Method for controlling two electric motors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11831269-B2
Application number	US-201917051286-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 9, 2019
Priority date	Oct 25, 2018
Publication date	Nov 28, 2023
Grant date	Nov 28, 2023

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a method for controlling a first electric motor (M 1 ) and a second electric motor (M 2 ) of a wheel drive module, wherein the wheel drive module comprises a wheel (R) and a speed modulation gearbox (G), and wherein the wheel (R) is drivable about a wheel axis (A) jointly by the first and the second electric motors (M 1 , M 2 ) by means of the speed modulation gearbox (G) and steerable about a steering axis (L) which is orthogonal to the wheel axis (A), wherein electrical control signals for controlling the first and second electric motors (M 1 , M 2 ) are determined from wheel reference values which characterize the driving and/or the steering of the wheel (R).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for controlling a first electric motor (M 1 ) and a second electric motor (M 2 ) of a wheel drive module, wherein the wheel drive module comprises a wheel (R) and a speed modulation gearbox (G), and wherein the wheel (R) is drivable about a wheel axis (A) jointly by the first and the second electric motors (M 1 , M 2 ) by means of the speed modulation gearbox (G) and steerable about a steering axis (L) which is orthogonal to the wheel axis (A), wherein
electrical control signals for controlling the first and second electric motors (M 1 , M 2 ) are determined from wheel reference values which characterize the driving and/or the steering of the wheel (R).

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein
the wheel reference values are a wheel reference angle and a wheel reference rotational speed or a wheel reference speed or a wheel reference torque.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein
the wheel reference values are determined from a path to be traveled by the wheel (R) or by the wheel drive module and a speed of the wheel (R) or of the wheel drive module along the path, wherein the path takes into consideration the distance to be traveled and the course of the road.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein,
from the control signals for the first and second electric motors (M 1 , M 2 ), by a respective motor control associated with the first or with the second electric motor (M 1 , M 2 ), a motor reference rotational speed, a motor reference position or a motor reference torque is determined, and the respective electric motor (M 1 , M 2 ) is controlled in order to achieve the motor reference rotational speed, the motor reference position or the motor reference torque.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein
the motor reference rotational speed of the respective electric motor (M 1 , M 2 ) is determined from a first motor reference rotational speed for achieving a driving speed and from a second motor reference rotational speed for achieving a steering angle, so that:
motor reference rotational speed M1 (t)=motor reference rotational speed Driving (t)motor +reference rotational speed Steering (t) and
motor reference rotational speed M 2(t)=motor reference rotational speed Driving (t)−motor reference rotational speed Steering (t).

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the motor reference rotational speed for achieving a driving speed for the first and the second electric motors (M 1 , M 2 ) at an identical gear ratio of the speed modulation gearbox (G) for the first and second electric motors (M 1 , M 2 ) is identical and is determined in particular from a wheel reference rotational speed of the wheel (R) and the gear ratio of the speed modulation gearbox (G), so that:
motor reference rotational speed Driving (t)=reference rotational speed(t)·gear ratio Driving

7. The method according to claim 5 , wherein
the motor reference rotational speed for achieving the steering angle for the second electric motor (M 2 ), at identical gear ratio of the speed modulation gearbox (G) for the first and second electric motors (M 1 , M 2 ), is the negative value of the motor reference rotational speed for achieving the steering angle for the first electric motor (M 1 ), and the motor reference rotational speed for achieving the steering angle for the first electric motor (M 1 ) is determined from a change of the wheel steering angle of the wheel (R) about the steering axis (L), so that:
motor reference rotational speed Steering (t)=motor reference rotational speedM1 Steering (t)=−motor reference rotational speed M2Steering (t)=d wheel steering angle(t)·gear ratio Steering ·(2π·TA −1 )

8. The method according to the preceding claim 7 , wherein
the change of the wheel steering angle is obtained as follows:
d wheel steering angle(t)=wheel steering angle Reference (t+TA)·wheel steering angle Actual (t)with TA as call interval and wherein wheel steering angle Actual (t)=(motor position M1 (t)−motor position M2 ( t ))(2·gear ratio Steering ).

9. A wheel drive module comprising the wheel (R), the speed modulation gearbox (G) as well as the first electric motor (M 1 ) and the second electric motor (M 2 ), which are controlled by the method according to claim 1 , wherein
the first and the second electric motors (M 1 , M 2 ) are designed to drive the wheel (R) jointly by means of the speed modulation gearbox (G) about a wheel axis (A) and to steer it about a steering axis (L) which is orthogonal to the wheel axis (A),
the wheel drive module comprises a first motor electronics unit for controlling the first electric motor (M 1 ) and a second motor electronics unit for controlling the second electric motor (M 2 ) as well as a central electronics unit which is connected so as to enable a signal exchange with the first and second motor electronics units, and wherein
the drive wheel module comprises a control logic for controlling the first and second electric motors (M 1 , M 2 ) for driving the wheel (R) about the wheel axis (A) and for steering the wheel (R) about the steering axis (L), which is provided by the first and second motor electronics units, the central electronics unit, an application electronics unit, which is connected to the central electronics unit so as to enable a signal exchange, or which is provided jointly by central electronics unit and the first and second motor electronics units, wherein
the control logic is designed to determine, from the wheel reference values, the electrical control signals for the first and second electric motors (M 1 , M 2 ) and to transmit the control signals to the first and/or second electric motors (M 1 , M 2 ).

Assignees

• Ebm Papst St Georgen Gmbh & Co Kg

Inventors

• Hirt Markus
• Jeske Frank
• Hornberger Jörg
• Bitzer Manfred

Classifications

• H02P5/753 Primary

  Differential gearing · CPC title

• B60W10/08

  including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators · CPC title

• B60W10/119

  including control of all-wheel-driveline means, e.g. transfer gears or clutches for dividing torque between front and rear axle (B60W10/14 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60W10/20

  including control of steering systems · CPC title

• B60W60/00

  Drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles · CPC title