# US 10,771,005 B2 · Inverter system for vehicle

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- Number: US 10,771,005 B2
- Document ID: US10771005B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/389,450
- Filed: 2019-04-19
- Published: 2020-05-07
- Granted: 2020-09-08
- Earliest claimed: 2018-11-02
- Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company; Kia Motors Corporation
- Applicants: Hyundai Motor Company; Kia Motors Corporation
- Inventors: Beom Sik Kim; Jin Hwan Jung; Sang Cheol Shin; Ji Woong Jang; Ki Young Jang; Ki Jong Lee
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10771005B2

## CPC

- B60L 3/003: {relating to inverters}
- B60L 3/0061: {relating to electrical machines}
- B60L 15/08: using pulses
- B60L 50/51: characterised by AC-motors
- H02M 7/493: the static converters being arranged for operation in parallel
- H02P 27/085: {wherein the PWM mode is adapted on the running conditions of the motor, e.g. the switching frequency}
- H02P 29/028: the motor continuing operation despite the fault condition, e.g. eliminating, compensating for or remedying the fault
- B60L 2210/40: DC to AC converters
- B60L 2240/429: Current
- B60L 2240/529: Current
- B60L 2260/26: Transition between different drive modes
- 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
- H02M: APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC, OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUT POWER; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF (transformers H01F; dynamo-electric converters H02K47/00; controlling transformers, reactors or choke coils, control or regulation of electric motors, generators or dynamo-electric converters H02P)
- 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

An inverter system for a vehicle includes: an energy storage device configured to store electrical energy, a first inverter including a plurality of first switching elements and configured to convert the electrical energy stored in the energy storage device into alternating-current (AC) electric power, a second inverter including a plurality of second switching elements different from the plurality of first switching elements, a motor configured to be driven by receiving the AC power converted by the first inverter and the second inverter, current sensors disposed between the first inverter and the motor and the second inverters and the motor, respectively, and configured to detect a current input to the motor, and a controller configured to generate a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal for controlling driving of the motor.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An inverter system for a vehicle, comprising:
an energy storage device configured to store electrical energy;
a first inverter including a plurality of first switching elements, wherein the first inverter is configured to convert the electrical energy stored in the energy storage device into alternating-current (AC) electric power;
a second inverter including a plurality of second switching elements different from the plurality of first switching elements, wherein the second inverter is connected to the energy storage device in a parallel relationship with the first inverter, and is configured to convert the electrical energy stored in the energy storage device into AC power;
a motor configured to be driven by receiving AC power converted by the first inverter and the second inverter;
current sensors disposed between the first inverter and the motor and disposed between the second inverter and the motor, respectively, wherein each of the current sensor is configured to detect a current input to the motor; and
a controller configured to generate a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal for controlling driving of the motor, to determine a failure occurrence position between the first inverter and the motor or the second inverter and the motor based on the detected current, and to control the motor to be driven by the first inverter or the second inverter according to the failure occurrence position,
wherein, when a failure does not occur between the first inverter and the motor or the second inverter and the motor, the controller controls driving of the first inverter and the second inverter based on a required output amount of the motor,
wherein, when the required output amount of the motor is smaller than a reference value, the controller controls the plurality of first switching elements to drive the first inverter, and
wherein switching and conduction losses of the first inverter are smaller than those of the second inverter.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The inverter system of claim 1, wherein, when the failure occurs between the first inverter and the motor, the controller controls the motor to be driven by the second inverter, and
when the failure occurs between the second inverter and the motor, the controller controls the motor to be driven by the first inverter.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The inverter system of claim 1, wherein, when the required output amount of the motor is greater than the reference value, the controller controls the plurality of second switching elements to drive the second inverter.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The inverter system of claim 1, wherein, when the required output amount of the motor is greater than the reference value, the controller inputs a first PWM signal obtained by converting the PWM signal to the first inverter to control the plurality of first switching elements to be turned on prior to the plurality of second switching elements and to be turned off later than the plurality of second switching elements.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The inverter system of claim 1, wherein, when the required output amount of the motor is greater than the reference value, the controller inputs a second PWM signal obtained by converting the PWM signal to the first inverter to control the plurality of second switching elements to be turned on later than the plurality of first switching elements and to be turned off prior to the plurality of first switching elements.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The inverter system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of first switching elements is a silicon carbide-field effect transistor (SiC-FET), and each of the plurality of second switching elements is a Si-insulated gate type bipolar transistor (IGBT).

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The inverter system of claim 1, wherein the first inverter has a rated output for driving the motor, which is smaller than that of the second inverter.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The inverter system of claim 1, wherein the motor is a single motor operated by selectively or simultaneously receiving the electric power converted by the first inverter and the second inverter according to the required output amount of the motor.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The inverter system of claim 1, wherein the motor includes:
a first motor driven by receiving the electric power converted by the first inverter; and
a second motor driven by receiving the electric power converted by the second inverter.