Cooperative Motor Control Switching After Drive Controller Failure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing rotary electric machine control systems face challenges in stabilizing motor control and system configuration due to the need for redundant drive control units, which leads to increased complexity and size, especially in applications like vehicle electric brakes, where motor state at relay opening affects subsequent control and requires multiple servomotors.
Innovation Solution
A rotary electric machine control device with independent motor system lines and a cooperative control mechanism that allows failed drive control units to be temporarily taken over by another unit, using relays to establish a connection path and maintain motor position stability without the need for redundant units.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a relay is used to suspend power supply at the time of failure, then motor protection is improved, but the motor state at relay opening has a large effect on subsequent control making adequate control impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The control device determines the rotational position of the motor before opening the relay contactor. This preliminary determination of motor state enables appropriate subsequent control actions to be taken after the relay opens, preventing the motor state from negatively affecting control. The system prepares by knowing the exact motor position before interruption occurs.
2Reliability
If drive control units are duplicated for failure protection, then system reliability is improved, but the number of driving devices increases significantly enlarging the total system configuration
Solution Approach 1:
Each drive control unit is designed to control its own motor under normal conditions, but can also control another motor when a failure is detected. The control units have universal functionality to operate any motor in the system, eliminating the need for dedicated redundant units while maintaining reliability through cross-contingency capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The relay contactor serves as a switching intermediary that can redirect power supply from a functioning drive control unit to a motor whose drive control unit has failed. This intermediary switching mechanism enables flexible reconfiguration of the system to maintain operation without requiring additional drive control units.
3Device complexity
If the number of drive control units is reduced, then system complexity is reduced, but the ability to maintain stable motor control during failure is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically reconfigures its control architecture upon detecting a failure. Normally, each drive control unit operates independently, but upon failure detection, the system transitions to a mode where a functioning drive control unit takes control of the affected motor through relay switching. This dynamic adaptation maintains reliability without requiring permanent redundant configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes its operational parameters from a static one-to-one mapping of drive control units to motors, to a flexible many-to-many mapping capability. The relay contactors enable the system to change the connection topology dynamically, allowing any functioning drive control unit to connect to any motor needing control, thus maintaining reliability with fewer units.
Data Source
AI summary
A rotary electric machine control device includes: a plurality of mutually-independent motor system lines, each having a motor with a servomechanism and a drive controller for driving and controlling the motor (3); and a cooperative controller which, when occurrence of a failure of the drive controller is detected in one motor system line in the plurality of the motor system lines, establishes a connection path for causing the motor of the one motor system line where the occurrence of the failure has been detected, to be driven using at least one part of the drive controller in another motor system line in that motor system lines.