• 专利附录
  • 专利说明
  • 权利要求
  • 类似技术
  • 同族专利
  • 引用文献
  • 法律状态
  • 优先权
    • 专利摘要:
    An electric vehicle comprises: an electric motor (26) configured to drive a wheel (14); a smoothing capacitor provided in a supply circuit (32) which delivers electrical energy to the electric motor (26); a processor configured to perform a discharge process when the electric vehicle (10) has an accident, the discharge process discharging the smoothing capacitor by controlling the supply circuit (32); a power source (34) connected to each of a plurality of electrical loads (44, 46) including the processor via a corresponding fuse; a relay circuit electrically connected between the power source (34) and the processor and configured to be controlled to establish an electrical connection between the power source (34) and the processor in response to a relay control signal issued by the processor; and a blocking circuit configured to temporarily block the relay circuit in a controlled state when the processor stops delivering the relay control signal.
    公开号:FR3052931A1
    申请号:FR1755291
    申请日:2017-06-13
    公开日:2017-12-22
    发明作者:Yasuhiro Terao；Koichi Sakata
    申请人:Toyota Motor Corp；
    IPC主号:
    专利说明:

    TECHNICAL AREA
    The present invention relates to an electric vehicle. The electric vehicle referred to below generally means an automobile that has an electric motor configured to drive a wheel. The electric vehicle includes, but is not particularly limited to: a rechargeable electric vehicle recharged with external electrical power; a fuel cell vehicle that has a fuel cell; a solar panel vehicle that has a solar panel; a hybrid vehicle which further has a heat engine; and an automobile that has two or more of these characteristics.
    BACKGROUND
    The electric vehicle is known. The electric vehicle has an electric motor that drives a wheel. In a power supply circuit that delivers electrical energy to the electric motor, a smoothing capacitor may be provided in addition to a DC-DC converter or an inverter, for example. The smoothing capacitor stores electrical charges to thereby limit voltage fluctuations in the supply circuit. While the electric vehicle is used, electrical charges are stored in the smoothing capacitor at a high voltage. Therefore, when the electric vehicle has an accident, it is necessary that the smoothing capacitor is quickly discharged.
    To discharge the smoothing capacitor, the electric vehicle may further comprise a processor that performs a discharge process. The discharge process is a process, when the electric vehicle has an accident, discharging the smoothing capacitor by controlling the supply circuit. For example, the processor may discharge the smoothing capacitor through the electric motor by controlling an inverter circuit. In this case, the processor can adjust a current flowing in the electric motor such that an output torque of the electric motor becomes zero. Such a command is called zero torque control. An example of the art described above is described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-141158.
    ABSTRACT
    The electric vehicle may further comprise an energy source and a relay circuit. The power source may be an auxiliary battery, for example, and is electrically connected to each of a plurality of electrical loads including the processor via a corresponding fuse. The relay circuit is. electrically connected between the power source and the processor, and is controlled to establish an electrical connection between the power source and the processor in response to a relay control signal delivered by the processor. According to such a configuration, when the processor stops operating, for example, the processor can stop delivering the relay control signal, thereby to cut the electrical connection between itself and the power source.
    When the electric vehicle has an accident (a collision), a conductive passage (for example, a bundle of cables) that connects the power source and any of the electrical charges, or the electric charge itself may be damaged, which may cause a short circuit in the power source. In this case, a corresponding fuse jumps to quickly remove the short circuit in the power source, and a power supply to the other electrical charges is restored. However, the output voltage of the power source temporarily decreases over a period of time from the occurrence of a short circuit to the breakdown of the fuse, and therefore there may be a case where the processor stops to work. If the processor stops operating, the output of the relay control signal from the processor is also interrupted, and the control of the relay circuit is also stopped. Therefore, the power source and the processor are electrically disconnected. In this case, even if the output voltage of the energy source is subsequently restored, there may be a case where the processor can not be re-activated and can not discharge the smoothing capacitor.
    The present invention provides a technique capable of reactivating the processor when the output voltage of the power source temporarily decreases and the processor stops operating.
    [0007] An electric vehicle exhibited herein may comprise: an electric motor configured to drive a wheel; a smoothing capacitor provided in a supply circuit which delivers electrical energy to the electric motor; a processor configured to perform a discharge process when the electric vehicle has an accident, the discharge process discharging the smoothing capacitor by controlling the power circuit; a power source connected to each of a plurality of electrical loads comprising the processor via a corresponding fuse; a relay circuit electrically connected between the power source and the processor and configured to be controlled to establish an electrical connection between the power source and the processor in response to a relay control signal provided by the processor; and a blocking circuit configured to temporarily block the relay circuit in a controlled state when the processor stops delivering the relay control signal.
    In this electric vehicle also, when the short circuit mentioned above in the power source occurs, there may be a case where the processor stops working due to a temporary decrease in the power supply. output voltage of the power source. When the processor stops operating, the output of the processor relay control signal is also stopped. However, even if the processor stops delivering the relay control signal, the blocking circuit temporarily blocks the relay circuit in a controlled state. On the other hand, if the output voltage of the power source is restored, the processor may be activated again and start delivering the relay control signal again. The processor can then discharge the smoothing capacitor by performing the discharge process.
    BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
    [0009] FIG. 1 is a block diagram which shows schematically a configuration of a hybrid vehicle 10; Figure 2 shows schematically an internal configuration of a supply circuit 32; Figure 3 shows schematically an internal configuration of an electric motor control unit 44; FIG. 4 shows an example of a time diagram according to a discharge process by a processor 62; Figure 5 shows an example of a short circuit that occurs in an auxiliary battery 34; Figure 6 shows an example of a timing diagram according to the process of discharge by the processor 62 in a case where the auxiliary battery 34 is short-circuited; Figure 7 schematically shows an internal configuration of an electric motor control unit 144 in a variant; FIG. 8 shows an example of a time diagram according to the discharge process by the processor 62 in the variant. In Figures 4, 6, and 8, the same references indicate the same elements or corresponding elements; and [0017] FIG. 9 schematically shows an internal configuration of an electric motor control unit 244 in another variant.
    DETAILED DESCRIPTION
    Representative non-limiting examples of the present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. This detailed description is merely intended to teach a person skilled in the art additional details for the implementation of the preferred aspects of the present teachings and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. In addition, each of the additional teachings and features set forth below may be used separately or in connection with other features and teachings to provide improved electric vehicles, as well as methods of use and manufacture thereof.
    In addition, the combinations of features and steps set forth in the detailed description which follows may not be necessary to implement the invention in the broadest sense, and are in fact simply taught to more specifically describe representative examples of the invention. In addition, various features of the representative examples described above and described below may be combined in ways that are not specifically and explicitly listed to provide additional useful embodiments of the present teachings.
    All the features described in the description are intended to be exhibited separately and independently of each other for the purpose of an original written description, as well as for the purpose of limiting the claimed object, regardless of the compositions features in the embodiments. In addition, all value ranges or feature group indications are provided to expose each possible intermediate value or intermediate entity for the purpose of the initial written description.
    [0021] A hybrid vehicle 10 in one embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The hybrid vehicle 10 is an example of an electric vehicle shown here. The hybrid vehicle configuration 10 described below can also be applied to other types of electric vehicles. As shown in Fig. 1, the hybrid vehicle 10 in the present embodiment comprises a vehicle body. 12, and four wheels 14 and 16 rotatably supported relative to the vehicle body 12. The four wheels 14 and 16 comprise a pair of driving wheels 14 and a pair of non-driving wheels 16. The driving pair 14 is connected to an output shaft 20 via a differential 18. The output shaft 20 is rotatably supported relative to the vehicle body 12. As an example, the driving pair 14 is constituted by rear wheels positioned at a rear portion of the vehicle body 12, while the pair of non-driving wheels 16 is constituted by front wheels positioned at a front portion of the vehicle body 12. The pair of driving wheels 14 is coaxially disposed relative to each other, and the pair of non-driving wheels 16 is also arranged coaxially with respect to each other.
    The hybrid vehicle 10 further comprises a heat engine 22, a first motor generator 24 (IMG in the drawings), and a second motor generator 26 (2MG in the drawings). The heat engine 22 burns fuel such as gasoline, and delivers power. Each of the first and second motor generators 24 and 26 is a three-phase motor-generator which has a phase U, a phase V and a phase W. In what follows, the first motor-generator 24 is called simply first electric motor 24, and the second motor-generator 26 is simply called second electric motor 26. The heat engine 22 is connected to the output shaft 20 and the first electric motor 24 via a power distribution mechanism 28. The mechanism The power distribution device 28 distributes the power delivered by the heat engine 22 to the output shaft 20 and the first electric motor 24. As an example, the power distribution mechanism 28 in the present embodiment has a mechanism planetary gear. The second electric motor 26 is connected to the output shaft 20. With such a configuration, the first electric motor 24 functions as a generator driven by the heat engine 22. In addition, the first electric motor 24 also functions as a combustion engine. On the other hand, the second electric motor 26 operates primarily as an electric motor that drives the pair of drive wheels 14. In addition, the second electric motor 26 also functions as a generator when the vehicle hybrid 10 performs regenerative braking.
    The hybrid vehicle 10 further comprises a main battery 30 and a power supply circuit 32. The main battery 30 is electrically connected to the first and second electric motors 24 and 26 via the supply circuit 32. main battery 30 is a rechargeable battery, and although no particular limitation is imposed on the main battery 30, it has a plurality of lithium ion cells. The supply circuit 32 delivers electrical energy from the main battery 30 to each of the first and second electric motors 24 and 26. In addition, the supply circuit 32 delivers electrical energy generated by the first motor 24, or the second electric motor 26 to the main battery 30. As an example, the main battery 30 in the present embodiment has a nominal voltage of approximately 200 volts, and each of the first and second electric motors 24 and 26 has a nominal voltage of approximately 600 volts. In other words, the main battery 30 has a nominal voltage lower than that of each of the first and second electric motors 24 and 26. It should be noted that no particular limitation is imposed on specific values of the nominal voltages of the main battery 30, the first electric motor 24, and the second electric motor 26, or a relationship of magnitude among the nominal voltages.
    As shown in Figure 2, the supply circuit 32 comprises a DC-DC converter 50, a first inverter 52, and a second inverter 54. The DC-DC converter 50 is a converter DC-DC current that allows raising and lowering of voltage. As an example, the DC-DC converter 50 comprises a coil L1, an upper branch switching element Q13, a lower branch switching element Q14, an upper branching diode D13, and a lower branching diode D14. The DC to DC converter intermittently powers the lower branch switching element Q14 to thereby function as a voltage rise converter. In addition, the DC-DC converter intermittently powers the branch switching element Q13, thereby to function as a voltage-lowering converter.
    The first inverter 52 has a plurality of switching elements Q1 to Q6, and a plurality of diodes DI to D6. Each of the plurality of diodes DI to D6 is connected in parallel with a corresponding one of the plurality of switching elements Q1 to Q6. The first inverter 52 selectively turns on and off the plurality of switching elements Q1 to Q6, thereby converting the DC electrical power from the DC to DC converter 50 into AC electrical energy. In a similar manner, the second inverter 54 has a plurality of switching elements Q7 to Q12, and a plurality of diodes D7 to D12. Each diode of the plurality of diodes D7 to D12 is connected in parallel with the corresponding one of the plurality of switching elements Q7 to Q12. The second inverter 54 selectively turns on and off the plurality of switching elements Q7 to Q12, thereby converting the DC electrical power from the DC to DC converter 50 into AC electrical energy.
    The main battery 30 is connected to the first electric motor 24 via the DC-DC converter 50 and the first inverter 52. If the first electric motor 24 functions as a motor, the DC electric power from the main battery 30 is high voltage in the DC-DC converter 50, then converted into AC electrical energy in the first inverter 52, and finally delivered to the first electric motor 24. On the other hand, if the first electric motor 24 functions as a generator, the AC electrical energy from the first electric motor 24 is converted into DC electrical energy in the first inverter 52, then lowered in voltage in the DC-DC converter 50, and finally delivered to the main battery 30.
    Similarly, the main battery 30 is connected to the second electric motor 26 via the DC-DC converter 50 and the second inverter 54. If the second electric motor 26 functions as a motor, the electrical energy direct current from the main battery 30 is raised in voltage in the DC-DC converter 50, then converted into AC electrical energy in the second inverter 54, and finally delivered to the second electric motor 26. On the other hand if the second electric motor 26 operates as a generator, the AC electric current from the second electric motor 26 is converted into DC power in the second inverter 54, then lowered in voltage in the DC-DC converter. 50, and finally delivered to the main battery 30. It should be noted that the conf In this embodiment, the configuration of the power supply circuit 32 is an example, and can be changed as appropriate depending on the configuration of each of the main battery 30, the first electric motor 24, and the second motor. 26. For example, if the main battery 30 has the same nominal voltage as that of each of the first and second electric motors 24 and 26, the DC-DC converter 50 is not necessarily required.
    The supply circuit 32 further comprises a first smoothing capacitor C1 and a second smoothing capacitor C2. The first smoothing capacitor C1 is positioned between the main battery 30 and the DC-DC converter 50, and the second smoothing capacitor C2 is positioned between the DC-DC converter 50 and the first inverter 52, and between the DC-DC converter 50 and the second inverter 54. Each of the first and second smoothing capacitors C1 and C2 stores electrical charges, thereby to prevent voltage fluctuations in the supply circuit 32. For example, the first capacitor Cl smoothing prevents fluctuations in the DC voltage supplied by the DC-DC converter 50 to the main battery 30. In addition, the second smoothing capacitor C2 prevents fluctuations in the DC voltage delivered by the converter. DC-DC current 50 to the first and second inverters 52 and 54. It is note that the supply circuit 32 may comprise only one of the first and second smoothing capacitors C1 and C2, or may further comprise another smoothing capacitor. The number and positions of smoothing capacitors can be changed as appropriate depending on the configuration of the supply circuit 32.
    Returning to FIG. 1, the hybrid vehicle 10 further comprises a hybrid control unit 40 (HV-ECU in the drawings), a heat engine control unit 42 (ENG-ECU in the drawings ), an electric motor control unit 44 (MG-ECU in the drawings), and an airbag control unit 46 (AB-ECU in the drawings). The heat engine control unit 42 is connected for communication with the heat engine 22, and controls operation of the heat engine 22. The electric motor control unit 44 is communicatively connected to the supply circuit 32, and controls a operation of the power supply circuit 32. More specifically, the electric motor control unit 44 controls the switching elements Q1 to Q14 in the supply circuit 32, thereby to control operation of each of the first and second electric motors 24 and 26. The hybrid control unit 40 may communicate with a plurality of control units including the heat engine control unit 42, the electric motor control unit 44, and the airbag control unit. 46, through a communication passage 48, and gives them an operating instruction to thereby control the entire operation of the hybrid vehicle 10.
    The airbag control unit 46 controls operation of one or more airbags (not shown) provided in the hybrid vehicle 10. The airbag control unit 46, in particular, has an acceleration sensor. for example, and can detect an accident of the hybrid vehicle 10. In detecting an accident of the hybrid vehicle 10, the airbag control unit 46 actuates the airbag (s). In addition, during the detection of an accident of the hybrid vehicle 10, the airbag control unit 46 transmits a prescribed accident signal to the plurality of control units comprising the hybrid control unit 40 and the control unit. As an example, the crash signal may be a train of pulse signals with a prescribed periodicity. Notably, the hybrid vehicle 10 may include another accident detection device that detects an accident of the hybrid vehicle 10, instead of, or in addition to, the airbag control unit 46.
    As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the hybrid vehicle 10 further comprises an auxiliary battery 34 and a charging circuit 36. The auxiliary battery 34 is electrically connected to the main battery 30 through the circuit The auxiliary battery 34 is a power source that delivers electrical energy to the plurality of electrical loads mounted on the hybrid vehicle 10, including the electric motor control unit 44, for example. As an example, the auxiliary battery 34 has a nominal voltage of 12 volts. The auxiliary battery 34 is a rechargeable battery, and charged with electric power delivered by the main battery 30. The charging circuit 36 has a DC-DC converter of the down-converter type, and lowers the DC voltage of the main battery 30 at a DC voltage suitable for charging the auxiliary battery 34, thereby charging the auxiliary battery 34.
    As shown in FIG. 3, the auxiliary battery 34 is electrically connected to the plurality of electric charges comprising the electric motor control unit 44 via the corresponding fuses 104. It should be noted that the plurality of electric charges also includes the airbag control unit 46 and other electrical charges 58. It should be noted that other electrical charges 58 shown in FIG. 3 include the hybrid control unit 40 and the heat engine control unit 42, which have been mentioned above, for example. The airbag control unit 46 is provided with a first emergency power source 47. The first emergency power source 47 has a rechargeable energy storage element (for example, a capacitor or a battery ), and is charged by the auxiliary battery 34. When a power supply of the auxiliary battery 34 to the airbag control unit 46 is stopped, the first emergency power source 47 replaces the auxiliary battery 34 and delivers the electric power to the airbag control unit 46. This allows the airbag control unit 46 to continue operating for a prescribed time even when the corresponding fuse 104 between the auxiliary battery 34 and the unit airbag control unit 46 has melted, for example.
    As shown in FIG. 3, the electric motor control unit 44 comprises a power supply circuit 60 and a processor 62. The processor 62 is electrically connected to the auxiliary battery 34 via the circuit 60, and operates thanks to the electrical energy delivered by the auxiliary battery 34. A corresponding fuse 104 and a relay circuit 80, which will be mentioned below, are electrically interposed between the supply circuit 60 and the auxiliary battery 34. The supply circuit 60 adjusts the voltage input from the auxiliary battery 34 to a voltage corresponding to the nominal voltage of the processor 62. As an example, the power supply circuit 60 in the present embodiment adjusts a voltage of 12 volts input from the auxiliary battery 34 at 5 volts, and delivers the adjusted voltage. The processor 62 has a central processing unit and a memory, and can use a plurality of programs and a plurality of parameters stored in the memory to perform a plurality of processes. As schematically shown in FIG. 3, the plurality of processes comprises a relay control process 64, an abnormal stop detection process 66, an accident determination process 68, and a discharge process 70. moreover, although not shown, the processor 62 may perform a process of controlling an operation of the power supply circuit 32, based on an operation command by the hybrid control unit 40 (e.g. a target pair of each of the first and second electric motors 24 and 26). For this purpose, the electric motor control unit 44 may further comprise at least one processor in addition to the processor 62 shown in FIG.
    The accident determination process 68 is a process of determining that the hybrid vehicle 10 has had an accident based on the crash signal delivered by the airbag control unit 46. In the processor 62, the crash signal delivered by the airbag control unit 46 is input through an interface circuit 102. The discharge process 70 is a process, when the accident determination process 68 determines that the hybrid vehicle 10 had an accident, discharge of the first and second smoothing capacitors C1 and C2 by controlling the supply circuit 32. As an example, in this discharge process 70, it is possible to discharge the first and second smoothing capacitors C1 and C2 through the second electric motor 26 controlling the direct-current-DC converter 50 and the second inverter 54. In this case, the current flowing in the second electric motor 26 may preferably be adjusted so that the output torque of the second electric motor 26 becomes zero. In other words, the zero torque control on the second electric motor 26 is preferably performed. Notably, in other embodiments, if the supply circuit 32 has another circuit structure that can discharge the first and second smoothing capacitors C1 and C2, this circuit structure can be used in the process of 70. Notably, when the discharge process 70 is performed, the main battery 30 is electrically disconnected from the supply circuit 32 by a switch or relay, not shown. The relay control process 64 and the abnormal stop detection process 66 will be described later.
    By performing the accident determination process 68 and the discharge process 70, the processor 62 can discharge the first and second smoothing capacitors C1 and C2 into the supply circuit 32 when the hybrid vehicle 10 has an accident. . As shown in FIG. 4, it is assumed that hybrid vehicle 10 has an accident at time t1, for example. In this case, at time t2, the airbag control unit 46 begins to deliver the crash signal (see Al in the drawings). A time T1 from time t1 to time t2 represents a necessary processing time for the airbag control unit 46 to detect the accident. When the airbag control unit 46 begins to deliver the crash signal, the processor 62 starts the discharge process 70 at a time t3 (see A2 in the drawings). A time T2 from time t2 to time t3 is a necessary time for processor 62 to perform the accident determination process 68. To avoid an erroneous determination caused by a noise signal, processor 62 determines that the hybrid vehicle 10 has an accident when the processor 62 continues to receive the crash signal during the time T2. As an example, in the present embodiment, a design time value T1 is 50 milliseconds, and a design time value T2 is 180 milliseconds.
    Returning to FIG. 3, the electric motor control unit 44 furthermore comprises the relay circuit 80. The relay circuit 80 is electrically connected between the auxiliary battery 34 and the power supply circuit. 60. The relay circuit 80 is controlled to establish an electrical connection between the auxiliary battery 34 and the power supply circuit 60 in response to a relay control signal output from the processor 62. In other words, while the processor 62 delivers the relay control signal, the auxiliary battery 34 and the processor 62 are electrically connected, and electrical energy is delivered by the auxiliary battery 34 to the processor 62. On the other hand, when the processor 62 stops operate, the processor 62 stops delivering the relay control signal, and interrupts, by itself, the power supply from the auxiliary battery 34. The relay control signal in the present embodiment is a signal having a prescribed DC voltage (for example, 3 to 5 volts). The electric motor control unit 44 may further include a diode 98 for circuit protection, and a capacitor 96 for noise prevention.
    No particular limitation is imposed on the particular configuration of the relay circuit 80. As an example, the relay circuit 80 in the present embodiment has a p-channel type field effect transistor 82 (hereinafter p-FET 82) and an n-channel type 88 field effect transistor (hereinafter n-FET 88). A source of the p-FET 82 is electrically connected to the auxiliary battery 34, and a drain of the p-FET 82 is electrically connected to the supply circuit 60. The p-FET 82 can thus be electrically connected and disconnected between the auxiliary battery. 34 and the supply circuit 60. A gate and the source of the p-FET 82 are electrically connected via a resistor 84. The gate of the p-FET 82 is electrically connected to a drain of the n-FET 88 via a resistor 86. A source of the n-FET 88 is electrically grounded, and a gate and the source of the n-FET 88 are electrically connected through a resistor 90. The signal of Relay control is then entered into the gate of n-FET 88. With such a configuration, when processor 62 delivers the relay control signal, n-FET 88 and p-FET 82 are turned on, which leads to the auxiliary battery 34 and the processor 62 to be electrically connected your. In other words, the relay control signal has a DC voltage higher than a threshold voltage of the n-FET 88. When the processor 62 then stops delivering the relay control signal, the n-FET 88 FET 88 and p-FET 82 are blocked, causing the auxiliary battery 34 and the processor 62 to be electrically disconnected.
    The relay control signal delivered by the processor 62 has entered the relay circuit 80 through a signal path 76. Here, the signal path 76 is provided with an OR circuit 74 and a resistor. 78. In the OR circuit 74, a relay activation signal delivered by one of the other electrical loads 58 (e.g. the hybrid control unit 40) is. entered via an interface circuit 100, in addition to the relay control signal. Usually, when the processor 62 is to be activated, the relay circuit 80 is controlled by the relay enable signal from one of the other electrical charges 58. This starts the power supply from the auxiliary battery 34 to the processor 62. which causes the processor 62 to be activated. Once the processor 62 is turned on, the processor 62 begins to output the relay control signal, and the relay circuit 80 is held in a controlled state. Here, no particular limitation is imposed on the configuration of the OR circuit 74, and the OR circuit 74 may be configured with the use of an integrated circuit, or may be a discrete circuit which has one or more semiconductor elements. driver. Notably, in other embodiments, a second passage for supplying electrical power from the auxiliary battery 34 to the processor 62 may be provided separately. In this case, a second relay circuit may be provided on the second pass, and a relay enable signal output from one of the other electrical loads 58 (e.g., the hybrid control unit 40) may be configured to be input in the second relay circuit. According to such a configuration, when the processor 62 is to be activated, the electric current is delivered from the auxiliary battery 34 to the processor 62 through the second passage. Therefore, the OR circuit 74 is not required.
    The electric motor control unit 44 further comprises a blocking circuit 92. The blocking circuit 92 is connected to the signal path 76. The blocking circuit 92 is configured to temporarily block the relay circuit 80 in the circuit. a controlled state when the processor 62 stops delivering the relay control signal. The blocking circuit 92 in the present embodiment has an energy storage element 94. This energy storage element 94 is a capacitor, but the energy storage element 94 may be a battery or another energy storage element. The energy storage element 94 has one end electrically connected to the signal path 76, and the other end electrically grounded. The processor 62 is also electrically grounded, and the processor 62 and the energy storage element 94 are therefore connected in parallel with each other with respect to the relay circuit 80. More particularly, the processor 62 and the energy storage element 94 are connected in parallel with each other with respect to an input portion of the relay circuit 80 in which the relay control signal is inputted.
    As mentioned above, the relay control signal delivered by the processor 62 is a signal having a prescribed direct current voltage. Therefore, while the processor 62 outputs the relay control signal, the energy storage element 94 is loaded by the relay control signal. Even if the processor 62 stops delivering the relay control signal, the energy storage element 94 thus charged enters a voltage equivalent to or corresponding to the relay control signal in the relay circuit 80. This allows the circuit relay 80 to be temporarily blocked in a controlled state even after processor 62 stops delivering the relay control signal. The resistor 90 in the relay circuit 80 is connected in parallel with the energy storage element 94. Therefore, the energy storage element 94 is gradually discharged through the resistor 90, which causes the relay circuit 80 to be eventually stopped. The time during which the energy storage element 94 keeps the relay circuit 80 in a controlled state can be adjusted by means of a capacity of the energy storage element 94 and a resistance value of the resistance 90.
    As mentioned above, in the hybrid vehicle 10 in the present embodiment, when the hybrid vehicle 10 has an accident, the first and second smoothing capacitors C1 and C2 in the power supply circuit 32 can be unloaded. However, when the hybrid vehicle 10 has an accident, there may be a case where the vehicle body 12 is significantly deformed, for example, to the point of causing a short circuit in the auxiliary battery 34. As shown in Figure 5, for example, it is assumed that a wiring harness XI which electrically connects the auxiliary battery 34 and an electrical load 58a is damaged and brought into contact with the vehicle body 12, thereby to be electrically grounded. In this case, the auxiliary battery 34 is short-circuited to the point of generating a high short-circuit current SC. It should be noted that, due to a breakdown of the fuse 104a, the short circuit in the auxiliary battery 34 is rapidly resolved, and the power supply of the other electrical loads comprising the electric motor control unit 44 is restored. .
    However, during a period from the appearance of the short circuit to the breakdown of the fuse 104a, the output voltage of the auxiliary battery 34 temporarily decreases. Therefore, there may be a case where the processor supply voltage 62 also decreases, and the processor 62 stops operating. When the processor 62 stops operating, the output of the relay control signal by the processor 62 is also interrupted. At this time, if the electric motor control unit 44 does not include the blocking circuit 92, the control of the relay circuit 80 is disadvantageously stopped unless a relay activation signal is provided by the In this case, even if the output voltage of the auxiliary battery 34 is subsequently restored, the processor 62 can not receive a power supply from the auxiliary battery 34. The processor 62 can not be activated from new nor execute the discharge process 70.
    Contrary to the above, the electric motor control unit 44 in the present embodiment comprises the blocking circuit 92, and even if the processor 62 stops delivering the relay control signal, the circuit blocking 92 temporarily maintains the relay circuit 80 in a controlled state. On the other hand, if the output voltage of the auxiliary battery 34 is restored, the auxiliary battery 34 is electrically connected to the processor 62, which allows the processor 62 to be activated again and to resume the output of the relay control signal . The processor 62 can then discharge the first and second smoothing capacitors C1 and C2 by performing the accident determination process 68 and the discharge process 70. Thus, according to the hybrid vehicle 10 in the present embodiment, when the vehicle hybrid 10 has an accident, the first and second smoothing capacitors C1 and C2 can be discharged more reliably.
    [0044] A particular example of a series of flows described above will be described with reference to FIG. 6. In a similar manner to the example in FIG. 4, when the hybrid vehicle 10 has an accident at At time t1, the airbag control unit 46 begins to deliver the crash signal at time t2 (see Al in the drawings). It is assumed that a short circuit occurs one or more times in the auxiliary battery 34, mentioned above, after the instant t1, and the output voltage of the auxiliary battery 34 decreases to approximately zero volts for a period of time. time T3 from a moment t4 until a time t5 (see A3). In this case, at time t4, the output voltage of the power supply circuit 60 also decreases to approximately zero volts (see A4), thereby causing the processor 62 to stop operating (see A5). As a result, the output of the relay control signal is stopped (see A6). At this stage, however, the energy storage element 94 in the blocking circuit 92 is charged, and due to the output voltage of the blocking circuit 92 (see A7), the relay circuit 80 is held in a controlled state even after time t4 (see A8).
    After that, when the output voltage of the auxiliary battery 34 is restored to 12 volts at time t5, the output voltage of the supply circuit 60 is also restored to 5 volts at time t6, and the processor 62 is activated again. In other words, even at time t6, the blocking circuit 92 keeps the relay circuit 80 in a controlled state, and a power supply from the auxiliary battery 34 to the processor 62 is restored. A time T4 from time t5 to time t6 is a time required for the output voltage of the power supply circuit 60 to reach 5 volts, which is a target voltage, by feedback control in the circuit 60 power supply.
    When the processor 62 is activated again at time t6, the processor 62 implements a prescribed initialization process, and then performs the abnormal stop detection process 66 (see Figure 3). The abnormal stop detection process 66 is a detection process because the last stop of the operation of the processor 62 is abnormal or not. The abnormal stoppage of operation cited herein includes a shutdown due to a loss of power, as happens at time t4. The processor memory 62 records a history of operation of the processor 62, and in the abnormal off detection process 66, the operation history is referenced. For example, if no normal operation shutdown is recorded at the end of the operation history stored in the memory, the last shutdown of the processor 62 is determined to be abnormal.
    If the last operating stop of the processor 62 is abnormal, the processor 62 performs the relay control process 64 (see Figure 3), and begins to deliver the relay control signal at time t7. Notably, if the last shutdown of the processor 62 is normal, the processor 62, before performing the relay control process 64, performs some other necessary processes for the control of the power supply circuit 32. In others In other words, if the last downtime of the processor 62 is abnormal, the processor 62 skips some processes to be performed in normal time, and starts delivering the relay control signal earlier. A time T5 from time t6 to time t7 is a time necessary for processor 62 to perform the initialization operation mentioned above, abnormal stop detection process 66, and the process of Relay control 64. After that, processor 62 performs the accident determination process 68, and then performs the discharge process 70 at time t8. Time T2 from time t7 to time t8 is a time required for processor 62 to perform the accident determination process 68, as mentioned above.
    As described above, during a period since time t4 when the processor 62 stops delivering the relay control signal at time t7 where the processor 62 resumes the output of the signal relay circuit, the blocking circuit 92 maintains the relay circuit 80 in a controlled state. In other words, the blocking circuit 92 can keep the relay circuit 80 in a controlled state at least for a time equal to the total of the times T3, T4, and T5. When the output voltage of the auxiliary battery 34 is restored, a power supply from the auxiliary battery 34 to the processor 62 can thus be restored without the need for the relay control signal delivered by the processor 62. As an example, in the In this embodiment, the maximum values of times T3, T4, and T5 are assumed to be 300 milliseconds, 80 milliseconds, and 120 milliseconds, respectively. Therefore, the blocking circuit 92 in the present embodiment is designed to be able to keep the relay circuit 80 in a controlled state for at least 500 milliseconds or more after the processor 62 stops delivering the relay control signal.
    The energy storage element 94 in the blocking circuit 92 only needs to store just enough electrical energy to temporarily hold the relay circuit 80 in a controlled state. The electrical energy required to maintain the relay circuit 80 in a controlled state is lower than the electrical energy required to maintain the operation of the processor 62. For example, it is also expected that the processor 62 will be provided with a source of backup energy so as to prevent an unintentional shutdown of the processor 62 operation. However, the backup power source for the processor 62 must have a storage capacity of a lot of electrical energy, resulting in an increase of the physical size of the backup power source. Compared with such a backup power source, the energy storage element 94 in the blocking circuit 92 is small in size. Therefore, the blocking circuit 92 can be provided in the electric motor control unit 44 without increasing the size of the electric motor control unit 44.
    An electric motor control unit 144 in a variant will then be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. As shown in FIG. 7, the electric motor control unit 144 may further comprise a crash signal processing device 110 and a second emergency power source 112. The crash signal processing device 110 receives the crash signal from the airbag control unit 46, and delivers processor 62 a second accident signal according to the accident signal received. As an example, the accident signal processing device 110 described herein counts the number of received pulse signals, and when the count value of the pulse signals reaches a prescribed threshold value, delivers the second signal The accident signal processing device 110 is connected to the auxiliary battery 34 via a diode 114, and operates by virtue of the electrical energy from the auxiliary battery 34.
    The second emergency power source 112 has a rechargeable energy storage element (for example a capacitor or a secondary battery). The second emergency power source 112 is electrically connected to the auxiliary battery 34 via a power supply line 116 which has the diode 114, and is charged with electrical energy from the auxiliary battery 34. When the power supply from the auxiliary battery 34 to the accident signal processing device 110 is stopped, the second emergency power source 112 replaces the auxiliary battery 34 and delivers electrical energy to the device This allows the accident signal processing device 110 to continue to operate even if the output voltage of the auxiliary battery 34 temporarily decreases, for example.
    As shown in FIG. 7, it is assumed that a wiring harness which electrically connects the auxiliary battery 34 and the airbag control unit 46 is damaged and brought into contact with the vehicle body 12, to be electrically grounded. In this case, the fuse 104 between the auxiliary battery 34 and the airbag control unit 46 is cut off, and a power supply from the auxiliary battery 34 to the airbag control unit 46 is interrupted. The airbag control unit 46 is provided with the first emergency power source 47, and therefore, even after the power supply from the auxiliary battery 34 is interrupted, the control unit of airbag 46 may temporarily continue to operate. Therefore, as shown by A1 in Fig. 8, the airbag control unit 46 can detect an accident and deliver an accident signal. However, the crash signal is delivered by the airbag control unit 46 exclusively for a time T6, which is a limited time. Therefore, if the crash signal from the airbag control unit 46 has already been interrupted when the processor 62 is activated again at time t6 and the initialization process is completed at time t7 , the processor 62 can no longer receive the accident signal from the airbag control unit 46.
    Due to the above problems, the electric motor control unit 144 shown in FIG. 7 is provided with the accident signal processing device 110 and the second emergency power source 112. As shown in FIG. this is represented by A10 in FIG. 8, the accident signal processing device 110 counts pulse signals in the crash signal, which is a pulse signal train, and when the count value is reached a prescribed threshold value X10 starts delivering the second crash signal to the processor 62. Here, the crash signal processing device 110 may continue to operate due to the electrical energy from the second power source. emergency 112 even while the output voltage of the auxiliary battery 34 temporarily decreases (see A9 in the drawings). When the initialization process is completed at time t7, the processor 62 can determine the presence or absence of an accident of the hybrid vehicle 10, based on the second crash signal from the signal processing device. In this case, the processor 62 only needs to determine the presence or absence of the second crash signal in the accident determination process 68, and the time required for the accident determination process. becomes extremely short. The processor 62 can thus start the discharge process 70 quickly after the time t1 (see A2 in FIG. 8).
    As described above, according to the electric motor control unit 144 shown in FIG. 7, even if the accident signal from the airbag control unit 46 is interrupted, the processor 62 can perform the discharge process 70. In addition, the crash determination for the hybrid vehicle 10 is made by the processor-independent crash determination process 62, and the processor 62 can therefore start and terminate the process. discharge process 70 quickly.
    The second backup power source 112 only needs to store just enough electrical power to temporarily operate the accident signal processing device 110. The electrical power required for the signal processing device The accident 110 operates is weaker than the electrical energy required for the processor 62 to operate. Therefore, compared with the backup power source for processor 62, mentioned above, the second backup power source 112 is also decreased in size. Therefore, the second backup power source 112 can be provided in the electric motor control unit 144 without increasing the size of the electric motor control unit 144.
    The configuration of the "accident signal processing device 110" is not limited to the examples mentioned above, and can be changed according to an accident detection signal, for example. 110 crash signal processing does not necessarily need to make an accident determination for the hybrid vehicle 10, and may also be configured to simply record the crash signal from the airbag control unit 46 In this case, after being activated again, the processor 62 may reference the crash signal stored in the crash signal processing device 110. In other words, the signal processing device Accident 110 provides the processor 62 with a portion or all of the accident signal stored as a second crash signal in response to an instruction from the processor 62, for example. and the discharge process 70 based on the second crash signal from the crash signal processing device 110.
    An electric motor control unit 244 in a variant will then be described with reference to FIG. 9. In this variant also, the electric motor control unit 244 includes the accident signal processing device. 110 and the second emergency power source 112. The electric motor control unit 244, however, does not include the relay circuit 80, and the processor 62 is always electrically connected to the auxiliary battery 34 and the battery circuit. 36. With such a configuration also, when the output voltage of the auxiliary battery 34 decreases due to a breakdown of the fuse 104, there may be a case where the processor 62 temporarily stops operating. Further, if the breakdown of the fuse 104 occurs between the auxiliary battery 34 and the airbag control unit 46, there may also be a case where the crash signal from the airbag control unit 46 has already been interrupted at the moment when the processor 62 completes the initialization process. However, after being activated again, the processor 62 can perform the accident determination process 68 and the discharge process 70 by referencing the crash signal stored in the crash signal processing device 110. The configuration according to the accident signal processing device 110 and the second emergency power source 112 can thus operate effectively regardless of the presence or absence of the relay circuit 80.
    [0058] Some particular examples have been described in detail above. However, they are simple examples, and they are not limiting. For example, the electric motor control units 44, 144, and 244, mentioned above, can be adopted not only in the hybrid vehicle 10, but also in various electric vehicles such as a rechargeable electric vehicle, a vehicle with fuel cell, and a solar panel vehicle, for example. Notably, the auxiliary battery 34 in the embodiment is an example of the power source. The airbag control unit 46 in the embodiment is an example of the accident detection device. The second backup power source 112 in the embodiment is an example of the backup power source.
    The technical issues that arise from this description will be listed below.
    The electric vehicle (10) exhibited herein comprises: an electric motor (26) configured to drive a wheel (14); a smoothing capacitor (C1, C2) provided in a supply circuit (32) which delivers electrical energy to the electric motor (26); a processor (62) configured to perform a discharge process (70) when the electric vehicle (10) has an accident, the discharge process discharging the smoothing capacitor (C1, C2) by controlling the supply circuit (32) ; a power source (34) connected to each of a plurality of electrical loads (44, 46, 58, 62) including the processor (62) via a corresponding fuse (104); a relay circuit (80) electrically connected between the power source (34) and the processor (62) and configured to be controlled to establish an electrical connection between the power source (34) and the processor (62); responding to a relay control signal output from the processor (62); and a blocking circuit (92) configured to temporarily hold the relay circuit (80) in a controlled state when the processor (62) stops delivering the relay control signal. According to this configuration, the smoothing capacitor (C1, C2) in the supply circuit (32) can be reliably discharged when the electric vehicle (10) has an accident.
    The blocking circuit (92) may include an energy storage element (94) configured to be loaded by the relay control signal output from the processor (62). According to such a configuration, the blocking circuit (92) can control the relay circuit (80) by electric power charged to the energy storage element (94).
    If the relay control signal has a prescribed DC voltage, the energy storage element (94) in the blocking circuit (92) may be connected in parallel with the processor (62) relative to the relay circuit (80). According to such a configuration, the charged energy storage element (94) can replace the processor (62) and output a signal equivalent to or corresponding to the relay control signal.
    At least one resistor (90) may be connected in parallel with the energy storage element (94) in the blocking circuit (92). In such a configuration, once the output of the relay control signal is stopped, the energy storage element (94) is gradually discharged thereby temporarily maintaining the relay circuit (80) in a controlled state.
    The electric vehicle (10) may further comprise: an accident detection device (46) configured to deliver a prescribed crash signal when the electric vehicle (10) has an accident; an accident signal processing device (110) configured to receive the crash signal from the accident detection device (46) and to provide the processor (62) with a second crash signal based on the signal of accident received; and a backup power source (112) configured to deliver electrical power to the crash signal processing device (110) when a power supply to the crash signal processing device (110) is interrupted. In such a configuration, even when the accident detection device crash signal (46) is interrupted while the processor (62) temporarily stops operating, the processor (62) can perform the discharge process (70) after being activated again, based on the second crash signal from the crash signal processing device (110).
    The electric vehicle (10) may further comprise a main power source (30) configured to deliver electrical energy to the electric motor (26) via the supply circuit (32). The main power source (30) may be a rechargeable battery, a fuel cell, a solar panel, another electric power generating device, or a combination of at least two of them, for example.
    权利要求:
    Claims (5)
    [1" id="c-fr-0001]
    An electric vehicle (10) characterized by comprising: an electric motor (26) configured to drive a wheel (14); a smoothing capacitor (C1, C2) disposed in a supply circuit (32) which delivers electrical energy to the electric motor (26); a processor (62) configured to perform a discharge process (70) when the electric vehicle (10) has an accident, the discharge process (70) discharging the smoothing capacitor (C1, C2) by controlling the supply circuit (32); a power source (34) connected to each of a plurality of electrical loads (44, 46, 58, 62) including the processor (62) via a corresponding fuse (104); a relay circuit (80) electrically connected between the power source (34) and the processor (62) and configured to be controlled to establish an electrical connection between the power source (34) and the processor (62); responding to a relay control signal output from the processor (62); and a blocking circuit (92) configured to temporarily hold the relay circuit (80) in a controlled state when the processor (62) stops delivering the relay control signal.
    [2" id="c-fr-0002]
    The electric vehicle (10) according to claim 1, wherein the blocking circuit (92) comprises a power storage element (94) configured to be loaded by the relay control signal delivered by the processor (62). and is configured to control the relay circuit (80) by electric power charged to the energy storage element (94).
    [3" id="c-fr-0003]
    The electric vehicle (10) of claim 2, wherein the relay control signal is a DC voltage signal and the energy storage element (94) is connected in parallel with the processor (62). relative to the relay circuit (80).
    [4" id="c-fr-0004]
    An electric vehicle (10) according to claim 3, wherein a resistor (90) is connected in parallel with the energy storage element (94).
    [5" id="c-fr-0005]
    The electric vehicle (10) of claim 1, further comprising: an accident detection device (46) configured to deliver an accident signal when the electric vehicle (10) has an accident; an accident signal processing device (110) configured to receive the crash signal from the accident detection device (46) and to provide the processor (62) with a second crash signal based on the signal of accident received; and a backup power source (112) configured to deliver electrical power to the crash signal processing device (110) when a power supply to the crash signal processing device (110) is interrupted.
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    同族专利:
    公开号 | 公开日
    CN107521346B|2021-04-02|
    DE102017111884A1|2017-12-21|
    CN107521346A|2017-12-29|
    FR3052931B1|2021-01-01|
    DE102017111884B4|2020-10-29|
    JP2017225241A|2017-12-21|
    JP6493314B2|2019-04-03|
    US20170361712A1|2017-12-21|
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    法律状态:
    2018-05-11| PLFP| Fee payment|Year of fee payment: 2 |
    2019-05-10| PLFP| Fee payment|Year of fee payment: 3 |
    2020-05-12| PLFP| Fee payment|Year of fee payment: 4 |
    2020-05-29| PLSC| Search report ready|Effective date: 20200529 |
    2021-05-13| PLFP| Fee payment|Year of fee payment: 5 |
    优先权:
    申请号 | 申请日 | 专利标题
    JP2016118910A|JP6493314B2|2016-06-15|2016-06-15|Electric car|
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