal based on the voltage command signal; and
an inverter configured to receive the switching signal and to control the motor based on the switching signal.

15. A method for reducing at least one of motor loss or motor drive loss in a vehicle comprising:
detecting, by a sensor, motor data corresponding to at least one of a motor torque or a motor speed of a motor, the sensor including a speed sensor and a torque sensor such that the motor data includes the motor speed and the motor torque;
storing, in a memory, testing data including optimized current commands for multiple combinations of motor torques that were determined during testing of the motor or a similar motor;
receiving, by a speed or torque controller, a speed or torque command;
estimating, by an estimator controller, an estimated motor torque based on the detected torque data, the estimated motor torque corresponding to a present torque of the motor; and
determining, by the speed or torque controller, a current command signal usable to control the motor based on the speed or torque command, the testing data, the detected motor speed, the estimated motor torque, and an artificial intelligence algorithm, the current command signal corresponding to a commanded amount of current.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising determining the testing data during testing of the motor or a similar motor in a testing environment to identify the optimized current commands for the multiple combinations of the motor torques and the motor s

Assignees

• Toyota Eng & Mfg North America

Inventors

• Wang Chi-Ming

Classifications

• Y02T10/72

  Electric energy management in electromobility · CPC title

• Y02T10/64

  Electric machine technologies in electromobility · CPC title

• Y02T10/40

  Engine management systems · CPC title

• B60W2556/10

  Historical data · CPC title

• B60W2050/0088

  Adaptive recalibration · CPC title