Device and method for controlling hdc of hybrid vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016347185-A1
Application number	US-201514945687-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 19, 2015
Priority date	May 27, 2015
Publication date	Dec 1, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A device and a method for controlling a high side DC/DC converter (HDC) of a hybrid vehicle are provided. The switching frequency of the HDC is variably adjusted based on situations of temperatures of an inductor and an IGBT switching element, which constitute the HDC, to maintain a balance between the temperatures of the inductor and the IGBT switching element. Accordingly, temperatures of the inductor and the IGBT switching element are detected, and the switching frequency of the HDC is variably adjusted based on a situation for each temperature of each element to maintain a balance between the temperatures of the inductor and the IGBT switching element, thereby improving the utilization rate of the IGBT switching element.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A device for controlling a high side direct current/direct current (DC/DC) converter (HDC) of a hybrid vehicle, the device comprising:
an HDC including an inductor connected to an output terminal of a high-voltage battery, and an upper insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) switching element and a lower IGBT switching element, configured to switch current flowing through the inductor; an element temperature sensing unit including a first temperature sensor configured to sense a temperature of the inductor, a second temperature sensor configured to sense a temperature of the lower IGBT switching element, and a third sensor configured to sense a temperature of the upper IGBT switching element; and a controller configured to receive temperature sensing values of the first to third temperature sensors, and in response to detecting a variation in temperature between the inductor and each IGBT switching element, adjust a switching frequency of the IGBT switching element to be increased or decreased to maintain a balance between the temperatures of the inductor and each IGBT switching element.

2 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the lower IGBT switching element is used for a boost mode of the converter, and the upper IGBT switching element is used for a buck mode of the converter.

3 . The device of claim 1 , wherein, when the temperature of the lower IGBT switching element, sensed by the second temperature sensor, or the temperature of the upper IGBT switching element, sensed by the third temperature sensor, is greater than the temperature of the inductor, sensed by the first temperature sensor, the controller is configured to decrease the switching frequency to a predetermined level.

4 . The device of claim 1 , wherein, when the temperature of the inductor, sensed by the first temperature sensor, is greater than the temperature of the lower IGBT switching element, sensed by the second temperature sensor, or the temperature of the upper IGBT switching element, sensed by the third temperature sensor, the controller is configured to increase the switching frequency to a predetermined level.

5 . A method for controlling a direct current/direct current (DC/DC) converter (HDC) of a hybrid vehicle, comprising:
sensing, by a sensing unit, temperatures of a lower insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) switching element and an upper IGBT switching element, in addition to a temperature of an inductor of an HDC; and in response to determining a variation in temperature between the inductor and each IGBT switching element, adjusting, by a controller, a switching frequency of the IGBT switching element to be increased or decreased to maintain a balance between the temperatures of the inductor and each IGBT switching element.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein, in the adjusting of the switching frequency, when the temperature of the lower IGBT switching element or the temperature of the upper IGBT switching element is greater than the temperature of the inductor, the switching frequency is adjusted to be decreased to a predetermined level to decrease the temperature of each IGBT switching element.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein, when the switching frequency is decreased to the predetermined level, the switching frequency is fixed to a minimum value within a critical frequency range, in consideration of output ripples of the converter.

8 . The method of claim 5 , wherein, in the adjusting of the switching frequency, when the temperature of the inductor is greater than the temperature of the lower IGBT switching element or the temperature of the upper IGBT switching element, the switching frequency is increased to a predetermined level to decrease the temperature of the inductor.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein, when the switching frequency is increased to the predetermined level, the switching frequency is fixed to a maximum value within the critical frequency range, in consideration of a switching speed of each IGBT switching element.

10 . A non-transitory computer readable medium containing program instructions executed by a controller to operate a direct current/direct current (DC/DC) converter (HDC) of a hybrid vehicle, the computer readable medium comprising:
program instructions that control a sensing unit to sense temperatures of a lower insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) switching element and an upper IGBT switching element, in addition to a temperature of an inductor of an HDC; and program instructions that adjust a switching frequency of the IGBT switching element to be increased or decreased to maintain a balance between the temperatures of the inductor and each IGBT switching element in response to determining a variation in temperature between the inductor and each IGBT switching element.

11 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10 , wherein when the temperature of the lower IGBT switching element or the temperature of the upper IGBT switching element is greater than the temperature of the inductor, the switching frequency is adjusted to be decreased to a predetermined level to decrease the temperature of each IGBT switching element.

12 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 , wherein, when the switching frequency is decreased to the predetermined level, the switching frequency is fixed to a minimum value within a critical frequency range, in consideration of output ripples of the converter.

13 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10 , wherein when the temperature of the inductor is greater than the temperature of the lower IGBT switching element or the temperature of the upper IGBT switching element, the switching frequency is increased to a predetermined level to decrease the temperature of the inductor.

14 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13 , wherein, when the switching frequency is increased to the predetermined level, the switching frequency is fixed to a maximum value within the critical frequency range, in consideration of a switching speed of each IGBT switching element.

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Youn Sik
• Shin Sang Cheol

Classifications

• B60L3/003

  relating to inverters · CPC title

• H02M3/155 Primary

  using semiconductor devices only · CPC title

• B60L2240/525

  Temperature of converter or components thereof · CPC title

• B60L50/15

  with additional electric power supply (with capacitors charged by engine-driven generators B60L50/40; with batteries charged by engine-driven generators B60L50/61) · CPC title

• B60L50/50 Primary

  using propulsion power supplied by batteries or fuel cells · CPC title