Chrysler Corporation

Joseph F Impullitti

Min Sway-Tin

James C Carter

Thaddeus Roterman

David S Meir

Ronald A Zawacki

A motor control circuit is disclosed for providing a continuously variable regeneration control. The control circuit includes a microcomputer for generating a power regeneration command signal and a motor command signal, and an armature circuit for use with DC and induction motors. The armature circuit is responsive to the motor command signal for operating the controlled motor in a motor drive mode. The armature circuit is further responsive to the power regeneration command signal for controlling the degree of power regeneration. The armature circuit includes a deadtime generator, responsive to the motor command signal for generating a pair of complementary motor drive signals, the inverted signal of the pair having deadtime. The inverted motor drive signal with deadtime is AND'ed with the power regeneration command signal to produce a power regeneration drive signal. The non-inverted motor drive signal and the power regeneration drive signal are applied to a Class C two-quadrant chopper drive circuit. The chopper circuit alternately and in accordance with these drive signals respectively energizes the motor (motor drive mode) and causes the motor to recharge the battery (power regeneration mode).

Method and apparatus for power regeneration in an electric vehicle motor

A system (10) and method for monitoring usage of current immediately available from the traction batteries (12) of an electric vehicle includes a means (18) for generating a signal representative of the current being drawn from the batteries (12); a means (20) for generating a signal representative of the maximum current available from the batteries (12) for immediate use; and a means (22) responsive to the drawn-current signal and the maximum-available-current signal for generating a usage signal representing the ratio of drawn current to maximum-available current. A display, such as an analog meter (24) responsive to the usage signal and calibrated from zero-percent to one-hundred-percent available current usage, displays the transitory current usage as a percentage of maximum-available current. Where the batteries (12) supply current to both the vehicle's traction motors (14) and noncritical electrical components (16), a relay (28) responsive to the usage signal sheds the noncritical component's load from the batteries (12) when current usage rises above a given level. A current limiter (30) responsive to the usage signal is preferably also provided to limit the supply of current to the traction motors (14) when current usage rises above a still higher level.

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Farmington Hills, MI, United States of America

Joseph F Impullitti