Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Denso Corporation

Koichi Sakata

Tsuneo Maebara

Yusuke Shindo

Yoshiyuki Hamanaka

Ken Toshiyuki

Takao Kanzaki

Akihiko Ide

Kazuya Taniguchi

Tomoko Shimana

Yasuaki Igarashi

Taro Shimosaka

Kunihiro Suzuki

There is provided an electrically driven vehicle that well balances calculation volumes and communication volumes of two control devices configured to drive and control motors for driving. The electrically driven vehicle comprises at least one motor for driving and a first control device and a second control device configured to control the motor. The first control device is configured to calculate a target torque that is to be output from the motor, based on information including an accelerator position, to calculate a current command based on the calculated target torque, and to send the calculated current command to the second control device. The second control device is configured to use the current command, a phase current of the motor and a rotational angle of the motor such as to drive the motor by feedback control.

Electrically driven vehicle

A power supply system comprises a first battery, a second battery, an output electric circuit, a first switching element, a second switching element, and a third switching element. The output electric circuit includes a first electric circuit and a second electric circuit. The second electric circuit has a potential lower than a potential of the first electric circuit. The first, second and third switching elements are provided in series with each other from the first electric circuit toward the second electric circuit. The first battery is provided in parallel with the second switching element. The second battery is provided in parallel with a series connection between the second switching element and the third switching element.

Power supply system

A power converter includes a backup power source Eb provided separately from a power source Es and designed to supply power during a discharge period, and a discharging driver Mb that turns on/off an upper-arm (one) switching element in series-connected switching elements Qu and Qd based on a drive signal that has at least one of a voltage and a frequency, and drives a lower-arm (the other) switching element Qd such that it is always on, the at least one of the voltage and the frequency of the drive signal being within a predetermined range lower than a drive signal outputted from a normal driver Mu, Md.

Power converter

In a test of discharging a capacitor by electrically turning on a first switching element and a second switching element that are inserted in series in a conductor connecting a positive electrode and a negative electrode of the capacitor, a discharge current that passes through the first and second switching elements tend to apply stress on the first and second switching elements. In this discharge test, while a first control signal for putting the first switching element into a low resistance state is being applied to the first switching element, a second control signal increasing a voltage thereof over time is applied to the second switching element, and application of one of or both of the first and second control signals is stopped when a current detector detects a current. Since a discharge test ends when a limited discharge current starts flowing, stress associated with the discharge test is reduced.

Inverter

A drive system includes a first switching unit, a first capacitor, a step-down circuit, a second capacitor, and a discharging unit. The first switching unit is configured to convert energy, stored in an electrical storage device, to electric power that is supplied to a motor. The first capacitor is connected to the first switching unit and configured to smooth voltage that is supplied from the electrical storage device to the first switching unit. The step-down circuit is connected to the first capacitor and configured to step down voltage of the first capacitor. The second capacitor is connected to the step-down circuit and configured to draw electric charge stored in the first capacitor. The discharging unit is configured to discharge electric charge stored in the second capacitor.

Drive system and vehicle including drive system

A discharge controller carries out discharge control by determining a voltage to be applied to a conduction control terminal of each of switching elements such that a current in a non-saturation region of one of the switching elements is lower than a current in a non-saturation region of the other thereof, and applying the voltage to the conduction control terminal of each switching element with an opening-closing member opening an electrical path to turn on the switching elements, resulting in short-circuit of both electrodes of a capacitor so that a discharge current is outputted from the capacitor based on the discharge control. A manipulator manipulates, based on a value of the discharge current, how to apply the voltage to the conduction control terminal of the one of the switching elements, thus controlling an amount of heat to be generated in the one of the switching elements.

Discharge control apparatus for power converting system with capacitor

In an electric power conversion system having a discharge control device capable of discharging a voltage charged in a capacitor to a voltage of not more than a predetermined voltage, a linear regulator decreases a voltage of the capacitor and outputs the decreased voltage to a drive unit at a bottom arm in a U phase. A flyback converter for discharging use inputs an output of the linear regulator, and outputs electric power to a drive unit at an upper arm in the U phase. When detecting that own vehicle collides with an obstacle, the discharge control device starts to execute discharge control of the capacitor by turning off a photo coupler and turning on the linear regulator.

Discharge control device of electric power conversion system

A motor control apparatus includes an inverter, a smoothing capacitor, power-converting drivers, a power-converting power supply circuit, and discharging drivers. The inverter includes switching circuits comprised of series-connected two IGBTs. The power-converting drivers apply an output voltage of the power-converting power supply circuit to the switching circuits to drive them, thus performing power conversion. The discharging drivers simultaneously turn on IGBTs of the switching circuit to discharge the smoothing capacitor when the output voltage of the power-converting power supply circuit is equal to or lower than a threshold. This prevents discharging of the smoothing capacitor during power converting operations.

After a collision has been detected, all the upper arm transistors of inverters () are turned off, and all the lower arm transistors of the inverters are turned on. Then, when no counter electromotive force is generated in any one of motors (MG, MG), a gate voltage (V) lower than a gate voltage (V) at which each upper arm transistor completely turns on is applied to at least any one of the upper arm transistors of the inverters (), and at least any one of the lower arm transistors of the inverters (), which is serially connected to the at least any one of the upper arm transistors to which the gate voltage (V) is applied, is turned on.

Growing community of inventors

Okazaki, Japan

Koichi Sakata