JP2014017222A - Portable power supply device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a portable power supply device configured to house a heating element together with a secondary battery in a housing, and that can effectively cool down inside of the housing.SOLUTION: A portable power supply device 200 is configured to comprise: in a housing 202, a secondary battery integrated body 234; a first heating element 232; second heating elements 230, 236, and 262; a ventilation guide 276 arranged between one outer wall surface 270 and the first heating element; a vent hole 274; and an air exhaustion fan 282. Outer air introduced from the vent hole is exhausted from the air exhaustion fan via a ventilation space 272.

Description

  The present invention relates to a technical field of a portable power supply device in which a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery is housed in a casing together with a heating element such as an inverter or a circuit component for charge or discharge control.

The portable power supply device is excellent in portability, and is widely used to supply power for equipment at various places as required. This type of portable power supply device accommodates a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery having a high energy density, for example, and can cover the power required on the load side.
By the way, in addition to such a secondary battery, the portable power supply device includes an inverter for performing AC-DC conversion of power when charging or discharging the secondary battery, and various controls for the portable power supply device. A component that functions as a heating element during operation, such as a circuit component, is housed in a housing. The case has a certain degree of airtightness so that it cannot be accessed from the outside for the purpose of protecting the inside of the device or ensuring the safety. Tends to rise.

  As described above, in the portable power supply device, since there are heating elements such as an inverter and a circuit board around the secondary battery, it is important how to cool the inside of the casing efficiently. Although Patent Document 1 is not a technology related to cooling, a secondary battery is disposed on the downstream side of a charging circuit serving as a heat generation source, and a ventilation hole or an exhaust fan is provided in the casing, so that the secondary battery can be charged. A technique for heating a secondary battery by performing airflow control so that outside air heated by a charging circuit flows toward the secondary battery is disclosed.

JP 2007-141660 A

  As in Patent Document 1, it is important in controlling the temperature of the secondary battery to control the airflow flowing in the casing by providing a vent or a fan in the casing in which the secondary battery is accommodated. However, Patent Document 1 is a layout mainly intended for heating a secondary battery, and is configured to efficiently cool a heating element such as an inverter or a circuit board arranged around the secondary battery. Absent.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and provides a portable power supply device that can cool the inside of the housing effectively in a portable power supply device that includes a secondary battery and a heating element housed in the housing. The purpose is to do.

  In order to solve the above problems, a portable power supply device according to the present invention includes a rectangular secondary battery assembly and a first secondary battery assembly disposed along an outer wall surface of the secondary battery assembly in a housing. A heating element, a second heating element disposed along another outer wall surface adjacent to one outer wall surface of the secondary battery assembly, one outer wall surface of the secondary battery assembly, and the A ventilation guide disposed between the first heating element and forming a first ventilation space along the one outer wall surface; and a wall surface of the casing facing the first heating element; A first ventilation hole provided to communicate with the first ventilation space; and the second heating element on a side opposite to the ventilation guide with respect to the secondary battery integrated body on a wall surface of the housing. And a first exhaust fan provided so as to face the outside, and the outside air introduced from the first vent hole passes through the first ventilation space. To it characterized in that it is configured to be discharged from the first exhaust fan.

  The outside air introduced from the first ventilation hole passes through the first ventilation space provided by the ventilation guide, and is then discharged to the outside from the first exhaust fan. Thus, by forming a series of ambient air flows in the portable power supply device, the first and second heating elements housed in the housing can be efficiently cooled. Since the first heating element is disposed on the vent hole side (upstream side) and the ventilation space is provided along one outer wall surface of the first heating element, a particularly good cooling effect is obtained.

In the portable power supply device according to an embodiment, the first ventilation space extends to a position facing the second heating element.
In this aspect, since the first ventilation space extends to a position facing the second heating element, the outside air introduced into the first ventilation space from the first ventilation hole is the first heat generation. After the body is cooled, the second heating element is guided to the space where the second heating element exists to cool the second heating element. Thus, a plurality of heating elements can be efficiently cooled with a simple structure.

In the portable power supply device according to an embodiment, the first heating element generates a larger amount of heat during operation than the second heating element.
In this aspect, it is possible to preferentially cool the first heating element having a relatively large calorific value by disposing it on the vent hole side (upstream side). On the other hand, the outside air after cooling the first heating element has a relatively small calorific value, and is guided to the second heating element arranged on the exhaust fan side (downstream side), thereby cooling the second heating element. Can be used. Thus, an efficient cooling effect can be obtained by setting the layout of the heating elements in the housing in consideration of the heat generation amount.

In the portable power supply device according to one embodiment, an end portion of the ventilation guide opposite to the first ventilation hole is curved so as to face the first exhaust fan.
In this aspect, the end portion of the ventilation guide is curved so as to be directed toward the first exhaust fan, so that the outside air introduced from the first ventilation hole passes through the first ventilation space, It turns smoothly toward one exhaust fan. Thus, the outside air after cooling the first heating element is efficiently guided toward the second heating element to promote cooling, and the exhaust efficiency from the first exhaust fan is increased, Air permeability can be improved.

In the portable power supply device according to an embodiment, the first heating element includes a second ventilation hole provided on a side of the wall surface of the first heating element facing the first ventilation hole, A second exhaust fan provided on the opposite side of the wall surface of the first heating element from the second vent, and the second vent hole and the second exhaust fan communicate with each other. And a second ventilation space formed inside the first heating element.
In this aspect, part of the outside air introduced from the first ventilation hole is taken into the second heating element from the second ventilation hole provided on the side facing the first ventilation hole. The outside air taken in from the second ventilation hole flows toward the second exhaust fan along the second ventilation space formed inside the first heating element, thereby causing the first heating element to move inside. Cool from. Thus, the first heating element can be cooled more effectively by exposing the first heating element to the outside air from both the inside and outside.

In the portable power supply device according to an embodiment, one outer wall surface of the secondary battery assembly is a vertical surface, the other outer wall surface of the secondary battery assembly is a horizontal surface, and the first of the casings is the first surface. The side on which one air hole is formed is a bottom surface.
In this aspect, the temperature of the outside air introduced from the first ventilation hole provided on the bottom surface is increased by the amount of heat received from the first heating element, and an ascending current is generated. Since the first ventilation space extends in the vertical direction, the ascending airflow due to the heated outside air is not hindered and smoothly passes through the first ventilation space and is discharged from the first exhaust fan. The Thus, selective and efficient cooling performance can be obtained by providing an internal structure along the flow of the outside air heated in the housing and disposing the heat generating component on the passage through which the outside air flows.

In the portable power supply device according to an embodiment, the first heating element is an inverter connected to the secondary battery assembly, and the second heating element is for charging or feeding control of the secondary battery assembly. Circuit components.
In conventional portable power supply devices, sufficient heat is generated in inverters (AC / AC / orthogonal frequency converters), power supply or charge circuit components, and power supply circuit components arranged around a rectangular secondary battery assembly. As a result, it was difficult to obtain the original output of the portable power supply device. However, according to this aspect, the inverter and circuit components can be efficiently cooled. In particular, the inverter generates a large amount of heat generation among the components constituting the portable power supply device, but can be effectively cooled by being arranged on the first vent hole side (upstream side) into which outside air is introduced. .
Needless to say, various components constituting the portable power supply device such as a relay and a control circuit can be adopted as the heating element, in addition to the inverter and the circuit components for charging and feeding.

  The outside air introduced from the first ventilation hole passes through the first ventilation space provided by the ventilation guide, and is then discharged from the first exhaust fan to the outside. Thus, by forming a series of ambient air flows in the portable power supply device, the first and second heating elements housed in the housing can be efficiently cooled. Since the first heating element is disposed on the vent hole side (upstream side) and the ventilation space is provided along one outer wall surface of the first heating element, a particularly good cooling effect is obtained.

It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the portable power supply device which concerns on embodiment of this invention with which the electric power feeding switching apparatus was mounted | worn. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the said electric power feeding switching apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows a mode that a power supply switching apparatus is attached to the said portable power supply device. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of the said electric power feeding switching apparatus. It is a circuit diagram which shows the internal structure of the said portable power supply device and electric power feeding switching apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the said electric power feeding switching apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows transparently the internal structure of the portable power supply device applied to this invention. It is a circuit diagram which shows the internal structure of the said portable power supply device. It is a flowchart which shows the calculation method of the charging rate (SOC) of the secondary battery integrated in the said portable power supply device. Terminal voltage V ₀ and SOC value stored in a database to determine the function f (V) and which is an example of a relationship. It is an example of the relationship between the charge / discharge current value I and the voltage drop value ΔV stored in the database for obtaining the resistance loss kc. It is the figure which showed the internal structure of the said portable power supply device transparently, and showed typically a part of flow of the cooling air of this internal structure. It is a figure which shows typically the flow of the cooling air in the inside of the inverter integrated in the said portable power supply device. It is a figure which shows typically the flow of the cooling air which goes through the inside of the said inverter in the said portable power supply device. It is a figure which shows typically the whole flow of the cooling air in the inside of the said portable power supply device.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of the components described in this embodiment are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention unless otherwise specified, and are merely illustrative examples. Only.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a portable power supply device 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention to which a power supply switching device 100 is mounted, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of the power supply switching device 100, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically showing how the power supply switching device 100 is attached to the portable power supply device 200. 2A is a perspective view showing the power supply switching device 100 from the front side, and FIG. 2B is a perspective view showing the power supply switching device 100 from the rear side.
The portable power supply device 200 is a power supply device that can be used mainly as a supplementary power for a normal power supply at the time of a power failure or when a power peak is used. A secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery is accommodated in the first housing 202. Become. The secondary battery stores (charges) power in advance, and can output as supplementary power during a power outage or during peak power use. On the front surface 210 of the portable power supply device 200, a charging terminal 212 for inputting charging power from an external power source that is a power supply source at the time of charging, and discharging power from the secondary battery to the load 300 side at the time of power feeding are output. Power supply terminal 214 and a signal terminal 216 for transmitting / receiving a control signal for performing charge / discharge control of the secondary battery are provided.

  A handle 204 is provided in the upper part of the first casing, and is configured to be portable by the user.

The power supply switching device 100 is attached to the portable power supply device 200 to provide power from the normal power supply to the load 300 during normal times, charge a secondary battery housed in the portable power supply device 200, and emergency Is a switching device that switches the provision of supplementary power from the secondary battery to the load 300 in accordance with the situation.
The power supply switching device 100 has a second housing 102 as an appearance, and the rear surface 120 is fitted to a charging terminal 212 provided on the front surface 210 of the portable power supply device 200 (first housing 202). A first terminal 122 that can be connected, a second terminal 124 that can be fitted to a power supply terminal 214 provided on the front surface 210 of the portable power supply device 200, and a signal terminal 216 provided on the front surface 210 of the portable power supply device 200. A third terminal 126 that can be fitted is provided.

The charging terminal 212, the power supply terminal 214, and the signal terminal 216 are provided on one surface (front surface 210) of the portable power supply device 200, and the first terminal 122, the second terminal 124, and the third terminal 126 are provided on the power supply switching device 100. It is provided on one surface (rear surface 120). As a result, when the power supply switching device 200 is mounted on the portable power supply device 100 as shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of terminals can be fitted with one touch, and good assemblability can be obtained.
In the present embodiment, the terminals are provided as a female type on the front surface 210 of the portable power supply device 200, and the terminals are provided as a male type on the rear surface 120 of the power supply switching device 100. Furthermore, it goes without saying that other means may be used as long as electrical connection between the terminals is possible.
Further, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the power supply switching device that performs power supply switching from the normal power supply to the portable power supply device in the event of a power failure is the second casing 102, and the portable power supply apparatus 200 (first casing 202) and Is a separate body. As described above, by making the power supply switching device 100 optional, it is possible to reduce the cost of the portable power supply main body and to easily attach and detach the optional device to the main body. In addition, it is possible to easily switch the power supply of an existing portable power supply device.
Furthermore, there are cases where the conventional uninterruptible power supply cannot be used sufficiently continuously during a power failure. In order to use it for a long time, it is necessary to increase the capacity, which is expensive. According to the embodiment of the present invention, automatic power feeding switching can be realized at a lower cost than an uninterruptible power supply, and it can be used as a power source even during a long power failure.

  A front terminal 110 of the power supply switching device 100 is connected to a third terminal 112 to which an output terminal 402 of a common power source (external power source) 400 is connected, and an input terminal 302 on the load 300 (light bulb in the example of FIG. 1). A fourth terminal 114 is provided. AC power input from a normal power supply 400 (typically 100 Vac commercial power supply) connected to the third terminal 112 is stored in the portable power supply device 200 according to the switching conditions of the power supply switching device 100. The secondary battery is charged after being converted into direct current, or is consumed on the load 300 side via the fourth terminal 114.

  Note that a fifth terminal to which a display panel 130 for displaying that when supplementary power is output from the portable power supply device 200 is connected to the upper portion of the second casing 102 of the power supply switching device 100. 132 is provided. The display panel 130 is attached to the outer surface of the portable power supply device 200. For example, when complementary power is output from the portable power supply device 200 to the load 300 at the time of a power failure, the display panel 130 is caused to emit light, thereby causing poor visibility. Even underneath, the position of the portable power supply device 200 can be made known to the user.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the power feeding switching device 100 applied to the present invention.
In the power supply switching device 100, (i) the connection state between the fourth terminal 112 connected to the utility power supply 400 and the first terminal 122 that can be fitted to the charging terminal 212 of the portable power supply device 200 is turned ON / OFF. The first relay 140 that can be switched off, and (ii) the third terminal 112 connected to the utility power supply 400 is fitted to the fourth terminal 114 connected to the load 300 or the power supply terminal 214 of the portable power supply 200. Operation control of the power supply switching device 100 is performed by transmitting and receiving a control signal using the second relay 142 that can be switched ON / OFF to any one of the possible second terminals 124 and (iii) the signal terminal 126. A CPU 150 that is a control means, and (iv) a timer 144 that is a time measuring means referred to by the CPU 150 are provided.

The first relay 140 is switched ON / OFF based on a control signal received from the CPU 150. The second relay 140 is an electromagnetic relay and is switched ON / OFF according to the input power from the service power source 400 input to the third terminal 112. In addition to ON / OFF control of the first relay 140, the CPU 150 controls each part of the power supply switching device 100 and transmits / receives control signals to / from the portable power supply device 200 via the signal terminal 126. Do.
The fifth terminal 132 to which the display panel 130 is connected is connected to the wiring that connects the second terminal 124 and the second relay 142, and is connected to the portable power supply device 200 via the second terminal 124. It is driven by the complementary power that is output.

FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram showing the internal configuration of the portable power supply device 200 and the power supply switching device 100.
When the output terminal 402 of the regular power supply 400 is in contact with the third terminal 112 of the power supply switching device 100, AC power is input to the power supply switching device 100. The AC power input to the third terminal 112 is applied to the wiring 150 provided with the safety fuse 152. The wiring 150 is connected to the terminals 142a and 142c of the second relay 142 and the excitation unit 142g. In normal times, since predetermined AC power is input from the normal power source 400, the second relay 142 is switched by the excitation unit 142g so that the terminals 142a and 142c are connected to the terminals 142e and 142f, respectively. (Hereinafter, this state is appropriately referred to as “the second relay 142 is in the OFF state”). The terminals 142e and 142f of the second relay 142 are connected to the fourth terminal 114 to which the load 300 is connected via the wiring 154. As a result, in normal times, AC power input from the regular power supply 400 is supplied to the load 300 via the second relay 142.

At this time, the first relay 140 is switched to the OFF state by a control signal from the CPU 150. The wiring 150 to which AC power is input from the regular power supply 400 is connected to the terminals 140 a and 140 b of the first relay 140 via a wiring 156 branched from the wiring 150. On the other hand, the terminals 140c and 140d of the first relay 140 are connected to the first terminal 122 fitted to the charging terminal 212 of the portable power supply device 200. However, as described above, the first relay 140 is turned off. Because of the switching, portable power supply 200 is electrically isolated from utility power supply 400.
Thereby, even if the portable power supply device 200 is connected to the regular power supply 400 via the power supply switching device 100 in the normal state, the secondary battery housed in the portable power supply device 200 is overcharged from the regular power supply 400. And it can prevent effectively that the lifetime of a secondary battery falls.

  Note that a wiring 158 is further connected in parallel to the wiring 156, and the ACDC converter 160 is connected via the wiring 158. The ACDC converter 160 converts the AC power input from the wiring 158 into DC power (for example, +12 Vdc) and outputs it. The DC power rectified by the ACDC converter 160 in this way is supplied for driving to each part in the power supply switching device 100 such as the CPU 150, for example.

On the other hand, if the charge rate (SOC) of the secondary battery of the portable power supply device 200 decreases even during normal times when the AC power is normally supplied from the regular power supply 400, the CPU 150 notifies the user via the signal terminal 126. The first relay 140 is switched to the ON state (that is, the terminals 140a and 140b are switched to be connected to the terminals 140c and 140d, respectively). As a result, the AC power input from the regular power supply 400 is applied to the first terminal 122 via the wiring 150, the wiring 156 and the first relay 140, and the charging engaged with the first terminal 122 is performed. Input from the terminal 212 to the portable power supply device 200.
The AC power input to the portable power supply device 200 is supplied to the inverter 232 via the charging circuit 230, converted into DC, and then charged to the secondary battery 234. In this way, when the charging rate of the secondary battery 234 is insufficient even in normal times, the charging rate is obtained by automatically charging the secondary battery with AC power supplied from the regular power source 400 at appropriate intervals. Can be recovered. At this time, the portable power supply device 200 remains attached with the power supply switching device 100, and the user does not need to perform a wiring switching operation. Therefore, the charge rate of the secondary battery 234 can be maintained within an appropriate range under a small management burden in preparation for an emergency such as a power failure.

When the supply of AC power from the regular power supply 400 is stopped due to a power failure or the like, the supply of AC power to the excitation unit 140g of the second relay 140 is also stopped. Then, the second relay 140 is switched so that the terminals 142b and 142d are connected to the terminals 142e and 142f, respectively (that is, the second relay 140 is switched to the state shown in FIG. 5). The second terminal 124 is electrically connected to the load 300 connected to the fourth terminal 114 via the second relay 140 and the wiring 154.
At this time, the CPU 250 that controls the operation of the portable power supply device 200 receives a control signal indicating that complementary power is output (ie, discharged) from the secondary battery 234 from the CPU 150 of the power supply switching device 100 via the signal terminal 126. By controlling each part of the portable power supply device 200, complementary power is output from the power supply terminal 214. At this time, the DC power charged in the secondary battery 234 is AC converted by the inverter 232, and then output as supplementary power from the power supply terminal 214 via the power supply circuit 236.
The complementary power output from the power supply terminal 214 is input to the power supply switching device 100 from the second terminal 124 fitted to the power supply terminal 214 and supplied to the load 300 via the first relay 140 and the wiring 154. Is done.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the detailed operation of the power supply switching device 100.
First, in the initial state (step S101), it is in a normal state where no power failure or the like has occurred, and the first relay 140 is in an OFF state (in FIG. 5, the terminals 140a and 140b are not connected to the terminals 140c and 140d, respectively). In addition, the second relay 142 is also in an OFF state (in FIG. 5, the second relay 142 has terminals 142a and 142c connected to the terminals 142e and 142f, respectively). In this initial state, which is normal, the normal power supply is electrically connected to the load 300.
Then, after counting for 2 seconds by the timer 144, the CPU 150 performs calibration with a reference current value of zero for a current sensor (not shown) provided on the wiring 150 (step S102).

Thereafter, the CPU 150 electrically disconnects the load 300 connected to the regular power source 400 by switching the second relay 140 from the OFF state to the ON state (step S103). After waiting for 3 seconds in this state, the CPU 150 switches the first relay 140 from the OFF state to the ON state, thereby connecting the service power source 400 to the charging terminal 212 fitted with the first terminal 122 (step) S104).
The CPU 150 monitors the current sensor provided in the above-described wiring 150, thereby measuring the level of the charging current flowing through the secondary battery 234 via the charging terminal 212 (step S105). As a result, when the charging current is 500 mA or less, the CPU 150 determines that the charging rate (SOC) of the secondary battery 234 is sufficiently high and does not need to be charged, and returns the first relay 140 to the OFF state. (Step S106). On the other hand, if the charging current is greater than 500 mA, the charging rate (SOC) of the secondary battery 234 has decreased, so it is determined that charging is necessary, and the process waits in step S106 until the monitoring value of the current sensor becomes less than 2 A.

  After executing Step S106, the CPU 150 waits for 15 seconds, switches the second relay 1402 to the OFF state, and starts a countdown for 90 days by the timer 144 (Step S107). Then, at the timing when the 90-day countdown ends, the process returns to step S103, and the above process is repeatedly executed. The charging rate (SOC) of the secondary battery 234 gradually decreases with the passage of time even when a situation requiring supplementary power such as a power failure does not occur. In the present embodiment, the secondary battery 234 can be charged periodically by counting down the specified number of days as described above, and can be switched to power feeding in the event of an emergency such as a power failure. In particular, since such control is performed automatically, the management burden on the user can be reduced.

  In normal times when no power failure or the like occurs, the above charging operation is performed at appropriate intervals based on the calendar timer. However, if a power failure occurs during that time, the following control is performed. The current sensor provided in the wiring 150 constantly monitors the current value, and the CPU 150 determines that an emergency such as a power failure has occurred when the current value falls below a preset threshold value. If such an emergency is detected during the execution of any one of steps S103, S104, S105, S106, and S107, the CPU 150 advances the process to step S108 and switches the first relay 140 to the ON state. At the same time, the second relay 142 is switched to the OFF state (step S108), and after waiting for 2 seconds, the first relay 140 is switched to the OFF state (step S109). Thereby, the secondary battery 234 is electrically connected to the load 300 via the charging terminal 212, and supplementary power (charging power) is supplied to the load 300. At this time, a part of the complementary power is also supplied to the display panel 130, and the user is informed of the position of the portable power supply device 200 by emitting light.

  In step S109, the supplementary power is supplied from the secondary battery 234 to the load 300 until the emergency power supply 400 is restored after the emergency such as a power failure ends or until the user manually performs initialization. Will continue. In the former case, the CPU 150 returns the process to step S103, and in the latter case, returns to S101.

  In the present embodiment, the control for switching the power supply to the load 300 by the power supply switching device 100 when the normal power supply 400 is shut down due to an emergency such as a power failure has been described. Instead, even if the regular power supply 400 does not shut down, if the price of the electricity price changes depending on the time zone, the supplementary power from the secondary battery 234 is used during the time zone when the price of the electricity price is high. While the load 300 is being driven, the secondary battery 234 may be charged while the power is supplied from the regular power supply 400 to the load 300 during a time period when the electricity bill is low. Thereby, the power cost consumed by the load 300 can be effectively saved.

Next, the internal configuration of the portable power supply apparatus 200 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
The portable power supply device 200 is a portable power supply device with excellent portability in order to supply power for equipment at various places as required. A rectangular secondary battery integrated body (hereinafter referred to as “secondary battery 234”) in which a plurality of secondary battery cells are integrated is housed. The secondary battery 234 can be charged by connecting an external AC power source (for example, commercial 100 Vac) to the charging terminal 212 (see FIG. 2), and is fed by connecting a load to the power feeding terminal 214 (see FIG. 2). It is configured to be possible.

In addition to the above-described secondary battery 234, the housing 202 houses an inverter 232, a charging circuit 230, a power feeding circuit 236, and a relay 262.
The inverter 232 is a DC / AC conversion unit that converts AC power input from an external AC power source into DC and charges the secondary battery 234, or AC converts DC power stored in the secondary battery 234 and supplies power. is there.
The charging circuit 230 and the power feeding circuit 236 are circuit components related to charging control or power feeding control of the secondary battery 234. For example, input / output control of the inverter 232 and overcharge / overdischarge of the secondary battery 234 are prevented. In addition, various control circuits relating to the operation of the portable power supply device 200, such as a control circuit for determining whether charging or discharging is permitted or prohibited, and a calculation circuit for the charging rate (SOC) of the secondary battery 234, may be included. In the example of FIG. 1, the charging circuit 230 and the power feeding circuit 236 are integrated on one substrate.
The relay 262 is a charge / discharge permission relay installed on a circuit related to the operation of the portable power supply device 200, including an inverter 232, a charging circuit 230, and a power feeding circuit 236. A safety fuse 261 is provided on the power supply circuit. It has been.

FIG. 8 is a circuit diagram showing an internal configuration of the portable power supply device 200.
The inverter 232 and the secondary battery 234 are connected by a wiring 237. A DC charging current that is DC-converted by the inverter 232 flows toward the secondary battery 234 through the wiring 237 when the secondary battery 234 is charged. When the secondary battery 234 is discharged (when complementary power is output), a DC discharge current flows from the secondary battery 234 to the inverter 232 through the wiring 237.

In this way, the voltage detection sensor 240 is connected in parallel to the wiring 237 through which the charge / discharge current flows, and the potential in the wiring 237 can be measured. In addition, a current detection sensor 242 is connected in series to the wiring 237 so that a charge / discharge current flowing through the wiring 237 can be measured. The detection values of the voltage detection sensor 240 and the current detection sensor 242 are transmitted to the CPU 250, which is a calculation means, and are used to calculate the charging rate (SOC) of the secondary battery 234.
The voltage detection sensor 240 may be configured integrally with the CPU 250 made of an integrated substrate, for example.

Here, the calculation method of the charging rate (SOC) of the secondary battery 234 performed by the CPU 250 will be specifically described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a method for calculating the charging rate (SOC) of the secondary battery 234.
First, the CPU 250 acquires data from the data tables 260 and 261 stored in advance in storage means such as a memory (step S101), and a function indicating the relationship between the voltage (V) of the secondary battery 234 and the charging rate (SOC). f (V) and the resistance loss of the secondary battery 234 are obtained (steps S102 and S103).

In general, the voltage (V) and the charging rate (SOC) of the secondary battery 234 are defined by an arbitrary function, but the function differs depending on the type of the secondary battery 234. In the data table 260, for the secondary battery or the same type of secondary battery to be used, the battery terminal voltage V ₀ in a state where the battery input / output current is statically set to ₀ and the SOC value corresponding thereto are experimentally tested in advance. It is comprised by what was obtained.
Figure 10 is an example of a data table 260, the battery terminal voltage V ₀ which state the battery input and current is settled in 0, the combination of the SOC value is stored a number in a table form accordingly.

In step S <b> 102, the CPU 250 obtains the relationship between the voltage (V) of the secondary battery 234 and the charging rate (SOC) as f (V) based on the data included in the data table 260. For example, based on the values of the voltage and the charging rate (SOC) included in the data table 260, f (V) may be obtained approximately using a method such as a least square method.
Instead of the data table 260, the processing load for calculating f (V) by the CPU 250 may be reduced by storing f (V) itself in a storage unit such as a memory.

In addition, when the voltage is detected by the voltage detection means 240, a charge / discharge current flows through the wiring 237, so that a voltage drop occurs due to the internal resistance of the secondary battery 234 and various wiring resistances. For this reason, the detected value of the voltage detection sensor 240 includes not only a small amount of such a voltage drop component, but it is important for correcting the charge rate (SOC) to correct this.
A storage unit such as a memory stores in advance a data table 261 that predetermines the relationship between the charge / discharge current I of the secondary battery 234 and the voltage drop value ΔV between the terminals of the secondary battery 234. FIG. 11 is an example of the data table 261, and many combinations of the charge / discharge current value I and the voltage drop value ΔV in the circuit corresponding to the charge / discharge current value I are stored in a table.

  In step S103, the CPU 250 calculates the resistance loss kc of the secondary battery 234 based on the data included in the data table 261. The CPU 250 reads the data table 261 and calculates the resistance loss kc as an approximate function by a method such as a least square method. Thus, the resistance loss kc can be obtained with high accuracy according to the actual measurement value stored in the data table 261. In the present embodiment, in order to prioritize the processing speed obtained from the CPU 250, the relationship between the charge / discharge current I and the voltage drop value ΔV is approximated as a linear function, and the resistance loss kc is obtained as the proportionality constant. In addition, by approximating the relationship between the charging / discharging current I and the voltage drop value ΔV as a high-order function, the resistance loss kc may be obtained more accurately, and the calculation accuracy of the charging rate SOC may be improved.

Subsequently, the CPU 250 calculates the following equation SOC = f (V) + K
Based on the equation, the charging rate (SOC) of the secondary battery 234 is obtained (step S104). Here, K is a constant for correcting the voltage drop described above with respect to the voltage detection sensor 240. This constant K may be obtained in advance on a trial basis so as to cancel out the voltage drop.

In particular, in the present embodiment, the constant K uses the detection value I of the current detection sensor 242, and the following equation K = f (kc × I)
Adopt the one obtained by. Here, kc uses the value obtained in step S103, and is a constant when the resistance loss (circuit + battery internal resistance, etc.) due to the inflow current of the secondary battery 234 is regarded as proportional to the current. Since the voltage drop depends on the current value flowing through the wiring 237, the constant K, which is a voltage drop component, is obtained based on the magnitude of the charge / discharge current flowing through the wiring 237 by determining the constant K based on the current value. K can be obtained more accurately.

  In general, since the charging rate (SOC) of the secondary battery 234 also depends on the environmental temperature where the secondary battery 234 is placed, the temperature may be included as a parameter in the above equation for calculating the constant K.

  Thus, when the secondary battery 234 is charged / discharged, a voltage drop (voltage drop due to battery internal resistance and circuit resistance) proportional to the charge / discharge current occurs, and the apparent voltage V that can be detected by the voltage detection sensor 240 is generated. In consideration of the decrease, supplementing the voltage drop proportional to the current can compensate for the decrease in accuracy of the calculated charging rate (SOC). Strictly speaking, the correction term kc is not a straight line in a linear line, but even so, linear approximation is generally suitable.

Further, according to the calculation method in the present embodiment, the calculation using the integral as described in the prior art is not performed, so that a resetting or the like is unnecessary, and an ammeter with low accuracy (low cost and good availability) is provided. The charging rate (SOC) can be easily obtained with reliable accuracy.
As a result of verifying the present embodiment, when the correction term using the constant K is not used, the accuracy of the calculated SOC value fluctuates by about ± 5%, but by providing the correction term, the amount is canceled, The fluctuation due to current was suppressed to about ± 1%. Although the current-voltage characteristics (correction term calculation) of the battery is not a proportional characteristic, the present invention, which is a linear approximation, could not suppress the fluctuation to zero, but a practically sufficient effect was confirmed (actual feeling) did it.

Next, the flow of the cooling air inside the portable power supply device 200 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be schematically shown based on FIG.
The portable power supply device 200 is a power supply device excellent in portability in order to supply power for equipment in various places as necessary, and a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery having a high energy density in the housing 202. A rectangular secondary battery integrated body (hereinafter referred to as “secondary battery 234”) in which a plurality of battery cells are integrated is housed. The secondary battery 234 can be charged by connecting an external AC power source (for example, commercial 100 Vac) to a charging terminal (not shown), and can be supplied by connecting a load to a power supply terminal (not shown).

In addition to the above-described secondary battery 234, the housing 202 houses an inverter 232, a charging circuit 230, a power feeding circuit 236, and a relay 262.
The inverter 232 is a DC / AC conversion unit that converts AC power input from an external AC power source into DC and charges the secondary battery 234, or AC converts DC power stored in the secondary battery 234 and supplies power. is there.
The charging circuit 230 and the power feeding circuit 236 are circuit components related to charging control or power feeding control of the secondary battery 234. For example, input / output control of the inverter 232 and overcharge / overdischarge of the secondary battery 234 are prevented. In addition, various control circuits relating to the operation of the portable power supply device 200, such as a control circuit for determining whether charging or discharging is permitted or prohibited, and a calculation circuit for the amount of charge (SOC) of the secondary battery 234 may be included.
The relay 262 is a relay installed on a circuit related to the operation of the portable power supply device 200, including the inverter 232, the charging circuit 230, and the power feeding circuit 236.
A safety fuse 261 is provided on the power supply circuit.

  During the operation of the portable power supply device 200, the inverter 232, the charging circuit 230, the power feeding circuit 236, and the relay 262 function as heating elements. In particular, the inverter 232 generates a large amount of heat and functions as a first heating element in this embodiment. The charging circuit 230, the power feeding circuit 236, and the relay 262 have a smaller amount of heat generation than the inverter 232, and each function as a second heating element.

  Although not shown in the present embodiment, a controller board that controls the overall operation of the portable power supply device 200 is also housed in the housing 202. The controller board controls the operation of the portable power supply device 200 by transmitting and receiving control signals to and from each unit, component, etc. housed in the housing 202. Needless to say, the controller board may also be handled as the above-described heating element because it generates a considerable amount of heat during operation.

In the housing 202, the inverter 232 is disposed along one outer wall surface 270 of the secondary battery 234, and the charging circuit 230, the power feeding circuit 236, and the relay 262 are connected to the other outer wall adjacent to the one outer wall surface 270. It is disposed along the wall surface 271. A ventilation guide 276 is disposed between the one outer wall surface 270 and the inverter 232, and a first ventilation space 272 is formed between the ventilation guide 276 and the inner wall surface of the housing 202. ing. The first ventilation space 272 extends along the one outer wall surface 270 from the lower side to the upper side of the housing 202.
In order to prevent the heat generation from adversely affecting the secondary battery 234, these heating elements are separated from one wall surface 270 (vertical surface) and the other outer wall surface 271 extending in the vertical direction of the secondary battery 234, respectively. It is arranged at a separated position.

  On the other hand, at a position separated from one outer wall surface 270 of the secondary battery 234 and another outer wall surface 271 (horizontal plane) adjacent to the outer wall surface 270, the charging circuit 230 and the power feeding circuit 236, which are the second heat generating elements, 271 is arranged. In the example of FIG. 1, a relay 262 that can be a heat generation source, a control circuit, and the like are also disposed together with the charging circuit 230 and the power feeding circuit 236.

  A surface of the housing 202 that faces the inverter 232 is provided with a first vent hole 274 that is formed in a slit shape so that outside air can be introduced into the housing 202. Further, in the housing 202, the side wall surface 278 on the opposite side of the ventilation guide 276 across the secondary battery 234 is at a position facing the second heating element (the charging circuit 230, the power feeding circuit 236 and the relay 262). The exhaust fan 282 is provided together with the exhaust hole 280. After the outside air introduced into the apparatus through the first vent hole 274 rises in the housing 202 through the first ventilation space 272 according to the flow path indicated by the arrow A1-A3 in FIG. (Refer to arrow A2) and exhausted to the outside from the exhaust hole 280 by the exhaust fan 282 (refer to arrow A3). By forming a series of ambient air flow in the housing 202 in this way, various heating elements arranged inside the apparatus can be effectively cooled.

  In this example, the first ventilation space 272 is formed to extend to a position facing the second heating element (the charging circuit 230, the power feeding circuit 236, and the relay 262). Thereby, the outside air introduced into the first ventilation space 272 from the first ventilation hole 274 is guided to the space where the second heating element exists after cooling the first heating element (inverter 232). The second heating element is cooled. Thus, a plurality of heating elements can be efficiently cooled with a simple structure.

  A curved portion 275 that is curved toward the first exhaust fan 282 is formed at the end of the ventilation guide 276 opposite to the first ventilation hole 274. After the outside air introduced from the first ventilation hole 274 passes through the first ventilation space 272, it is smoothly swung toward the second heating element by the bending portion 275. Thereby, cooling can be accelerated | stimulated by applying the external air after cooling the inverter 232 to a 2nd heat generating body efficiently. In addition, the outside air swirled by the bending portion 275 is configured to be cooled and exhausted while passing over heat-generating components such as the charging circuit 230 and the power feeding circuit 236.

  Further, by disposing the inverter 232 having a large calorific value on the upstream side of the outside air flow (on the first vent hole 274 side), it can be preferentially cooled by being exposed to the low temperature outside air introduced from the outside. On the other hand, the outside air after cooling the inverter 232 has a relatively small amount of heat generation, and is guided to the second heating element disposed on the first exhaust fan 282 side (downstream side), thereby cooling the second heating element. Can be used for In this way, an efficient cooling effect can be obtained by setting the layout of the heating elements in the housing 202 in consideration of the heat generation amount.

  The outside air warmed when the inverter 232 is cooled tends to rise by the acquired amount of heat. In the present embodiment, since the first ventilation space 272 extends in the vertical direction, the casing 202 can flow smoothly without hindering such a flow of outside air. And by arrange | positioning each heat generating member on the flow path of such external air, selective and efficient cooling is attained.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram schematically showing the flow of cooling air inside the inverter 232, and FIG. 14 is a diagram schematically showing the flow of cooling air passing through the inside of the inverter 232 inside the portable power supply device 200. is there.

A second ventilation hole 284 for introducing outside air into the inverter 232 is provided on the side of the wall surface of the inverter 232 facing the first ventilation hole 274. A second exhaust fan 286 for discharging the air in the inverter 232 is provided on the opposite side of the inverter 232 from the second ventilation hole 284. In the inverter 232, a second ventilation space 287 is formed so that the second ventilation hole 284 and the second exhaust fan 286 are communicated with each other.
Thereby, a part of the outside air introduced from the outside of the housing 202 through the first ventilation hole 274 is guided into the inverter 232 through the second ventilation hole 284 (see arrow B1). The outside air introduced into the inverter 232 rises while cooling the inverter 232 from the inside, and is discharged out of the inverter 232 from the second exhaust fan 286 provided above (see arrow B2).
The air exhausted from the inverter 232 by the second exhaust fan 286 is drawn by the first exhaust fan 282 provided on the side surface of the two casings 202 opposite to the inverter 232, whereby the charging circuit 230 and the power feeding circuit 236 are drawn. And discharged to the outside while passing over heat-generating parts such as the relay 262 (see arrow B3).

FIG. 15 is a diagram schematically showing the entire flow of cooling air inside the portable power supply device 200.
Inside the portable power supply device 200, the flow of outside air introduced from the first ventilation hole 274 includes an air flow A passing through the outside of the inverter 232 (refer to arrows A 1 to A 3 in FIG. 10 for details) and the inverter 232. And an air flow B passing through the inside (for details, see arrows B1 to B3 in FIG. 12). By forming these two routes, the heat generating parts such as the inverter 232, the charging circuit 230, and the power feeding circuit 236 provided in the portable power supply device 200 can be effectively cooled and warmed by these parts. By forming smoothly without obstructing the flow of the generated air, efficient cooling becomes possible.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for a portable power supply device configured such that a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery is housed in a housing together with a heating element such as an inverter or a circuit component for charge or discharge control.

200 Portable power supply device 202 Case 230 Charging circuit 234 Secondary battery 236 Power feeding circuit 261 Fuse 262 Relay 270 One outer wall surface 271 Other outer wall surface 272 First ventilation space 274 First ventilation hole 275 Curved portion 276 Ventilation guide 280 Exhaust hole 282 First exhaust fan 284 Second vent hole 286 Second exhaust fan 287 Second ventilation space

Claims (8)

In the housing,
A rectangular secondary battery assembly;
A first heating element disposed along one outer wall surface of the secondary battery assembly;
A second heating element disposed along another outer wall surface adjacent to one outer wall surface of the secondary battery assembly;
A ventilation guide disposed between one outer wall surface of the secondary battery assembly and the first heating element, and forming a first ventilation space along the one outer wall surface;
A first ventilation hole provided in a wall surface of the housing facing the first heating element so as to communicate with the ventilation space;
A first exhaust fan provided on the side of the wall of the housing opposite to the ventilation guide with respect to the secondary battery assembly, and provided to face the second heating element;
A portable power supply device configured to discharge outside air introduced from the first ventilation hole from the first exhaust fan through the first ventilation space.   The portable power supply device according to claim 1, wherein the ventilation guide extends to a position facing the second heating element.   The portable power supply device according to claim 2, wherein the first heating element generates a larger amount of heat during operation than the second heating element.   3. The portable power supply device according to claim 2, wherein an end of the ventilation guide opposite to the first ventilation hole is curved toward the first exhaust fan. 4. The first heating element is:
A second ventilation hole provided on a side of the wall surface of the first heating element facing the first ventilation hole;
A second exhaust fan provided on the opposite side of the wall of the first heating element from the second vent;
2. A second ventilation space formed in the first heating element so as to communicate the second ventilation hole and the second exhaust fan with each other. 5. The portable power supply device according to any one of 4.   6. The portable power supply device according to claim 1, wherein the first heating element and the second heating element are disposed separately from the secondary battery integrated body. 6. . One outer wall surface of the secondary battery assembly is a vertical surface,
The other outer wall surface of the secondary battery assembly is a horizontal plane,
The portable power supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a side of the housing on which the first ventilation hole is formed is a bottom surface. The first heating element is an inverter connected to the secondary battery assembly;
8. The portable power supply device according to claim 1, wherein the second heating element is a circuit component for charging or feeding control of the secondary battery integrated body. 9.

Images