EV Inverter Bypass Control for Drive System Abnormality
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Electric vehicles may become disabled and obstruct traffic or be damaged if an abnormality occurs in the supply of AC power from the inverter to the motor, as they cannot be safely stopped or moved to a repair location.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a control apparatus that couples the drive systems of an electric vehicle via bypass lines, allowing AC or DC power to be rerouted from a functioning drive system to a non-functioning one, ensuring continuous operation and enabling safe stopping or transport to a repair facility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the vehicle stops all inverters and wheels simultaneously when an abnormality occurs, then safety is improved, but the vehicle becomes disabled and cannot be moved to a repair location
Solution Approach 1:
The vehicle's drive system is segmented into multiple independent inverters, each capable of operating separately. When one inverter detects an abnormality, only that specific inverter is stopped while other inverters continue normal operation, allowing the vehicle to maintain partial mobility for reaching repair locations.
Solution Approach 2:
When an inverter abnormality is detected, the system discards the malfunctioning inverter from operation and recovers functionality by redistributing its power supply load to healthy inverters through bypass lines, enabling the vehicle to continue operating with reduced but sufficient capability.
2Ease of operation
If bypass lines are added to couple power lines between drive systems, then mobility during abnormality is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bypass lines are designed with multi-functionality, serving both as normal power distribution pathways and as emergency reroute paths when abnormalities occur. This universal design reduces the need for completely separate emergency wiring systems, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
3Reliability
If all inverters are stopped simultaneously to ensure safety, then abnormal behavior is prevented, but the vehicle cannot be transported to repair facility
Solution Approach 1:
The inverter control system operates dynamically, automatically adjusting its state based on real-time abnormality detection. When abnormalities are detected, the system transitions from a state where all inverters must stop to a state where only affected inverters stop, while healthy inverters continue operation, thereby extending the vehicle's operational duration after abnormality occurrence.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Prevents the vehicle from being disabled, allowing it to be safely stopped or transported to a repair location, even when an abnormality occurs in the power supply, thereby preventing traffic obstruction and potential damage.
Implementation Method 1
Each inverter is configured to convert direct current power supplied from a corresponding power supply into alternating current power and supply the alternating current power to the corresponding motor
Data Source
AI summary
An electric vehicle includes drive systems, a control apparatus that controls the drive systems, and wheels. Each drive system includes a motor and an inverter coupled by wires. The wires of the drive systems are coupled by first bypass lines. Each inverter converts direct current power supplied from a corresponding power supply into alternating current power and supplies the alternating current power to the corresponding motor. Each motor drives the corresponding wheel. When an abnormality occurs in the supply of the alternating current power from the inverter to the motor in one drive system, the control apparatus performs control (i) to stop the supply of the alternating current power from the inverter of the one drive systems, and (ii) to supply the alternating current power supplied from the inverter to the motor in another drive system, to the motor of the one drive system via the first bypass lines.