KR101937265B1 - Vehicle having alternator and controlling method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

According to the present invention, a vehicle comprises: an alternator converting mechanical energy generated in an engine to electrical energy; an automatic parking assist system supplied with power from the alternator, and performing automatic parking; a motor drive steering device performing motor steering in response to a control signal of the automatic parking assist system; and an engine control unit receiving parking completion expected time information with the automatic parking assist system, generating control information corresponding to the parking completion expected time information to convert a response speed of the alternator from slow regulation to fast regulation, and transmitting the generated control information to the alternator.

Description

[0001] VEHICLE HAVING ALTERNATOR AND CONTROLLING METHOD THEREOF [0002]

The present invention relates to a vehicle having an alternator and a control method thereof.

Some systems may use an alternator to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy to power the load. For example, most automobiles include an alternator that converts the mechanical energy generated by the combustion engine to electrical energy. An engine control unit (ECU) can manage the power consumption of one or more loads that draw power from the board net. The ECU monitors the change in current flowing through the rotary coil of the alternator (also referred to as "exciting current") to determine the power of the alternator acting on the internal combustion engine, Power can be supplied to the load.

Published Patent: 10-2017-0089318, published on August 03, 2017 Title: Automotive alternator using battery sensing. US Published Patent: US 2017/0117837, Disclosure Date: April 27, 2017 Title: APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR VARIABLY CONTROLLING ALTERNATOR.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle and a control method thereof that protects against an overvoltage caused in a parking operation.

A vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: an alternator for converting mechanical energy generated in an engine into electric energy; An automatic parking assist system that receives power from the alternator and performs automatic parking; A motor-driven steering device that performs motor steering in response to a control signal of the automatic parking assist system; And a controller for receiving the parking completion predicted time information from the automatic parking assist system and switching the response speed of the alternator from slow regulation to fast regulation, And an engine control unit for transmitting the generated control information to the alternator.

In an embodiment, the alternator includes: a motor that receives rotational force from the engine and generates an alternating voltage; A rectifier for receiving the AC voltage and generating a DC voltage; And a regulator for controlling excitation current of the motor by comparing the DC voltage with a target voltage and controlling the excitation current of the motor based on the control information.

In an embodiment, the control information may comprise PI control information having an integral coefficient (Ki) and a proportional coefficient (Kp).

In an embodiment, the engine control unit may receive the parked expected time information from the automatic parking assist system via controller area network (CAN) communication.

In an embodiment, the engine control unit may transmit the control information to the alternator via LIN (local interconnect network) communication.

In an embodiment, the alternator is capable of supplying a current of 100 A or more to the motor-driven steering apparatus.

In an embodiment, the engine control unit may change the control information to switch the response speed of the alternator from the fast regulation to the slow regulation after parking completion.

A method of controlling a vehicle having an alternator according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: receiving anticipated parking time information from an automatic parking assist system; Generating first control information based on the parking completion estimated time information to switch a response speed of the regulator of the alternator from slow regulation to fast regulation; Transmitting the first control information to a regulator of the alternator; Generating second control information to switch the response speed of the regulator from the fast regulation to the slow regulation after parking completion; And transmitting the second control information to the regulator of the alternator.

In an embodiment, each of the first and second control information may include PI control information having an integral coefficient Ki and a proportional coefficient Kp.

In an embodiment, the method may further comprise receiving information corresponding to the parking completion from the automatic parking assist system.

In an embodiment, the output voltage of the alternator can quickly return to a set voltage by the fast regulation.

The method may further include transmitting control information corresponding to the set voltage to the alternator.

The vehicle and the control method thereof according to the embodiment of the present invention can stabilize the output voltage more quickly by changing the response speed of the regulator of the alternator according to the control information.

Further, the vehicle and the control method thereof according to the embodiment of the present invention can prevent the occurrence of an overvoltage in other electric system by switching the response speed from the slow regulation to the fast regulation in accordance with the parking completion predicted time information.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. However, the technical features of the present embodiment are not limited to the specific drawings, and the features disclosed in the drawings may be combined with each other to constitute a new embodiment.
1 is an exemplary illustration of a vehicle 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary change in output voltage waveform as a response speed of a regulator is changed from fast regulation to slow regulation in an alternator according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG.
3 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary vehicle 10 having a SPAS (smart parking assistance system) according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a view illustrating an exemplary process of controlling the output voltage of the alternator 200 in the vehicle 10 shown in FIG. 3. Referring to FIG.
5 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary method of controlling the alternator 200 in the ECU 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG.

The present invention is capable of various modifications and various forms, and specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the text. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, is intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention. The terms first, second, etc. may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms.

The terms may be used for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, the second component may also be referred to as a first component. It is to be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another element, it may be directly connected or connected to the other element, . On the other hand, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another element, it should be understood that there are no other elements in between.

Other expressions that describe the relationship between components, such as "between" and "between" or "neighboring to" and "directly adjacent to" should be interpreted as well. The terminology used in this application is used only to describe a specific embodiment and is not intended to limit the invention. The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In this application, the terms "comprises" or "having" are intended to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof, wherein one or more other features, , Steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof, as a matter of course. Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be construed as meaning consistent with meaning in the context of the relevant art and are not to be construed as ideal or overly formal in meaning unless expressly defined in the present application .

1 is an exemplary illustration of a vehicle 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1, a vehicle 10 may include an engine 100, an alternator 200, an engine control unit (ECU) 300, a battery 400, and a load 500.

The engine 100 may be embodied as an internal combustion engine of an automobile to rotate the rotor 212 of the alternator 200. That is, the AC voltage AC can be generated by the interaction between the rotator 212 rotating as the engine 100 is driven and the stator 214 surrounding the rotor 212.

The alternator 220 generates a resistance torque in accordance with the rotation of the rotor 212 and generates an alternating voltage AC corresponding to the generated resistance torque and rectifies the alternating voltage AC to generate a direct current voltage DC, As shown in FIG.

The alternator 220 may include a motor 210, a rectifier 220, and a regulator 230.

The motor 210 may include a rotor 212 and a stator 214.

The rotor 212 may include a rotating coil that generates a change in current, i.e., an " exciting current, " by rotating based on the mechanical force of the engine.

The stator 214 may include a stationary coil that generates an alternating voltage AC in response to the rotation of the rotor 212. In an embodiment, the motor 210 may be a three-phase motor.

The rectifier 220 may be implemented to generate a direct current voltage (DC) by receiving and rectifying the alternating voltage AC generated in the coil of the stator 214. The generated direct current voltage DC may be provided for charging the battery 400 or provided for the operation of the load 500. [ In an embodiment, the rectifier 220 may include at least one diode that allows current to flow in only one direction.

The regulator 230 may be implemented to control the excitation current of the rotor 212 to maintain the output voltage of the alternator 200 constant. Generally, the output voltage of the alternator 200 is regulated by the magnitude of the magnetic field, which is determined by the excitation current of the rotor 212. This excitation current can be controlled by the reflector 230.

In an embodiment, the regulator 230 may control the excitation current using internal information, for example, the phase signal PHS of the ac voltage AC and the dc voltage DC. The phase signal PHS of the AC voltage AC at the terminal PH can be received and the DC voltage DC can be received at the terminal VBA.

The regulator 230 receives the phase signal PHS through the phase terminal PH and recognizes the frequency generated from the phase signal PHS and measures the rotational speed of the rotor 212 corresponding to the recognized frequency can do. In an embodiment, the rotational speed may be revolutions per minute (RPM). The regulator 230 may control the excitation current using the RPM information of the rotor 212.

In another embodiment, the regulator 230 may control the excitation current using external information, e. G., From the ECU 300. < RTI ID = 0.0 > Control information may be received at terminal LIN. In an embodiment, control information may be transmitted from the ECU 300 to the regulator 230 in a local interconnect network (LIN) manner. However, it should be understood that the control information is not limited to being transmitted only by the LIN scheme.

The regulator 230 generates a current control signal CCS for controlling the excitation current and outputs the generated current control signal CCS to the rotor 212 via the terminal EXC.

In an embodiment, the regulator 230 may optionally be implemented to control the excitation current using internal information. That is, the regulator 230 basically controls excitation current using external information, and can control the excitation current using internal information only when detecting an electrical load connection.

On the other hand, a technique for controlling the excitation current of the rotor may include a load response control (LRC) function. Generally, an AC generator must not draw torque at engine start or acceleration to improve the performance of a vehicle with a small displacement, or the drawn torque may be further reduced because the battery is already mounted. The resistance torque drawn by the alternator may be limited by the load response control (LRC) function. In particular, the LRC function can prevent the internal combustion engine from being stopped when the internal combustion engine (engine) is in the idle or low temperature state, when the vehicle is running, and when the main electrical load is connected to the onboard electrical system .

Without the LRC capability, the connection of these loads will increase the duty cycle by a PWM (pulse width modulation) type voltage regulator. Here, the duty cycle is a numerical value representing the ratio of the pulse width to the pulse period of the PWM signal, and the unit is%. Therefore, the excitation current supplied to the alternator rotor is increased, and as a result, the resistance torque is increased. The LRC function can generally limit this duty cycle based on variables such as the rotational speed, temperature, excitation current or supply voltage of the engine (i.e., the internal combustion engine).

Meanwhile, the regulator 230 may switch the fast regulation that speeds up the response speed in response to the control information to the slow regulation that slows the response speed, or conversely, the slow regulation to the fast regulation . In an embodiment, the control information may be PI (proportional integral) control information. Here, the PI control information may include a proportional coefficient (Kp), and an integral coefficient (Ki). However, it should be understood that the control information of the present invention is not limited to PI control information.

The AC generator 200 may charge the battery 300 using an output voltage or provide an output voltage to the load 400. [ Here, the load 400 may be an electric load, electric devices in a vehicle, for example, an audio device, a navigation device, or the like.

Generally, when the SPAS (smart parking assistance system) is completed, the motor driven steering (MDPS) is turned off and the current supplied to the alternator drops rapidly. Accordingly, the output of the alternator exhibits a sudden voltage rise. Overvoltage protection must occur in other electrical systems due to the sudden voltage rise of these alternator outputs.

The alternator 200 according to the embodiment of the present invention can prevent the sudden increase in the output voltage by changing the fast regulation to the slow regulation in order to prevent the engine RPM rises or vibration before completion of the SPAS.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a change in output voltage waveform as a response speed of a regulator is changed from fast regulation to slow regulation in an alternator according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. Referring to FIG. 2, in the fast regulation, the output voltage of the regulator 230 oscillates greatly based on the set voltage Vset. By changing the integral coefficient / proportional coefficient (Ki / Kp), the fast regulation of the regulator 230 can be switched to slow regulation. According to the slow regulation, the output voltage of the regulator 230 gradually rises and falls. Here, the information related to the set voltage Vset can be transmitted from the ECU 300. [

3 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary vehicle 10 having a SPAS (smart parking assistance system) according to an embodiment of the present invention. 3, the vehicle 10 includes an alternator 200, an ECU 300 (engine control unit), a SPAS 510 (automatic parking assistance system), and a motor driven power steering (MDPS) Drive steering device ').

Alternator 200 may provide power to the loads, e.g., SPAS 510 and MDPS 520. In practice, the alternator 200 can supply a current of 100 A or more to the MDPS 520.

The SPAS 510 can be configured to set a parking space through the sensor, to assist the driver in parking the vehicle in a predetermined parking space, or to automatically park the vehicle. In an embodiment, the SPAS 510 may include motor power steering control logic. The motor steering control logic includes a speed detector for measuring the wheel steering angle from the angular speed of the steering motor, a steering angle sensor for measuring the wheel steering angle mounted on the steering wheel, a position controller for outputting a speed reference value for the difference between the steering angle of the wheel and the required steering angle, A speed controller for subtracting the motor angular speed from the reference value and outputting a parking torque corrected for the position / speed, and a torque controller for controlling the steering torque through the parking torque.

In an embodiment, the SPAS 510 may control the MDPS 520 (motor driven steering) via a control signal during the parking assist operation. In an embodiment, the control signal may comprise a motor on / off signal, steering wheel angle information.

In addition, the SPAS 510 can predict the completion time of the SPAS in the parking assisting operation and transmit the estimated time of completion of the SPAS to the ECU 300.

On the other hand, the ECU 300 can change the Ki / Kp coefficient corresponding to the SPAS completion time information from the SPAS 510. [ The ECU 300 can transmit the control information having the changed Ki / Kp coefficient to the alternator 200 through the LIN communication.

The alternator 200 can control the regulator 230 based on the control information having the changed Ki / Kp coefficient, thereby changing the output voltage form of the regulator from the slow regulation to the fast regulation.

FIG. 4 is a view illustrating an exemplary process of controlling the output voltage of the alternator 200 in the vehicle 10 shown in FIG. 3. Referring to FIG. 3 to 4, a process of controlling the regulator 230 is as follows.

The SPAS 510 can transmit the parking completion estimated time information to the ECU 300. [ In an embodiment, the expected parking time information may be transmitted via controller area network (CAN) communication. However, it should be understood that the transmission scheme for the parked estimated time information is not limited thereto.

The ECU 300 receives the estimated parking time completion information from the SPAS 5010, changes the Ki / Kp coefficient value, and transmits the PI control information including the changed coefficient value to the regulator 230. [ The regulator 230 may switch the response speed from slow regulation to fast regulation based on the received PI control information.

At this time, even if a sudden voltage increase occurs after the completion of the SPAS 510, the output voltage can quickly return to the stable voltage Vset due to the fast regulation of the regulator 230. As a result, the occurrence of overvoltage protection in other electric system can be prevented. Then, the fast regulation of the regulator 230 can be switched to the slow regulation.

5 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary method of controlling the alternator 200 in the ECU 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIGS. 1 to 5, the ECU 300 may receive the parking completion estimated time information at the same time as performing the parking operation from the automatic follow-up assistance system (SPAS) 510 (S110). The ECU 300 can generate the first PI control information corresponding to the parked estimated time information (S120). The PI control information may include an integral coefficient (Ki) and a proportional coefficient (Kp). The ECU 300 may transmit the first PI control information to the regulator 230 through the LIN communication (S130). The regulator 230 can change the response speed from the slow regulation to the fast regulation based on the first PI control information.

Thereafter, after parking is completed, the ECU 300 can generate the second PI control information (S140). ECU 300 can receive information on parking completion from SPAS 510. [ Thereafter, the ECU 300 may transmit the second PI control information to the regulator 230 through the LIN communication (S150). The regulator 230 may convert the output voltage from the fast regulation to the slow regulation based on the second PI control information.

The steps and / or operations in accordance with the present invention may occur in different orders, in parallel, or concurrently in other embodiments for other epochs or the like, as may be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art .

Depending on the embodiment, some or all of the steps and / or operations may be performed on one or more non-transitory computer-readable media, including instructions, programs, interactive data structures, At least some of which may be implemented or performed using one or more processors. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media can be, by way of example, software, firmware, hardware, and / or any combination thereof. Further, the functions of the "module" discussed herein may be implemented in software, firmware, hardware, and / or any combination thereof.

One or more non-transitory computer-readable media and / or means for implementing / performing one or more operations / steps / modules of embodiments of the present invention may be implemented as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), standard integrated circuits, But are not limited to, controllers that perform appropriate instructions, including microcontrollers, and / or embedded controllers, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs) .

As described above, the engine control unit of the present invention receives the expected parking time information in the automatic parking assist system (SPAS) and changes the PI control information to switch the response speed of the regulation. However, it should be understood that it is an embodiment of the invention that the scheduled parking time information is transmitted from the automatic parking assist system (SPAS). It is to be understood that the scheduled parking time information may be transmitted from any device associated with automatic parking.

The above-described contents of the present invention are only specific examples for carrying out the invention. The present invention will include not only concrete and practical means themselves, but also technical ideas which are abstract and conceptual ideas that can be utilized as future technologies.

10: Vehicle
100: engine
200: alternator
300: ECU
400: Battery
500: Load
210: motor
212: rotor
214: stator
220: Rectifier
230: Regulator
231: Input filter
232: ADC
233: excitation current controller
234: LIN controller
235: Register
236: Excitation current output driver
510: SPAS (Automatic Parking Assist System)
520: MDPS (motor drive steering)

Claims (12)

An alternator for converting the mechanical energy generated by the engine into electric energy;
An automatic parking assist system that receives power from the alternator and performs automatic parking;
A motor-driven steering device that performs motor steering in response to a control signal of the automatic parking assist system; And
Wherein the control unit receives control information corresponding to the parked estimated time information so as to switch the response speed of the alternator from slow regulation to fast regulation, And transmits the control information to the alternator. The method according to claim 1,
The alternator includes:
A motor that receives rotational force from the engine and generates an AC voltage;
A rectifier for receiving the AC voltage and generating a DC voltage; And
And a regulator for controlling an excitation current of the motor by comparing the DC voltage with a target voltage or controlling excitation current of the motor based on the control information. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the control information comprises PI control information having an integral coefficient (Ki) and a proportional coefficient (Kp). The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the engine control unit receives the parking completion estimated time information from the automatic parking assist system via controller area network (CAN) communication. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the engine control unit transmits the control information to the alternator via a local interconnect network (LIN) communication. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the alternator supplies a current of 100 A or more to the motor-driven steering device. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the engine control unit changes the control information to switch the response speed of the alternator from the fast regulation to the slow regulation after parking completion. A method for controlling an alternator of a vehicle,
Receiving anticipated parking time information from the automatic parking assist system;
Generating first control information based on the parking completion estimated time information to switch a response speed of the regulator of the alternator from slow regulation to fast regulation;
Transmitting the first control information to a regulator of the alternator;
Generating second control information to switch the response speed of the regulator from the fast regulation to the slow regulation after parking completion; And
And transmitting the second control information to the regulator of the alternator. 9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein each of said first and second control information comprises PI control information having an integral coefficient (Ki) and a proportional coefficient (Kp). 9. The method of claim 8,
Further comprising the step of receiving, after completion of the parking, information corresponding to the parking completion from the automatic parking assist system. 9. The method of claim 8,
And the output voltage of the alternator is quickly returned to the set voltage by the fast regulation. 12. The method of claim 11,
Further comprising: after returning to the set voltage, transmitting control information corresponding to the set voltage to the alternator.

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