JP2006094574A - In-wheel motor vehicle, and its inspection method and device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To simply inspect whether there is no abnormality in the output of an in-wheel motor. <P>SOLUTION: For the in-wheel motor 1, it is possible to control braking force independently for each wheel. A vehicle control unit 45 gives specified drive commands to motors for a front wheel and a rear wheel, and make judgment about the abnormality of the motors, based on the operating situations of the vehicle when the drive commands are given. For example, the vehicle control unit 45 gives opposite driving force to a right front wheel 3 and a right rear wheel 7 by controlling a right front in-wheel motor 13 and a right rear wheel in-wheel motor 17, and when the vehicle moves, it judges that there is an abnormality. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-wheel motor vehicle including a motor capable of controlling braking / driving force independently for each wheel, and an inspection technique thereof.

Conventionally, an in-wheel motor vehicle has been proposed as a technique for improving the driving efficiency of an electric vehicle. In-wheel motor vehicles are equipped with a small in-wheel motor for each wheel individually, and the driving force and braking force of each wheel (hereinafter referred to as “braking / driving force”) are controlled independently. Is done. In Patent Document 1, it is proposed that an in-wheel motor diagnostic device is mounted on an in-wheel motor vehicle, and this diagnostic device diagnoses, for example, whether or not the in-wheel motor is connected to a motor drive circuit. In addition, it is configured to diagnose whether or not the rotation direction of the in-wheel motor is appropriate.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-322809 (page 3-4, FIGS. 1 and 2)

  However, even if the above-described diagnostic device is installed, a motor abnormality such as a nonstandard value in the motor output value of each wheel is not detected. Since such a motor abnormality can affect the running performance of the vehicle, a technique capable of detecting such a motor abnormality is required.

  In order to inspect the motor output, it is conceivable to measure the motor output using a tester. However, it can be easily imagined that the inspection man-hours, time, and cost for that are all very large. If the abnormality of the motor output can be inspected by a simpler method, it is possible to easily find the abnormality of the motor of the vehicle not only at the manufacturing stage but also after the shipment, thereby improving serviceability.

  The present inventor has recognized the above problems and made the present invention. The purpose of the present inventor is to provide a technique for an in-wheel motor vehicle for inspecting whether there is an abnormality in a motor output by a simple method, and such a technique. The purpose is to provide an introduced in-wheel motor vehicle.

  An aspect of the present invention is an in-wheel motor vehicle inspection method including a motor capable of controlling the braking / driving force independently for each wheel, and a predetermined drive command value is given to the front wheel and rear wheel motors. Then, the motor abnormality is determined based on the motion state of the vehicle when the drive command value is given.

  According to this aspect, the presence or absence of motor abnormality can be easily inspected without using a special tester or the like.

  The predetermined drive command value given to the front wheel and rear wheel motors may be a value that maintains the vehicle stop state in a normal motor state. Thereby, the presence or absence of abnormality can be determined by whether or not the vehicle is maintained in a stopped state.

  The drive command values for the front wheel motor and the rear wheel motor may be set according to the weight balance of the vehicle. Thereby, even when the weight balance of the vehicle is biased back and forth, a motor abnormality can be appropriately determined.

  The predetermined drive command value may be a value for generating reverse drive torque in the front wheel and rear wheel motors. Thereby, if the motor is normal, the presence / absence of abnormality of the motor can be determined using the fact that the driving forces of the front and rear wheels are offset.

  The predetermined drive command value may be a value that causes the front wheel and the rear wheel motors to generate a drive torque to which the same driving force is applied to the front wheels and the rear wheels. Thereby, the presence or absence of motor abnormality can be determined by whether or not a driving force of the same magnitude acts on the front and rear wheels as commanded to maintain a predetermined motion state, for example, a stopped state.

  If the vehicle moves when the predetermined drive command value is applied, it may be determined that the motor is abnormal. In this case, since the presence / absence of movement of the vehicle can be detected relatively easily, the presence / absence of motor abnormality can be easily detected.

  Another aspect of the present invention is also an in-wheel motor vehicle inspection method including a motor capable of controlling the braking / driving force independently for each wheel, which is the same size as the motors for one of the left and right front wheels. Diagonal front and rear wheels that generate reverse driving force with the same size for the front and rear wheel motors that perform diagonal one-side front and rear wheel drive that generates reverse braking / driving force. Driving is performed, and the motor abnormality is determined based on the movement state of the vehicle in the one-side front and rear wheel drive and the diagonal front and rear wheel drive.

  Also according to this aspect, the presence or absence of motor abnormality can be easily inspected without using a special tester or the like. Furthermore, according to this aspect, it is possible to identify a motor in which an abnormality has occurred. That is, when the one-side front and rear wheel drive and the diagonal front and rear wheel drive are performed, only one of the one-side front and rear wheels is driven by the diagonal front and rear wheel drive. And if a vehicle moves by both one-side front-and-rear wheel drive and diagonal front-and-rear wheel drive, it can be estimated that there is an abnormality in the motor of the wheel to which drive force is applied by both drives. If the vehicle moves by one-side front and rear wheel drive and does not move by diagonal front and rear wheel drive, it can be estimated that there is an abnormality in the wheel motor to which the driving force is applied only by one-side front and rear wheel drive. Conversely, if the vehicle does not move by one-side front and rear wheel drive and the vehicle moves by diagonal front and rear wheel drive, it can be estimated that there is an abnormality in the wheel motor to which the driving force is applied only by diagonal front and rear wheel drive.

  Still another aspect of the present invention is an in-wheel motor vehicle inspection device including a motor capable of controlling the braking / driving force independently for each wheel, and a predetermined drive command for inspection to the front wheel and rear wheel motors. Means for assigning a value, means for detecting the movement state of the vehicle when the drive command value is given, means for making a determination about motor abnormality based on the detected movement state, and determination result of motor abnormality And a means for outputting. Also according to this aspect, the presence or absence of motor abnormality can be inspected easily.

  Yet another aspect of the present invention is an in-wheel motor vehicle equipped with a motor capable of controlling braking / driving force independently for each wheel, and gives a predetermined drive command value for inspection to the front wheel and rear wheel motors. Means for detecting the vehicle motion state when the drive command value is given, means for determining motor abnormality based on the detected motion state, and outputting a motor abnormality determination result Means. Also according to this aspect, the presence or absence of motor abnormality can be inspected easily.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to inspect whether there is any abnormality in the motor output by a simple method.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a configuration of an in-wheel motor vehicle to be inspected. In FIG. 1, an in-wheel motor vehicle 1 includes an in-wheel motor on each wheel. That is, the right front wheel 3, the left front wheel 5, the right rear wheel 7, and the left rear wheel 9 are respectively a right front wheel in-wheel motor 13, a left front wheel in-wheel motor 15, a right rear wheel in-wheel motor 17, and a left rear wheel in-wheel. A motor 19 is provided.

  The right front wheel in-wheel motor 13 is connected to the right front wheel inverter 23. The right front wheel inverter 23 is connected to the battery 43 via the DC / DC converter 41, converts electric power supplied from the battery 43, and supplies it to the right front wheel in-wheel motor 13. The right front wheel motor control unit 33 sends a control signal to the right front wheel inverter 23 to adjust the power supplied to the right front wheel in-wheel motor 13, thereby controlling the right front wheel in-wheel motor 13.

  Similarly, the left front wheel in-wheel motor 15, the right rear wheel in-wheel motor 17 and the left rear wheel in-wheel motor 19 are connected to the left front wheel inverter 25, the right rear wheel inverter 27 and the left rear wheel inverter 29, respectively. The left front wheel motor control unit 35, the right rear wheel motor control unit 37, and the left rear wheel motor control unit 39 are controlled. In the following, the four motor control units 33, 35, 37, and 39 are collectively referred to as “motor control unit 33 etc.”, and the same general description is applied to other members as appropriate.

  The motor control unit 33 and the like are further controlled by the host vehicle control unit 45. The vehicle control unit 45 includes, for example, an ECU (electronic control unit). The vehicle control unit 45 receives detection signals from various sensors such as a yaw rate sensor 47, a lateral acceleration sensor 49, a longitudinal acceleration sensor 51, a wheel speed sensor 53, an accelerator sensor 55, a brake sensor 57, a parking brake sensor 59, and a steering angle sensor 61. Entered. The yaw rate sensor 47 detects the yaw rate, the left / right acceleration sensor 49 detects the left / right acceleration of the vehicle, and the front / rear acceleration sensor 51 detects the acceleration in the front / rear direction. The wheel speed sensor 53 is provided on each wheel and detects the rotational speed of each wheel. The accelerator sensor 55 detects the operation state of the accelerator pedal, the brake sensor 57 detects the operation state of the brake, the parking brake sensor (switch) 59 detects on / off of the parking brake, and the steering angle sensor 61 controls the steering angle of the steering wheel. Is detected.

  The vehicle control unit 45 sends an instruction to the motor control unit 33 and the like in response to inputs from these sensors. And the motor control part 33 grade | etc., Controls the in-wheel motor 13 etc. of each wheel according to the instruction | indication from the vehicle control part 45, and, thereby, braking / driving force is provided to each wheel. Since each wheel is equipped with a motor, the braking / driving force of each wheel can be controlled independently.

  Here, in the present embodiment, an instruction that the vehicle control unit 45 sends to the motor control unit 33 or the like independently is referred to as a drive command value for each motor. The motor control unit 33 or the like drives the in-wheel motor 13 or the like according to the drive command value, whereby each in-wheel motor generates motor torque according to the drive command value, and braking / driving force according to the motor torque is applied to each wheel. Is granted.

  The in-wheel motor vehicle 1 is further provided with a monitor 63 and a speaker 65. The vehicle control unit 45 causes the monitor 63 and the speaker 65 to output necessary information as appropriate. The in-wheel motor vehicle 1 is provided with an operation device 67 such as a button or a touch panel, and an operation on the operation device 67 is received by the vehicle control unit 45.

  Next, a technique for inspecting the in-wheel motor vehicle 1 in the present embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, the vehicle control unit 45 functions as an inspection device together with the motor control unit 33 and the like, executes a program corresponding to the inspection method of the present embodiment, and thereby realizes the inspection. In the inspection process, the vehicle control unit 45 gives a predetermined drive command value to the motor control unit 33 and the like, thereby causing the in-wheel motor 13 and the like to generate torque and generate braking / driving force on the wheels.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the inspection method according to the present embodiment. When an operation for instructing the operation device 67 to start the inspection is performed by the inspector, this operation is received by the vehicle control unit 45, and the vehicle control unit 45 starts the inspection program. In FIG. 2, RH indicates the right side and LH indicates the left side.

  The vehicle control unit 45 first checks the initial state based on the sensor input (S10). Here, the vehicle control unit 45 confirms that neither the accelerator pedal nor the brake pedal is depressed, the parking brake is released, and the steering angle is zero. When the vehicle is not in the initial state, the vehicle control unit 45 may display a message on the monitor 63 that prompts the inspector to bring the vehicle into the initial state. A similar message may be output from the speaker 65.

  Following the confirmation of the initial state, the vehicle control unit 45 inputs the braking / driving force of the opposite direction and equal magnitude to the right (RH) front and rear wheels (S12). In the present embodiment, the generation of the reverse driving force with the same size on one side of the front and rear wheels in this way is called one-side front and rear wheel drive. In S12, the right one-side front and rear wheel drive is performed.

  Here, in the present embodiment, it is assumed that each motor is directly connected to each axle, and that the wheel outer diameter is the same for all four wheels. In this case, if the magnitude of the driving torque of the motor is the same, the magnitude of the driving force on the ground plane is also the same. Therefore, the vehicle control unit 45 sends drive command values to the right front wheel motor control unit 33 and the right rear wheel motor control unit 37, and has the same magnitude in the opposite direction to the right front wheel in-wheel motor 13 and the right rear wheel in-wheel motor 17. Generate torque. For example, torque is applied so that the front wheel moves forward and the rear wheel moves backward. Conversely, torque may be applied so that the front wheel moves backward and the rear wheel moves forward. The magnitude of the torque is set to, for example, the torque at the start of the vehicle. The time for generating the torque is also predetermined and is, for example, 10 seconds. The vehicle control unit 45 adjusts the drive command value based on the weight balance data before and after the vehicle, and controls so that the vehicle is stopped when the characteristics of all the motors match.

  The vehicle control unit 45 generates braking / driving forces of the same magnitude and opposite directions on the two wheels by the above control. Such control is performed in the same manner even when the wheel to be controlled is different in the process described later.

  Next, the vehicle control unit 45 determines whether or not the vehicle has moved (S14). Here, for example, the vehicle control unit 45 determines whether or not the vehicle is moving based on an input from the yaw rate sensor 47. Moreover, the input of the left-right acceleration sensor 49, the longitudinal acceleration sensor 51, or the wheel speed sensor 53 may be used. Further, the movement of the vehicle may be detected based on inputs from a plurality of sensors.

  If it is determined in S14 that the vehicle has moved, the vehicle control unit 45 immediately stops generating torque (hereinafter, if it is detected that the vehicle has moved during the inspection, the generation of torque is also immediately stopped). ). The fact that the vehicle has moved in S14 is considered that the output of either the right front wheel in-wheel motor 13 or the right rear wheel in-wheel motor 17 is abnormal. Therefore, the vehicle control unit 45 inputs braking / driving forces having opposite directions and equal magnitudes to the right (RH) front wheel and the left (LH) rear wheel (S16). Although not shown, the initial state is first confirmed as in S10, and the braking / driving force is input when the vehicle is not moving. When the vehicle is moving, a message prompting the vehicle to stop may be transmitted to the inspector using a monitor or the like.

  In the present embodiment, generating the opposite driving force with the same size on the front and rear wheels positioned diagonally as in S16 is called diagonal front and rear wheel drive. In S16, diagonal front and rear wheel driving of the right front wheel and the left rear wheel is performed. The diagonal front and rear wheel drive control is different from the one-side front and rear wheel drive in that the wheel to be controlled is positioned diagonally, but the control of the motor torque and the like may be the same as the one-side front and rear wheel drive. However, the motor rotation direction for rotating the wheels in the same direction is opposite between the left motor and the right motor, and this point is naturally reflected in the control.

  The vehicle control unit 45 determines whether or not the vehicle has moved when the braking / driving force is input in S16 by the same method as described above (S18). When it is detected in S18 that the vehicle has moved, the vehicle has moved by both the one-side drive of S12 and the diagonal drive of S16. In this case, it is considered that there is an abnormality in the wheel to which the driving force is applied in both the one-side drive of S12 and the diagonal drive of S16. This condition applies to the right front wheel. Therefore, the vehicle control unit 45 determines that there is an abnormality in the right front wheel in-wheel motor 13 and the right rear wheel in-wheel motor 17 is normal (S20).

  On the other hand, it is assumed that the vehicle has not moved in S18. In this case, it is considered that there is an abnormality in the wheel that was driven by the one-side drive of S12 and was not driven by the diagonal drive of S16. This condition applies to the right rear wheel. Therefore, the vehicle control unit 45 determines that there is an abnormality in the right rear wheel in-wheel motor 17 and the right front wheel in-wheel motor 13 is normal (S22).

  After S20 or S22, the inspection result is displayed on the monitor 63 in S40. The vehicle control unit 45 outputs a message indicating that there is an abnormality in the right front wheel in-wheel motor 13 when the inspection result of S20 is obtained, and the right rear when the inspection result of S22 is obtained. A message indicating that there is an abnormality in the wheel-in-wheel motor 17 is output. Further, the inspection result may be output from the speaker 65, and at this time, an alarm sound indicating a motor abnormality may be output.

  Returning to S14, suppose that the vehicle did not move here. In this case, the right and left front and rear wheels have the same braking / driving force, and it is determined that there is no abnormality in the right and left front and rear wheels. Therefore, the vehicle control unit 45 then inputs a braking / driving force of opposite direction and equal magnitude to the left (LH) front and rear wheels, and performs left side front and rear wheel driving (S24). Then, the vehicle control unit 45 determines whether or not the vehicle has moved (S26).

  If it is detected in S26 that the vehicle has moved, it is considered that the output of either the left front wheel in-wheel motor 15 or the left rear wheel in-wheel motor 19 is abnormal. Accordingly, the vehicle control unit 45 inputs braking / driving forces having opposite directions and equal magnitudes to the left (LH) front wheel and the right (RH) rear wheel, and diagonally before and after the left front wheel and the right rear wheel. Wheel drive is performed (S28). Again, the initial state described in S10 is confirmed, and braking / driving force is input in a state where the vehicle is not moving. When the vehicle is moving, a message prompting the vehicle to stop may be transmitted to the inspector using a monitor or the like.

  The vehicle control unit 45 determines whether or not the vehicle has moved when the braking / driving force is input in S28 (S30). When it is detected that the vehicle has moved in S30, the vehicle has moved by both the one-side drive of S24 and the diagonal drive of S28. In this case, it is considered that there is an abnormality in the wheel to which the driving force is applied in both the one-side drive of S24 and the diagonal drive of S28. This condition applies to the left front wheel. Therefore, the vehicle control unit 45 determines that the left front wheel in-wheel motor 15 is abnormal and the left rear wheel in-wheel motor 19 is normal (S32).

  On the other hand, it is assumed that the vehicle does not move in S30. In this case, it is considered that there is an abnormality in the wheel that was driven by the one-side drive of S24 and was not driven by the one-side drive of S28. This condition applies to the left rear wheel. Therefore, the vehicle control unit 45 determines that the left rear wheel in-wheel motor 19 is abnormal and the left front wheel in-wheel motor 15 is normal (S34).

  After S32 or S34, the inspection result is displayed on the monitor 63 in S40. The vehicle control unit 45 outputs a message indicating that there is an abnormality in the left front wheel in-wheel motor 15 when the inspection result of S32 is obtained, and the left rear when the inspection result of S34 is obtained. A message indicating that there is an abnormality in the wheel-in-wheel motor 19 is output. Of course, the inspection result may be output from the speaker 65 as described above.

  Returning to S26, suppose that the vehicle did not move here. In this case, the left and right front and rear wheels have the same braking / driving force, and it is determined that there is no abnormality in the left and right front and rear wheels. And it has already been confirmed in S12 and S14 that there is no abnormality in the right front and rear wheels. Accordingly, the vehicle control unit 45 determines that all the four-wheel in-wheel motors 13, 15, 17, and 19 are normal (S36). The vehicle control unit 45 causes the monitor 63 to display a message indicating that the four wheels are normal in S40. The inspection result may be output from the speaker 65.

  The inspection method and inspection apparatus according to the present embodiment have been described above. According to this embodiment, a plurality of wheels can be inspected simultaneously without using a special tester or the like, and the presence or absence of motor abnormality can be inspected easily.

  As a modification of the present embodiment, for example, only the presence / absence of an abnormality may be output as an inspection result in step S40 of FIG. Although the frequency is very low, if abnormalities occur simultaneously in a plurality of motors, it may be difficult to identify abnormal motors. In such a case, this modification is considered effective.

  In addition, the selection, combination, and order of wheels to be controlled may be appropriately changed within a range in which similar inspection functions and inspection results are obtained with respect to the processing of FIG. For example, first, the braking / driving force may be input to the left and right front and rear wheels. In this case, if the vehicle does not move, braking / driving force is input to the right and left front wheels.

  For example, in S28, braking / driving force may be input to the right front wheel and the left rear wheel instead of the left front wheel and the right rear wheel. In this case, the vehicle control unit 45 determines that there is an abnormality in the left rear wheel if the vehicle moves, and that there is an abnormality in the left front wheel if the vehicle does not move.

  Similarly, in S16, braking / driving force may be input to the left front wheel and the right rear wheel instead of the right front wheel and the left rear wheel. In this case, the vehicle control unit 45 determines that there is an abnormality in the right rear wheel if the vehicle moves, and an abnormality in the right front wheel if the vehicle does not move.

  In the present embodiment, the movement of the vehicle is detected using a yaw rate sensor or the like. However, the detection of the movement of the vehicle may be performed by another configuration. For example, the GPS device calculates the vehicle position and knows the movement of the vehicle from the vehicle position. Therefore, a high-performance GPS device may be used as a sensor that detects vehicle movement.

  The present invention has been described based on the embodiments. This embodiment is an exemplification, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made to combinations of the respective constituent elements and processing processes, and such modifications are also included in the scope of the present invention. By the way.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the in-wheel motor vehicle which concerns on embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the inspection method of the in-wheel motor vehicle which concerns on embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... In-wheel motor vehicle, 3, 5, 7, 9 ... Wheel, 13, 15, 17, 19 ... In-wheel motor, 33, 35, 37, 39 ... Motor control part, 45 ... Vehicle control unit.

Claims (9)

An in-wheel motor vehicle inspection method comprising a motor capable of controlling braking / driving force independently for each wheel,
An in-wheel motor characterized in that a predetermined drive command value is given to a front wheel and a rear wheel motor, and a motor abnormality is determined based on a motion state of a vehicle when the drive command value is given. Car inspection method.   2. The in-wheel motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined drive command value given to the front wheel and rear wheel motors is a value for maintaining a stop state of the vehicle in a normal motor state. Inspection method.   The method for inspecting an in-wheel motor vehicle according to claim 2, wherein drive command values for the front wheel motor and the rear wheel motor are set according to a weight balance of the vehicle.   3. The in-wheel motor vehicle inspection method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined drive command value is a value that causes the front and rear motors to generate reverse drive torque. 4.   The said predetermined drive command value is a value which makes the motor of a front wheel and a rear wheel generate | occur | produce the drive torque by which the driving force of the same magnitude | size is given to a front wheel and a rear wheel. Inspection method for in-wheel motor vehicles.   6. The method for inspecting an in-wheel motor vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the motor is determined to be abnormal when the vehicle moves when the predetermined drive command value is applied. An in-wheel motor vehicle inspection method comprising a motor capable of controlling braking / driving force independently for each wheel,
For the front and rear wheel motors on the left and right, perform one-side front and rear wheel drive that generates the reverse braking / driving force with the same size,
For the front wheel motor and the rear wheel motor located diagonally, diagonal front and rear wheel drive that generates the opposite direction driving force with the same size,
A method for inspecting an in-wheel motor vehicle, comprising: determining a motor abnormality based on a motion state of the vehicle in the one-side front and rear wheel drive and the diagonal front and rear wheel drive. An in-wheel motor vehicle inspection device equipped with a motor capable of controlling braking / driving force independently for each wheel,
Means for giving a predetermined drive command value for inspection to the front wheel and rear wheel motors;
Means for detecting the motion status of the vehicle when the drive command value is given;
Means for determining a motor abnormality based on the detected exercise situation;
Means for outputting a determination result of motor abnormality;
An in-wheel motor vehicle inspection apparatus comprising: An in-wheel motor vehicle equipped with a motor capable of controlling braking / driving force independently for each wheel,
Means for giving a predetermined drive command value for inspection to the front wheel and rear wheel motors;
Means for detecting the motion status of the vehicle when the drive command value is given;
Means for determining a motor abnormality based on the detected exercise situation;
Means for outputting a determination result of motor abnormality;
An in-wheel motor vehicle comprising:

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