Parallel Inverter Motor Control for EV Fault Tolerance
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Solution Overview
Problem
In electric vehicles, a failure of the inverter that controls motor current leads to inability to drive the vehicle or difficulties in applying the regenerative brake, as charging and discharging cannot be controlled effectively.
Innovation Solution
A motor control device with multiple semiconductor units, each comprising a semiconductor device and a battery pack, where the semiconductor devices are electrically connected in parallel to the motor, ensuring continued operation even if one unit fails, thereby increasing fault tolerance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single inverter controls the motor current, then the control structure is simple, but the system fails completely when the inverter or battery fails
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the single inverter control system into multiple independent semiconductor units (first and second inverters), each capable of independently controlling the motor. This segmentation allows the system to maintain partial functionality even when one unit fails, thereby improving fault tolerance while managing complexity through modular design
2Reliability
If semiconductor devices are connected in parallel to the motor, then fault tolerance increases, but the device complexity and number of components increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple semiconductor devices (first and second inverters) into a unified parallel connection architecture that shares common components such as the motor, control unit, and battery packs. This merging approach allows fault tolerance improvement through redundancy while minimizing the increase in overall system complexity by sharing essential components
3Duration of action of moving object
If multiple battery packs are used to power semiconductor units, then operational continuity is improved, but the system complexity and component count increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the power supply system into multiple independent battery packs (first and second battery packs), each capable of independently powering the semiconductor units. This segmentation ensures that if one battery pack fails, the other can maintain operational continuity, while the modular structure manages system complexity through standardized independent units
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a motor control device that prevents a motor from being unable to be driven in the event of a failure of a battery or an inverter that controls a motor current. A motor control device includes a plurality of semiconductor units each including a semiconductor device (an inverter circuit) driving a motor and a battery providing DC power to the semiconductor device (inverter circuit), wherein semiconductor devices (inverter circuits) of the respective semiconductor units are electrically connected in parallel to the motor.