Drive control unit of vehicle for detecting malfunction at terminal and method thereof

Abstract

The DCU 102 comprises an inverter circuit 106 comprising a pair of semiconductor switches Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5 and Q6 connected in parallel with each other and connectable across the power source 114. A node between each pair of the pair of semiconductor switches Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5 and Q6 is internally connected to a respective terminal 108, and an inverter circuit 106 is externally connectable to the drive motor 110. The DCU 102 further comprises a controller 104 connected to the pair of semiconductor switches Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5 and Q6 to control the operation of the drive motor 110, characterized in that when the DCU 102 is in an operating state, the controller 104 is configured to detect a fault at the terminal 108 based on a determination of the characteristic parameter and a comparison of the characteristic parameter with a corresponding reference value. The fault is a loose connection at the terminal 108 between the drive motor 110 and the DCU 102.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a drive control unit (DCU) of a vehicle for detecting a fault at a terminal and a method thereof. Background Art

[0002] There is a specific technology that evaluates or detects loose connection of terminals based on the voltage drop obtained by measuring the voltage before and after the terminals. This technology is not suitable for systems where additional loads are connected at the terminals and may cause voltage drops. In addition, it also depends on the measurement accuracy of the voltage before and after the terminals. Since it is not possible to install a sensor for voltage measurement before the terminals on the controller, this requires accurate voltage information from the energy source (which is a battery).

[0003] According to the prior art WO20188592, an arc fault detection in a motor control unit of a vehicle and an operating method thereof are disclosed. The subject matter described in the prior art relates to a motor control unit configured for arc fault detection in a vehicle. The motor control unit as described herein is provided with a plurality of power terminals for connecting to a battery and a motor. Specifically, each of the plurality of power terminals is provided with an arc fault detection element, and each arc fault detection element is used to detect an arc fault generated therein. More specifically, the arc fault detection element provided is a thermistor arranged in the motor control unit at the power terminal. Therefore, the motor control unit provided with the thermistor is configured to disable the vehicle based on an arc fault in the power terminal detected by the thermistor. By providing the arc fault detection element in the motor control unit, the compactness of the motor control unit and the compactness of the vehicle are ensured. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0004] Embodiments of the present disclosure are described with reference to the following drawings:

[0005] Figure 1 A block diagram of a drive control unit (DCU) of a vehicle for detecting a fault at a terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0006] Figure 2 shows a first path and a second path for current to flow through a selected semiconductor switch and a selected phase of a driving motor according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0007] Figure 3 shows a third path and a fourth path for current to flow through a selected semiconductor switch and a selected phase of a driving motor according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0008] Figure 4 shows a fifth path and a sixth path for current to flow through a selected semiconductor switch and a selected phase of a driving motor according to an embodiment of the present invention, and

[0009] Figure 5 A flow chart of a method for determining a fault at a terminal of a vehicle DCU according to the present invention is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0010] Figure 1 1 shows a block diagram of a vehicle drive control unit (DCU) for detecting a fault at a terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. The DCU 102 includes an inverter circuit 106, which includes a pair of semiconductor switches Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5 and Q6 (such as Figure 2 ), the pairs of semiconductor switches are connected in parallel to each other and can be connected across the power supply 114. The nodes between each pair of the pairs of semiconductor switches Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5 and Q6 are internally connected to the respective terminals 108, and the inverter circuit 106 is externally connectable to the drive motor 110. The DCU 102 also includes a controller 104, which is connected to the pairs of semiconductor switches Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5 and Q6 to control the operation of the drive motor 110, characterized in that when the DCU 102 is in operation, the controller 104 is configured to detect a fault at the terminal 108 based on the determination of the characteristic parameter and the comparison with the corresponding reference value.

[0011] The DCU 102 may also be referred to as a motor control unit (MCU), which is part of an electric or hybrid vehicle 100, such as, but not limited to, a two-wheeled vehicle (e.g., motorcycle, electric bicycle, scooter), a three-wheeled vehicle (e.g., motorized tricycle), a four-wheeled vehicle (e.g., car, snowmobile, truck, bus), and other vehicles 100 using the DCU 102 and the drive motor 110. The controller 104 is also configured to receive a signal for each phase (e.g., U, V, W phases in a three-phase system) of the drive motor 110 from a current sensor 112. The DCU 102 is shown to have five terminals, three of which are used for connection with the phases of the drive motor 110, and the remaining two are battery terminals.

[0012] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the controller 104 is provided with necessary signal detection, acquisition and processing circuits. The controller 104 is such a controller, which includes an input / output interface with a pin or port, a memory element (not shown), such as a random access memory (RAM) and / or a read-only memory (ROM), an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and a digital-to-analog converter (DAC), a clock, a timer, a counter and at least one processor (capable of machine learning), which are interconnected and connected to other components through a communication bus channel. The memory element is pre-stored with logic or instructions or programs or applications or modules / models and / or thresholds / ranges, reference values, predefined / predetermined standards / conditions, mappings / tables based on correction factors, and the above is accessed by at least one processor according to a defined routine. Since the internal components of the controller 104 are currently the most advanced, they are not explained and should not be understood in a restrictive manner. The controller 104 may also include a communication unit (such as a transceiver) to communicate by wireless or wired means (such as a global system for mobile communications (GSM), 3G, 4G, 5G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet, serial networks, etc.). The controller 104 may be implemented in the form of a system-in-package (SiP) or a system-on-chip (SOC) or any other known type. Examples of the controller 104 include, but are not limited to, a microcontroller, a microprocessor, a microcomputer, and the like.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the fault is at least one of an arc, a high current, and a loose connection at the terminal 108. In addition, according to one embodiment, the characteristic parameter is related to at least one selected from the group consisting of a phasor component of the stator current or a phase current, an actual motor torque, a resistance of a path, and a terminal temperature. The characteristic parameter related to the phasor component of the stator current and the corresponding reference value are at least one selectable from the following set, the set including: a cumulative deviation of at least one phasor component of the stator current from a first deviation threshold, a count of deviations of at least one phasor component of the stator current from a first threshold count, a rate of change of at least one phasor component of the stator current from a first threshold rate, and a deviation of at least one of an amplitude and a frequency of a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) value of a measured phase current or at least one phasor component of the stator current from a first reference FFT value. The characteristic parameter related to the actual motor torque and the corresponding reference value are at least one selected from the following set, the set including: a cumulative deviation of the actual motor torque from a second deviation threshold, a count of deviations of the actual motor torque from a second threshold count, a deviation of the actual motor torque change rate from a second threshold rate, and a deviation of at least one of an amplitude and a frequency of a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) value of the actual motor torque from a second reference FFT value. The resistance of the path is at least one resistance of a predetermined current flow path compared to a corresponding resistance threshold. The terminal temperature is compared to a reference temperature.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the present invention, in order to determine a fault using at least one phasor component of the stator current as a characteristic parameter, the controller 104 is configured to measure the stator current through a corresponding current sensor 112, calculate at least one phasor component of the stator current using the measured stator current, determine a characteristic parameter related to at least one phasor component of the stator current, compare the characteristic parameter with a corresponding reference value, and detect the fault based on the comparison result. The phasor component of the stator current includes a direct axis current (I d ) and the quadrature axis current (I q ).

[0015] According to the present invention, the operation of the DCU 102 is described with the phasor components of the stator current as characteristic parameters. It is assumed that the stator current is measured by the current sensor 112. The controller 104 derives the current I from the measured stator current and the rotor position. d and I q The controller 104 monitors the phasor component or derived I relative to the reference deviation d and I q The controller 104 detects a deviation in the current and records the deviation at regular time intervals. The time interval is configurable. Whenever a deviation is observed, the deviation is cumulatively added, and when the cumulative deviation is detected to exceed a first deviation threshold, the controller 104 marks a fault or detects a fault and stores it in a storage element. The deviation is indicated to the user of the vehicle 100 by an indication device (e.g., display, audio, tactile, lighting, etc.) on the cluster unit or infotainment unit. Alternatively, if the number of deviations of the phasor component violates the corresponding first threshold count, the controller 104 again marks it as a fault and saves it in the storage element. In yet another alternative, if the phasor component or the derived I d and I q The rate of change of current is compared to the absolute value based on the motor speed and to the I d and I q If there is a deviation from the reference rate of change of the current, the controller 104 detects a fault and stores it in the storage element. In another alternative, the controller 104 performs an operation on the actual phasor current and / or phasor component of the stator current (which is the derived I d and I q ) performs an FFT. If the amplitude and / or frequency of the FFT value deviates from the corresponding first reference FFT value, the controller 104 detects it as a fault again and saves it in the storage element. The controller 104 can be configured to take into account the phasor component of the stator current (which is the derived I d and I q ) is related to at least one characteristic parameter, that is, it can be considered independently or in combination.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the present invention, in order to determine the fault using the characteristic parameters related to the actual motor torque, the controller 104 is configured to measure variables including the current, phase voltage, DC current, DC voltage, rotor speed, rotor position and motor design parameters such as winding resistance and inductance through each phase of the drive motor 110. The controller 104 also calculates the actual motor torque based on the measured variables. The controller 104 is also configured to compare the characteristic parameters related to the actual motor torque with the corresponding reference values ​​and use the comparison results to determine the fault.

[0017] In the working scenario, when the vehicle 100 is driven by the driver, the controller 104 monitors the variables and calculates the actual motor torque. For example, the controller 104 compares the deviation of the accumulated actual motor torque with the second deviation threshold, or compares the count of the deviation of the actual motor torque with the second threshold count, or compares the deviation of the rate of change of the actual motor torque with the second threshold rate, and if there is a deviation, the controller 104 detects it as a fault at the terminal 108 and saves it in the storage element. The controller 104 also performs an FFT on the actual motor torque and compares the amplitude and / or frequency of the FFT value with the second reference FFT value to detect the fault. If there is a deviation, the controller 104 detects the fault and saves it in the storage element.

[0018] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a drive control unit (DCU) of a vehicle 100 for detecting a fault at a terminal 108 is disclosed. The DCU 102 includes an inverter circuit 106, which includes a pair of semiconductor switches Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5 and Q6 (such as Figure 2 As shown in FIG. 1 ), these pairs of semiconductor switches are connected in parallel to each other and can be connected across the power supply 114. The node between each pair of the paired semiconductor switches Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5 and Q6 is internally connected to the respective terminals 108, and the inverter circuit 106 can be externally connected to the drive motor 110. The DCU 102 also includes a controller 104, which is connected to the paired semiconductor switches Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5 and Q6 to control the operation of the drive motor 110, characterized in that the temperature sensor 116 for each terminal 108 can be connected to at least one input pin / port of the controller 104 through a comparator 118. Therefore, in the case of a shortage of input pins / ports, a single input pin / port can be configured to receive a single signal from all temperature sensors. For example, for a three-phase system, three temperature sensors 116 can be connected to a single input pin / port through a comparator 118.

[0019] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a temperature sensor 116 is provided for the battery terminal, and the controller 104 is configured to measure the temperature of the battery terminal through a comparator or directly and compare it with a threshold temperature to detect a fault, particularly a loose connection at the battery terminal.

[0020] According to one embodiment of the present invention, in order to determine a fault using the terminal temperature as a characteristic parameter, the controller 104 interacts with the temperature sensor 116 for each terminal 108 through the comparator 118, and is configured to receive a signal from the comparator 118. The signal includes a temperature difference measured by each temperature sensor 116. The controller 104 is configured to compare the signal with a temperature threshold value and detect a fault based on the result of the comparison.

[0021] According to one embodiment of the present invention, in order to determine a fault using the resistance of a path as a characteristic parameter, the controller 104 is configured to control the ON (conduction) / OFF (shutdown) state of the semiconductor switches Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5 and Q6 in at least one predetermined path to achieve a corresponding predetermined current flow path / sequence. Then, the controller 104 is configured to calculate the resistance of the path for each of the at least one predetermined path based on the applied voltage and the current measured by the current sensor 112. The controller 104 is also configured to compare the resistance of the path with a corresponding reference resistor as a reference value. Then, the controller 104 uses the result of the comparison to determine the fault. If the resistance of the path is greater than the reference resistance, a fault is detected. The controller 104 is configured to detect the resistance of all paths and then compare them with the corresponding reference resistor or at least one resistor. Various flow path sequences such as Figures 2 to 4 as shown in .

[0022] Figure 2 1 and 2 are shown, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a first path and a second path of current flowing through a selected semiconductor switch and a selected phase of a drive motor. In the first path 200, semiconductor switches Q1 and Q4 are controlled to be turned on, while other semiconductor switches are turned off and connected through the U phase and the V phase of the drive motor 110. The first path 200 is represented by a dotted line between two terminals of the power supply 114. In addition, the controller 104 controls the states of the semiconductor switches Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5, and Q6 through a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal 202.

[0023] exist Figure 2 , a second path 210 is also shown. Here, the semiconductor switches Q1 and Q6 are turned on through the U-phase and W-phase of the drive motor 110.

[0024] Figure 33 and 4 are shown for current flow through selected semiconductor switches and selected phases of a drive motor according to one embodiment of the present invention. The third path 300 involves activated semiconductor switches Q3 and Q6 through the V and W phases of the drive motor 110. Similarly, the fourth path 310 involves activated semiconductor switches Q3 and Q2 through the V and U phases of the drive motor 110. It must be considered that the current is connected to the drive motor 110 through the V and U phases. Figure 3 The direction of current is shown in .

[0025] Figure 4 A fifth and sixth path of current flowing through a selected semiconductor switch and a selected phase of a drive motor according to an embodiment of the present invention are shown. The fifth path 400 includes the flow of current through semiconductor switch Q5, W phase, U phase, and semiconductor switch Q2. This is indicated by a dotted arrow. Similarly, the sixth path 410 includes the flow of current through semiconductor switch Q5, W phase, V phase, and semiconductor switch Q4. This is indicated by a dotted arrow.

[0026] exist Figures 2 to 4 , the controller 104 sequentially or randomly calculates the resistance of at least one of the first path 200, the second path 210, the third path 300, the fourth path 310, the fifth path 400, and the sixth path 410. The semiconductor switch is controlled using the PWM signal 202. The controller 104 calculates the resistance until a fault is found. Alternatively, the controller 104 is configured to measure the resistance of all paths regardless of whether a fault is found. The resistance is calculated based on the voltage divided by the current. The voltage is detected from the applied voltage and the current is measured by the current sensor 112. If there is any deviation, the controller 104 detects the fault and saves it in the storage element. As previously described, the fault is indicated in the vehicle 100.

[0027] Figure 5 A flow chart of a method for determining a fault at a terminal of a vehicle DCU according to the present invention is shown. When the DCU 102 is connected to the drive motor 110 and is running, a fault is detected. The DCU 102 includes pairs of semiconductor switches Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5 and Q6 connected in parallel to each other and can be connected across the power supply 114. The node between each pair of the paired semiconductor switches Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5 and Q6 is internally connected to the terminal 108, and the terminal 108 is externally connectable to the drive motor 110. The method is characterized in that it includes a plurality of steps, wherein step 502 includes determining the value of a characteristic parameter by the controller 104. Step 504 includes comparing the value of the determined characteristic parameter with a corresponding reference value by the controller 104. Step 506 includes detecting a fault at the terminal 108 by the controller 104 based on the result of the comparison.

[0028] According to the method of the present invention, the fault is at least one of an arc, a high current and a loose connection at the terminal 108. In addition, the characteristic parameter is related to at least one selected from the group including a phasor component of the stator current, an actual motor torque, a resistance of at least one path of current flow and a terminal temperature. The characteristic parameter related to the phasor component of the stator current and the corresponding reference value are at least one selectable from the following set, the set including: a cumulative deviation of at least one phasor component of the stator current from a first deviation threshold, a count of deviations of at least one phasor component of the stator current from a first threshold count, a rate of change of at least one phasor component of the stator current from a first threshold rate, and a deviation of at least one of the amplitude and frequency of a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) value of the phase current or at least one phasor component of the stator current from a first reference FFT value. The characteristic parameter related to the actual motor torque and the corresponding reference value are at least one selected from the following set, the set including: a cumulative deviation of the actual motor torque from a second deviation threshold, a count of deviations of the actual motor torque from a second threshold count, a deviation of a rate of change of the actual motor torque from a second threshold rate, and a deviation of at least one of an amplitude and a frequency of a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) value of the actual motor torque from a second reference FFT value. The resistance of the path is at least one resistance of a predetermined current flow path compared to a corresponding resistance threshold. The terminal temperature is compared to a reference temperature.

[0029] According to step 502, a method for determining at least one phasor component of the stator current as a characteristic parameter is provided. The method comprises a plurality of steps, wherein step 508 comprises measuring the stator current by means of a corresponding current sensor 112. Step 510 comprises calculating at least one phasor component of the stator current using the measured stator current. Step 512 comprises determining a characteristic parameter associated with at least one phasor component of the stator current.

[0030] According to step 502, a method for determining the actual motor torque associated with a characteristic parameter is provided. The method includes step 514, which includes measuring variables by the controller 104, including current flowing through each phase of the motor, phase voltage, DC current, DC voltage, rotor speed, rotor position and motor design parameters, such as winding resistance and inductance. Step 516 includes calculating the actual motor torque by the controller 104 based on the measured variables. Torque deviation is observed through this method. The controller 104 detects torque deviation caused by unbalanced phase current that changes with the increasing resistance of the terminal 108. The torque deviation may also be affected by changes in winding resistance. Therefore, in order to isolate the effects caused by changes in winding resistance, the method includes detecting the magnitude of the torque deviation and comparing it with a reference value.

[0031] According to step 502, a method for measuring the temperature of a terminal is provided. The method includes step 518, which includes receiving a signal from a comparator 118 at an input pin / port of the controller 104, which interacts with a temperature sensor 116 for each terminal 108. The measured temperatures are compared with each other, and the difference is received as an input by the controller 104 for further processing. In the method, the rise in the temperature of the terminal 108 is monitored. First, the rationality of the value of the temperature sensor 116 is checked by comparing it with other sensor values. Then, the controller 104 checks the gradient or absolute temperature of the temperature rise, and if any of them is greater than the temperature threshold, the controller 104 detects that the terminal 108 has a high resistance, which may be caused by one of the fault reasons. Once detected, the terminal 108 can be checked for loose connections or any impurities on the cleaning contact surface. The temperature is measured by installing a temperature sensor 116 on each terminal 108 in the DCU 102 and monitoring it throughout the operation of the DCU 102. Since each temperature sensor 116 at each terminal 108 requires an analog input to monitor, if not enough analog pins are available in the controller 104 or other circumstances, the use of corresponding comparators 118 and multiplexers is optimized.

[0032] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the heating of the current detection terminal 108 can be used to confirm / verify an abnormal increase in temperature. This is done at three different current levels (low, medium, and high), thereby setting separate detection thresholds for the three levels. The integral of the square of the current through time is used to determine the amount of energy flowing into the drive motor 110 and prevent it from overheating due to excessive current during vehicle use. The value of the integral of the square of the current through time indicates whether the temperature increase is due to abnormal heating or due to vehicle use.

[0033] According to step 502, a method for determining the resistance of a flow path as a characteristic parameter is provided. The method includes step 520, which includes controlling the ON / OFF state of semiconductor switches Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5 and Q6 in at least one of a plurality of predetermined paths by the controller 104. Step 522 includes calculating the resistance by the controller 104 for each path based on the applied voltage and the current measured by the current sensor 112. The resistance of the current flow path is measured by selectively switching semiconductor switches (such as MOSFETs or FETs, etc.) and compared with a reference resistance value. Before comparison, the rationality of each resistance value is checked by comparing it with the resistance of other resistance values. Any change in the estimated resistance relative to the reference resistance value is considered inappropriate. Based on the magnitude of the change in resistance value, the method or controller 104 finds out and detects a fault.

[0034] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a DCU102 and a method for detecting terminal faults (e.g., loose connections) by characteristic parameters are provided, the characteristic parameters including temperature sensing, torque deviation checking, phasor components of phase current and stator current, and resistance of the path. The present invention provides a solution for detecting loose connections of power terminals 108 (i.e., DC power terminals 108) and phase terminals on DCU102, detecting temperature rise on terminals 108 due to increased contact resistance caused by loose connections, and detecting resistance changes in current flow paths between terminals 108 by selectively switching semiconductor switches Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5, and Q6 (e.g., MOSFETs). The present invention enables early detection of loose connections and other faults of terminals 108. The characteristic parameters considered by DCU102 use existing / available sensors in drive motor 110, and no additional / external sensors are provided / needed. For robustness, the characteristic parameters can be used alone or in combination with each other.

[0035] It should be understood that the embodiments explained in the above description are merely exemplary and do not limit the scope of the present invention. Many such embodiments and other modifications and variations of the embodiments explained in the description may be envisioned. The scope of the present invention is limited only by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A drive control unit (DCU) (102) of a vehicle (100) for detecting a fault at a terminal (108), the DCU (102) comprising: an inverter circuit (106), the inverter circuit comprising pairs of semiconductor switches (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5, Q6) connected in parallel to each other and capable of being connected across a power source, a node between each pair of the pairs of semiconductor switches (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5, Q6) being internally connected to a corresponding terminal (108), the inverter circuit (106) being externally connectable to a drive motor (110), and A controller (104) connected to the paired semiconductor switches (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5, Q6) to control the operation of the drive motor (110), characterized in that when the DCU (102) is in an operating state, the controller (104) is configured to detect a fault at the terminal (108) based on determination of a characteristic parameter and comparison of the characteristic parameter with a corresponding reference value.

2. The DCU (102) of claim 1, wherein the fault is at least one of an arc, a high current, and a loose connection at the terminal (108), and wherein the characteristic parameter is related to at least one selected from the group consisting of a phasor component of a phase current or a stator current, an actual motor torque, a resistance of a flow path, and a terminal temperature, wherein the characteristic parameter related to the phasor component of the stator current and the corresponding reference value are at least one selectable from the following set, the set comprising: a cumulative deviation of at least one phasor component of the stator current from a first deviation threshold, a count of the deviations of the at least one phasor component of the stator current from a first threshold count, a rate of change of the at least one phasor component of the stator current from a first threshold rate, and a deviation of at least one of an amplitude and a frequency of a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) value of the phase current or at least one phasor component of the stator current from a first reference FFT value, wherein the characteristic parameter related to the actual motor torque and the corresponding reference value are at least one selectable from the following set, the set comprising: a cumulative deviation of the actual motor torque from a second deviation threshold, a count of the deviations of the actual motor torque from a second threshold count, a deviation of the rate of change of the actual motor torque from a second threshold rate, and a deviation of at least one of an amplitude and a frequency of a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) value of the actual motor torque from a second reference FFT value, wherein the resistance of the flow path is at least one resistance of a predetermined sequence of current flow paths compared to a corresponding threshold resistance.

3. The DCU (102) according to claim 2, wherein: In order to use at least one phasor component of the stator current as a characteristic parameter to determine a fault, the controller (104) is configured to Measuring the stator current by means of a corresponding current sensor (112); calculating at least one phasor component of the stator current using the measured stator current; determining a characteristic parameter associated with said calculated at least one phasor component of said stator current; comparing the characteristic parameters with corresponding reference values, and A fault is detected based on a result of the comparison.

4. The DCU (102) according to claim 2, wherein the characteristic parameter related to the actual motor torque is used to determine the fault, and the controller (104) is configured to measuring variables, the variables including current flowing through each phase of the drive motor, phase voltage, DC current, DC voltage, rotor speed, rotor position, and motor design parameters such as winding resistance; Calculating the actual motor torque based on the measured phase current, phase voltage, DC current, DC voltage, rotor speed, rotor position and motor design parameters such as winding resistance; comparing the characteristic parameter related to the actual motor torque with a corresponding reference value, and The fault is determined using a result of the comparison.

5. The DCU (102) of claim 2, wherein: In order to use the terminal temperature as a characteristic parameter to determine a fault, the controller (104) interacts with a temperature sensor (116) for each terminal (108) through a comparator (118) and is configured to receiving a signal from the comparator (118), the signal comprising a temperature difference measured by each temperature sensor (116); The signal is compared to a temperature threshold and A fault is determined based on a result of the comparison.

6. The DCU (102) of claim 2, wherein: In order to determine a fault using the resistance of the path as the characteristic parameter, the controller (104) is configured to control the ON / OFF state of the semiconductor switches (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5, Q6) in at least one predetermined path; calculating, for each of the at least one predetermined path, a resistance of the path based on an applied voltage and a current measured by a current sensor (112); comparing the resistance of the path with a reference resistance as the reference value, and The result of the comparison is used to determine a fault.

7. A method for detecting a fault at a terminal (108) of a drive control unit (DCU) (102) when the drive control unit (DCU) is operated in connection with a drive motor (110), the DCU (102) comprising pairs of semiconductor switches (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5, Q6), the pairs of semiconductor switches being connected in parallel with each other and being connectable across a power supply, the node between each pair of the pairs of semiconductor switches (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5, Q6) being internally connected to the terminal (108), and the terminal (108) being externally connectable to the drive motor (110), characterized in that The method comprises the following steps: Determining values ​​of characteristic parameters; comparing the determined value of the characteristic parameter with a corresponding reference value, and A fault at the terminal (108) is detected based on a result of the comparison.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the fault is at least one of an arc, a high current, and a loose connection at the terminal (108), and wherein the characteristic parameter is related to at least one selected from the group consisting of a phasor component of a phase current or a stator current, an actual motor torque, a resistance of a path, and a terminal temperature, wherein the characteristic parameter related to the phasor component of the stator current and the corresponding reference value are at least one selectable from the following set, the set comprising: a cumulative deviation of at least one phasor component of the stator current from a first deviation threshold, a count of the deviations of the at least one phasor component of the stator current from a first threshold count, a rate of change of the at least one phasor component of the stator current from a first threshold rate, and a deviation of at least one of the amplitude and frequency of a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) value of the phase current or at least one phasor component of the stator current from a first reference FFT value, wherein the characteristic parameter related to the actual motor torque and the corresponding reference value are at least one selectable from the following set, the set including: a cumulative deviation of the actual motor torque from a second deviation threshold, a count of the deviations of the actual motor torque from a second threshold count, a deviation of the rate of change of the actual motor torque from a second threshold rate, and a deviation of at least one of the amplitude and frequency of a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) value of the actual motor torque from a second reference FFT value, wherein the resistance of the path is at least one resistance of a predetermined current flow path compared to a corresponding threshold resistance.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein in order to determine at least one phasor component of the stator current as a characteristic parameter, the method comprises the following steps: Measuring the stator current by means of a corresponding current sensor (112); calculating at least one phasor component of the stator current using the measured stator current, and A characteristic parameter associated with the at least one phasor component of the stator current is determined.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein: In order to determine the actual motor torque associated as a characteristic parameter, the method comprises the following steps: measuring variables including current flowing through each phase of the drive motor (110), phase voltage, DC current, DC voltage, rotor speed, rotor position, and motor design parameters such as winding resistance, and The actual motor torque is calculated based on the measured phase current, phase voltage, DC current, DC voltage, rotor speed, rotor position and motor design parameters such as winding resistance.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein to measure the terminal temperature, the method comprises receiving a signal from a comparator (118) at an input pin / port of the controller (104), the comparator interacting with a temperature sensor (116) for each terminal (108), wherein the measured temperatures are compared to each other and the difference is received as input by the controller (104).

12. The method according to claim 7, wherein in order to determine the resistance of the path as a characteristic parameter, the method comprises the following steps: controlling the ON / OFF state of the semiconductor switches (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5, Q6) in at least one predetermined path, and The terminal resistance is calculated for each predetermined path based on the applied voltage and the current measured by the current sensor (112).

Images