JP2010288432A - Multiple battery charger - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the volume, weight, and cost of chargers and equalize power, in equipment for charging a plurality of batteries having a large charging current. <P>SOLUTION: A multiple battery charger comprises a plurality of chargers, each equipped with a battery, a constant-current power supply, and a control circuit. The multiple battery charger is provided with a constant-current power supply for common use, a relay for connecting one of the plurality of constant-current power supplies in parallel to the constant-current power supply for common use, and a driving circuit that processes signals of the plurality of control circuits and turns on/off the relay. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a charging device, and more particularly to a battery charging device for an electric vehicle.

Conventionally, as a charging device for charging a plurality of batteries, the following Patent Document 1 is known. The charging method described in Patent Document 1 includes means for previously storing DC power generated from an AC power source in a capacitor and supplying the power of the capacitor when charging a battery of an electric vehicle. This allows charging of a plurality of electric vehicles.
JP2006-20438

  The conventional charging device described above has a large charging current per electric vehicle and a plurality of units are charged at the same time. On the other hand, since the charging rate is low around 24 hours per day, The battery is used effectively for leveling.

  Since the discharge time of the capacitor is shorter than the storage time, the DC power generated from the AC power source is smaller than the DC power required for charging, and the maximum power of the ACDC converter for exchanging from AC to DC may be small. Furthermore, in order to be able to supply charging current to a plurality of electric vehicles, a means for preventing one unit from monopolizing the battery is added.

  However, since the battery of the above charging device requires a large capacity, there is a problem that all of the capacity, weight and cost of the charging device are increased. However, on the other hand, if you want to charge the batteries of multiple electric vehicles without the help of a battery, you must prepare multiple charging devices whose charging current meets the requirements of the electric vehicle. All increase in volume, weight and cost.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide means capable of charging a plurality of batteries without using a capacitor and without increasing the scale of the charging device.

  The multi-battery charging device of the present invention is shared by a plurality of charging devices including a control circuit having a communication means capable of exchanging information on a battery, a constant current power source, a charging current required by the battery and a maximum current that can be output from the constant current power source. A constant current power source and a shared constant current power source are constituted by a relay for connecting in parallel to any one of a plurality of constant current power sources, and a drive circuit for processing signals of a plurality of control circuits to turn on and off the relay.

  Initially, the electric vehicle charging current starts at 100-200A, but that period only accounts for 10-30% of the total charging time, after which it drops to 50-70% of the initial current and further below 50% Go down. The time when the initial current is 50% or less often occupies 50% or more of the entire charging time. Therefore, if each of the first constant current power source, the second constant current power source, and the common constant current power source has a capacity of 50 A maximum output current, the electric vehicle requiring 100 A as the initial charging current is charged once. Even if the battery is alternately charged after half the time, it works almost the same as two single charging devices with a capacity of 100A. That is, even if the constant current power supply has a total capacity of 150 A, the multiple battery charging apparatus of the present invention has the same economic effect in terms of charging time as that of two charging apparatuses having the capacity of 100 A. It is also effective in leveling power.

  FIG. 1 is an example showing an embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention.

  In the figure, a first battery 1a is connected to a first constant current power source 2a via a connector 101a. In the figure, reference numerals 3a and 4a denote a battery side and a constant current power source side of a first control circuit that controls charging by exchanging information with each other. These constitute the first charging device. The second charging device has the same configuration as shown in the figure.

  In the figure, the shared constant current power source 6 is connected in parallel to either the first constant current power source 2a or the second constant current power source 2b via relays 10a, 11a, 10b, 11b. The relays 10a, 11a, 10b, and 11b are driven by the relay drive circuit 5, but the relays 10b and 11b are not turned on when the relays 10a and 11a are in the on state. Conversely, when the relays 10b and 11b are on, the relays 10a and 11a are not on.

  In the figure, when the first battery 1a is connected prior to the second battery 1b, the constant current power supply side 4a of the first control circuit uses the common constant current power supply as the maximum output current of the first constant current power supply 2a. A value obtained by adding the maximum output current of 6 is transmitted to the battery side 3a of the first control circuit as an outputable current. The first battery 1a is required to have a value whose upper limit is the current that can be output. When the requested value is larger than the maximum output current of the first constant current power supply 2a, the relays 10a and 11a for connecting the shared constant current power supply 6 in parallel to the first constant current power supply 2a are turned on to start charging. .

  Subsequently, when the second battery 1b is connected via the connector 101b, the constant current power supply side 4b of the second control circuit knows that the shared constant current circuit 6 is in use, and the second constant current The maximum output current of the power supply 2b is transmitted to the battery side 3b of the second control circuit as a current that can be output. Since the second battery 1b requires a value with an upper limit of the current that can be output, charging is started only by the second constant current power source 2b.

  When charging of the first battery 1a proceeds and the charging current required via the battery side 3a of the first control circuit falls below the maximum output current of the first constant current power supply 2a, the relays 10a and 11a are turned off. Then, the shared constant current power supply 6 is released.

  The constant current power supply side 4b of the second control circuit learns that the shared constant current power supply 6 has been released, and informs the battery side 3b of the second control circuit of the change of the output possible current. Since the second battery 1b requires a value up to the changed current, when the requested value is larger than the maximum output current of the second constant current power source 2b, the common constant current power source 6 is turned on. The relays 10b and 11b connected in parallel to the second constant current power source 2b are turned on to continue charging.

  FIG. 2 is an example showing an embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention.

  In the figure, the multiple battery charger includes three batteries 1a, 1b, and 1c, three constant current power supplies 2a, 2b, and 2c that supply current to each of them, and two shared constant current power supplies 6 and 7, each of which is shared. The constant current power supply can be connected in parallel to any one of the constant current power supplies via a predetermined relay.

  In the figure, when the first battery 1a is connected ahead of other batteries via the connector 101a, the constant current power supply side 4a of the first control circuit uses the common constant current power supply as the maximum output current of the constant current power supply 2a. A value obtained by adding the maximum currents 6 and 7 is transmitted to the battery side 3a of the first control circuit as an outputable current. The first battery 1a is required to have a value whose upper limit is the current value that can be output. When the requested value is larger than the sum of the maximum output current of the first constant current power source 2a and the maximum output current of any one of the common constant current power sources 6 and 7, the common constant current power sources 6 and 7 are connected to the constant current. The relays 10a, 11a, 12a and 13a connected in parallel to the power source 2a are turned on to start charging.

  When the second battery 1b is connected via the connector 101b following the first battery 1a, the constant current power supply side 4b of the second control circuit is in use of both the shared constant current power supplies 6 and 7. And the maximum output current of the second constant current power source 2b is transmitted to the second control circuit 3b as an outputable current. The second battery 1b is required to have a value whose upper limit is the current value that can be output, and charging is started at the requested value.

  Subsequently, when the third battery 1c is connected via the connector 101c, the charging is started only by the third constant current power source 2c as described above.

  When the charging of the first battery 1a progresses and the required current falls below the total value of the first constant current power source 2a and the common constant current power source 6, the relays 12a and 13a are turned off and the common constant current power source 7 is released. The

  The constant current power supply side 4b of the second control circuit knows that the shared constant current power supply 7 has been released, changes the current that can be output, and transmits it to the battery side 3b of the second control circuit. The second battery 1b is required to have a value with the changed output current value as an upper limit. When the value is larger than the maximum output current of the second constant current power supply 2b, the relays 12b and 13b for connecting the common constant current power supply 7 in parallel to the second constant current power supply 2b are turned on, and the requested current Continue charging with value.

  Further, when charging of the first battery 1a proceeds and the shared constant current power supply 6 is released, the shared constant current power supply 6 is connected in parallel to the second constant current power supply 2b through the same process as described above.

  When the charging of the second battery 1b proceeds and the shared constant current power supplies 6 and 7 are sequentially released, they are sequentially connected in parallel to the third constant current power supply 2c through the same process as described above.

  The priority order of the connection destinations of the shared constant current power supplies 6 and 7 is the order in which the batteries are connected. After the charging of the first battery is completed, when another battery is connected to the position of the first battery, if the second and third batteries are being charged, that battery has the lowest priority. .

  FIG. 3 shows an example of the waveform of the charging current when three batteries having substantially the same remaining rate are sequentially connected to the positions of the first to third batteries in the embodiment of FIG.

  The first battery is connected at t1, and charging starts at a value obtained by adding the output currents of the two shared constant current power supplies, and ends at t1 '. The second battery is connected at t2 and charging is started with the output current of only the second constant current power source. As the charging current of the first battery decreases, the second battery is charged with the output current including the current of the shared constant current power source. Is completed at t2 ′. The third battery is connected at t3, and charging is started with the output current of only the third constant current power source, and charging is performed with the output current including the current of the common constant current power source as the charging current of the second battery decreases. Done and ends at t3 '.

  The embodiment described above is an example of the present invention. For example, it is possible to change the number of batteries, constant current power supply, shared constant current power supply and how to determine the priority order.

  It is a circuit block diagram which shows implementation which concerns on the multiple battery charging device of Claim 1.   It is a circuit block diagram which shows implementation which concerns on the multiple battery charging device of Claim 2.   It is a wave form diagram which shows the example of the change of a charging current when three batteries are connected sequentially in a suitable time in FIG.

1a, 1b, 1c Battery 2a, 2b, 2c Constant current power supply 3a, 3b, 3c Control circuit battery side 4a, 4b, 4c Control circuit constant current power supply side 5 Relay drive circuit 6, 7 Shared constant current power supply 10a, 10b, 10c Relay 11a, 11b, 11c Relay 12a, 12b, 12c Relay 13a, 13b, 13c Relay 101a, 101b, 101c Connector

Claims (2)

  Information relating to a first battery, a first constant current power source that supplies current to the first battery, a charging current value required by the first battery, and a current value that can be output by the first constant current power source. Requested by a first charging device including a first control circuit having exchangeable communication means, a second battery, a second constant current power source for supplying current to the second battery, and the second battery In a multi-battery charging device comprising a second charging device having a second control circuit having a communication means capable of exchanging information relating to a charging current value to be outputted and a current value that can be outputted from the second constant current power supply, A relay for connecting a current power source and the shared constant current power source in parallel to either the first constant current power source or the second constant current power source, the first control circuit, and the second control circuit; Drive circuit for processing signals to turn on and off the relay Multiple battery charging device, characterized in that the added.   A battery, a constant current power source for supplying current to the battery, a charging current value required by the battery, and a plurality of charging devices having a control circuit having communication means for exchanging information on the current value that can be output from the constant current power source A relay for connecting one or more shared constant current power supplies and the shared constant current power supply in parallel to any one constant current power supply in the plurality of battery chargers, and the control circuit. A multi-battery charger comprising a drive circuit for processing a signal to turn on and off the relay.

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