JP2009219226A - Power supply device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To quickly and reliably detect the removal of connection and prevent an accident due to a reverse power flow without fail through a simple configuration without need for a complicated detecting structure that incurs increase in the number of connecting points. <P>SOLUTION: A power supply device 100 includes: a bypass switch 150 that connects an input plug 120 and an output outlet 126 when some other power supply device is connected upstream of the power supply device; an input current meter 152 that measures the value of current flowing in through the input plug; an internal load 154 that produces a current passed through the input current meter by power from the input plug; and a bypass disconnecting unit 156 that disconnects the bypass switch when the current value measured by the input current meter is equal to or lower than a predetermined value. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a power supply apparatus that can store power in a secondary battery in advance and supply electric power alone or connected to a connected load.

  The power supply from the power supply system including the power plant may be temporarily interrupted due to a power failure or the like. On the other hand, electric power such as air conditioners and refrigerators must be continuously supplied even during such power outages. In this case, the plug connected to the outlet can be connected to an external power source such as a portable power source capable of supplying power independently of the indoor wiring. Some of such external power sources use fuel cells or secondary batteries. Some examples of fuel cells can generate electric power of several hundred watts or more using hydrogen as fuel (for example, Patent Document 1).

  The power capacity to be supplied by the power supply device differs depending on the load of the electrical equipment to be connected, and must be able to withstand sudden consumption such as inrush current. However, it is not practical to prepare a plurality of types of power supply devices having different power capacities so as to be able to handle any load because it is too expensive to purchase and transport. Therefore, a technique for supplying electric power to an electric device by connecting a plurality of power sources by a master-slave system or by connecting an appropriate number of a plurality of power supply devices having the same power capacity according to the load (for example, Patent Documents) 2 and 3) are known.

  Such a plurality of connected power supply devices are provided with bypass lines that connect the outputs of the respective inverters in order to superimpose electric power. However, if one or a plurality of power supply devices are separated from a plurality of connected power supply devices and the connection is intentionally released or accidentally released, the voltage of the connected portions where the voltages from the inverters remain The contact terminal is exposed. If this exposed terminal, for example, a plug-shaped terminal, contacts with the terminal, the remaining voltage may cause an accident such as a short circuit, a ground fault, or an electric shock. Therefore, a technique for objectively determining such connection cancellation between power supply devices is required.

  For example, Patent Document 4 discloses a technique for detecting a connection state of a connector with a limit switch, and can grasp that the connector is not in a fitted state when the limit switch is turned off. Moreover, in patent document 5, the detection structure of light is shown as a fitting detection means other than the mechanical detection structure like patent document 4. FIG.

Furthermore, there is a technique using not only such mechanical fitting detection but also electrical cutting. For example, Patent Document 6 discloses that when all packages are connected, they are connected, and by disconnecting the disconnection detection line at the terminal package, it is possible to detect a connector disconnection at any position of the connector. .
JP 2004-319367 A JP-A-8-223808 JP 2002-262577 A JP-A-10-178701 JP 2005-269883 A JP-A-5-290926

  However, mechanical detection structures such as limit switches and light detection structures add special mechanisms to ordinary connectors, and are not feasible considering the increase in cost and increase in connector occupation volume. .

  Further, in the electrical detection structure using the disconnection detection line, it is necessary to provide a wire dedicated for disconnection detection separately from the main wire. Such an increase in the number of cores of the electric wire causes an increase in cost and an increase in the size of the electric wire unit as in the case of the mechanical detection structure.

  Furthermore, all of the limit switch, light detection structure and disconnection detection line described above are only indirectly detecting the disconnection of the main electric wire, but the actual disconnection is not detected, but the disconnection state is not detected. However, there is a problem in that the determination of disconnection may be erroneously detected, resulting in lack of reliability.

  In view of such a problem, the present invention detects a disconnection quickly and reliably with a simple configuration without requiring a complicated detection structure that increases the number of connection points, and reliably prevents accidents caused by reverse power flow. It is an object of the present invention to provide a control device that can do this.

  In order to solve the above problems, a representative configuration of a power supply device according to the present invention includes an input plug, an AC / DC converter that converts AC power input from the input plug into DC power, and converted DC power. Functions as a charger that controls the amount of current, a secondary battery that stores DC power output from the charger, an inverter that converts the stored DC power into AC power, and an output terminal of the converted AC power When connecting another power supply upstream of the power supply device, the power supply device includes a bypass switch that connects the input plug and the output outlet, and measures the current value flowing from the input plug. Input ammeter, internal load that generates current that flows to the input ammeter by the power from the input plug, and a bypass when the current value measured by the input ammeter is less than the predetermined value. A bypass cutting unit for cutting the switch, and further comprising a.

  Here, when connecting a power supply device, the bypass switch for transmitting the electric power from upstream to downstream is provided. In the present invention, the disconnection between the power supply devices or between the commercial outlet and the power supply device is grasped by directly measuring the current flowing through the main circuit using an input ammeter built in the power supply device. Therefore, the connection state of the main circuit itself can be detected quickly and reliably with high reliability, and the bypass switch can be reliably disconnected.

  The power supply unit has an output ammeter for measuring the current value flowing out from the output outlet, and the power capacity of all the power supply units connected upstream from the connected one-stage upstream power supply unit. A power adding unit for deriving the total power capacity by adding the capacities, and deriving a current proportional to the current measured by the output ammeter by the ratio of the derived total power capacity and the single power capacity of the power supply unit only An apportioning current deriving unit and a current control unit that controls the output current from the inverter to be an apportioned current may be further provided.

  The present invention internally distributes the current passing through its output outlet by the ratio of the total power capacity and the single power capacity, so that the output current of the inverter can be controlled in a self-contained manner within the power supply device. Can do. Therefore, it is possible to easily and quickly increase the power supply with a simple configuration and operation such as simply connecting a plurality of power supply devices in series without requiring complicated external wiring. In addition, since the input plug used for charging is also used for connection of the power supply device, it is not necessary to use a special configuration for connecting the power supply device.

  In the power supply device of the present invention, the current from the inverter is adjusted by the total power capacity of all power supply devices including itself and the single power capacity of the power supply device, so that the total power capacity is grasped. There is a need to. Here, each power supply device grasps the total power capacity, and transmits the power capacity in a chain through the daisy chain of the power supply devices. Therefore, the downstream power supply can add up its own single power capacity to the power capacity received from one stage upstream without knowing the configuration and number of all connected power supply apparatuses. The power capacity can be grasped. Furthermore, since the apportioning current deriving unit apportions the current not by the number of power supply devices but by analog quantities such as the actual total power capacity and single power capacity, the power capacities of the connected power supply devices must not be equal. Therefore, it is possible to connect power supply apparatuses having various power capacities.

  The power capacity of the power supply device may be expressed as a multiple of a predetermined unit power capacity. With this configuration, for example, when 50 W is set to 1, 250 W is set to 5, and the transmission of power capacity from the upstream to the downstream of the power supply device can be expressed by a simple (small) numerical value. The configuration can be simplified. In addition, since the numerical value and the number of bits are small, it is possible to reduce transmission errors and improve reliability.

  When the single power capacities of all the connected power supply apparatuses are substantially equal, the total power capacity is a value obtained by adding 1 to the total number of power supply apparatuses connected upstream, and the single power capacity may be represented by 1. Good.

  With this configuration, as in the multiple described above, it is possible to simplify the transmission of information between the power supply devices. Further, since the received numerical value is the total number of power supply devices that are driven upstream, it is possible to derive the total power capacity and to know how many power supply devices are connected upstream.

  The predetermined value, which is a criterion for determining the bypass disconnection unit, may be a value sufficiently smaller than the current value measured by the output ammeter × (1-1 / total number of power supply devices).

  The bypass disconnection unit turns off the bypass switch when the current value is 0 (zero). However, it is not always possible to measure a current value of 0 when an induced current is generated on the secondary side of the input ammeter itself or due to a measurement error of the input ammeter. Therefore, even if the current value is not 0 by determining whether the value measured by the input ammeter is sufficiently smaller than the current value measured by the output ammeter × (1-1 / total number of power supply devices) Disconnection can be detected quickly and reliably.

  Other typical configurations of the power supply device according to the present invention include an input plug, an AC / DC converter that converts AC power input from the input plug into DC power, and a current amount of the converted DC power. A charger, a secondary battery that stores DC power output from the charger, an inverter that converts the stored DC power into AC power, and an output outlet that functions as an output terminal of the converted AC power; An output ammeter that measures a current value flowing out from an output outlet, and an information transmission unit that transmits unconnected information to another power supply connected downstream when the current value is a predetermined value or less. And the other power supply connected downstream receives the disconnection information and disconnects the bypass switch that connects the input plug and the output outlet of the other power supply. .

  In the present invention, the connection state with the downstream power supply device is grasped by measuring the current to the downstream power supply device, and the bypass switch in the downstream power supply device is disconnected when the connection is released. Accordingly, the connection state of the main circuit itself to the downstream power supply device can be detected quickly and reliably with high reliability, and an accident due to reverse power flow can be reliably prevented.

  The component corresponding to the technical idea in the power supply device provided with the input ammeter described above and the description thereof can also be applied to the power supply device using the output ammeter.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to quickly and surely detect disconnection with a simple configuration without a complicated detection structure that increases the number of connection points, and to prevent accidents caused by reverse power flow. It becomes possible to do.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The dimensions, materials, and other specific numerical values shown in the embodiment are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the invention, and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. In the present specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same function and configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not illustrated. To do.

  Even when power supply from a commercial outlet is interrupted due to a power failure or when such an outlet does not exist, power can be supplied independently from the power supply system by using an external power supply such as a portable power supply. It is possible to operate various electric devices by supplying power. However, when the connection of the power supply device is released, the contact terminal of the connection portion is exposed, which may cause an accident such as a short circuit, a ground fault, or an electric shock. In the present embodiment, a power supply device capable of detecting a disconnection quickly and reliably with a simple configuration and reliably preventing an accident due to a reverse power flow without requiring a complicated detection structure that causes an increase in connection points. I will provide a. Here, for ease of understanding, first, a case where the power supply device of the present embodiment is used alone will be described, and then an operation when connected will be described.

(First embodiment: power supply apparatus 100)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the power supply device 100. In particular, (a) in FIG. 1 shows a front view when the power supply apparatus 100 is placed horizontally, (b) shows a rear view thereof, and (c) shows a front view when placed vertically.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, the power supply device 100 is covered with a casing 110 having an outer dimension of, for example, 300 mm × 300 mm × 100 mm, and contacts the floor surface through the buffer member 112 in a horizontally placed state. 1A is provided with a recess 114 for fitting the buffer member 112 when another power supply device 100 is superimposed.

  Further, an input plug 120 for charging the power supply device 100 is extendably provided on the front surface in FIG. 1A, and the input plug 120 is housed in the plug housing groove 124 by the plug housing switch 122. Then, the power charged in the power supply device 100 is supplied to an arbitrary electrical device through the output outlet 126. In the present embodiment, the power capacity of the power supply apparatus 100 is assumed to be approximately 250 W at 100 V AC and 50 Hz.

  As shown in FIG. 1B, the secondary battery 128 that substantially stores electric power in the power supply device 100 is detachably stored in a battery storage groove 130 provided on the back surface of the housing 110 by, for example, a push lock method. When the performance deteriorates due to aging, it can be replaced. In this embodiment, a lithium ion battery is used as the secondary battery, but various storage batteries such as nickel metal hydride and nickel cadmium can also be used.

  When the power supply device 100 is transported, it is replaced with a vertical installation as shown in FIG. In addition, a transmission window 134 that transmits light of a light emitting element that transmits information between the connected power supply devices 100 is provided on the surface provided with the buffer member 112, and light of the light receiving element is provided on the surface provided with the recess 114. A transmitting window 136 that transmits light is provided at a position corresponding to the front and back.

  FIG. 2 is an electric block diagram showing a partial function when the power supply apparatus 100 operates alone. Here, in order to facilitate understanding, only functions for using the power supply device 100 alone are extracted.

  In the case of such a rechargeable power supply device 100, the charging is performed by inserting the input plug 120 into the commercial outlet 148 in order to increase the charged amount of the secondary battery 128 in the preparation stage. Here, the AC / DC converter 140 converts, for example, 100V AC power obtained from the commercial outlet 148 into DC power, and the charger 142 has an appropriate amount of charging current for the secondary battery 128. The current amount of the DC power is controlled. Thus, when the secondary battery 128 is sufficiently charged, the input plug 120 is removed from the commercial outlet 148, and the power supply apparatus 100 becomes movable. When the power supply apparatus 100 is used, the DC power stored in the secondary battery 128 is converted again to AC power by the inverter 144 and supplied to the electrical equipment through the output outlet 126.

  At this time, when the load on the electric device is large and the power capacity of the power supply apparatus 100 is insufficient, a sufficient number of power supply apparatuses 100 are connected to ensure a sufficient power capacity.

  FIG. 3 is an electric block diagram showing a connection image when the power supply apparatus 100 is connected. Here, a plurality of power supply devices 100 (100a, 100b) receive their power by inserting their input plugs 120 into output outlets 126 of the power supply devices arranged upstream.

  Referring to FIG. 3, power supply device 100 (100 a, 100 b) includes a bypass switch 150, input ammeter 152, internal load 154, and bypass disconnection unit 156 in addition to the configuration described above with reference to FIG. 2. It consists of

  When connecting the other power supply device upstream of the power supply device, for example, when the power supply device 100a is connected upstream of the power supply device 100b as shown in FIG. The input plug 120 and the output outlet 126 are connected to transmit the power from the downstream. Therefore, in the power supply apparatus 100b, the power of the power supply apparatus 100a and the power of the power supply apparatus 100b itself are superimposed and output to the output outlet 126.

  The input ammeter 152 is composed of an ammeter such as an instrument current transformer (CT) and measures the current value flowing from the input plug 120. In this embodiment, since the input ammeter 152 directly measures the current flowing through the main circuit (the circuit from the input plug 120 to the output outlet 126), the power outlet 100 and the commercial outlet 148 It is possible to detect the disconnection between the two quickly and reliably with high reliability.

  The internal load 154 can be composed of any load that can consume the current from the input plug 120, such as an internal control power supply or a dummy load, and causes the input ammeter 152 to detect that a current is flowing. Such an internal load 154 draws at least a predetermined current from the input plug 120 when the input plug 120 is connected to the upstream power supply device 100 or the commercial outlet 148, and therefore when the external load is not connected to the power supply device 100. However, it is possible to cause the input ammeter 152 to measure a current value that is not 0 (zero).

  The bypass disconnection unit 156 disconnects the bypass switch when the current value measured by the input ammeter 152 is equal to or less than a predetermined value. For example, as shown in FIG. 3B, when the input ammeter 152 cannot detect the current (current value = 0) or is detected but the value is very small, power is supplied from the input plug 120. In other words, the connection of the input plug 120 can be regarded as being disconnected, and in this case, the bypass switch 150 is disconnected in order to avoid a reverse power flow from the inverter 144 and the power supply device 100 further downstream.

  Here, for the purpose, the predetermined value must be small enough to determine that the current value is 0 (zero) or almost 0 and to be distinguished from the current value flowing by the internal load 154. For example, when the internal load 154 is a control power supply that controls the internal circuit of the power supply apparatus 100, the fluctuation of the control power supply is taken into consideration so that even if the current value decreases due to the fluctuation, the current value is not determined to be 0. A predetermined value must be set.

  With such a configuration of the power supply device 100, it is possible to detect the disconnection quickly and reliably with a simple configuration without requiring a detection structure such as an additional mechanism or other cable that causes a complicated and increased connection point, and an accident caused by a reverse power flow. Can be reliably prevented.

  Hereinafter, a more detailed configuration of the power supply apparatus 100 will be described, and how the power supply apparatus 100 can be connected will be described.

  FIG. 4 is an electrical block diagram showing the overall electrical function of the power supply apparatus 100. Here, the power supply device 100 includes an input plug 120, an output outlet 126, a secondary battery 128, an AC / DC converter 140, a charger 142, an inverter 144, a bypass switch 150, and an input ammeter 152. The internal load 154, the bypass disconnection unit 156, the charging switch 160, the output ammeter 164, the power addition unit 166, the apportioning current deriving unit 168, and the current control unit 170 are configured.

  Among them, the input plug 120, the output outlet 126, the secondary battery 128, the AC / DC converter 140, the charger 142, the inverter 144, the bypass switch 150, the input ammeter 152, the internal load 154, and the bypass disconnection unit 156 are shown in FIG. Since it has already been described with reference to FIG. 4, the charge switch 160, the output ammeter 164, the power adding unit 166, the proportional current deriving unit 168, and the current control unit 170 having different configurations will be mainly described here. However, the internal load 154 in FIG. 4 functions as a control power supply for the power supply apparatus 100 and receives power having a higher voltage of the AC / DC converter 140 or the secondary battery 128 via the diode 190.

  The charging switch 160 connects the AC / DC converter 140 and the charger 142 when charging the secondary battery 128. The AC / DC converter 140 and the charger 142 determine whether the power input to the input plug 120 is power from the commercial outlet 148 or power from the secondary battery 128 of the upstream power supply device 100. It is determined automatically and may be connected from a commercial outlet 148, or may be manually connected by a user through an external switch or the like.

  The inverter switch 162 relays between the inverter 144 and the output outlet 126, and turns on the connection when sufficient power is stored in the secondary battery 128 and the output from the secondary battery 128 is instructed. Further, the inverter switch 162 and the inverter 144 can be integrally formed, the inverter switch 162 can be turned on and off by the on / off operation of the inverter 144, and the inverter switch 162 itself can be omitted.

  Similarly to the input ammeter 152, the output ammeter 164 is formed of an ammeter such as a current transformer for an instrument, and the current flowing out from the output outlet 126, that is, all the power supply devices 100 connected upstream and the power supply device 100. The total current Isum is measured.

  The power adding unit 166 adds the single power capacity Pind of the power supply apparatus 100 to the power capacities Pref of all the power supply apparatuses 100 connected upstream from the connected power supply apparatus 100 one stage upstream through the light receiving element 180. Then, the total power capacity Psum is derived.

  In the power supply device 100 according to the present embodiment, an apportioning current deriving unit 168 described later includes the total power capacity Psum of all the power supply devices 100 including itself and the single power capacity Pind from the inverter 144. The current Iind is adjusted. Therefore, the apportioning current deriving unit 168 needs to grasp the total power capacity Psum. Here, each power supply apparatus 100 grasps the total power capacity and transmits the power capacity in a chain through the daisy chain of the power supply apparatus 100. Therefore, the power supply device 100 located downstream can simply add its own single power capacity Pind to the power capacity Pref received from one stage upstream without knowing the configuration and the number of all the power supply apparatuses 100 to be connected. The total power capacity Psum including itself can be grasped.

  The apportioning current deriving unit 168 obtains a current Iind ′ obtained by apportioning the current measured by the output ammeter 164 by the ratio of the total power capacity Psum derived by the power adding unit 166 and the single power capacity Pind of only the power supply device 100. To derive. In this way, a part of the total current (current Isum measured by the output ammeter 164) necessary for the load of the electric device, here, the power capacity of itself is covered.

  Further, since the apportioning current deriving unit 168 apportions the current Isum by analog quantities such as the actual total power capacity Psum and the single power capacity Pind instead of the number of the power supply devices 100, the total power capacity Psum is also the single power capacity Pind. However, there is no restriction that the power capacities of the connected power supply devices 100 should not be equal to each other, and the power supply devices 100 having various power capacities can be connected.

  The current control unit 170 controls the output current Iind from the inverter 144 so as to become the current Iind ′ prorated by the proportional current deriving unit 168.

  At this time, the current control unit 170 determines the voltage of the inverter 144 so that the reactive power deviation ΔQ and the active power deviation ΔP between the current Isum flowing out from the output outlet 126 and the current Iind output from the inverter 144 become zero. And control the phase.

  That is, the active power of the inverter 144 is adjusted through frequency operation by the PLL 172 and the V / f oscillator 174. The reactive power is adjusted by adjusting the voltage Vind of the inverter 144, that is, through pulse width modulation by the voltage adjusting unit 176 and the PWM 178. With such a configuration, the output current Iind of the inverter 144 of each power supply apparatus 100 can be balanced, and the fluctuation of the nonlinear load can be tracked. The current control unit 170 is not limited to the circuit configuration described above, and various circuits capable of adjusting the voltage and phase of the output current Iind can be applied.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the current Isum passing through the output outlet 126 of the power supply apparatus 100 is internally divided by the ratio of the total power capacity Psum and the single power capacity Pind. Thus, the output current Iind of the inverter can be controlled in a self-contained manner. Therefore, it is possible to easily and quickly increase the power supply with a simple configuration and operation such as simply connecting a plurality of power supply devices 100 in series without requiring complicated external wiring.

  In the power supply device 100 described above, the power adding unit 166 further transmits the derived total power capacity Psum to the connected downstream power supply device 100 through the light emitting element 182. With this configuration, the total power capacity Psum up to itself can be transmitted as the upstream power capacity Pref in the downstream power supply apparatus 100, and the power capacity can be transmitted in a chain manner.

  Further, the transmission of the power capacity Pref between the power supply apparatuses 100 is not limited to the light emitting element 182 and the light receiving element 180 described above, and may be configured by various transmission means such as a wired electric signal or a magnetic signal.

  Here, when current is not output from its own inverter 144, the power adding unit 166 transmits the power capacity Pref received from the power supply apparatus 100 connected upstream to the downstream power supply apparatus as the total power capacity Psum as it is.

  Since the power system from the input plug 120 to the output outlet 126 exists independently from the power system of the secondary battery 128 and the inverter 144, even if one power supply device 100 (here, its own power supply device) is disconnected. The power system from upstream to downstream is uninterrupted. In addition, the configuration in which the power capacity Pref received from the power supply device 100 connected upstream is directly transmitted to the downstream can configure the power supply device 100 as if there was no disconnected power supply device 100, It does not affect the calculation of power capacity.

  The power supply device 100 described above configures a connected state of the power supply device 100 by connecting the input plug 120 used for charging to the output outlet 126 of the upstream power supply device 100.

  FIG. 5 is an external perspective view showing an assembly configuration when four power supply devices 100 are connected. Here, the four power supply devices 100a, 100b, 100c, and 100d are connected to each other by connecting their input plugs 120 to the output outlet 126 of the upstream power supply device. Then, the power is accumulated in the downstream side, such as the power of the power supply device 100a in the power supply device 100b, the total power in the power supply device 100c, and the total power in the power supply device 100d. The total power is supplied. At this time, the individual power of each power supply apparatus 100 is uniformly consumed by the current apportionment of the present embodiment.

  Further, when the power supply devices 100 are overlapped, the upstream power supply device 100 can be positioned by inserting the upstream buffer member 112 into the downstream recess 114. Here, the case where there are four power supply apparatuses 100 is taken as an example, but it goes without saying that the number is not limited thereto. In addition, here, four equal power supply devices 100 are selected, but as described above, the power capacity of each power supply device 100 can be arbitrarily selected. It will be described below that the present embodiment can be performed even when the power capacities of the power supply apparatuses 100 are different.

  FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram for explaining current distribution when a plurality of power supply apparatuses 100 having different power capacities are connected. Here, the power supply apparatuses 100a, 100b, 100c, and 100d have power capacities of 250 W, 500 W, 250 W, and 750 W, respectively. Accordingly, the total power capacity Psum by each power adding unit 166 is sequentially calculated in a daisy chain format, and becomes 250 W, 750 W, 1000 W, and 1750 W from the upstream power supply device 100 a.

  Here, for example, when a current of 7A is consumed in the terminal load, the current passing through the output outlet 126 of the power supply device 100d is also 7A, and the output current Iind of the inverter 144 of the power supply device 100d is the total power capacity Psum and each Using the single power capacity Pind of the power supply device 100, Isum × Pind / Psum = 7 × 750/1750 = 3A. Similarly, the output current Iind of the inverter 144 of the power supply devices 100c, 100b, and 100a is 1A, 2A, and 1A, and it is possible to output a current corresponding to the power capacity of each power supply device 100.

  Incidentally, in the example of FIG. 6, there are three types of power capacities of the power supply device 100, 250 W, 500 W, and 750 W. In this way, when the power supply device 100 can be expressed by a predetermined unit power capacity, here, a multiple of 250 W, 250 W is defined as the radix between the power supply devices 100, and instead of the power capacity itself between the power supply devices 100, The multiple can be transmitted.

  FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining another current distribution when a plurality of power supply devices 100 having different power capacities are connected. Here, as in FIG. 6, the power supply apparatuses 100a, 100b, 100c, and 100d have power capacities of 250 W, 500 W, 250 W, and 750 W, respectively. However, since the total power capacity Psum is expressed as a multiple thereof, it is 1, 3, 4, 7 from the upstream. Since its single power capacity Pind is also expressed as a multiple, it becomes 1, 2, 1, 3 from the upstream. Therefore, although the output current Iind of the inverter 144 to be derived is equal to that in FIG. 6, the calculation time of the power adding unit 166 and the proportional current deriving unit 168 is shortened.

  With this configuration, transmission of the power capacity from the upstream side to the downstream side of the power supply apparatus 100 can be represented by only simple (small) numerical values (integers), and the configuration for transmitting information can be simplified. In addition, since the numerical value and the number of bits are small, it is possible to reduce transmission errors and improve reliability. Furthermore, the calculations of the power adding unit 166 and the apportioned current deriving unit 168 can be simplified, and it is not necessary to construct an unnecessary expensive calculation circuit.

  Further, when the single power capacities of all the connected power supply apparatuses 100 are substantially equal, the total power capacity Psum is set to 1 to the total number of the power supply apparatuses 100 connected upstream, received from the power supply apparatus 100 upstream. With the added value, the single power capacity Pind can be represented by 1.

  FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram for explaining another current distribution when a plurality of power supply devices 100 having the same power capacity are connected. Here, unlike FIG. 7, the power supply apparatuses 100 a, 100 b, 100 c, and 100 d are all configured with a power capacity of 250 W, and the single power capacity is represented by 1.

  Also in the configuration of FIG. 8, as in FIG. 7, it is possible to simplify the transmission of information between the power supply devices 100, and further, since the received numerical value is the total number of power supply devices driven upstream, the total power capacity It is possible to derive Psum and to know how many power supply devices 100 are connected upstream.

  By the way, in the bypass cutting unit 156 described above, the bypass switch 150 is turned off when the current value is 0 (zero). However, the current value 0 cannot always be measured when an induced current is generated on the secondary side of the input ammeter 152 itself or due to a measurement error of the input ammeter 152. Therefore, it is considered that the measurement value of the input ammeter 152 is determined using the measurement value of the output ammeter 164 described above. In particular, when information transmission between the power supply apparatuses 100 is performed with simple numerical values as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the determination of the bypass disconnection unit 156 can also be performed using simple numerical values.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 8, when the total power capacity Psum of the power supply device 100 that is upstream including the device itself can be expressed by the total number of power supply devices 100 (“4” for the fourth power supply device), The ammeter 152 should measure the current value measured by the output ammeter 164 × (1-1 / total number of power supply devices 100). Therefore, the bypass cutting unit 156 bypasses when the current value measured by the input ammeter 152 is sufficiently smaller than the current value measured by the output ammeter 164 × (1-1 / total number of power supply devices 100). Disconnect the switch. In this way, even when the current value measured by the input ammeter 152 is not 0, the disconnection can be detected quickly and reliably.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, when the transmission of information between the power supply devices 100 is made into a simple numerical value, for example, a numerical value that can be expressed by 3 bits (equivalent to 8 units), the transmission structure can be easily configured. Can do. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the transmission window 134 for the light emitting element 182 and the transmission window 136 for the light receiving element 180 are provided corresponding to the front and back of the power supply device 100, as shown in FIG. 5. When the power supply apparatus 100 is superposed, the upstream light emitting element 182 and the one-stage downstream light receiving element 180 face each other. In this way, information can be transmitted between the light emitting element 182 and the light receiving element 180. Here, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) or a lamp can be used as the light emitting element 182.

  The light receiving element 180 of the power supply apparatus 100 obtains information of a predetermined number of bits, for example, 3 bits, from the upstream light emitting element 182, grasps the upstream total power capacity based on the value, and has its own single power capacity, for example, 1 Is added to derive the total power capacity up to itself. The value is displayed by the light emitting element 182 and transmitted to the downstream power supply apparatus 100. In addition, when only one bit is prepared for each of the light emitting element 182 and the light receiving element 180, information can be transmitted by the number of blinks and the light emission time (pulse width). Furthermore, it is also possible to transmit by superimposing an electric signal indicating the power capacity on the main power line from the output outlet 126 to the input plug 120.

  With such a configuration, it is possible to transmit power capacity while maintaining insulation and waterproofing by simply facing the light emitting element 182 and the light receiving element 180 without complicated electrical connection. Therefore, it is possible to connect a plurality of power supply devices 100 only by connecting the input plug 120 to the output outlet 126 of the upstream power supply device 100.

(Second Embodiment: Power Supply Device 200)
In the first embodiment described above, the connection state is grasped by measuring the current flowing from the upstream power supply apparatus, but in the second embodiment, the current to the downstream power supply apparatus is measured. Then, the connection state with the downstream power supply device is grasped, and when the connection is released, the bypass switch in the downstream power supply device is disconnected.

  FIG. 9 is an electric block diagram showing a connection image when the power supply apparatus 200 according to the second embodiment is connected. Here, the plurality of power supply devices 200 (200a, 200b) receive the power by inserting the input plug 120 into the output outlet 126 of the power supply device arranged upstream.

  Referring to FIG. 9A, the power supply device 200 includes an input plug 120, an output outlet 126, a secondary battery 128, an inverter 144, a bypass switch 150, an internal load 154, an output ammeter 164, A power addition unit 166 and an information transmission unit 210 are included. Here, the input plug 120, the output outlet 126, the secondary battery 128, the inverter 144, the bypass switch 150, the internal load 154, and the output ammeter 164 that have already been described as the constituent elements in the first embodiment substantially function. Are the same, the redundant description is omitted, and here, the power adding unit 166 and the information transmitting unit 210 having different configurations will be mainly described.

  When the current value measured by the output ammeter 164 is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the information transmission unit 210 of the power supply device 200a transmits the unconnected information to another power supply device connected downstream, here the power supply device 200b. The information transmission unit 210 uses the power addition unit 166 used in the first embodiment as a transmission path for the unconnected information.

  The power adding unit 166 of the power supply device 200a, for example, when transmitting information between the power supply devices with simple numerical values as shown in FIG. 8, as shown in the first embodiment, The total number is grasped and the numerical value including itself is transmitted downstream. Here, when the value to be transmitted is “0”, it can be transmitted that all of the upstream power supply apparatus 200 including itself does not function as a power source. Here, the power adding unit 166 of the power supply device 200a that has received the non-connection information from the information transmission unit 210 by using such a transmission mechanism, the total number of the power supply devices 200 to disconnect the bypass switch 150 of the downstream power supply device 200b. “0” is transmitted.

  The power adding unit 166 of the power supply device 200b can recognize that the power supply device 200 does not exist or is not functioning upstream by receiving such a total number “0” of the power supply devices 200. FIG. As shown in (b), the bypass switch 150 is disconnected.

  Therefore, also in the second embodiment, it is possible to quickly and surely detect the connection state of the main circuit itself to the downstream power supply device 200b with high reliability, and it is possible to reliably prevent an accident due to reverse power flow. . Further, as compared with the first embodiment, since the input ammeter 152 is not necessarily provided, the responsiveness is slightly lacking, but the cost and the occupied volume can be reduced.

  As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described referring an accompanying drawing, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to the example which concerns. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and these are naturally within the technical scope of the present invention. Understood.

  For example, it is assumed that the power supply apparatuses 100 and 200 in the first and second embodiments described above are charged independently and connected to increase the capacity when the power is released. By turning off the switch 162 and connecting the bypass switch 150 and the charging switch 160, the power supply apparatuses 100 and 200 can be connected even during charging.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for a power supply device that can store power in a secondary battery in advance and supply power alone or connected to a connected load.

It is the perspective view which showed the external appearance of the power supply device in 1st Embodiment. It is the electric block diagram which showed the partial function in the case of operating the power supply device in 1st Embodiment independently. It is the electric block diagram which showed the connection image at the time of connecting the power supply device in 1st Embodiment. It is the electric block diagram which showed the whole electrical function of the power supply device in 1st Embodiment. It is the external appearance perspective view which showed the assembly structure at the time of connecting the four power supply devices in 1st Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating current distribution at the time of connecting the several power supply device from which the power capacity in 1st Embodiment differs. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the other current distribution at the time of connecting the several power supply device from which the power capacity in 1st Embodiment differs. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the other electric current allocation at the time of connecting the several power supply device with the same electric power capacity in 1st Embodiment. It is the electric block diagram which showed the connection image at the time of connecting the power supply device in 2nd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100, 200 ... Power supply device 120 ... Input plug 126 ... Output outlet 128 ... Secondary battery 140 ... AC / DC converter 142 ... Charger 144 ... Inverter 148 ... Commercial outlet 150 ... Bypass switch 152 ... Input ammeter 154 ... Internal load 156 ... Bypass disconnection unit 160 ... Charging switch 162 ... Inverter switch 164 ... Output ammeter 166 ... Power addition unit 168 ... Prorated current deriving unit 170 ... Current control unit 210 ... Information transmission unit

Claims (6)

An input plug, an AC / DC converter that converts AC power input from the input plug into DC power, a charger that controls a current amount of the converted DC power, and DC power output from the charger A power supply device comprising: a secondary battery that stores electricity; an inverter that converts the stored DC power into AC power; and an output outlet that functions as an output terminal of the converted AC power,
A bypass switch for connecting an input plug and an output outlet when connecting another power supply upstream of the power supply;
An input ammeter for measuring a current value flowing from the input plug;
An internal load that causes a current to flow to the input ammeter by the power from the input plug;
A bypass cutting unit that cuts the bypass switch when the current value measured by the input ammeter is a predetermined value or less;
The power supply device further comprising: An output ammeter that measures a current value flowing out of the output outlet;
A power addition unit for deriving a total power capacity by adding a single power capacity of the power supply device to the power capacity of all the power supply devices connected upstream from the connected power supply device of one upstream stage;
A proportional current deriving unit for deriving a current obtained by apportioning the current measured by the output ammeter by a ratio between the derived total power capacity and the single power capacity of the power supply unit only;
The power supply device according to claim 1, further comprising: a current control unit that controls an output current from the inverter to be the apportioned current.   The power supply apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the power capacity of the power supply apparatus is expressed by a multiple of a predetermined unit power capacity. When the single power capacities of all connected power supplies are substantially equal,
The power supply apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the total power capacity is a value obtained by adding 1 to a total number of power supply apparatuses connected upstream, and the single power capacity is represented by 1.   5. The power supply device according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined value is a value sufficiently smaller than a current value measured by the output ammeter × (1-1 / total number of power supply devices). An input plug, an AC / DC converter that converts AC power input from the input plug into DC power, a charger that controls a current amount of the converted DC power, and DC power output from the charger A power supply device comprising: a secondary battery that stores electricity; an inverter that converts the stored DC power into AC power; and an output outlet that functions as an output terminal of the converted AC power,
An output ammeter that measures a current value flowing out of the output outlet;
An information transmission unit configured to transmit unconnected information to another power source connected downstream when the current value is equal to or less than a predetermined value;
Further comprising
The other power supply unit connected downstream receives the non-connection information and cuts a bypass switch that connects an input plug and an output outlet of the other power supply unit.

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