DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING A VEHICLE AND METHOD THEREFOR

Abstract

A vehicle control device (100) may include a first battery (211), a second battery (212), a sensor device (220), a memory (130), and a control device (140). The vehicle control device (100) can operate a drive electric motor (270) using the first battery (211), can charge the first battery (211) using the second battery (212) if a trigger signal for charge-while-driving (ODC) using the second battery (212) is identified while driving control of a host vehicle is being performed by the drive electric motor (270), can measure an average value of three-phase currents and a fluctuation difference between a maximum value and a minimum value of each of the three-phase currents of the drive electric motor (270) using the sensor device (220), and can apply duty time compensation to an element corresponding to at least one of the three-phase currents based on the fluctuation difference and the average value.

Description

Technical FieldThe present disclosure and invention relates to a vehicle control device and a method thereof.BackgroundWith the development of technology, various components within a vehicle may be operatively connected to each other. In particular, efficient use of the battery is becoming more and more important as the number of vehicles operated based on electric power gradually increases.For example, in order to maximize a travel distance (range), it may be necessary to install a battery having a large capacity. However, since the installation space in the vehicle is limited, a method that increases only the size of the battery is limited.To overcome these limitations, a charging system is developed that charges a main battery based on an auxiliary battery. For example, a vehicle control device may supply power from the auxiliary battery to the main battery, thereby improving the travel performance of the vehicle. Such systems can be referred to as "on drive charging" (ODC for short).However, in a process of power transmission between a plurality of batteries, imbalance may occur in at least a part of the currents (or three-phase currents) supplied from the main battery to the driving device (or the driving electric motor). For example, a three-phase imbalance may occur due to an impedance difference between a direct current supplied from the auxiliary battery to the main battery and an alternating current applied from the main battery to the driving device. Such problems may be referred to as three-phase imbalance. Such imbalance may impair the output power and efficiency of a propulsion system and even cause harmonics during travel of a host vehicle, leading to noise, vibrations, and uncomfortable driver driving.Brief ExplanationThe present disclosure (hereinafter, briefly, disclosure only) relates to a vehicle control apparatus and a method thereof, and more particularly, to a technology for compensating for three-phase imbalance of a driving device in a process of driving a host vehicle based on at least one battery.Some embodiments of the present disclosure may solve the above-mentioned problems occurring in the related art while retaining the advantages achieved by the related art.An embodiment of the present disclosure may provide a vehicle control device that controls a phase current imbalance to be minimized during charging of a first battery based on a second battery (e.g., an auxiliary battery) when a trigger signal is identified during driving of a drive electric motor based on the first battery (e.g., the main battery).An embodiment of the present disclosure may provide a vehicle control device that applies, to at least one element (e.g., a switch), the operation time compensation calculated on the basis of an average value of three-phase currents acting on the drive electric motor and a comparison result between the maximum value and the minimum value of each of the three-phase currents.An embodiment of the present disclosure may provide a vehicle control device that increases an operation time of a switch and generates a compensation voltage, and increases the magnitude of a current in a phase belonging to the corresponding switch among the three-phase currents, based on application of operation time compensation to at least one switch.An embodiment of the present disclosure may provide a vehicle control device that blocks a current output from a second battery before identifying a trigger signal based on an additional switch, thereby preventing conflict between the currents output from the first and second batteries.The technical problems to be solved by some embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-mentioned problems, and all other technical problems not mentioned here may be solved by some embodiments of the present disclosure as clearly understood from the following description by those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure relates.According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a vehicle control apparatus may include a first battery, a second battery, a sensor device, a memory storing instructions, and a controller operatively (e.g., electrically and / or communicatively) connected to the first battery, the second battery, the sensor device, and the memory. For example, the instructions, when executed by the controller, may cause the vehicle control device to: operate a drive electric motor based on the first battery, charge the first battery based on the second battery if a trigger signal for an on drive charging (ODC) that uses the second battery is identified while a drive control of a host vehicle is performed by the drive electric motor, measure an average value of three-phase currents based on the sensor device and a difference between a maximum value and a minimum value of each of the three-phase currents of the drive electric motor, and measure an operation time compensation (e.g., a duty ratio compensation, applying a duty compensation) to an element belonging to at least one of the three-phase currents based on the difference and the average value.According to an embodiment, the instructions, when executed by the controller, may cause the vehicle control device to block a current output from the second battery before identifying the trigger signal based on an additional switch operatively (e.g., electrically) connected to the second battery.According to an embodiment, the instructions, when executed by the controller, may cause the vehicle control device to identify a first state of charge (SoC) of the first battery and a second SoC of the second battery based on the sensor device and determine that the trigger signal is identified when a ratio between the first SoC and the second SoC is outside a certain range.According to an embodiment, the instructions, when executed by the control device, may cause the vehicle control device to compare the average value of the three-phase currents with a neutral conductor current of a transfer switch disposed in an electrical path between the drive electric motor and the second battery based on the sensor device, and measure the difference between the maximum value and a minimum value of each of the three-phase currents if the average value is not equal to the neutral conductor current.According to an embodiment, the instructions, when executed by the controller, may cause the vehicle control device to apply the operation time compensation to a first element belonging to a first phase through which a first phase current flows if the largest value of the difference is identified as being equal to or greater than a first difference between a first maximum value and a second minimum value of the first phase current.According to an embodiment, the first element comprises a first switch module belonging to the first phase and arranged in an electrical path between the first battery and the driving electric motor.According to an embodiment, the instructions, when executed by the controller, may cause the vehicle control device to calculate the operation time compensation to be proportional to the magnitude of the difference between the first difference and the largest value.According to an embodiment, the instructions, when executed by the controller, may cause the vehicle control device to increase an operation time of the first element based on application of the operation time compensation to the first element.According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a vehicle control method may include: operating a drive electric motor by a controller based on a first battery; charging the first battery by the controller based on a second battery when a trigger signal for ODC using the second battery is identified while driving control of a host vehicle is performed by the drive electric motor; measuring, based on a sensor device, an average value of three-phase currents and a difference between a maximum value and a minimum value of each of the three-phase currents of the drive electric motor by the controller; and applying, by the controller, operation time compensation (e.g., duty ratio compensation, a duty compensation) on an element belonging to at least one of the three-phase currents based on the difference and the average value.According to an embodiment, the vehicle control method may further include blocking, by the controller, a current output from the second battery based on an additional switch operatively (e.g., electrically) connected to the second battery prior to identifying the trigger signal.According to an embodiment, the vehicle control method may further include: identifying, based on the sensor device, a first SoC of the first battery and a second SoC of the second battery by the controller, and determining, by the controller, that the trigger signal is identified when a ratio between the first SoC and the second SoC is outside a certain range.According to an embodiment, the vehicle control method may further include: comparing, based on the sensor means, the average value of the three-phase currents with a neutral conductor current of a transfer switch disposed in an electrical path between the drive electric motor and the second battery, by the control means, and measuring, by the control means, the difference between the maximum value and a minimum value of each of the three-phase currents if the average value is not equal to the neutral conductor current.According to an embodiment, the vehicle control method may further include: applying, by the controller, the operation time compensation to a first element belonging to a first phase through which a first phase current flows if the largest value of the difference is identified as being equal to or larger than a first difference between a first maximum value and a second minimum value of the first phase current.According to an embodiment, the first element comprises a first switch module belonging to the first phase and arranged in an electrical path between the first battery and the driving electric motor.According to an embodiment, the vehicle control method may further include: calculating, by the controller, the operation time compensation to be proportional to the magnitude of the difference between the first difference and the largest value.According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, there may be provided a computer readable recording medium including a program for executing a vehicle control method, the vehicle control method may include: operating, by a controller, a driving electric motor based on a first battery; charging, by the controller, the first battery based on a second battery when a trigger signal for ODC using the second battery is identified while a travel control of a host vehicle is performed by the driving electric motor; measuring, by the controller, an average value of three-phase currents and a difference between a maximum value and a minimum value of each of the three-phase currents of the driving electric motor; and applying, by the controller, an average value of three-phase currents and a difference between a maximum value and a minimum value of each of the three-phase currents of the driving electric motor, a duty compensation (e.g., a duty ratio compensation, a duty ratio, and the like) on an element belonging to at least one of the three-phase currents based on the difference and the average value.According to an embodiment, the vehicle control method may further include blocking, by the controller, a current output from the second battery based on an additional switch operatively (e.g., electrically) connected to the second battery prior to identifying the trigger signal.According to an embodiment, the vehicle control method may further include: identifying, based on the sensor device, a first SoC of the first battery and a second SoC of the second battery by the controller, and determining, by the controller, that the trigger signal is identified when a ratio between the first SoC and the second SoC is outside a certain range.According to an embodiment, the vehicle control method may further include: comparing, based on the sensor means, the average value of the three-phase currents with a neutral conductor current of a transfer switch disposed in an electrical path between the drive electric motor and the second battery, by the control means, and measuring, by the control means, the difference between the maximum value and a minimum value of each of the three-phase currents if the average value is not equal to the neutral conductor current.According to an embodiment, the vehicle control method may further include: applying, by the controller, the operation time compensation to a first element belonging to a first phase through which a first phase current flows if the largest value of the difference is identified as being equal to or larger than a first difference between a first maximum value and a second minimum value of the first phase current.Brief Description of the DrawingsThe above and other features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings: FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing components of a vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram showing components of a vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 3 is a diagram conceptually illustrating a circuit diagram illustrating an algorithm in which a vehicle control device applies operation time compensation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a vehicle control method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a vehicle control method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and FIG. 6 illustrates a data processing system related to a vehicle control apparatus or method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.With regard to the descriptions of drawings, the same or similar components are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTSHereinafter, some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the example drawings. In adding reference numerals to the components of each drawing, it should be noted that the same components have the same reference numerals even if they are shown in other drawings. Further, in describing the embodiments of the present disclosure, detailed descriptions related to known functions or structures will be omitted if they unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present disclosure.In describing elements of an embodiment of the present disclosure, the terms "first", "second", "A", "B", "(a)", "(b)", and the like may be used. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another element, but do not limit the respective elements regardless of the kind, order, or priority of the respective elements. Moreover, unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical and scientific terms, are to be interpreted as common in the art to which the present disclosure pertains. It should be understood that the terms used herein are to be interpreted as having a meaning that coincides with their meaning in the context of the present disclosure and the relevant technique.Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6.FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing components of a vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.According to an embodiment, a vehicle control apparatus 100 may include at least one of a battery 110, a driving device 120, a storage 130, or a control device 140, or any combination thereof, any combination or all of which may be provided in the plurality, or may include multiple components thereof. The configuration of the vehicle control device 100 shown in FIG. 1 is an example, and the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. For example, the vehicle control apparatus 100 may further include components not illustrated in FIG. 1 (e.g., at least one of a (further) driving device, an input device, an interface device, a communication device or a notification device, or any combination thereof, any combination or all of which may be provided in the plurality or may include a plurality of components thereof).According to an embodiment, the battery 110 may include at least one battery that supplies a current (or power) to a traction electric motor for travel control (i.e., control of travel) of the host vehicle.For example, the battery 110 may include a first (e.g., rechargeable) battery and a second (e.g., rechargeable) battery.The first battery may be, for example, a main battery. In other words, the first battery may include a main battery that has a larger capacity than the second battery and mainly supplies a current to the electric motor.The second battery can be, for example, an additional battery (for example also a secondary battery or auxiliary battery). In other words, the second battery may include an auxiliary battery having a smaller capacity than the first battery and storing a current for charging the first battery.The second battery may, for example, additionally or alternatively provide a current to the traction electric motor for travel control of the host vehicle.The battery 110 may be electrically connected to at least one circuit element, for example.The first battery may be electrically connected to the drive electric motor via an inverter, for example.The inverter may include, for example, at least one switch electrically connected to the drive electric motor.The inverter may include, for example, a first switch and a fourth switch connected to a first phase, a second switch and a fifth switch connected to a second phase, and a third switch and a sixth switch connected to a third phase among the three phases of the electric motor.The inverter may include, for example, at least one current sensor and a temperature sensor. For example, the controller 140 may determine, based on the current sensor and / or the temperature sensor, the temperature of the inverter or the magnitude of a current flowing in an electrical path between the inverter and the drive electric motor in real time.For example, the second battery may be electrically connected to the traction electric motor via at least one / one of at least one relay, at least one switch, or a capacitor, or any combination thereof.The at least one relay can have, for example, a first relay and a second relay, which are located on the electrical path from the second battery to the first battery.For example, the at least one switch may include a transfer switch (e.g., also a changeover switch or a changeover switch) adjacent to the drive electric motor and an additional switch (e.g., also an "additional switch") between the second battery and the transfer switch. The transfer switch may include, for example, one or more switches for switching battery operating modes. For example, the auxiliary switch may be operated to cut off the current output from the second battery. For example, based on the operating state of the auxiliary switch, the controller 140 may block the current flowing from the second battery to the first battery, thereby preventing conflicts between the currents output from different batteries.For example, the capacitor may be initially charged based on the current output from the second battery.According to an embodiment, the sensor device 220 may include at least one sensor that acquires (or identifies) a real-time status of at least a portion of the components of the host vehicle. For example, the sensor device 220 may be a current sensor ( 222 in FIG. 2 ) and / or a temperature sensor ( 224 in FIG. 2 ).For example, the sensor device 220 may include at least one of a current sensor, a temperature sensor, or a battery sensor, or any combination thereof.For example, based on the sensor device 220, the controller 140 may identify (or determine) information on the operating behavior (e.g., at least one / one of a current, voltage, or temperature, or any combination thereof) of various components electrically connected to the battery 110 in real time.For example, based on the sensor device 220, the controller 140 may identify (or determine) the real-time status (e.g., state of charge (SoC), temperature, or real-time performance) of the battery 110.According to an embodiment, the memory 130 (the storage medium) may store instructions or data. For example, the memory 130 may store one or more instructions that cause the vehicle control device 100 to perform various operations when the instructions are executed by the controller 140.For example, the memory 130 and the controller 140 may be implemented as a single chipset. The controller 140 may include at least one / of a communication processor and / or a modem.According to an embodiment, the controller 140 (e.g., a controller) may be operatively (e.g., electrically and / or communicatively) connected to at least one of the battery 110, the drive 120, the memory 130, or any combination thereof. For example, the controller 140 may control operation of at least one of the battery 110, the drive 120, the storage 130, or any combination thereof.For example, the controller 140 may operate the drive electric motor based on the first battery (or the main battery) provided in the battery 110.For example, before identifying (e.g., detecting) a trigger signal described below, the controller 140 may block the current output by the second battery based on the auxiliary switch operatively connected (e.g., operatively connected, in particular electrically connected) to the second battery. In this way, while performing travel control based only on the first battery, the controller 140 can prevent imbalance due to the current output from the second battery, and thereby perform stable and efficient battery control.For example, during the execution of the travel control of the host vehicle by the drive electric motor, the controller 140 may identify (e.g., recognize) the trigger signal for ODC (Charge-During-Travel or also "Charge-During-Travel") that the second battery uses. When the trigger signal is identified (i.e., detected), the controller 140 may charge the first battery based on the second battery.For example, the controller 140 may identify (or determine) the first SoC and the second SoC of the first battery based on the sensor device 220. If the ratio between the first SoC and the second SoC is outside the determined (e.g., predetermined) range, the controller 140 may determine that the trigger signal is identified. For example, the controller 140 may determine that the trigger signal is identified when the difference between the first SoC and the second SoC exceeds the specified value. For example, when the first SoC is 80% and the second SoC is 70% to 90%, the controller 140 may determine that a ratio between the first SoC and the second SoC does not exceed the specified range. These numbers are illustrative and embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto.For example, when the trigger signal is identified, the controller 140 may change an operation state of the auxiliary switch and may charge the first battery based on the current output from the second battery.For example, the controller 140 may identify (or measure) information on the three-phase currents (i.e., the currents of the three phases, for example) of the drive electric motor based on the sensor device 220.For example, the controller 140 may identify (or measure) the average value of the three-phase currents and the neutral conductor current of the transfer switch disposed in an electrical path between the drive electric motor and the second battery based on the sensor device 220. For example, the neutral conductor current may be substantially the same current as the current output from the second battery.For example, the controller 140 may identify (or measure) a difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of each of the three-phase currents present in the drive electric motor based on the sensor device 220. For example, if only the average value is not equal to the neutral conductor current, the controller 140 may identify (or measure) a difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of each of the three-phase currents included in the drive electric motor based on the sensor device 220.For example, controller 140 may apply duty compensation (e.g., compensation of a duty cycle, a duty cycle, and the like) to an element belonging to one of the three-phase currents based on the measured difference and the average value.For example, the controller 140 may identify the largest value among differences between the maximum value and the minimum value of each of the rotating currents, and compare the largest value with another difference. It can be assumed as an example that a phase belonging to the largest value is the third phase. In other words, assuming that the largest value is the difference between a third maximum value and a third minimum value of the third phase, for example, the controller 140 may compare the third difference with a first difference between a first maximum value and a second minimum value of the first phase current.For example, if it is determined that the third difference is greater than or equal to the first difference, controller 140 may determine that compensation is required for the first phase because an imbalance occurs in the first phase current (i.e., current of the first phases). Accordingly, the controller 140 may apply duty compensation to a first element belonging to the first phase. For example, the first element may include a first switch module belonging to the first phase and disposed on an electrical path between the first battery and the driving electric motor.For example, the controller 140 may calculate the operation time compensation in proportion to the magnitude of the difference between the first difference and the third difference (or the largest value).For example, the controller 140 may increase the operation time (i.e., duty) of the first element based on the application of the operation time compensation to the first element. In this way, the on-state duration of the first element can be increased, and the magnitude of the current flowing in the first phase can be increased. Accordingly, the compensation voltage corresponding to the first phase may be applied.The component of the vehicle control device 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 is an example, and embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. For example, the vehicle control apparatus 100 may further include at least one of a driving device, an input device, a communication device, or an interface device, or any combination thereof.According to an embodiment, the driving means may include at least one driving means for controlling driving of the host vehicle.For example, the drive device may have at least one drive electric motor. The controller 140 may operate, for example, at least one drive electric motor provided in the drive device based on power from the battery 110.The drive electric motor may be electrically connected to the first battery via an inverter, for example.For example, the drive electric motor may be electrically connected to the second battery via a transfer switch, an auxiliary switch, and at least one relay.FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram showing components of a vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.According to an embodiment, a vehicle control device (e.g., the vehicle control device 100 of FIG. 1 ) may include a first battery 211, a second battery 212, a current sensor 222, a temperature sensor 224, an inverter 260, a drive electric motor 270, a transfer switch 280, and a charging module 290, any combination or all of which may be provided in the plurality, or may include multiple components thereof.For example, the first battery 211 (or a main battery) may be a main battery for operating the drive electric motor 270. The second battery 212 may be an auxiliary battery for charging the first battery 211.The first battery 211 may be electrically connected to the drive electric motor 270 via the inverter 260, for example.The inverter 260 may include, for example, at least one switch 261, 262, 263, 264, 265, and 266 that opens and closes (opens and closes) electric paths between the drive electric motor 270 and three phases of the first battery 211.For example, the first switch 261 and the fourth switch 264 may open and close an electrical path for a first phase 271 of the drive electric motor 270.For example, the second switch 262 and the fifth switch 265 may open and close an electrical path for a second phase 272 of the drive electric motor 270.For example, the third switch 263 and the sixth switch 266 may open and close a third phase electric path 273 of the drive electric motor 270.For example, the drive electric motor 270 may be electrically connected to the charging module 290 via the transfer switch 280.For example, I u in FIG. 2 may be a current flowing into the first phase 271 of the drive electric motor.For example, I v in FIG. 2 may be a current flowing into the second phase 272 of the drive electric motor.For example, I w in FIG. 2 may be a current flowing into the third phase 273 of the traction electric motor.For example, the transfer switch 280 may include switches 281, 282, and 283 provided for switching a battery operation mode.For example, the vehicle control device may monitor the neutral conductor current of the transfer switch 280. The neutral conductor current of the transfer switch 280 may be, for example, a current flowing at a particular (e.g., predetermined) point 285 at which electrical paths emanating from the first transfer switch 281, the second transfer switch 282, and the third transfer switch 283 meet.The charging module 290 may include, for example, a plurality of components provided for charging the first battery 211.For example, the charging module 290 may include a first auxiliary switch 291, a second auxiliary switch 292, a third auxiliary switch 293, a capacitor 294, a first relay 296, and a second relay 298, any combination or all of which may be provided in the plurality or may include multiple components thereof. For example, the vehicle control device may supply a current output from the second battery 212 to the first battery 211 via the charging module 290 based on the operation states of the first auxiliary switch 291, the second auxiliary switch 292, the third auxiliary switch 293, the first relay 296, and the second relay 298.For example, the charging module 290 may include the second battery 212 (or a secondary battery). The second battery 212 may store energy for charging the first battery 211. The vehicle control device may determine whether to perform charging of the first battery 211 by the second battery 212 based on whether a ratio between a first SoC of the first battery 211 and a second SoC of the second battery 212 is out of a certain range (or whether a trigger signal for ODC is identified).The driving devices shown in FIG. 2 are examples, and the vehicle control apparatus may include still other components not shown.For example, the vehicle control device may include at least one / one of a third battery (not shown) or a second inverter (not shown), or any combination thereof.FIG. 3 is a diagram conceptually illustrating a circuit diagram illustrating an algorithm in which a vehicle control device applies operation time compensation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.According to one embodiment, a vehicle control device (e.g., the vehicle control device 100 of FIG. 1 ) may measure three-phase currents for a drive electric motor.For example, in a situation where the secondary battery-based vehicle control device charges a main battery while a host vehicle is traveling, the vehicle control device may measure the three-phase currents for the drive electric motor.For example, the vehicle control apparatus may measure a first phase current I a_meas flowing in a first phase based on a sensor device (e.g., the sensor device 220 in FIG. 1 ).For example, the vehicle control device may measure a second phase current I b_meas flowing in a second phase on the basis of the sensor device.For example, the vehicle control device may measure a third phase current I c_meas flowing in a third phase on the basis of the sensor device.For example, the vehicle control device may compare an average of the three-phase currents with the neutral conductor current of a transfer switch (e.g., the transfer switch 280 in FIG. 2 ). If the average value does not match the neutral conductor current, the vehicle control device may apply operation time compensation to a specific phase based on the ODC phase current imbalance control. Due to the compensation voltage generated based on the application of the duty compensation, the three-phase imbalance can be improved.For example, the vehicle control device may measure a difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of each of the three-phase currents.For example, the vehicle control device may compare the largest value of the measured differences with a difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of a current of a certain phase.For example, if the largest value among the measured differences is identified (or determined) as being equal to or larger than a first difference between the first maximum value and the second minimum value of the first phase current I a_meas the vehicle control device may increase the on-duty operation time (i.e., on-duty) of a first element (e.g., the first switch 261 in FIG. 2 ) based on application of duty compensation to the first element belonging to the first phase through which the first phase current I a_meas flows. In this way, the compensation voltage V* cur_bal_a may additionally occur at the voltage V* an before applying the duty compensation to the first phase.For example, if the largest value among the measured differences is identified (or determined) as being equal to or larger than a second difference between the second maximum value and the second minimum value of the second phase current I b_meas the vehicle control device may increase the on-duty operation time (i.e., the on-duty) of a second element (e.g., the second switch 262 in FIG. 2 ) based on application of the duty compensation to the second element belonging to the second phase through which the second phase current I b_meas flows. In this way, the compensation voltage V' cur_bal_b may additionally appear at the voltage V* bn before applying the duty compensation to the second phase.For example, if the largest value among the measured differences is identified (or determined) as being equal to or greater than a third difference between the third maximum value and the third minimum value of the third phase current I c_meas the vehicle control device may increase the on-duty operation time (i.e., on-duty) of a third element (e.g., the third switch 263 in FIG. 2 ) based on application of the duty compensation to the third element belonging to the third phase through which the third phase current I c_meas flows. In this way, the compensation voltage V* cur_bal_c may additionally occur at the voltage V* cn before applying the duty compensation to the third phase.Based on the above-described operation time compensation algorithm, the drive electric motor may be operated based on a first-phase compensation current I a, a second-phase compensation current I b and a third-phase compensation current I c.FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a vehicle control method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.According to one embodiment, a vehicle control device (e.g., vehicle control device 100 of FIG. 1 ) may perform the operations described in FIG. 4. For example, at least some of the components present in the vehicle control device (e.g., the battery 110, the drive 120, the memory 130, and the controller 140 in FIG. 1 ) may be set to perform the operations described in FIG. 4.In the following embodiment, the operations S 410 to S 480 may be sequentially performed, but need not always be sequentially performed. For example, the order of the operations may be changed, and at least two operations may be performed in parallel. In addition, descriptions corresponding to or identical to the above descriptions with respect to FIG. 4 may be briefly described or omitted to avoid redundancy.According to an embodiment, the vehicle control device may execute the travel control for a host vehicle in the CEW control mode (CEW= Geschlossenes-End Winding (CEW)) (operation S410).The CEW control mode may be, for example, a control mode that operates a drive electric motor (e.g., the drive electric motor 270 in FIG. 2 ) based on the operation of only a main battery (e.g., the first battery 211 in FIG. 2 ).For example, in the CEW control mode, an inverter connected to the main battery (e.g., inverter 260 in FIG. 2 ) may transmit an operating signal to a driver based on a particular pulse width modulation (PWM) control technique, e.g., RSPWM or random switching PWM).According to an embodiment, the vehicle control device may first charge a neutral capacitor by the auxiliary battery initial charge circuit (operation S 420).For example, in a process of preparing charging of the main battery using an auxiliary battery (e.g., the second battery 212 in FIG. 2 ), the vehicle control device may first charge the neutral capacitor (e.g., the capacitor 294 in FIG. 2 ) by an initial charging circuit (e.g., at least a part of the circuit of the charging module 290 in FIG. 2 ).For example, the vehicle control device may first charge the neutral capacitor using a certain ratio (e.g., 50%) with respect to the capacity of the main battery.According to an embodiment, the vehicle control device may control the voltage acting on the auxiliary battery and a CM voltage (e.g., a common-mode voltage) so that the voltage is equal to the CM voltage (operation S 430).For example, the vehicle control device may adjust the voltage acting on the sub-battery and the CM voltage (e.g., a common mode voltage) based on the inverter (e.g., the inverter 260 in FIG. 2 ) and / or the predetermined PWM control technique (e.g., RSPWM or random switching PWM) such that the voltage becomes equal to the common mode voltage.According to an embodiment, the vehicle control device may block the current flowing from the auxiliary battery based on (by) an auxiliary switch (operation S 440).For example, based on (or by means of) setting an operating state of the auxiliary switch to a certain state (e.g. on), the vehicle control device can control the current in such a way that the current flow from the auxiliary battery to the main battery is prevented.According to an embodiment, the vehicle control device may determine whether an ODC control condition is satisfied (operation S 450).For example, when the ratio between a first SoC and a second SoC is outside a certain range, the vehicle control device may determine that the ODC control condition is satisfied.For example, when the difference between the first SoC and the second SoC exceeds a certain value, the vehicle control device may determine that the ODC control condition is satisfied.For example, when the ODC control condition is satisfied (e.g., operation S 450= Ja), the autonomous driving control device may execute operation S 460.For example, when the ODC control condition is not satisfied (e.g., operation S 450=No), the autonomous driving control device may repeat operation S 440.According to an embodiment, the vehicle control device may start the ODC control and measure the three-phase currents (operation S 460).For example, while the host vehicle is being driven by the driving device according to the current output from the first battery, the vehicle control device may perform the ODC control for charging the first battery based on the second battery.For example, the vehicle control device may measure the three-phase currents of a drive electric motor.According to an embodiment, the vehicle control device may compare an average value of the three-phase currents with a difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of each of the three-phase currents (operation S 470).For example, when or only when the average value of the three-phase currents is not equal to the neutral conductor current of the transfer switch, the vehicle control device may measure the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of each three-phase current.According to an embodiment, the vehicle control device may compensate for the operation time (e.g., the duty ratio, the duty ratio, and the like) of a switch belonging to a phase in which the difference is less than the average value (operation S 480).For example, if the largest value of the differences is identified (or determined) as being greater than or equal to a first difference between a first maximum value and a second minimum value of the first phase current, the vehicle control device may apply operation time compensation to a switch (e.g., the first switch 261 in FIG. 2 ) associated with the first phase through which the first phase current flows.For example, after applying the duty compensation to the switch belonging to the first phase, the vehicle control device may determine whether to apply duty compensation (e.g., to these phases) based on a comparison of the largest value of the differences with a difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of each current of the second phase and the third phase.FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a vehicle control method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.According to one embodiment, a vehicle control device (e.g., vehicle control device 100 of FIG. 1 ) may perform the operations described in FIG. 5. For example, at least some of the components (e.g., the battery 110, the drive 120, the storage 130, and the controller 140 in FIG. 1 ) included in the vehicle control device may be set to perform operations of FIG. 5.In the following embodiment, the operations S 510 to S 540 may be performed sequentially, but may not always be performed sequentially. For example, the order of the operations may be changed, and at least two operations may be performed in parallel. Moreover, with reference to FIG. 5, descriptions corresponding to or identical to the above descriptions may be briefly described or omitted to avoid redundancy.According to an embodiment, the vehicle control device may operate a drive electric motor based on a first battery (operation S 510).According to an embodiment, the vehicle control device may identify a trigger signal for ODC (operation S 520).For example, when a ratio between the first SoC and the second SoC is outside a certain range, the vehicle control device may determine that the trigger signal is identified.For example, when a difference between the first SoC and the second SoC exceeds a certain value, the vehicle control device may determine that a trigger signal is identified.For example, if the trigger signal for ODC is identified (e.g., operation S 520= Ja), an autonomous driving control device may perform operation S 530.For example, if the trigger signal for ODC is not identified (e.g., operation S 520=No), the autonomous driving control device may repeat operation S 510.According to an embodiment, the vehicle control device may measure an average value of three-phase currents of a drive electric motor and a difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of the three-phase currents (operation S 530).According to an embodiment, the vehicle control device may apply an operation time compensation value to at least one phase of the drive electric motor based on the average value and the difference (operation S 540).FIG. 6 illustrates a data processing system related to a vehicle control apparatus or method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.Referring to FIG. 6, a data processing system (e.g., a computing system, a computer system) 1000 may include at least a processor 1100, a memory (memory) 1300, a user interface input device 1400, a user interface output device 1500, a (data) storage device (e.g., a mass storage device, storage) 1600, and a network interface 1700, which are connected to each other via a bus 1200, any combination or all of which may be provided in the plurality or include multiple components thereof.The processor 1100 may be a central processing unit (CPU) or a semiconductor device that processes instructions stored in the memory 1300 and / or the storage 1600. The storage 1300 and the storage 1600 may include, for example, various types of volatile or nonvolatile storage media. For example, the memory 1300 may include a read only memory (ROM) 1310 and a random access memory (RAM) 1320.Thus, the operations of the method or algorithm described in connection with the embodiments disclosed in this specification may be directly implemented with a hardware module, a software module, or a combination of the hardware module and the software module executed by the processor 1100. The software module may reside on a storage medium (i.e., the memory 1300 and / or the storage 1600), such as a random access memory (RAM), a flash memory, a read only memory (ROM), an erasable and programmable ROM (EPROM), an electrically EPROM (EEPROM), a register, a hard disk, a removable disk, and / or a compact disk ROM (CD-ROM).The example storage medium may be connected to the processor 1100. The processor 1100 may read information from the storage medium and may write information to the storage medium. Alternatively, the storage medium may be integrated with the processor 1100. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The ASIC can be provided in a user terminal. Alternatively, the processor and the storage medium may be present as separate components in the user terminal. One or more processors for processor 1100 may be together and / or may be separate / remote from each other.The above description is merely exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, and various modifications and variations can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.Accordingly, the embodiments of the present disclosure are not intended to limit the technical ideas of the present disclosure but explain the same, and the scope and spirit of the present disclosure are not necessarily limited by the embodiments. The scopes of the present disclosure may be interpreted by the appended claims, and all equivalents thereof may be considered to be included within the scope of the present disclosure.Some embodiments of the present disclosure may provide a vehicle control device that controls a phase current imbalance to be minimized while charging a first battery based on a second battery (e.g., an auxiliary battery) if a trigger signal is identified while driving an electric motor based on the first battery (e.g., the main battery).Some embodiments of the present disclosure may provide a vehicle control device that applies the operation time compensation calculated on the basis of an average value of three-phase currents acting on the drive electric motor and a comparison result between the maximum value and the minimum value of each of the three-phase currents to at least one element (e.g., a switch).Some embodiments of the present disclosure may provide a vehicle control device that increases an operation time of a switch and generates a compensation voltage, and increases the magnitude of a current in a phase belonging to the corresponding switch among the three-phase currents, based on application of operation time compensation to at least one switch.Some embodiments of the present disclosure may provide a vehicle control device that blocks a current output from a second battery by using an auxiliary switch before identifying a trigger signal, thereby preventing conflict between the currents output from the first and second batteries.Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments and the accompanying drawings, the present disclosure is not necessarily limited thereto, but may be modified and modified in various ways by those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as claimed in the following claims.

Claims

A vehicle control apparatus (100) comprising: a first battery (211), a second battery (212), a sensor device (220), a memory (130) configured to store instructions, and a controller (140) operatively connected to the first battery (211), the second battery (212), the sensor device (220), and the memory (130), and wherein the instructions, when executed by the controller (140), enable the controller (140) to cause the vehicle control apparatus (100) to: operate a drive electric motor (270) using the first battery (211), charge the first battery (211) using the second battery (212) if a charge-during-drive, ODC, trigger signal using the second battery (212) is identified, while running control of a host vehicle is performed by the drive electric motor (270), using the sensor device (220), to measure an average value of three-phase currents and a variation difference between a maximum value and a minimum value of each of the three-phase currents of the drive electric motor (270), and to apply operation time compensation to an element belonging to at least one of the three-phase currents based on the variation difference and the average value.The vehicle control apparatus (100) of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the controller (140), further enable the controller (140) to cause the vehicle control apparatus (100) to: block a current output from the second battery (212), based on an auxiliary switch (291, 292, 293) operatively connected to the second battery (212), before identifying the trigger signal.The vehicle control apparatus (100) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the instructions, when executed by the controller (140), further enable the controller (140) to cause the vehicle control apparatus (100) to: identify, based on the sensor device (220), a first state of charge (SoC) of the first battery (211) and a second SoC of the second battery (212), and determine that the trigger signal is identified if a ratio between the first SoC and the second SoC is outside a certain range.The vehicle control apparatus (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the instructions, when executed by the controller (140), further enable the controller (140) to cause the vehicle control apparatus (100) to: based on the sensor means (220), compare the average value of the three-phase currents (I u, I v, I w) of the drive electric motor (270) with a neutral conductor current (I* n) of a transfer switch (280) in an electrical path between the drive electric motor (270) and the second battery (212), and compare the difference in variation between the maximum value and the minimum value of each of the three-phase currents (I u, I v, I w) if the average value is not equal to the neutral conductor current (I* n).The vehicle control apparatus (100) according to claim 4, wherein the instructions, when executed by the controller (140), further enable the controller (140) to cause the vehicle control apparatus (100) to apply the operation time compensation to a first element belonging to a first phase through which a first phase current flows if the largest value of the difference is identified as being equal to or greater than a first difference between a first maximum value and a second minimum value of the first phase current.The vehicle control device (100) according to claim 5, wherein the first member includes a first switch module that belongs to the first phase and is disposed in an electrical path between the first battery (211) and the drive electric motor (270).The vehicle control apparatus (100) according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the instructions, when executed by the controller (140), further enable the controller (140) to cause the vehicle control apparatus (100) to determine the operation time compensation to be proportional to a magnitude of a delta difference between the first difference and the largest value.The vehicle control apparatus (100) according to claim 5, 6 or 7, wherein the instructions, when executed by the controller (140), further enable the controller (140) to cause the vehicle control apparatus (100) to increase an operation time of the first element based on the application of the operation time compensation to the first element.A vehicle control method, the method comprising: operating (S510) a drive electric motor using a first battery (211); charging the first battery (211) using a second battery (212) if a trigger signal for charging-during-travel, ODC for short, that uses the second battery (212) is identified (S520) while a travel control of a host vehicle is performed by the drive electric motor (270); measuring (S530) an average value of three-phase currents; measuring (S530) a variation difference between a maximum value and a minimum value of each of the three-phase currents of the drive electric motor (270); and applying (S540) an operation time compensation to an element belonging to at least one of the three-phase currents based on the variation difference and the average value.The method of claim 9, further comprising: blocking a current output from the second battery (212) using an auxiliary switch (291, 292, 293) operatively connected to the second battery (212) before identifying the trigger signal.The method of claim 9 or 10, further comprising: identifying a first state of charge, SoC for short, of the first battery (211); identifying a second SoC of the second battery (212); and determining that the trigger signal is identified when a ratio between the first SoC and the second SoC is outside a certain range.The method of claim 9, 10 or 11, further comprising: comparing the average value of the three-phase currents (I u, I v, I w) with a neutral conductor current (I* n) of a transfer switch (280) in an electrical path between the drive electric motor (270) and the second battery (212); and measuring the difference in variation between the maximum value and the minimum value of each of the three-phase currents (I u, I v, I w), if the average value is not equal to the neutral conductor current (I* n).The method of claim 12, further comprising: applying the duty compensation to a first element belonging to a first phase through which a first phase current flows if a largest value of the variation difference is identified as being greater than or equal to a first difference between a first maximum value and a second minimum value of the first phase current.The method of claim 13, wherein the first element comprises a first switch module belonging to the first phase and arranged in an electrical path between the first battery (211) and the drive electric motor (270).The method of claim 13 or 14, further comprising: determining the operating time compensation to be proportional to a magnitude of a delta difference between the first difference and the largest value.A computer readable recording medium including a program for executing a vehicle control method, the vehicle control method comprising: operating, by a controller (140), a drive electric motor (270) based on a first battery (211); charging, based on a second battery (212), the first battery (211) by the controller (140); when a charge-during-travel, ODC, trigger signal that the second battery (212) uses is identified while a travel control of a host vehicle is performed by the drive electric motor (270); measuring an average value of three-phase currents based on a sensor device (220), measuring a variation difference between a maximum value and a minimum value of each of the three-phase currents of the drive electric motor (270) based on a sensor device (220) by the controller (140), and applying, by the controller (140), an operation time compensation to an element belonging to at least one of the three-phase currents based on the variation difference and the average value.The computer readable recording medium according to claim 16, wherein the vehicle control method further comprises: blocking, by the controller (140), a current output from the second battery (212) based on an auxiliary switch (291, 292, 293) operatively connected to the second battery (212) before identifying the trigger signal.The computer readable recording medium according to claim 16 or 17, wherein the vehicle control method further comprises: identifying, based on the sensor device (220), a first state of charge, SoC for short, of the first battery (211) by the controller device (140); identifying, based on the sensor device (220), a second SoC of the second battery (212) by the controller device (140); and determining, by the controller device (140), that the trigger signal is identified if a ratio between the first SoC and the second SoC is outside a certain range.The computer readable recording medium according to claim 18, wherein the vehicle control method further comprises: comparing, based on the sensor means (220), the average value of the three-phase currents (I u, I v, I w) with a neutral conductor current (I* n) of a transfer switch (280) in an electric path between the drive electric motor (270) and the second battery (212) by the control means (140); and measuring, by the control means (140), the difference in variation between the maximum value and the minimum value of each of the three-phase currents (I u, I v, I w), if the average value is not equal to the neutral conductor current (I* n).The computer readable recording medium according to claim 19, wherein the vehicle control method further comprises: applying, by the controller (140), the operation time compensation to a first element belonging to a first phase in which a first phase current flows, if a largest value of the variation difference is identified as being equal to or greater than a first difference between a first maximum value and a second minimum value of the first phase current.

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