JP4853251B2 - Electric motor drive device in electric compressor - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electric motor drive device in an electric compressor that compresses and discharges refrigerant in a compression chamber by a compression operation of a compression operation body based on rotation of a rotary shaft driven by the electric motor.

  As disclosed in Patent Document 1, in order to protect a motor drive circuit that constitutes an inverter for driving an electric compressor from damage due to overheating, there is a measure to quickly reduce the temperature of the motor drive circuit. In the electric compressor disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the motor rotates, the low-temperature refrigerant that has flowed into the suction-side housing and the motor drive circuit are heat-exchanged via the partition walls and the heat transfer fins, and the motor drive circuit is cooled. The When the temperature detected by the temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the motor drive circuit is equal to or higher than the first reference temperature, the rotational speed of the motor is increased. Thereby, the refrigerant | coolant suction | inhalation amount increases and the temperature of a motor drive circuit falls rapidly.

In such an inverter, a capacitor is incorporated in order to suppress a ripple current generated by a switching operation of a plurality of semiconductor elements.
JP 2003-139069 A

  The reliability of the capacitor is affected by the temperature of the capacitor and the ripple current. The larger the ripple current and the higher the temperature of the capacitor, the larger the capacitance of the capacitor (that is, the size of the capacitor) must be. The increase in the size of the capacitor is disadvantageous in terms of suppressing the increase in the size of the electric compressor, particularly when the inverter is assembled in an in-vehicle electric compressor that has severe space constraints on the vehicle.

  An object of the present invention is to reduce the size of a capacitor in an electric compressor using an inverter and a capacitor.

  The present invention is an electric compressor that compresses and discharges a refrigerant in a compression chamber by a compression operation of a compression operation body based on rotation of a rotating shaft driven by an electric motor, and uses an inverter including a current smoothing capacitor. The present invention is directed to an electric motor drive device in an electric compressor that controls current supply to the electric motor, and the invention of claim 1 includes a temperature detecting means for detecting a temperature of a capacitor of the electric motor or a temperature around the capacitor, and the electric motor. Rotational speed control of the motor is performed based on a rotational speed designating means for designating the rotational speed of the motor, a designated rotational speed designated by the rotational speed designating means, and a control element map comprising a set of rotational speed and temperature. The control element map is provided with a prohibited area, and a temperature in the prohibited area is equal to or higher than a preset threshold value, and the control When the set of the detected temperature detected by the temperature detecting means and the specified rotational speed is included in the prohibited area, the stage uses the rotational speed corresponding to the detected temperature instead of the prohibited area. It is characterized by performing alternative control.

  The capacity of the capacitor when controlling the drive of the motor so as not to use such a set of temperature and rotation speed in the prohibited area is determined by using the combination of the temperature and rotation speed in the prohibited area. It can be made smaller than the capacity of the capacitor in the case of controlling.

In a preferred example, the range of the rotational speed corresponding to the detected temperature in the prohibited region includes 1/2 of the maximum rotational speed.
The ripple current becomes maximum around half of the maximum rotation speed. Therefore, it is particularly effective to perform the substitution control near half the maximum rotation speed in order to improve the reliability of the capacitor, and as a result, to reduce the size of the capacitor.

  In a preferred example, the upper limit of the rotational speed range in the prohibited area is set so as to increase away from 1/2 of the maximum rotational speed as the temperature increases, and the rotational speed range in the prohibited area is increased. The lower limit of the range is set such that the higher the temperature, the smaller the distance from 1/2 of the maximum rotation speed.

  When the rotation speed is 50% or less, the ripple current increases as the rotation speed increases. When the rotation speed is 50% or more, the ripple current decreases as the rotation speed increases. Therefore, it is preferable to set the upper limit and the lower limit of the rotation speed range in the prohibited area away from 50% as the temperature increases, in order to appropriately set the prohibited area.

  In a preferred example, when performing the alternative control, the control means is smaller than the number of rotations corresponding to the detected temperature in the prohibited region in the number of rotations corresponding to the detected temperature in the control element map. The first alternative rotational speed and the second alternative rotational speed larger than the rotational speed corresponding to the detected temperature in the prohibited region in the control element map are alternately adopted.

Substitution control that alternately uses the first substitution speed and the second substitution speed contributes to optimization of the refrigerant flow rate control while suppressing the maximum value of the ripple current.
In a preferred example, the control means performs the alternative control only when the value of the motor current is greater than or equal to a predetermined value.

  The ripple current increases as the motor current increases. Alternative control in consideration of the magnitude of the motor current is effective in improving the reliability of the capacitor while reducing the frequency of alternative control.

  In a preferred example, the inverter and the capacitor are assembled in a housing of the electric compressor.

  The present invention has an excellent effect that it is possible to reduce the size of a capacitor in an electric compressor using an inverter and a capacitor.

Hereinafter, a first embodiment in which the present invention is embodied in a scroll type electric compressor will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 1, the movable scroll 11 constituting the scroll type electric compressor 10 is turned by the rotation of the rotating shaft 12 constituting the electric motor M, and the movable scroll 11 as the compression operation body and the fixed scroll 13 are rotated. The compression chamber 14 in between decreases in volume. The refrigerant in the compression chamber 14 is discharged to the discharge chamber 17 by pushing the discharge valve 16 away from the discharge port 15.

  The discharge chamber 17 and the suction chamber 181 in the motor housing 18 are connected by an external refrigerant circuit 19. On the external refrigerant circuit 19, a heat exchanger 20 for removing heat from the refrigerant, an expansion valve 21, and a heat exchanger 22 for transferring ambient heat to the refrigerant are interposed. The refrigerant in the discharge chamber 17 flows out to the external refrigerant circuit 19, and the refrigerant that flows out to the external refrigerant circuit 19 returns to the suction chamber 181. The refrigerant introduced into the suction chamber 181 is sucked into the compression chamber 14 via the suction port 23.

  The rotor 24 constituting the electric motor M is fixed to the rotating shaft 12, and the stator 25 constituting the electric motor M is fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the motor housing 18. The rotor 24 includes a rotor core 241 fixed to the rotary shaft 12 and a plurality of permanent magnets 242 provided inside the rotor core 241. The permanent magnets 242 adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction of the rotor core 241 have different magnetic poles on the side facing the stator 25.

  A stator 25 constituting the electric motor M includes an annular stator core 251 and a coil 252 wound around the stator core 251. The rotor 24 rotates by energizing the coil 252, and the rotating shaft 12 rotates integrally with the rotor 24. An inverter 26 is assembled on the outer peripheral surface of the motor housing 18. Energization of the coil 252 is performed via the inverter 26.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the inverter 26 includes a motor drive circuit 27 and a main control computer C <b> 1 that controls the motor drive circuit 27. The motor drive circuit 27 includes a plurality of transistors 28A and 28B, which are semiconductor switching elements, and a current smoothing capacitor 29. A diode 30 is connected to the transistors 28A and 28B. The diode 30 is for returning the counter electromotive force generated by the electric motor M to the DC power source 31.

  The base sides of the transistors 28A and 28B are signal-connected to the main control computer C1. The emitter side of the transistor 28A is connected to the DC power supply 31, and the collector side of the transistor 28A is connected to the coil 252 of the electric motor M. The collector side of the transistor 28B is connected to the DC power supply 31, and the emitter side of the transistor 28B is connected to the coil 252 of the electric motor M.

The main control computer C1 controls the rotation speed of the electric motor M by controlling the switching operation of the transistors 28A and 28B.
As shown in FIG. 1, the inverter 26 is provided with a temperature detector 32. The temperature detector 32 detects the temperature of the capacitor 29. The temperature information detected by the temperature detector 32 as temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the capacitor 29 is sent to the main control computer C1. The main control computer C1 stores a control element map Mp composed of a set of the rotation speed and temperature shown in FIG. The control element map Mp has a forbidden area K (area indicated by hatching, including the straight lines D1 and D2) sandwiched between the straight lines D1 and D2. Nmax represents the maximum rotation speed. The temperature in the prohibited area K is greater than a preset threshold value T1, and the intersection Po of the straight lines D1 and D2 corresponds to a set (Nmax / 2) of the threshold value T1 and Nmax / 2. In addition, the upper limit of the rotational speed range in the prohibited region K increases as the temperature increases, so that the upper limit of the rotational speed range in the prohibited region K increases as the temperature increases. The distance decreases from 1/2 of the rotation speed Nmax.

  A sub-control computer C2 is signal-connected to the main control computer C1. An air conditioner operation switch 33, a room temperature detector 34, and a room temperature setter 35 are signal-connected to the sub-control computer C2. When the air conditioner operation switch 33 is in the ON state, the sub control computer C2 determines the difference between the target room temperature T2 set by the room temperature setting unit 35 and the detected room temperature Ty detected by the room temperature detector 34 (Ty−T2). = Δy information is sent to the main control computer C1. Further, the sub control computer C2 designates the designated rotational speed Ns corresponding to the difference Δy to the main control computer C1. The designated rotational speed Ns is a rotational speed set so that the detected room temperature Ty converges to the target room temperature T2.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a current supply control program for the coil 252 of the electric motor M, and the main control computer C1 performs the current supply control shown in the flowchart of FIG. The current supply control shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4 is repeatedly performed at a predetermined control cycle. Hereinafter, the current supply control by the main control computer C1 will be described.

  The main control computer C1 takes in information on the difference Δy and information on the designated rotational speed Ns (step S1). Further, the main control computer C1 takes in information on the detected temperature Tx detected by the temperature detector 32 (step S1).

  The main control computer C1 compares the threshold value T1 with the detected temperature Tx (step S2). When detected temperature Tx is lower than threshold value T1 (NO in step S2), main control computer C1 performs normal control (step S7). The normal control is to control the switching operation of the inverter 26 by determining the motor current (load) so as to become the designated rotational speed Ns. Thereby, the electric motor M rotates at the designated rotation speed Ns.

  When the detected temperature Tx is equal to or higher than the threshold T1 (YES in step S2), the main control computer C1 determines whether or not the set (Tx, Ns) of the detected temperature Tx and the designated rotational speed Ns is within the prohibited region K. Judgment is made (step S3). When the set (Tx, Ns) is not in the prohibited area K (NO in step S3), the main control computer C1 performs normal control (step S7).

  When the set (Tx, Ns) is in the prohibited area K (YES in step S3), the main control computer C1 determines whether the difference Δy is positive or negative (step S4). The state where the difference Δy is positive is a state where the detected temperature Tx is higher than the target room temperature T2, and the state where the difference Δy is negative is a state where the detected temperature Tx is lower than the target room temperature T2. When the difference Δy is positive or 0, the main control computer C1 uses the group (Tx, NsH) instead (step S5). When the difference Δy is negative, the main control computer C1 uses the group (Tx, NsL) instead (step S6). When the pair (Tx, NsH) is used as an alternative, the electric motor M rotates at the rotation speed NsH and rises so that the detected room temperature Ty lower than the target room temperature T2 approaches the target room temperature T2. When the pair (Tx, NsL) is used instead, the electric motor M rotates at the rotation speed NsL, and the detected room temperature Ty higher than the target room temperature T2 decreases so as to approach the target room temperature T2.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 2B, when the detected temperature Tx is Txe (> T1), NsH is a point P1 corresponding to the detected temperature Txe [separated from the straight line D1 by a predetermined number of rotations ΔN and detected temperature Txe. NsHe of a set (Txe, NsHe) representing a point corresponding to] is adopted. Further, as NsL, a pair (Txe, NsLe) of NsLe representing a point P2 [a point corresponding to the detected temperature Txe, which is away from the straight line D2 by a predetermined rotational speed ΔN] corresponding to the detected temperature Txe is employed. When the difference Δy changes between positive and negative, the rotational speed of the electric motor M changes as shown by a waveform R in FIG. When performing the alternative control, the main control computer C1 among the rotational speeds corresponding to the detected temperature Tx, the designated rotational speed corresponding to the detected temperature Tx [Txe in the example of FIG. A first alternative rotational speed NsL smaller than Ns (Tse in the example of FIG. 2B) and a second alternative rotational speed NsH larger than the designated rotational speed Ns are alternately adopted.

After the process of step S5, step S6 or step S7, the main control computer C1 proceeds to step S1.
The sub-control computer C2 is a rotational speed designation means for designating the rotational speed of the electric motor M. The main control computer C1 is a control means for performing the rotational speed control of the electric motor M based on the designated rotational speed designated by the rotational speed designation means and the control element map Mp composed of a combination of the rotational speed and the temperature. When the set (Tx, Ns) of the detected temperature Tx and the designated rotational speed Ns is included in the prohibited area K, the main control computer C1 substitutes the rotational speed corresponding to the detected temperature Tx outside the prohibited area K. Perform alternative control to use.

In the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) A curve E in the graph of FIG. 3A shows the relationship between the voltage utilization rate (%) and the ripple current. The ripple current becomes maximum when the voltage utilization factor is 50%. In the region where the voltage utilization factor is 50% or less, the ripple current increases as the voltage utilization factor increases, and in the region where the voltage utilization factor is 50% or more, the voltage Ripple current decreases as utilization increases. The voltage utilization rate and the rotation speed have a relationship as shown in FIG. Assuming that the upper limit value of the current (motor current) supplied to the coil 252 is Imax, a line L1 indicates the relationship between the voltage utilization rate and the rotation speed when the motor current (load) is the upper limit value Imax. A line L2 indicates the relationship between the voltage utilization factor and the rotation speed when the motor current (load) is, for example, 1/2 of the upper limit value Imax, and a line L3 indicates, for example, 3 / of the motor current (load), which is the upper limit value Imax. The relationship between the voltage utilization factor and the rotation speed at 10 is shown. The graph of FIG. 3B shows that the voltage utilization rate and the rotation speed are in a substantially linear proportional relationship. Therefore, the relationship between the rotational speed and the ripple current is substantially the same as the relationship between the voltage utilization factor and the ripple current [the relationship indicated by the curve E in FIG. Therefore, the maximum ripple current can be reduced by avoiding the situation where the rotation speed is in the vicinity of half Nmax / 2 of the maximum rotation speed Nmax and the detected temperature Tx is high.

  The forbidden region K is set to avoid a situation where the rotation speed is in the vicinity of half of the maximum rotation speed Nmax Nmax / 2 and the detected temperature Tx is high. The capacity of the capacitor 29 when controlling the drive of the electric motor M so as not to use such a set (Tx, Ns) of the detected temperature Tx and the designated rotational speed Ns in the prohibited area K is the set in the prohibited area K. The capacity of the capacitor 29 when controlling the driving of the electric motor M using (Tx, N) can also be made smaller.

  (2) Although the reliability of the capacitor 29 decreases as the ripple current increases, the ripple current becomes maximum or close to the maximum when the rotation speed is half of the maximum rotation speed Nmax. Therefore, it is particularly effective to improve the reliability of the capacitor 29 when the detected temperature Tx is equal to or higher than the threshold T1 and the designated rotational speed Ns is about half of the maximum rotational speed Nmax. As a result, this is particularly effective in reducing the size of the capacitor 29.

  (3) When the rotational speed is 50% or less, the ripple current increases as the rotational speed increases, and when the rotational speed is 50% or more, the ripple current decreases as the rotational speed increases. Therefore, in order to set the prohibited region K appropriately, it is preferable that the upper limit and the lower limit of the rotational speed range in the prohibited region K are further away from 50% as the temperature is higher.

  (4) The alternative control that alternately substitutes the first alternative rotational speed NsL smaller than the rotational speed corresponding to the detected temperature in the prohibition region K and the second alternative rotational speed NsH alternately suppresses the maximum value of the ripple current. However, it contributes to optimization of the refrigerant flow rate control in which the detected room temperature Ty is matched with the target room temperature T2.

  (5) In the configuration in which the inverter 26 and the capacitor 29 are assembled to the housing of the electric compressor 10 (the motor housing 18 in this embodiment), the size of the capacitor 29 affects the physique of the electric compressor 10. The present invention for reducing the size of the capacitor 29 is particularly suitable for application to the electric compressor 10 in which the inverter 26 and the capacitor 29 are assembled in the housing.

Next, a second embodiment shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5 will be described.
In the second embodiment, the content of step S1 is different from step S1 in the case of the first embodiment, and the content of step S3 is different from step S3 in the case of the first embodiment.

  In step S1, the main control computer C1 takes in information on the detected motor current I in addition to information on the difference Δy, information on the designated rotational speed Ns, and information on the detected temperature Tx. In step S3, the main control computer C1 determines whether or not the set (Tx, Ns, I) of the detected temperature Tx, the designated rotational speed Ns, and the motor current I is within the prohibited region. The prohibited area in this case is a combined area of the prohibited area K in the first embodiment and the area where the motor current exceeds the predetermined value Io. If the detected motor current I does not exceed the predetermined value Io, even if the set (Tx, Ns) of the detected temperature Tx and the designated rotational speed Ns is within the prohibited region K, the alternative control is performed. Instead, the substitution control is performed only when the set (Tx, Ns) is in the prohibited area K and I ≧ Io.

  Since the ripple current is substantially proportional to the magnitude of the motor current, the alternative control is performed only when the temperature of the capacitor 29 is high and the motor current is large as in the second embodiment. The reliability of the capacitor 29 can be ensured while reducing the size of the capacitor 29. Further, the frequency of the alternative control is reduced as compared with the case of the first embodiment, and the noise fluctuation accompanying the rotational speed fluctuation is reduced.

In the present invention, the following embodiments are also possible.
The temperature around the capacitor 29 (for example, the temperature of the motor drive circuit 27 and the temperature of the motor housing 18 near the inverter 26) may be detected, and the appropriateness of the alternative control may be determined based on this detection information.

A curved boundary may be adopted instead of the straight lines D1 and D2 that are the boundary of the prohibited region K in the first embodiment.
The present invention may be applied to a piston type electric compressor.

  The present invention may be applied to a variable capacity electric compressor.

The side sectional view of the whole scroll type electric compressor which shows a 1st embodiment. (A) is a circuit diagram showing an inverter. (B) is a graph for explaining alternative control. (A) is a graph which shows the relationship between a voltage utilization factor and a ripple current. (B) is a graph which shows the relationship between a rotation speed and a voltage utilization factor. (C) is a graph for explaining alternative control. The flowchart showing an electric current supply control program. The flowchart which shows 2nd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

  10: Scroll type electric compressor. 11: A movable scroll as a compression operation body. 12 ... Rotating shaft. 14: Compression chamber. 18 ... Motor housing as a housing. 26: Inverter. 29: Capacitor. 32. A temperature detector as temperature detecting means. M ... Electric motor. C1... Main control computer as control means. C2: Sub-control computer as rotation speed designation means. K: Prohibited area. Mp: Control element map. Tx: Detection temperature. T1 is a threshold value. Ns: Designated rotation speed. NsL: First alternative rotational speed. NsH: Second alternative rotational speed.

Claims (6)

An electric compressor that compresses and discharges refrigerant in a compression chamber by a compression operation of a compression operation body based on rotation of a rotary shaft driven by an electric motor, and uses an inverter and a current smoothing capacitor to In the motor drive device in the electric compressor that controls the current supply,
Temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the capacitor of the motor or the temperature around the capacitor;
A rotational speed designating means for designating the rotational speed of the electric motor;
Control means for controlling the rotational speed of the electric motor based on the designated rotational speed designated by the rotational speed designation means and a control element map consisting of a set of the rotational speed and the temperature,
The control element map is provided with a prohibited area, the temperature in the prohibited area is equal to or higher than a preset threshold value, and the control means detects the detected temperature detected by the temperature detecting means and the designated rotation. An electric motor drive device in an electric compressor that performs substitution control that substitutes and uses a rotation speed corresponding to the detected temperature outside the forbidden area when a pair with a number is included in the forbidden area.   2. The electric motor drive device for an electric compressor according to claim 1, wherein the range of the rotational speed corresponding to the detected temperature in the prohibited region includes ½ of the maximum rotational speed.   The upper limit of the rotational speed range in the prohibited area is set so as to increase away from 1/2 of the maximum rotational speed as the temperature increases, and the lower limit of the rotational speed range in the prohibited area is: 3. The electric motor drive device for an electric compressor according to claim 2, wherein the electric motor drive device is set so as to decrease from a half of the maximum rotational speed as the temperature increases.   When performing the alternative control, the control means has a first alternative rotational speed that is smaller than the rotational speed corresponding to the detected temperature in the prohibited region, among the rotational speeds corresponding to the detected temperature in the control element map. 4. The electric motor drive device in the electric compressor according to claim 3, wherein a second alternative rotational speed greater than the rotational speed corresponding to the detected temperature in the prohibited region is alternately adopted in the control element map.   5. The electric motor drive device in the electric compressor according to claim 1, wherein the control unit performs the alternative control only when the value of the motor current is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. 6.   The electric motor drive device for an electric compressor according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the inverter and the capacitor are assembled to a housing of the electric compressor.

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