# US 10,374,539 B2 · Driving device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,374,539 B2 - Document ID: US10374539B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/907,596 - Filed: 2018-02-28 - Published: 2018-09-06 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2017-03-06 - Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Toshihiro Yamamoto; Kenji Yamada - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10374539B2 ## CPC - B60L 15/08: using pulses - B60L 15/007: {Physical arrangements or structures of drive train converters specially adapted for the propulsion motors of electric vehicles} - B60L 50/51: characterised by AC-motors - B60L 50/60: using power supplied by batteries (in combination with fuel cells B60L50/75) - H02P 21/0003: {Control strategies in general, e.g. linear type, e.g. P, PI, PID, using robust control} - H02P 21/13: Observer control, e.g. using Luenberger observers or Kalman filters - H02P 21/14: Estimation or adaptation of machine parameters, e.g. flux, current or voltage - H02P 21/22: Current control, e.g. using a current control loop - H02P 27/12: pulsing by guiding the flux vector, current vector or voltage vector on a circle or a closed curve, e.g. for direct torque control - H02P 29/50: Reduction of harmonics - B60L 2210/42: Voltage source inverters - B60L 2220/14: Synchronous machines - B60L 2240/12: Speed - B60L 2250/26: by pedal actuation - B60L 2250/28: Accelerator pedal thresholds - B60L 2270/14: of noise - Y02T 10/64: Electric machine technologies in electromobility - Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries - Y02T 10/72: Electric energy management in electromobility - B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES - H02P: CONTROL OR REGULATION OF ELECTRIC MOTORS, ELECTRIC GENERATORS OR DYNAMO-ELECTRIC CONVERTERS; CONTROLLING TRANSFORMERS, REACTORS OR CHOKE COILS - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract A driving device includes a motor, an inverter configured to drive the motor by switching a plurality of switching elements, and an electronic control unit configured to set voltage commands of phases according to temporary voltage commands of the phases based on a torque command of the motor and perform switching control of the switching elements by generating PWM signals for the switching elements by using the voltage commands of the phases and a carrier voltage. The electronic control unit is configured to switch a method of setting the voltage commands between a first method and a second method for each irregular time interval. The first method is a method of setting the voltage commands without superposing harmonics to the temporary voltage commands, and the second method is a method of setting the voltage commands by superposing the harmonics to the temporary voltage command. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A driving device comprising: a motor; an inverter configured to drive the motor by switching a plurality of switching elements; and an electronic control unit configured to determine temporary voltage commands of phases of the motor based on a torque command of the motor, set voltage commands based on the temporary voltage commands by switching a method of setting the voltage commands between a first method and a second method at irregular time intervals, and generate pulse width modulation (PWM) signals to perform switching control on the plurality of switching elements, based on the voltage commands and a carrier voltage, wherein: the first method is a method of setting the voltage commands as the temporary voltage commands; and the second method is a method of setting the voltage commands as results of superposing harmonics onto the temporary voltage commands. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The driving device according to claim 1, wherein an order of the harmonics is a multiple of three. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The driving device according to claim 1, wherein an order of the harmonics is constant. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The driving device according to claim 1, wherein an order of the harmonics is variable. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The driving device according to claim 1, wherein an amplitude of the harmonics is constant. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The driving device according to claim 1, wherein an amplitude of the harmonics is variable. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The driving device according to claim 1, wherein a relationship between a phase of the temporary voltage commands and a phase of the harmonics is constant. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The driving device according to claim 1, wherein a relationship between a phase of the temporary voltage commands and a phase of the harmonics is variable. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The driving device according to claim 1, wherein: the electronic control unit is configured to switch the method of setting the voltage commands whenever a continuous time in the first method or the second method of the method of setting the voltage commands is equal to or greater than a threshold; and the electronic control unit is configured to switch the method of setting the voltage commands for each irregular time interval by updating the threshold with an irregular value. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The driving device according to claim 9, wherein: the electronic control unit has a table for determining a threshold of the continuous time; a number and the threshold of the continuous time are set in the table; and the electronic control unit is configured to count the number whenever the continuous time in the first method or the second method is equal to or greater than the threshold and set the threshold of the continuous time corresponding to the number in the table as a new continuous time threshold. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The driving device according to claim 9, wherein the electronic control unit is configured to set a new continuous time threshold by using a random number generator whenever the continuous time in the first method or the second method is equal to or greater than the threshold.