Motor driving device and electric power steering apparatus including motor driving device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8941337-B2
Application number	US-201313965301-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 13, 2013
Priority date	Aug 27, 2012
Publication date	Jan 27, 2015
Grant date	Jan 27, 2015

Abstract

In a motor driving device, a first relay portion is connected between a power source and an inverter portion, a second relay portion is connected between the first relay portion and the inverter portion, and a motor relay portion is connected between the inverter portion and a winding group of a motor. Inverter pre-driver circuits respectively drive switching elements of the inverter portion. A first pre-driver circuit drives the first relay portion. A second pre-driver circuit drives the second relay portion and the motor relay portion. A controller controls driving of the inverter portion, the first relay portion, the second relay portion, and the motor relay portion, and detects a failure of the first relay portion, the second relay portion, and the motor relay portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A motor driving device comprising:
an inverter portion including a plurality of switching elements that switches power supply to a winding group of a motor;
a first relay portion connected between a power source and the inverter portion;
a second relay portion connected between the first relay portion and the inverter portion;
a motor relay portion connected between the inverter portion and the winding group of the motor;
a plurality of inverter pre-driver circuits respectively driving the plurality of switching elements of the inverter portion;
a first pre-driver circuit driving the first relay portion;
a second pre-driver circuit driving the second relay portion and the motor relay portion; and
a controller including a control section and a failure detecting section, the control section controlling driving of the inverter portion, the first relay portion, the second relay portion, and the motor relay portion through the plurality of inverter pre-driver circuits, the first pre-driver circuit, or the second pre-driver circuit, the failure detecting section detecting a failure of the first relay portion, the second relay portion, and the motor relay portion.

2. The motor driving device according to claim 1 , wherein
each of the first relay portion and the second relay portion includes a semiconductor device having a parasitic element,
the first relay portion is a power source relay that is capable of cutting off power supply from the power source to the inverter portion, and
the second relay portion is a reverse connection protection relay and is connected such that a direction of the parasitic element of the second relay portion is opposite from a direction of the parasitic element of the first relay portion.

3. The motor driving device according to claim 1 , wherein
the controller is connected such that the controller is capable of receiving power from between the first relay portion and the second relay portion.

4. The motor driving device according to claim 3 , further comprising
an OR circuit portion that is capable of receiving power from between the inverter portion and an ignition switch connected in parallel with the first relay portion and the second relay portion, or between the first relay portion and the second relay portion,
wherein the controller is capable of receiving the power through the OR circuit portion.

5. The motor driving device according to claim 1 , wherein
the motor includes a plurality of the winding groups, and
the inverter portion, the first relay portion, the second relay portion, the motor relay portion, the inverter pre-driver circuits, the first pre-driver circuit, and the second pre-driver circuit are provided with respect to each of the winding groups.

6. An electric power steering apparatus comprising:
a motor; and
the motor driving device according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Uryu Nobuhiko
• Matsuda Naoki
• Kuroda Yoshihide

Classifications

• H02P27/06 Primary

  using DC to AC converters or inverters (H02P27/05 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B62D5/0484

  for reaction to failures, e.g. limp home · CPC title

• H02M7/48

  using discharge tubes with control electrode or semiconductor devices with control electrode · CPC title

• B62D5/0487

  detecting motor faults (B62D5/0496 takes precedence) · CPC title