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US 8,427,004 B2Granted
Electric-vehicle controller and power storage unit shutoff switch
AssigneeMitsubishi Electric Corporation
InventorHidetoshi Kitanaka
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
There is obtained an electric-vehicle controller that prevents energy stored in a power storage unit from being discharged in the case where a collision, a derailment, or breakage of an overhead line occurs. The electric-vehicle controller is provided with a DC-to-DC converter one terminal pair of which is connected to the DC power source side of the inverter, a power storage unit that is connected to the other terminal pair of the DC-to-DC converter and stores electric power, a switch provided between the power storage unit and the DC-to-DC converter, and a control unit that opens the switch in the case where abnormal circumstances may occur or have occurred.
Claims14
An electric-vehicle controller comprising:
- an inverter that is connected to a DC power source and drives a motor;
- a DC-to-DC converter having first and second terminal pairs, the first terminal pair connected across the DC power source and connected across the inverter;
- a power storage unit connected to the second terminal pair of the DC-to-DC converter to receive and store DC electric power;
- a switch disposed between the power storage unit and the second terminal pair of DC-to-DC converter;
- a vehicle speed detector for detecting a speed of an electric vehicle;
- and
- a control unit that is configured to:
- (1) receive the speed detected by the vehicle speed detector,
- (2) determine whether the detected speed is the same as or higher than a predetermined value, and
- (3) determine whether an emergency brake status signal is present indicating an emergency braking operation for the electric vehicle,
- wherein the control unit opens the switch so as to separate the power storage unit from the DC-to-DC converter, in response to the emergency brake status signal being present and the detected speed being the same as or higher than the predetermined value.
8 more elements
An electric-vehicle controller comprising:
- an inverter that is connected to a DC power source and drives a motor;
- a DC-to-DC converter having first and second terminal pairs, the first terminal pair connected across the DC power source and connected across the inverter;
- a power storage unit connected to the second terminal pair of the DC-to-DC converter to receive and store DC electric power;
- a switch disposed between the power storage unit and the second terminal pair of the DC-to-DC converter;
- a vehicle speed detector for detecting a speed of an electric vehicle;
- and
- a control unit that is configured to:
- (1) receive the speed detected by the vehicle speed detector,
- (2) determine whether the detected speed is the same as or higher than a predetermined value, and
- (3) determine whether an auxiliary brake status signal or a direct backup brake status signal for the electric vehicle is present indicating abnormal operation of the electric vehicle,
- wherein the control unit opens the switch so as to separate the power storage unit from the DC-to-DC converter, in response to the detected speed being the same as or higher than the predetermined value and one of:
- (i) the auxiliary brake status signal for the electric vehicle being present or (ii) the direct backup brake status signal for the electric vehicle being present.
9 more elements
An electric-vehicle controller comprising:
- an inverter that is connected to a DC power source and drives a motor;
- a DC-to-DC converter having first and second terminal pairs, the first terminal pair connected across the DC power source and connected across the inverter;
- a power storage unit connected to the second terminal pair of the DC-to-DC converter to receive and store DC electric power;
- a switch disposed between the power storage unit and the second terminal pair of the DC-to-DC converter;
- a vehicle speed detector for detecting a speed of an electric vehicle;
- and
- a control unit that is configured to:
- (1) receive the speed detected by the vehicle speed detector,
- (2) determine whether the detected speed is the same as or higher than a predetermined value, and
- (3) determine whether a pantograph lowering signal is present indicating a pantograph lowering operation of the electric vehicle,
- wherein the control unit opens the switch so as to separate the power storage unit from the DC-to-DC converter, in response to the detected speed being the same as or higher than the predetermined value and the pantograph lowering signal being present.
8 more elements
An electric-vehicle controller comprising:
- an inverter that is connected to a DC power source and drives a motor;
- a DC-to-DC converter having first and second terminal pairs, the first terminal pair connected across the DC power source and connected across the inverter;
- a power storage unit connected to the second terminal pair of the DC-to-DC converter to receive and store DC electric power;
- a switch disposed between the power storage unit and the second terminal pair of the DC-to-DC converter;
- a vehicle speed detector for detecting a speed of an electric vehicle;
- and
- a control unit that is configured to:
- (1) receive the speed detected by the vehicle speed detector,
- (2) determine whether the detected speed is the same as or higher than a predetermined value, and
- (3) determine whether a neutral position is present indicating that the inverter is stopped,
- wherein the control unit opens the switch so as to separate the power storage unit from the DC-to-DC converter, in response to the detected speed being the same as or higher than the predetermined value and the neutral position signal being present.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.