VEHICULAR POWER CONVERSION APPARATUS AND ELECTRIC VEHICLE

• Main Authors: ISHIDA KAZUHITO, KIKUCHI MASAYUKI
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 12.08.2010
• Subjects: CONTROL OR REGULATION OF ELECTRIC MOTORS, ELECTRIC GENERATORSOR DYNAMO-ELECTRIC CONVERTERS; CONTROLLING TRANSFORMERS, REACTORS OR CHOKE COILS; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER; ELECTRICITY; GENERATION

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a highly reliable vehicular power conversion apparatus capable of driving an inverter circuit without being limited by a drop in withstand voltage at a low temperature in a drive mode. SOLUTION: The vehicular power conversion apparatus includes an inverter circuit 144 for driving a rotary electric machine by providing a semiconductor switching device for an upper arm and a semiconductor switching device for a lower arm for each phase and a control circuit 172 for controlling the inverter circuit 144 by selecting either one of a drive mode for performing a switching operation based on a torque command by applying a first voltage Vb to between the upper and lower arms and a warming-up mode for performing a switching operation by applying a second voltage Vc lower than the first voltage Vb to between the upper and lower arms. When a vehicle start signal is input, the inverter circuit 144 is controlled in a warming-up mode to warm up IGBT328, 330. As a result, excessive withstand voltage in the drive mode is prevented, thus attaining high reliability. COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT