Motor control device, vehicle, computer program, and recording medium storing computer program

A vehicle comprising:

• a motor drive system comprising a three-phase alternating-current motor, and a first inverter and a second inverter each configured to control a supply current to the motor,
• a motor control device configured to
• control the motor drive system,
• switch a control mode between
• a single-inverter control mode in which one of the first inverter and the second inverter is driven to control the supply current to the motor, and
• a twin-inverter control mode in which both the first inverter and the second inverter are driven to control the supply current to the motor,
• calculate each of a first power loss due to the single-inverter control mode and a second power loss due to the twin-inverter control mode based on a power loss of the motor, a power loss of the first inverter, a power loss of the second inverter, a power loss of a current supply path from the first inverter to the motor, and a power loss of a current supply path from the second inverter to the motor,
• set the control mode to the first power loss or the second power loss, whichever has a smaller power loss, and
• during the single-inverter control mode, acquire a temperature of the current supply path from the first inverter to the motor and a temperature of the current supply path from the second inverter to the motor, and switch an inverter to be used between the first inverter and the second inverter so that each of the temperature of the current supply path from the first inverter to the motor and the temperature of the current supply path from the second inverter to the motor is maintained to be lower than a heat-resistance threshold.

A non-transitory recording medium storing a computer program that is to be applied to a motor drive system configured to control driving of a first inverter and a second inverter each configured to control a supply current to a three-phase alternating-current motor,

• wherein the motor drive system is configured to switch a control mode between a single-inverter control mode in which one of the first inverter and the second inverter is driven to control the supply current to the motor and a twin-inverter control mode in which both the first inverter and the second inverter are driven to control the supply current to the motor, and
• wherein the computer program causes one or more processors to execute
• calculating each of a first power loss due to the single-inverter control mode and a second power loss due to the twin-inverter control mode based on a power loss of the motor, a power loss of the first inverter, a power loss of the second inverter, a power loss of a current supply path from the first inverter to the motor, and a power loss of a current supply path from the second inverter to the motor,
• setting the control mode to the first power loss or the second power loss, whichever has a smaller power loss, and
• during the single-inverter control mode, acquiring a temperature of the current supply path from the first inverter to the motor and a temperature of the current supply path from the second inverter to the motor, and switching an inverter to be used between the first inverter and the second inverter so that each of the temperatures is maintained to be lower than a heat-resistance threshold.