Controller and control method for electric motor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9647603-B2
Application number	US-201515124774-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 16, 2015
Priority date	Mar 14, 2014
Publication date	May 9, 2017
Grant date	May 9, 2017

Abstract

To provide controller and control method for an electric motor including plural energization systems composed of an inverter and coils corresponding to plural phases. According to the present invention, if any abnormality is detected in one energization system being energized through first diagnosis processing, second diagnosis processing is executed on the energization system having the abnormality detected, which is switched to an unenergized state. Then, if the second diagnosis processing reveals occurrence of a short-circuit, a control gain of a normal energization system is lowered. In addition, a threshold used in the first diagnosis processing on the normal energization system is changed so as to make it difficult to detect an abnormality, hereby keeping the energization control on the normal energization system. Hence, if a short-circuit occurs in at least one of the energization systems, it is possible to avoid stopping the output from the normal energization system.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A controller for an electric motor equipped with a plurality of energization systems composed of an inverter and coils corresponding to a plurality of phases, the controller comprising a control unit for detecting occurrence of a short-circuit in each of the energization systems through a first processing for detecting occurrence of an abnormality in the energization system being energized and a second processing for detecting occurrence of an abnormality in the energization system being unenergized, and changing, if a short-circuit is detected in at least one of the energization systems, a control parameter for the energization system having no short-circuit detected,
wherein the control unit executes the second processing on the energization system having an abnormality detected through the first processing and executes, when no abnormality is detected through the second processing, the second processing on the energization system having no abnormality detected through the first processing.

2. The controller for an electric motor according to claim 1 , wherein when executing the second processing on the energization system having no abnormality detected through the first processing, the control unit allows driving of the inverter in the energization system having an abnormality detected through the first processing.

3. The controller for an electric motor according to claim 1 , wherein when a short-circuit is detected in at least one of the energization systems, the control unit changes a control parameter for the energization system having no short-circuit detected so that responsiveness to output control in the energization system having no short-circuit detected can be lowered compared to when no short-circuit is detected in all the energization systems.

4. The controller for an electric motor according to claim 3 , wherein when a short-circuit is detected in at least one of the energization systems, the control unit reduces a gain of output control in the energization system having no short-circuit detected compared to when no short-circuit is detected in all the energization systems.

5. The controller for an electric motor according to claim 1 , wherein when a short-circuit is detected in at least one of the energization systems, the control unit changes a state variable used in the first processing as the control parameter so as to make it difficult to detect an abnormality through the first processing.

6. The controller for an electric motor according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit executes at least one of processing that disables driving of the inverter in the energization system having a short-circuit detected and processing that turns OFF a phase relay disposed on an energization line of the coil.

7. The controller for an electric motor according to claim 1 , wherein when a short-circuit is detected in at least one of the energization systems, the control unit stops the energization system having the short-circuit detected, while changing a control parameter for the energization system having no short-circuit detected so as to keep the energization system operating.

8. The controller for an electric motor according to claim 7 , wherein when a short-circuit is detected in at least one of the energization systems, the control unit changes at least one of a detection value of a state variable and a threshold thereof, which are compared to detect occurrence of a short-circuit, as the control parameter so as to make it difficult to detect a short-circuit.

9. The controller for an electric motor according to claim 7 , wherein when a short-circuit is detected in at least one of the energization systems, the control unit reduces a gain of processing for determining a manipulated variable according to a control deviation in the energization system having no short-circuit detected.

10. A control method for an electric motor equipped with a plurality of energization systems composed of an inverter and coils corresponding to a plurality of phases, the method comprising the steps of:
detecting occurrence of a short-circuit in each of the energization systems in response to a detection signal indicating an electrical condition of each of the coils through a first processing for detecting occurrence of an abnormality in the energization system being energized and a second processing for detecting occurrence of an abnormality in the energization system being unenergized; and
reading a result of detecting occurrence of a short-circuit in each of the energization systems and changing, when a short-circuit is detected in at least one of the energization systems, a control parameter for the energization system having no short-circuit detected,
wherein in the step of detecting occurrence of a short-circuit, the second processing is executed on the energization system having an abnormality detected through the first processing and when no abnormality is detected through the second processing, the second processing is executed on the energization system having no abnormality detected through the first processing.

11. The control method for an electric motor according to claim 10 , further comprising the step of stopping, when the result of detecting occurrence of a short-circuit in each of the energization systems shows that a short-circuit is detected in at least one of the energization systems, the energization system having the short-circuit detected and allowing the energization system having no short-circuit detected to keep operating.

12. The control method for an electric motor according to claim 11 , wherein the step of changing a control parameter comprises the step of changing a control parameter for the energization system having no short-circuit detected so as to make it difficult to detect a short-circuit.

13. A controller for an electric motor equipped with a plurality of energization systems composed of an inverter and coils corresponding to a plurality of phases, the controller comprising a control unit for detecting occurrence of a short-circuit in each of the energization systems, and changing, if a short-circuit is detected in at least one of the energization systems, a control parameter for the energization system having no short-circuit detected so that responsiveness to output control in the energization system having no short-circuit detected can be lowered compared to when no short-circuit is detected in all the energization systems.

14. The controller for an electric motor according to claim 13 , wherein when a short-circuit is detected in at least one of the energization systems, the control unit reduces a gain of output control in the energization system having no short-circuit detected compared to when no short-circuit is detected in all the energization systems.

15. The controller for an electric motor according to claim 13 , wherein when a short-circuit is detected in at least one of the energization systems, the control unit stops the energization system having the short-circuit detected, while changing a control parameter for the energization system having no short-circuit detected so as to keep the energization system operating.

16. The controller for an electric motor according to claim 15 , wherein when a short-circuit is detected in at least one of the energization systems, the control unit changes at least one of a detection value of a state variable and a threshold thereof, which are compared to detect occurrence of a short-circuit, as the control parameter so as to make it difficult to detect a short-circuit.

Assignees

• Hitachi Automotive Systems Ltd

Inventors

• Koseki Tomonobu
• Yatsugi Tomishige

Classifications

• H02P29/0241 Primary

  the fault being an overvoltage · CPC title

• B62D5/0409

  Electric motor acting on the steering column · CPC title

• B62D5/0484 Primary

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

• H02P6/14

  Electronic commutators · CPC title

• H02H11/005

  in case of too low isolation resistance, too high load, short-circuit; earth fault · CPC title