Motor control device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9321353-B2
Application number	US-201214359736-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 22, 2012
Priority date	Nov 24, 2011
Publication date	Apr 26, 2016
Grant date	Apr 26, 2016

Abstract

An inverter is provided with a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the inverter. A plurality of threshold values are set up for the temperature detected by the temperature sensor, electric current restricting conditions different from each other are set up for each of the temperature regions sorted out by each threshold value, and an inverter restricting unit for applying a restriction to an electric current command applied to the inverter in dependence on the electric current restricting condition of the temperature region, in which the detected temperature is included. Without the drivability of an automobile being disturbed, by means of a temperature control of the inverter, not only are any change in characteristic and impairment, resulting from an overheating thereof, prevented, but also an undesirable reduction of the life of the inverter is avoided.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A motor control device of controlling a motor used in an electric automobile having the motor of driving a vehicle wheel, the automobile comprising:
an ECU, which is an electric control unit configured to control the automobile in its entirety;
an inverter device having a power circuit unit including an inverter to convert a direct current power of a battery into an alternating current used in driving the motor, a motor control unit configured to control at least the power circuit unit in accordance with a control of the ECU, and a temperature sensor provided to detect the temperature Tc of the inverter, a plurality of threshold values being set up for the temperature Tc detected; and
an inverter restricting unit configured to apply a restriction to an electric current command to the inverter, while electric current restricting conditions different from each other are set up for respective temperature regions sorted out by each threshold value, in dependence on the electric current restricting condition of the temperature region to which the detected temperature Tc belongs,
in which the inverter restricting unit is configured to change a permissible upper limit of a time dependent change dTc/dt of the inverter temperature, in which the temperature Tc is differentiated by time t, in dependence on each sorted temperature region when the time dependent change dTc/dt of the inverter temperature is positive.

2. The motor control device of controlling the motor as claimed in claim 1 , in which the inverter restricting unit is configured to set the permissible upper limit of the time dependent change dTc/dt of the inverter temperature, in which the temperature Tc is differentiated by time t, so as to decrease from a low temperature side towards a high temperature side for each of the temperature region in which the detected temperature Tc belongs.

3. The motor control device of controlling the motor as claimed in claim 1 , in which the inverter restricting unit is configured to restrict the dTc/dt by controlling an electric current value of the motor.

4. The motor control device of controlling the motor as claimed in claim 1 , in which the inverter restricting unit comprises:
a determining unit configured to determine whether or not the temperature Tc, detected by the temperature sensor, exceeds each of the threshold values; and
an abnormality annunciating unit configured to output an abnormality annunciation of the inverter to the ECU in the event that the determining unit determines the detected temperature Tc exceeding a predetermined threshold value among the plurality of the thresholds.

5. The motor control device of controlling the motor as claimed in claim 1 , in which the motor comprises a plurality of motors, each of the plurality of motors individually driving vehicle wheels of the electric automobile.

6. The motor control device of controlling the motor as claimed in claim 5 , further comprising an in-wheel motor drive device in which the motor is in part or in whole disposed inside the vehicle wheel.

7. The motor control device of controlling the motor as claimed in claim 6 , in which the in-wheel motor drive device comprises the motor, a wheel support bearing unit and a reduction gear.

8. The motor control device of controlling the motor as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a reduction gear to reduce the speed of rotation of the motor, the reduction gear being a cycloid reduction gear having a speed reducing ration of 4 or higher.

Assignees

• Ntn Toyo Bearing Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ozaki Takayoshi

Classifications

• B60L15/025

  using field orientation; Vector control; Direct Torque Control [DTC] · CPC title

• B60L2240/525

  Temperature of converter or components thereof · CPC title

• H02M2001/327

  Electricity · mapped topic

• B60L2240/425

  Temperature · CPC title

• B60L2220/50

  Structural details of electrical machines · CPC title