JP2010209918A - Control device of electric water pump - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To avoid the step-out of a brushless motor when a restarting condition is satisfied during an inertia rotation after the brushless motor is directed to stop until a rotor stops rotating, in a control device of an electric water pump including the brushless motor of a sensorless type. <P>SOLUTION: When the restarting condition of the brushless motor is satisfied (S5) during the inertia rotation after the brushless motor is directed to stop until the rotor of the brushless motor stops rotating, the control device prohibits the restarting until the rotor stops rotating. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a control device for an electric water pump used in an internal combustion engine (engine) cooling system.

In general, a cooling system for an internal combustion engine circulates coolant between the internal combustion engine and the radiator by a water pump. The water pump includes an internal combustion engine drive type and a motor drive type (hereinafter referred to as an electric type).

The water pump driven by the internal combustion engine is driven by transmitting the rotational power of the crankshaft of the internal combustion engine through a belt. In general, the electric water pump is directly driven by a brushless motor (electric motor) with little friction loss.

Since the present invention relates to an electric water pump, a conventional example of a cooling system for an internal combustion engine using the electric water pump will be described.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses that in an internal combustion engine cooling system, driving and stopping of an electric water pump are controlled so as to keep the coolant at a predetermined target temperature.

In Patent Document 1, the brushless motor of the electric water pump is stopped or decelerated when the temperature of the coolant is below a predetermined value, and when the temperature of the coolant is above the predetermined value, the brushless motor To drive or accelerate.

JP 2002-161748 A

In the conventional example shown in Patent Document 1, hunting control that frequently repeats driving and stopping of the electric water pump near the target temperature of the coolant may be performed. If the brushless motor of the electric water pump is equipped with a sensor for detecting the magnet position of the rotor, this can be done easily.

However, in recent years, the sensor may be eliminated in order to reduce the cost and size of the brushless motor. Incidentally, in the case of a three-phase brushless motor, three magnetic sensors are required to know the position (angle) of the rotor every 60 degrees.

When such a sensorless type brushless motor is used, a restart is instructed from the control system in a state where the rotor rotates in inertia after receiving a stop instruction, such as a situation where the drive and stop are frequently repeated. Then, since the magnet position of the rotor cannot be recognized, the brushless motor will step out and the rotor will stop. For this reason, since the rotor must be restarted after stopping, the temperature of the coolant cannot be stably adjusted, for example, the time lag from the stop instruction to the actual restart is increased. There is room for improvement here.

In the conventional example shown in Patent Document 1, there is no description of whether or not the brushless motor of the electric water pump is provided with a sensor for detecting the rotor angle. Since there is no description of performing special control when performing, it is considered that the use of the sensor is indispensable.

In addition to this, although it is a field different from the cooling system of an internal combustion engine, it is disclosed in JP 2000-12558 A.
No. 4 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-113082 disclose a device using a brushless motor (
In an air conditioner or a washing machine, a device including a magnetic sensor (Hall element) for detecting the position (angle) of a rotor of a brushless motor is described. Thus, it can be said that it is common to use a rotor angle detection sensor for the control for driving or stopping the brushless motor.

The present invention relates to a control device for an electric water pump including a sensorless type brushless motor, wherein when a restart condition is satisfied during inertial rotation from the instruction to stop the brushless motor until the rotor stops rotating, the brushless motor The purpose is to make it possible to avoid step-out.

The present invention is a control device for an electric water pump that circulates a coolant between an internal combustion engine and a radiator, and the brushless motor is instructed to stop a sensorless type brushless motor provided in the electric water pump. When the brushless motor restart condition is satisfied during inertial rotation until the rotor stops rotating, the restart process is prohibited until the rotor stops rotating.

The sensorless type means that the position of the brushless motor rotor (
It is understood that the magnetic sensor for detecting the angle is eliminated.

According to this configuration, as a motor of the electric water pump, a peculiar problem that may occur when the cost is reduced and the size is reduced by using a sensorless brushless motor, that is, the brushless motor is rotated by inertia of the rotor. It becomes possible to avoid the phenomenon of stepping out when restarting during.

In other words, even if the restart condition is satisfied while the rotor of the sensorless brushless motor provided in the electric water pump is rotating in inertia, the restart process is not executed until the rotor stops rotating. As a result, the brushless motor does not step out.

This eliminates the need for recovery processing after step-out, so it is possible to shorten the time required from when the restart condition is established until it is actually started. It becomes possible to carry out stably.

Preferably, when the stop of the brushless motor is instructed, a process of applying a braking force to the rotor can be performed.

According to this configuration, since the rotational speed of the rotor that rotates by inertia is forcibly reduced, it is possible to shorten the time from when the instruction to stop the brushless motor to when the rotor stops rotating. Become.

The present invention is a control device for an electric water pump for circulating a coolant between an internal combustion engine and a radiator, for driving or stopping a sensorless type brushless motor provided in the electric water pump as necessary. A signal output means for outputting the command signal, a drive means for energizing or deenergizing the brushless motor in response to the command signal from the signal output means, and a stop instruction of the signal output means from the stop instruction of the brushless motor. Management means for delaying output of a drive instruction by the signal output means until the rotor stops rotating when a restart condition is satisfied during inertial rotation until the rotor stops rotating. .

According to this configuration, as a motor of the electric water pump, there is a peculiar problem that may occur when a sensorless type brushless motor is used to reduce the cost and the size of the motor, that is, the brushless motor is rotating freely. It is possible to avoid the phenomenon of stepping out when restarting.

In other words, even if the restart condition is satisfied while the rotor of the sensorless brushless motor provided in the electric water pump is rotating in inertia, the restart process is not executed until the rotor stops rotating. As a result, the brushless motor does not step out.

As a result, unlike the conventional case where the step-out of the brushless motor has occurred, the recovery process after the step-out is not required, so the time required to actually start up from the point when the restart condition is satisfied is shortened. It becomes possible to do. As a result, it is possible to stably adjust the temperature of the coolant by circulating the coolant.

Preferably, it further includes rotation stop detection means for detecting rotation stop of the rotor, and the rotation stop detection means can estimate inertial rotation time based on the rotor rotation speed at the time of the stop instruction.

In this configuration, the means for detecting the rotation stop of the rotor is specified as a control program that uses map data representing the correlation between the rotor rotation speed and the inertial rotation time. This specification is advantageous in simplifying the configuration, such as no need to add special equipment.

Preferably, it further includes rotation stop detection means for detecting rotation stop of the rotor, and the rotation stop detection means detects rotation stop based on the discharge side pressure of the electric water pump.

In this configuration, the means for detecting the rotation stop of the rotor is specified so as to use the output of a pressure sensor generally installed in the cooling system of the internal combustion engine. This specification is advantageous in simplifying the configuration, such as no need to add special equipment.

Preferably, the brushless motor is a three-phase brushless motor, and the management means outputs a signal for energizing only one phase of the brushless motor by the signal output means when a stop condition is satisfied. It can be output.

In this case, since the magnetic force generated in the one-phase stator winding to be energized attracts and constrains the rotor magnet of the brushless motor, the restraining force becomes the rotational resistance of the rotor, and the braking force is applied to the rotor. Will be.

As a result, the rotational speed of the rotor rotating by inertia is forcibly reduced, so that it is possible to shorten the time from when the brushless motor stop condition is satisfied until the rotor stops rotating.

Preferably, the brushless motor is a three-phase brushless motor, the signal output means outputs a duty command signal indicating a drive instruction or a stop instruction, and the management means The signal output means first outputs a deceleration instruction with a duty ratio lower than that of the normal drive instruction, and then outputs a stop instruction.

In this case, when the drive means receives the deceleration instruction output from the signal output means, the drive means energizes the stator winding of the brushless motor in response to the deceleration instruction, and therefore the rotational speed of the rotor decreases. Will come to be.

By outputting a stop instruction after the deceleration instruction, the inertial rotation time of the rotor from the stop instruction is shortened. Thereby, it is possible to shorten the time from when the stop condition of the brushless motor is established until the rotation of the rotor stops.

Preferably, it further includes braking means for applying a braking force to the rotor, and the management means includes
When the stop condition is satisfied, the brake means is operated and a stop instruction is output by the signal output means.

According to this configuration, since the rotational speed of the rotor that rotates by inertia is forcibly reduced, it is possible to shorten the time from when the instruction to stop the brushless motor to when the rotor stops rotating. Become.

Incidentally, the braking means can be, for example, an electric on-off valve or a flow control valve for limiting the amount of coolant introduced into the electric water pump. In other words, if the opening of these valves is reduced or fully closed, the inertial force due to the coolant does not act on the fins provided on the pump shaft of the water pump, so the brushless motor integrated with the pump shaft A braking force is applied to the rotor.

Preferably, the management means determines whether or not the stop condition or the restart condition is satisfied based on the load of the internal combustion engine or the temperature of the coolant, and determines the output timing of the command signal by the signal output means. Can be controlled.

This configuration specifies trigger requirements for starting or stopping the electric water pump.

The present invention relates to a control device for an electric water pump including a sensorless type brushless motor, wherein when a restart condition is satisfied during inertial rotation from the instruction to stop the brushless motor until the rotor stops rotating, the brushless motor Can be avoided.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the time required from the instruction to stop the brushless motor to the actual restart as much as possible. As a result, the temperature of the coolant of the internal combustion engine can be adjusted stably, which can contribute to improving the reliability of the cooling system.

It is a schematic block diagram which shows an example of the cooling system of the internal combustion engine used as the application object of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the control apparatus of the electric water pump of FIG. It is a time chart which shows the drive form of the electric water pump by the control apparatus of FIG. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the control action by the control apparatus of FIG. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the other examples of the cooling system of the internal combustion engine used as the application object of this invention. It is other embodiment of this invention, and is a flowchart for demonstrating the control action by the control apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is other embodiment of this invention, and is a time chart which shows the drive form of the electrically driven water pump by the control apparatus which concerns on this invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the best embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. First, FIG. 1 to FIG. 4 show an embodiment of the present invention.

First, a schematic configuration of a cooling system for an internal combustion engine will be described with reference to FIG. In short, this cooling system is configured to keep the temperature of the coolant used for the internal combustion engine at a predetermined set temperature range while quickly reaching a predetermined set temperature.

A coolant circulation circuit which is a closed loop is provided inside and outside the internal combustion engine, and the coolant is circulated and circulated by the water pump 7 in the circulation circuit. In addition,
As generally known, the cooling liquid is, for example, an antifreeze liquid called LLC (Long Life Coolant).

The coolant circulation circuit includes an internal passage provided inside the internal combustion engine and an external passage provided outside the internal combustion engine.

The internal passage mainly includes a water jacket 3 provided in the cylinder block 1 of the internal combustion engine and a water jacket 4 provided in the cylinder head 2 of the internal combustion engine.

The external passage mainly includes a radiator passage 5 and a heater passage 6 provided from the downstream portion of the water jacket 4 of the cylinder head 2 to the upstream portion of the water jacket 3 of the cylinder block 1 (inlet of the water pump 7).

Note that the coolant discharged from the water pump 7 is supplied to the water jacket 3 of the cylinder block 1 and the water jacket 4 of the cylinder head 2.

That is, the downstream passage of the water pump 7 is bifurcated and one is connected to the upstream portion of the water jacket 3 of the cylinder block 1 and the other is connected to the upstream portion of the water jacket 4 of the cylinder head 2. Yes.

However, the downstream of the water jacket 3 of the cylinder block 1 communicates with a passage from the water pump 7 to the water jacket 4 of the cylinder head 2.

Further, a radiator 8 is provided in the middle of the radiator passage 5. The radiator 8 radiates and cools the heat of the coolant discharged from the cylinder head side water jacket 4 to the radiator passage 5 side.

A bypass passage 9 is provided in the radiator passage 5. The bypass passage 9 is for short-circuiting the upstream side and the downstream side of the radiator 8 so that the coolant does not pass through the radiator 8.

Further, a thermostat 10 for switching the coolant flow path is provided at a connection portion between the downstream side of the radiator passage 5 and the bypass passage 9.

The thermostat 10 has a generally known configuration in which, for example, a valve element is driven using a thermowax that expands and contracts according to the temperature of the coolant as a driving source.

The operation of the thermostat 10 is to bypass the coolant discharged from the cylinder head side water jacket 4 without passing it into the radiator 8 as shown by the solid line arrow X1 in FIG. While ensuring a warm-up path for passage to the passage 9, when the coolant reaches a predetermined temperature or higher, the coolant discharged from the cylinder head side water jacket 4 is discharged from the radiator as shown by a two-dot chain line arrow X <b> 2 in FIG. 1. 8 to secure a cooling path to be passed.

Furthermore, a heater core 11 is disposed in the heater passage 6 as a heat source for heating the passenger compartment. The heater core 11 is provided near the cylinder head side water jacket 4 in the heater passage 6, collects heat of the high-temperature coolant discharged from the cylinder head side water jacket 4, and diverges in the vehicle interior. ing. As shown by the solid line arrow Y in FIG. 1, the coolant always flows through the heater passage 6.

Next, with reference to FIG. 2 to FIG. 4, portions to which the features of the present invention are applied will be described in detail.

First, the water pump 7 used in the cooling system as described above is an electric type, and the operation of the electric water pump 7 is controlled by the control device 20.

As shown in FIG. 2, the electric water pump 7 includes a water pump main body 15,
A brushless motor 16 for driving the motor is included.

The brushless motor 16 here is a three-phase brushless motor, and its U phase, V
The stator windings of the phase and the W phase are delta-connected.

The brushless motor 16 is not equipped with a sensor for detecting the rotation angle of the rotor (not shown). That is, the brushless motor 16 shown in this embodiment is a sensorless type. The rotor of the brushless motor 16 is configured to rotate integrally with the pump shaft of the water pump main body 15 although not shown.

As shown in FIG. 2, the control device 20 includes the brushless motor 1 of the electric water pump 7.
6 driver units (EDU) 21 and an electronic control unit (ECU) 22 for outputting various control instructions to the driver unit 21. Both units 21
, 22 is connected to a DC power source (such as a vehicle-mounted battery) 23.

As shown in FIG. 2, the driver unit 21 mainly includes an energization circuit 25, a motor controller 26, a rotation speed detection circuit 27, an input circuit 28, an output circuit 29, and the like.

The energizing circuit 25 has a configuration in which the switching elements 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, and 36 are connected in a three-phase bridge, and is a so-called bipolar drive system. In this embodiment, as the switching elements 31 to 36, for example, a MOS FET (Field Effect Tra)
nsistor) is used, but an appropriate transistor can be used.

Specifically, the energization circuit 25 includes a series connection circuit of switching elements 31 and 34, a series connection circuit of switching elements 32 and 35, and a series connection circuit of switching elements 33 and 36, which are connected in parallel. Is connected to the positive electrode of the DC power supply 23 and the other end is connected to the negative electrode of the DC power supply 23 or a ground line. Further, the midpoint of each series connection circuit is connected to the external connection conductors of the stator windings U, V, W of the brushless motor 16.

In short, the motor controller 26 is based on the duty command signal input from the electronic control unit 22 via the input circuit 28, and the MOs that are the switching elements 31 to 36.
An FET control IC or the like for turning on / off the S-type FET is used.

The duty command signal is a control signal for issuing a drive instruction or a stop instruction for the brushless motor 16, as shown in FIG. 3A, for example, and is generated by the electronic control unit 22.

The motor controller 26 responds to a duty command signal input from the electronic control unit 22 via the input circuit 28, and the switching elements 31 to 36 of the energization circuit 25.
PWM energization is performed to turn on / off.

The rotational speed detection circuit 27 detects the rotational speed of the rotor of the brushless motor 16. For example, the rotational speed detection circuit 27 converts back electromotive force generated when the U phase, V phase, and W phase of the brushless motor 16 are energized into a pulse signal. The pulse signal is output to the electronic control unit 22 via the output circuit 29. The electronic control unit 22 detects the switching period of each phase and the rotor rotational speed based on the pulse signal input from the rotational speed detection circuit 27.

In this embodiment, the electronic control unit 22 is not an ECU dedicated to motor control.
An external ECU such as ENG_ECU is used.

Although not shown in detail, this electronic control unit 22 performs control processing and calculation processing.
PU, storage device for storing various programs and data (ROM, RAM, SRAM, E
A memory such as an EPROM), an input circuit, an output circuit, and the like.

Since the electronic control unit 22 uses an external ECU such as ENG_ECU as described above, signals from various sensors attached to the internal combustion engine (internal combustion engine parameters: occupant operation state, internal combustion engine operation state). Various controls relating to the operation of the internal combustion engine are performed based on the corresponding signal.

Here, among the various controls executed by the electronic control unit 22, only the control related to the water temperature adjustment of the internal combustion engine related to the present invention will be described.

In short, in the cooling system in this embodiment, the thermostat 10 secures the warm-up path X1 that allows the coolant to pass to the bypass passage 9 without passing through the radiator 8 when the coolant is lower than the predetermined temperature. The electronic control unit 22 drives the electric water pump 7 through the driver unit 21 as necessary after securing the cooling path X2 for allowing the coolant to pass through the radiator 8 when the liquid is above a predetermined temperature. Alternatively, the circulation flow rate of the coolant is adjusted by stopping the operation.

Specifically, the electronic control unit 22 recognizes whether or not the coolant circulation is necessary in the cooling system based on the load acting on the internal combustion engine, such as the rotational speed of the internal combustion engine and the accelerator opening, and the temperature of the coolant. Then, according to the recognition result, for example, a duty command signal as shown in FIG. 3A (including a drive instruction for driving the brushless motor 16 of the electric water pump 7 and a stop instruction for stopping it) Is supplied to the driver unit 21, and the driver unit 21 performs PWM energization to the brushless motor 16 in response to the input of the duty command signal.

Here, the control operation of the electric water pump 7 by the control device 20 will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

The flowchart shown in FIG. 4 mainly shows the operation by the electronic control unit 22 and is entered at regular intervals.

First, in step S1, it is determined whether or not a stop condition for the electric water pump 7 is satisfied. The stop condition is set based on the load acting on the internal combustion engine, such as the rotational speed of the internal combustion engine and the accelerator opening, and the temperature of the coolant.

If the stop condition is not satisfied, a negative determination is made in step S1 and the process exits this flowchart. If the stop condition is satisfied, an affirmative determination is made in step S1 and the subsequent step S2 Migrate to

In step S2, a duty command signal indicating a stop instruction of the brushless motor 16 is output, and the rotor rotational speed N of the brushless motor 16 at the time of output of the stop instruction.
p is detected and stored temporarily.

The stop instruction is a duty ratio 0 in the duty command signal shown in FIG.
The start instruction is a signal exceeding the duty ratio 0% in the duty command signal shown in FIG.

In the subsequent step S3, the timer for measuring the elapsed time Tp after the stop instruction is started, and then in the subsequent step S4, map data representing the correlation between the rotor rotational speed and the inertial rotational time that has been created in advance based on experiments. The reference inertia rotation time Ta corresponding to the rotor rotational speed Np stored in the step S2 is read and taken in based on the above.

In the first place, when the electric water pump 7 is stopped, the number of rotations gradually decreases while the rotor rotates by inertia as shown in FIG. At this time, the inertial rotation time is substantially constant depending on the configuration conditions of the brushless motor 16 and the like, so map data representing the correlation between the rotor rotation speed and the inertial rotation time at the time of rotation stop is created in advance, and electronic control is performed. It can be stored in the storage device of the unit 22.

Thereafter, in step S5, it is determined whether or not a restart condition for the electric water pump 7 is satisfied.

If the restart condition is not satisfied, a negative determination is made in step S5, and the process exits the flowchart. If the restart condition is satisfied, an affirmative determination is made in step S5, and the process continues. The process proceeds to step S6.

In step S6, it is determined whether or not the inertial rotation time Tp as the measurement result by the timer activated in step S3 exceeds the reference inertial rotation time Ta captured in step S4.

Here, when Tp> Ta is established, that is, when it is estimated that the rotor of the brushless motor 16 has stopped, an affirmative determination is made in step S6, and a drive instruction for the brushless motor 16 is shown in the subsequent step S7. While outputting a duty command signal, the brushless motor 16 is energized by the driver unit 21 to drive the electric water pump 7.
Restart. Thereafter, the process exits this flowchart.

However, when Tp ≦ Ta is satisfied, that is, when it is estimated that the rotor of the brushless motor 16 is not stopped, a negative determination is made in step S6, and the process waits until the condition in step S6 is satisfied. Thus, the restart of the electric water pump 7 is prohibited by delaying the process so that the process does not shift to the step S7 until the condition of the step S6 is satisfied.

By the way, in the above-described operation explanation, the reference inertial rotation time T used as the map data.
“a” corresponds to the restart prohibition period shown in FIG. However, the reference inertial rotation time Ta is set to a value obtained by adding an appropriate margin time α shown in FIG. 3B to the inertial rotation time actually obtained, thereby ensuring that the rotor is completely stopped. It is preferable to be able to detect. Of course, the margin time α may be omitted.

In the above-described embodiment, the driver unit 21 functions as a driving unit described in claim 3, and the electronic control unit 22 functions as each unit other than the driving unit described in claim 3.

As described above, in the embodiment to which the features of the present invention are applied, while the rotor of the sensorless type brushless motor 16 included in the electric water pump 7 is inertially rotated,
Even if the restart condition is satisfied, the rotor is not restarted until the rotor stops rotating.

As a result, a peculiar problem that may occur when the cost is reduced and the size is reduced by using the sensorless type brushless motor 16, that is, when the brushless motor 16 is restarted during inertial rotation of the rotor. It is possible to avoid the phenomenon of stepping out.

Therefore, unlike the conventional case where the step-out of the brushless motor has occurred, it is not necessary to perform the recovery process after the step-out, thus shortening the time required from when the restart condition is satisfied until it is actually started. It becomes possible to do. As a result, it is possible to stably adjust the temperature of the coolant by circulating the coolant in the cooling system.

In addition, this invention is not limited only to the said embodiment, All the deformation | transformation and application included in the range equivalent to the claim and the said range are possible. Examples are given below.

(1) In the above embodiment, in order to detect that the rotor has stopped after the stop instruction for the brushless motor 16 is used, the estimation is performed by using map data representing the correlation between the rotor rotation speed and the inertial rotation time at the stop instruction. In addition to the above example, it is also possible to detect the stop of the rotor by checking the pressure on the coolant discharge side of the water pump main body 15, for example.

In this case, for example, pressure sensors 18 and 19 are provided on the coolant discharge side and the coolant introduction side of the electric water pump 7 as in the cooling system shown in FIG.

And the electronic control unit 22 is, as shown in the flowchart of FIG.
In step S11, it is determined whether a stop condition for the electric water pump 7 is satisfied.

Note that the flowchart shown in FIG. 6 is entered at regular intervals. First, the stop condition is set based on the load acting on the internal combustion engine, such as the rotational speed of the internal combustion engine and the accelerator opening, and the temperature of the coolant.

If the stop condition is not satisfied, a negative determination is made in step S11 and the process exits this flowchart. If the stop condition is satisfied, an affirmative determination is made in step S11 and the subsequent step S12. Migrate to

In step S12, a duty command signal indicating a stop instruction of the brushless motor 16 is output, and the coolant discharge of the electric water pump 7 is performed based on the outputs from the pressure sensors 18 and 19 when the stop instruction is output. Side and coolant introduction side pressure Pout
, Pin are detected and temporarily stored.

In a succeeding step S13, it is determined whether or not a restart condition for the electric water pump 7 is satisfied.

If the restart condition is not satisfied, a negative determination is made in step S13.
Although this flowchart is exited, if the restart condition is satisfied, an affirmative determination is made in step S13, and the process proceeds to the subsequent step S14.

In step S14, the actual pressure Pou on the coolant discharge side measured in step S12.
It is determined whether or not t is substantially the same as the pressure Pin on the coolant introduction side. That is, it is checked whether or not the pressure Pout on the coolant discharge side is within an allowable range obtained by adding a predetermined positive / negative error to the pressure Pin on the coolant introduction side.

Here, if Pout≈Pin is established, that is, if it is determined that the rotor of the brushless motor 16 has stopped, an affirmative determination is made in step S14, and the subsequent step S1.
5, a duty command signal indicating a drive instruction for the brushless motor 16 is output, and the brushless motor 16 is energized by the driver unit 21 to restart the electric water pump 7. Thereafter, the process exits this flowchart.

However, if Pout≈Pin is not satisfied, that is, if it is determined that the rotor of the brushless motor 16 is not stopped, a negative determination is made in step S14, and the process waits until the condition in step S14 is satisfied. As described above, the restart of the electric water pump 7 is prohibited by preventing the process from proceeding to step S15 until the condition of step S14 is satisfied.

In the case of this embodiment as well, it is possible to avoid the phenomenon that the brushless motor 16 steps out during restart after stopping, as in the above embodiment.

(2) In the above embodiment, an example is given in which the brushless motor 16 is instructed to wait for the rotor to naturally stop after being instructed to stop. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the embodiment is not limited thereto. For example, it is also possible to add a process for forcibly stopping the rotor by applying a braking force to the rotor.

First, as a first embodiment, when the stop condition of the brushless motor 16 is satisfied,
For example, it can be considered that only one phase of a three-phase brushless motor as the brushless motor 16 is continuously energized.

Specifically, the electronic control unit 22 generates a duty command signal serving as a drive instruction for continuously energizing only one phase of the three-phase brushless motor when the stop condition is satisfied,
Output to the driver unit 21. The driver unit 21 functions to continuously energize only one phase of the three-phase brushless motor based on the input duty command signal.

In this case, since the magnetic force generated in the one-phase stator winding to be continuously energized attempts to attract and restrain the rotor magnet of the brushless motor 16, the restraining force becomes the rotational resistance of the rotor and restricts the rotor. Power will be applied.

As a second embodiment, for example, as shown in the time chart of FIG. 7A, when the stop condition of the brushless motor 16 is satisfied, first, the electronic control unit 22 performs the normal driving instruction. A mode in which a stop instruction is output after a deceleration instruction with a low duty ratio is output.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 7B, the rotational speed of the electric water pump 7, that is, the rotational speed of the rotor of the brushless motor 16 is decreased stepwise, and braking force is applied to the rotor. It will be.

By the way, in this case, the period from when the stop condition is satisfied until the drive instruction is output is shown in FIG.
This corresponds to the restart prohibition period shown in (b). In FIG. 7B, for example, the driver unit 21
The drive instruction is output after an appropriate margin time α elapses from the time when it is determined that the rotor has stopped rotating based on the output of the rotation speed detection circuit 27.

In any of these forms, the inertial rotation time after stopping the electric water pump 7 can be shortened. Therefore, for example, even if the restart condition is satisfied during inertial rotation, the period (or delay period) during which restart is prohibited can be shortened, and the time required for actual restart can be shortened.

(3) In the embodiment shown in the above (2), for example, the control form of the brushless motor 16 is devised as a means for applying a braking force to the rotor. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, although not shown, for example, an electric flow control valve is provided on the coolant introduction side of the electric water pump 7 and when the instruction to stop the brushless motor 16 is received, the electric flow control is performed. It is also possible to reduce the opening of the valve or to make it fully closed.

In this case, if the opening degree of the electric flow control valve is reduced or fully closed, an inertial force due to the coolant acts on fins (not shown) provided on the pump shaft (not shown) of the water pump body 15. Therefore, the braking force is applied to the rotor of the brushless motor 16 integrated with the pump shaft.

Even in such a form, the inertial rotation time after the electric water pump 7 is stopped can be shortened. Therefore, even if the restart condition is satisfied during inertial rotation, the period for which restart is prohibited (or the delay period) can be shortened, and the time required for actual restart can be shortened.

(4) In the above embodiment, the cooling system to be used for the electric water pump 7 of the present invention is given an example in which the bypass passage 9 is provided as shown in FIG. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can be implemented as a form in which the bypass passage 9 is eliminated. Further, instead of the thermostat 10 shown in FIG. 1, an electric on-off valve, a flow control valve, or the like can be used.

(5) In the above embodiment, a delta-connected three-phase brushless motor is exemplified as the brushless motor 16, but the present invention is not limited to this, and can be implemented as a star connection, for example.

3 Water jacket on the cylinder block side
4 Cylinder head side water jacket
5 Radiator passage
6 Heater passage
7 Electric Water Pump 10 Thermostat 15 Water Pump Body 16 Brushless Motor Provided to Electric Water Pump 20 Control Device 21 Driver Unit 22 Electronic Control Unit

Claims (9)

A control device for an electric water pump that circulates coolant between an internal combustion engine and a radiator,
When the restart condition of the brushless motor is satisfied during inertial rotation from the instruction to stop the sensorless type brushless motor included in the electric water pump until the rotor of the brushless motor stops rotating, the rotor A control device for an electric water pump, wherein the restart process is prohibited until the rotation is stopped. In the control device of the electric water pump according to claim 1,
A control device for an electric water pump, which performs a process of applying a braking force to the rotor when an instruction to stop the brushless motor is given. A control device for an electric water pump that circulates coolant between an internal combustion engine and a radiator,
A signal output means for outputting a command signal for driving or stopping a sensorless type brushless motor provided in the electric water pump, if necessary;
Drive means for energizing or stopping energization of the brushless motor in response to a command signal from the signal output means;
When a restart condition is satisfied during inertial rotation from the stop instruction of the signal output means until the rotor of the brushless motor stops rotating, the output of the drive instruction by the signal output means is delayed until the rotor stops rotating. And a control means for controlling the electric water pump. In the control device of the electric water pump according to claim 3,
A rotation stop detecting means for detecting rotation stop of the rotor;
This rotation stop detection means estimates the inertial rotation time based on the rotor rotation speed at the time of the stop instruction, and is a control device for an electric water pump. In the control device of the electric water pump according to claim 3,
A rotation stop detecting means for detecting rotation stop of the rotor;
This rotation stop detection means detects rotation stop based on the discharge side pressure of the said electric water pump, The control apparatus of the electric water pump characterized by the above-mentioned. In the control apparatus of the electric water pump according to any one of claims 3 to 5,
The brushless motor is a three-phase brushless motor,
The control means for the electric water pump, wherein the management means causes the signal output means to output a signal for energizing only one phase of the brushless motor when a stop condition is satisfied. . In the control apparatus of the electric water pump according to any one of claims 3 to 5,
The brushless motor is a three-phase brushless motor,
The signal output means is to output a duty command signal indicating a drive instruction or a stop instruction, and when the stop condition is satisfied, the management means
A control apparatus for an electric water pump, wherein a stop instruction is output after a deceleration instruction having a duty ratio lower than that of the normal drive instruction is output. In the control apparatus of the electric water pump according to any one of claims 3 to 5,
Further comprising braking means for applying a braking force to the rotor;
The control unit for the electric water pump, wherein when the stop condition is satisfied, the management unit operates the braking unit and outputs a stop instruction by the signal output unit. In the control apparatus of the electric water pump according to any one of claims 3 to 5,
The management means determines whether or not the stop condition or the restart condition is satisfied based on the load of the internal combustion engine or the temperature of the coolant, and controls the output timing of the command signal by the signal output means. A control device for an electric water pump.

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