JP4139290B2 - Electric vehicle power supply - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention is an electric vehicle that is mounted on an electric vehicle such as a battery forklift and has a rechargeable battery that stores electric power for driving the electric vehicle, and a charger for charging the battery with electric power from an external power source. The present invention relates to a power supply device.

  Conventionally, on a frame of an electric vehicle such as a battery forklift, a power supply device including a rechargeable battery and its charger is mounted, and a motor is driven by the electric power from the battery so that the electric vehicle is operated. . The battery is charged by connecting an in-vehicle charger to an external power source, for example, a three-phase 200V AC power source such as a factory. As the battery, an open-type battery in which an opening for replenishing the electrolytic solution to the storage cell is usually used. In the open type battery, there is a possibility that a conductive path is formed between the battery electrode and the metal frame of the electric vehicle due to conductive dirt or the like adhering from the electrolyte inlet to the surface of the battery casing. If even a small amount of current flows between the battery and the vehicle frame through this conductive path while the battery is being charged, the earth leakage circuit breaker normally provided on the external power supply side will operate, causing problems such as power outages at the factory and suspension of charging. May cause. Therefore, in order to eliminate such a problem of electric leakage, a charger having an insulating transformer in which the secondary side is insulated from the primary side is generally employed. However, a charger for an electric vehicle requires a large current capacity, and the frequency of an external commercial power supply is as low as 50 Hz or 60 Hz. Therefore, a transformer incorporated in the charger is inevitably large and heavy. .

  In order to reduce the size and weight of this charging transformer, a charger employing a DC / DC converter including a high-frequency transmission circuit such as a switching circuit and a high-frequency transformer is disclosed (for example, Patent Document 1). By adopting high-frequency alternating current in this way, the transformer can be considerably reduced in size and weight. Moreover, the technique of the transformer-less charger which charges a battery using the dropper circuit by a rectifier and a transistor without using a transformer is also disclosed (for example, the following patent document 2). According to this technique, charge control can be performed by a dropper circuit.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-31075 (see paragraph numbers 0011 to 0022 and FIGS. 1 to 6) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-330553 (paragraph numbers 0014 to 0037, see FIG. 1)

  However, although the technique of the above-mentioned patent document 1 has the merit that the generation of leakage current can be prevented by reducing the size and weight of the insulating transformer, the switching circuit for increasing the frequency and the high frequency characteristics are satisfied. There is a problem that the cost of the charger increases due to the high frequency transformer. Moreover, although the technique of said patent document 2 has eliminated the problem of a large sized transformer, it has not solved the problem of the leakage current between an open type battery and the metal frame of a vehicle.

  Furthermore, the transformer charger used conventionally has a problem that it is difficult to perform fine charge control. For this reason, for example, charging cannot be completed within a low-night power time zone (about 7 hours) where the charge is low, and it takes about 10 hours to fully charge, resulting in an increase in the electricity charge. Sometimes it gets stuck.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an electric vehicle power supply device that can easily complete battery charging in a desired charging time.

  Still another object of the present invention is to protect a circuit using low-voltage components in an electric vehicle during battery charging.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, a power supply device mounted on the electric vehicle for supplying power to a predetermined circuit in the electric vehicle is a sealed battery for storing electric energy to be supplied to the predetermined circuit Or a rechargeable battery that employs an open-type battery with an insulation treatment to prevent the formation of a leakage path to the metal frame of the electric vehicle, and an external of the electric vehicle. A charger connected to a power source and configured to not use an insulating transformer for charging the battery.

  According to this configuration, since the battery is reliably insulated from the vehicle frame, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a leakage current when charging the battery without using an insulating transformer between the external power source and the battery. And the structure which does not use an insulation type transformer is employ | adopted for a charger, and a charger can be made small and lightweight.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, a power supply device mounted on the electric vehicle for supplying power to a predetermined circuit in the electric vehicle is a rechargeable battery for storing electric energy to be supplied to the predetermined circuit. A charger having a configuration not using an insulating transformer for receiving power from an external power source of the electric vehicle and charging the battery, and when the charger is charging the battery, A disconnecting means for disconnecting an electrical connection between the battery and the predetermined circuit;

  According to this configuration, even when a circuit using a low withstand voltage component is included in the predetermined circuit in the electric vehicle at the time of battery charging, the low withstand voltage circuit is electrically disconnected from the battery at the time of charging. A large potential difference due to an external power source does not occur between the low withstand voltage circuits, and thus the low withstand voltage circuit can be protected.

  In this configuration, the charger further charges the battery and operates when charging in the predetermined circuit when the blocking means is blocking an electrical connection between the battery and the predetermined circuit. You may provide the small capacity | capacitance type | mold converter with which the input side and the output side were mutually insulated for supplying the electric power from the said charger or the said battery to the specific circuit which needs to be. By providing this small-capacity insulated converter, it is possible to ensure the operation of a specific circuit that needs to operate during charging while taking advantage of the protective effect of the above-described blocking means during battery charging.

  As described above, according to the electric vehicle power supply device of the present invention, by using a battery that is insulated from the metal frame of the electric vehicle such as a sealed battery, the transformer between the AC electric power and the charger is provided. It becomes unnecessary. As a result, the power supply device for electric vehicles can be reduced in size and weight, and the cost can be reduced. Since a sealed battery for electric vehicles does not generate heat during charging, it can be quickly charged in a short time.

  Embodiments of an electric vehicle power supply device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows an overall schematic configuration of a power supply device for an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, on an electric vehicle 1 such as a battery forklift, an electric vehicle power source device 10 including a rechargeable battery 2 and a charging / power source control circuit 3, a motor driver / control panel / other various types A load circuit 20 including a vehicle function circuit (hereinafter referred to as a motor driver or the like) 4 and a motor 5 is mounted.

  Note that the output voltage of the electric vehicle power supply device 10 is set higher than many rated power supply voltages (for example, 48V, 12V, 5V, etc.) of various circuits included in the motor driver 4 (in addition, As will be described later, this is intentionally increased or decreased within a predetermined voltage range). Therefore, regulators for generating power supply voltages of respective circuits in the motor driver 4 etc. from the output voltage of the electric vehicle power supply device 10 are provided. Although necessary, these regulators are omitted in FIG. 1 because they are included in the block of the motor driver 4 and the like.

  In the configuration of FIG. 1, the battery 2 is not an open type but a sealed (sealed) battery. The sealed battery is substantially completely sealed from the outside so that the battery is substantially completely sealed. (Although there is a small opening for breathing the battery, there is no opening that could leak current between the inside and outside of the battery). Incidentally, there are several types of sealed batteries such as lead, nickel metal hydride, and lithium ion ON. Since the battery 2 employing such a sealed battery is reliably insulated from the metal frame of the vehicle, there is no possibility of leakage current flowing between the battery 2 and the vehicle frame.

  The charging / power supply control circuit 3 controls power supply from the battery 2 to the load circuit 20 (including power regeneration from the load circuit 20), and controls charging current to the battery 2. The charging / power control circuit 3 is connected between the battery 2 and the load circuit 20, and is used for plugging into a socket 9 of a predetermined external power source such as a factory, for example, a three-phase 200V AC power source 6 at the time of charging. A plug 8 is provided. During operation of the electric vehicle 1, the charging / power supply control circuit 3 supplies electric power necessary for vehicle operation from the battery 2 to the motor driver 4. At the time of charging the battery 2, the charging / power supply control circuit 3 is connected to a three-phase 200 V AC power supply 6 provided in a factory or the like to supply charging power to the battery 2. The charging / power supply control circuit 3 does not have a battery charging circuit using an insulated transformer as in the prior art, but instead has a battery charging circuit using a DC / DC converter that does not use a transformer. The detailed configuration will be described later.

  When the charging / power control circuit 3 is connected to the AC power source 6 for charging the battery, the metal frame of the electric vehicle 1 is connected to the ground line on the AC power source 6 side so as to have a ground potential. If leakage current flows to the frame of the battery 2 and the electric vehicle 1 during charging, the leakage breaker 7 on the side of the AC power supply 7 is activated only by a slight leakage current of about several tens mA, for example. As a result, the current path from the AC power source 6 is interrupted. In order to solve this problem, a charger using an insulating transformer has been conventionally used. On the other hand, in the electric vehicle power supply device 10 according to the present embodiment, a sealed battery that is substantially completely insulated from the outside is used as the battery 2, and therefore, between the battery 2 and the vehicle frame. There is no possibility of leakage current flowing, and therefore the problem of operating the leakage breaker 7 as described above does not occur. Therefore, it is not necessary to use an insulating transformer in the charging circuit of the charging / power supply control circuit 3, and a transformerless DC / DC converter is used instead. As a result, the charging / power supply control circuit 3 can be reduced in size and weight.

  Furthermore, by adopting a transformerless DC / DC converter, it is possible to perform charge control so that full charge is completed within a set time range. That is, the transformerless DC / DC converter has a feature that fine charge control can be performed. For example, a sealed lead battery can be charged by a plurality of stages of constant current control, and the charge current value of the first stage can be set fairly freely within a range that does not damage the battery electrodes. Using this feature, the charging / power control circuit 3 allows the user to set a desired charging time before starting charging, and automatically calculates and sets the charging current at each stage so that full charging is completed within that charging time. Then, charging can be started and the charging current at each stage can be controlled to the corresponding set value. For example, the charging current value at the first stage can be set high to be fully charged in a short time, or the charging current value at the first stage can be set relatively low to be fully charged in a long time. . In this way, if a desired charging time is set in advance, the charging / power supply control circuit 3 automatically sets the charging current value at the first stage or subsequent stages so that it is fully charged within the desired charging time. Can be determined and controlled.

  In addition, when using a fast-charged sealed battery with a large current capacity, the substantial charge time from the start of charging to the start of vehicle operation is shorter than when using an open-type battery that supports fast charging. The advantage is also obtained. In other words, since an open battery generates a large amount of heat when it is charged quickly, it must be cooled for a considerable length of time after completion of charging (for example, as long as the time required for charging). In contrast to the fact that the vehicle operation cannot be started, in the case of the sealed battery, a great amount of heat is not generated even if the battery is rapidly charged. Therefore, the vehicle operation can be started substantially immediately after cooling without cooling. Therefore, it is possible to operate the vehicle substantially continuously for 24 hours while repeating quick charging at any time according to the convenience of work (for example, during a worker's rest time).

  FIG. 2 shows a circuit configuration of the electric vehicle power supply device 10 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the electric vehicle power supply device 10 is connected to the three-phase 200V AC power supply 6 for charging the battery. Of course, the electric vehicle power supply device 10 is not used during charging. It is disconnected from the three-phase 200V AC power source 6.

  In the electric vehicle power supply device 10 shown in FIG. 2, a portion excluding the battery 2 is a portion corresponding to the charging / power supply control circuit 3 shown in FIG. 1, which supplies electric power from the battery 2 to the electric vehicle. Power supply control system and a charging system for charging the battery 2.

The power control system of the electric vehicle power supply apparatus 10 includes a sealed battery 2, a current control type DC / DC converter 14 connected between the battery 20 and the load circuit 20, and a DC / DC converter 14. A large-capacitance capacitor 15 connected to the load circuit 20 side terminal in parallel with the load circuit 20 (that is, in parallel with the DC / DC converter 14 when viewed from the load circuit 20), and to control the operation of the DC / DC converter 14 The controller 18 is included.

The DC / DC converter 14 is a circuit capable of bi-directional power conversion having a transformer-less configuration using semiconductor switching elements (a specific configuration example will be described later). When the output voltage is converted to a voltage within a predetermined voltage range and output to the load circuit 20 side, and power is supplied from the battery 2 to the load circuit 20 as indicated by an arrow b in FIG. , When the electric power is returned from the load circuit 2 to the battery 2 (for example, during the regeneration of the motor 5) as shown by the arrow a in FIG. , By the action of the switching element.

  Similarly to the load circuit 20, the controller 18 operates by obtaining power from the DC / DC converter 14. Note that the regulator for generating the rated power supply voltage (for example, 12 V, 5 V, etc.) of the controller 18 from the output voltage of the DC / DC converter 14 is not shown in FIG. 2 as being included in the block of the controller 20 in FIG. It is. The controller 18 determines the state of the DC / DC converter 14 and the switching elements so that the DC / DC converter 14 performs power control appropriately based on the state of the load circuit 20 and other operation instruction information and sensor information (not shown). The output voltage of the DC / DC converter 14 is controlled by controlling the duty ratio (energization rate: ratio of ON time within one cycle).

  The large-capacitance capacitor 15 has a capacity of, for example, farad order, and supplies desired power to the load circuit 20 when the load suddenly changes (when power to be supplied to the load circuit 20 or power suddenly changed from the load circuit 20). This is for rapid discharge or rapid absorption of power returned from the load circuit 20. In order to effectively release / absorb power by the large-capacitance capacitor 15, the controller 18 can control the DC / DC converter 14 to intentionally increase or decrease the output voltage within a predetermined voltage range. it can.

  The charging system of the electric vehicle power supply device 10 includes a plug 8 for connection to the three-phase 200V AC power source 6, a charging switch 11 that is turned on only during charging, and a DC voltage by rectifying the three-phase 200V. A rectifier 12 to be generated and a step-down / boost 13 that inputs a DC voltage from the rectifier 12 and steps down or boosts it to a predetermined target voltage necessary for battery charging are included. Further, the charging system includes a load circuit 20 including a circuit connected to the DC / DC converter 14 and the controller 18 described above and a three-phase 200V AC power source 6 such as a step-down / boost 13 and a DC / DC converter 14 during charging. And a protection switch 16 for disconnecting the controller 18 and an insulated DC / DC converter 19 provided so as to bypass the protection switch 16.

  The output terminal of the step-down / boost 13 is connected to the load circuit 20 side terminal of the DC / DC converter 14. When the battery is charged, the DC / DC converter 14 operates to flow current from the step-down / boost 13 to the battery 2 as shown by an arrow a in FIG. At that time, the DC / DC converter 14 performs constant current control so that the charging current of the battery 2 matches a predetermined set current value.

  The protection switch 16 is in an ON state when the vehicle is operating, and connects the DC / DC converter 14 and the large-capacitance capacitor 15 to the load circuit 20 and the controller 18, but is in an OFF state when the battery is charged, and the step-down / step-up operation is performed. The electrical connection between the circuit connected to the three-phase 200V AC power source 6 such as the capacitor 13 and the DC / DC converter 14 and the load circuit 20 and the controller 18 is cut off (that is, the former is electrically insulated from the former). ).

  The isolated DC / DC converter 19 is a small and lightweight small-capacity DC / DC converter using a high-frequency self-excited oscillation circuit and a high-frequency isolated transformer. When the protection switch 16 is in an OFF state during charging, the step-down / step-up operation is performed. The output voltage of the device 13 is a voltage (for example, 48 V) required for driving a predetermined circuit (for example, a predetermined pilot lamp such as a control panel) that needs to operate even during charging in the load circuit 20 or the controller 18. And is supplied to the load circuit 20 and the controller 18 so that the controller 18 can perform charging control during charging and a predetermined circuit such as the pilot lamp in the load circuit 20 can be operated. The input side (step-down / step-up / boost 13 side) and output side (load circuit 20 and controller 18 side) of the isolated DC / DC converter 19 are electrically insulated from each other by the high-frequency insulated transformer.

  The controller 18 controls the above-described charging switch 11, protection switch 16, DC / DC converter 14 and the like during charging. That is, when starting the charging, the controller 18 charges the charging currents at a plurality of stages based on the set charging time so as to complete the full charging of the battery 2 in the preset charging time. Is automatically calculated and set. Then, the controller 18 turns off the protection switch 16 and then turns on the charging switch 11 to start charging. During charging, the controller 18 controls the duty of the switching element of the DC / DC converter 14 so that the charging currents at a plurality of stages during charging coincide with the set current values at the respective stages. When the charging is completed, the controller 18 turns off the charging switch 11 and then turns on the protection switch 16 to end the charging.

  Next, the operation of the electric vehicle power supply device 10 during charging of the battery 2 and during vehicle operation will be described with reference to FIG.

  When charging the battery 2, first, the plug 8 of the electric vehicle power supply device 10 is connected to the socket 9 of the AC power supply 6 by the user. Then, when an instruction to start charging is input from the user (for example, when a “charge” button (not shown) provided in the electric vehicle power supply device 10 is pressed), the controller 18 turns the protection switch 16 by the control signal S3. After that, the charging switch 11 is turned ON by the control signal S1, and further, the current direction of the DC / DC converter 14 is changed to the direction of charging the battery 2 as shown by the arrow a in the figure by the control signal S2. Then, the drive and control of the DC / DC converter 14 are started. Thus, the charging operation is started. Even when the protection switch 16 is in the OFF state, the isolated DC / DC converter 19 needs to operate during charging of the power supply of the controller 18, the pilot lamps such as the control panel of the load circuit 20, and other predetermined accessories. The power supply of a certain circuit is secured.

  After the start of charging, the controller 18 monitors the charging state and elapsed time of the battery 2 and controls the DC / DC converter 14 with the control signal S2 while controlling the timing for switching the charging stage. The charging starts with the charging current value of the first stage that is calculated in advance so that the charging is completed within the specified charging time, and proceeds as the stage approaches full charging, and the charging current is decreased as the stage progresses. Go.

  During charging, the load circuit 20 and the controller 8 are electrically disconnected from the AC power source 6 by the protection switch 16 and are insulated from the AC power source 6 by the insulation type DC / DC converter 19. Therefore, the potential difference between the load circuit 20 and the controller 18 and the vehicle frame at the ground potential during charging does not become 200 V of the AC power supply 6. As a result, various electronic circuits included in the load circuit 20 and circuits generally made of low-voltage components such as the controller 18 are protected.

  When the controller 18 detects that the state of the battery 2 is fully charged, when a preset charging time has elapsed, or when the user instructs to stop receiving power, the controller 18 performs DC / DC by the control signal S2. The converter 14 is stopped and the charging switch 11 is turned off by the control signal S1, and then the protection switch 16 is turned on by the control signal S3. This completes the charging operation.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, the large-capacitance capacitor 15 is disposed on the DC / DC converter 14 side of the protection switch 16, but instead, the large-capacity capacitor 15 is replaced with the protection switch. You may arrange | position to the load circuit 20 side rather than 16. However, when the large-capacitance capacitor 15 is arranged on the DC / DC converter 14 side from the protection switch 16 as shown in the drawing, not only the battery 2 but also the large-capacity capacitor 15 is charged at the time of charging. good.

  When the electric vehicle 1 operates after the charging is finished, the controller 18 controls the DC / DC converter 14 with the control signal S2 in a state where the protection switch 16 is ON and the charging switch 11 is OFF, and the DC The current direction of DC / DC converter 14 is in the direction of arrow b in the figure during power running, and in the direction of arrow a in the figure during regeneration, and the current flowing through DC / DC converter 14 is controlled to a desired value. To do. Since the sudden change of the load is immediately responded by the large-capacitance capacitor 15, the load circuit 20 can always perform a stable operation.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of the circuit configuration of the DC / DC converter 14 shown in FIG.

  The DC / DC converter 14 illustrated in FIG. 3 is configured as a series-parallel chopper circuit, and two sets of batteries 2A and 2B (in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are simply shown as one set of batteries 2). ) To the system voltage lines 82 and 83 (the large capacity capacitor 15 is connected to the lines 82 and 83, and the load circuit 20 and the like are connected via the protection switch 16 as shown in FIG. 2). The output voltage level can be controlled steplessly. The controller 18 controls the output voltage of the DC / DC converter 14 by control signals S2A, S2B, S2C (shown simply by the control signal S1 in FIG. 3). The charging circuits 11, 12, and 13 in FIG. 3 are obtained by combining the charging switch 11, the rectifier 12, and the step-down / boost 13 shown in FIG. 2 into one block.

  The voltages of the two sets of batteries 2A and 2B are equal to each other. The DC / DC converter 14 includes a switching element, for example, a first transistor 813 for connecting and disconnecting these two sets of batteries 2A and 2B in series, which is controlled by a control signal S1A from the controller 18 at high speed. It is ON / OFF driven at a cycle. That is, the emitter-collector path of the first transistor 813 is coupled between the negative terminal of the first set of batteries 2A and the positive terminal of the second set of batteries 2B, and its base is the driving of the controller 85. Connected to the output terminal.

  Further, the positive terminal of the first set of batteries 2A is connected to the positive output terminal 82 (that is, the positive system voltage line 82) of the DC / DC converter 14 via the first inductor 814, and the second set of batteries 2A is connected. The negative terminal of the battery 2B is connected to the negative output terminal 83 (that is, the negative system voltage line 83) of the DC / DC converter 14 via the second inductor 815. A first diode 816 is connected between the negative output terminal 83 of the DC / DC converter 14 and the negative terminal of the first set of batteries 2A so that the direction from the former to the latter is the forward direction. A second diode 817 is connected between the plus output terminal 82 of the DC / DC converter 14 and the plus terminal of the second set of batteries 2B so that the direction from the latter toward the former is the forward direction.

  Further, when the emitter-collector path of the second transistor 826 is connected between both terminals of the first diode 816 and the second transistor 826 is turned on, both terminals of the first diode 816 are short-circuited. The Further, the emitter-collector path of the third transistor 827 is connected between both terminals of the second diode 817, and when the third transistor 827 is turned on, both terminals of the second diode 817 are short-circuited. The The bases of the second and third transistors 826 and 827 are respectively connected to the two charge control output terminals of the controller 18, and the second and third transistors are respectively controlled by two control signals S2B and S2C from the controller 18. The transistors 826 and 827 are turned on / off. Further, a capacitor 818 for removing noise of the output voltage of the DC / DC converter 14 is connected between the positive and negative output terminals of the DC / DC converter 14. The noise removing capacitor 818 has a capacity of, for example, several tens of microfarads at most, and is completely different from the large-capacitance capacitor 15 having a farad order capacity in terms of structure and function.

  In the DC / DC converter 14 configured as described above, when the batteries 2A and 2B are charged, the second transistor 826 and the third transistor 827 are driven by the controller 18, and the output terminal 82 of the DC / DC converter 14 is driven. , 83 can be charged to the batteries 2A, 2B from the chargers 11, 12, 13 connected thereto. At this time, the second transistor 826 controls the charging of the first set of batteries 2A, and the charging current of the first set of batteries 2A can be controlled by adjusting the duty. The third transistor 827 controls the charging of the second set of batteries 2B, and can control the charging current of the second set of batteries 2B by adjusting the duty.

  After the charging is finished, when the vehicle is in operation, the first transistor 813 is driven by the controller 18 and repeats the ON / OFF operation at a predetermined high speed cycle. The duty of the first transistor 813 is variable and is controlled by the controller 18. When the first transistor 813 is ON, the second set of batteries 2B, the transistor 813, the first set of batteries 2A, the first inductor 814, the positive system voltage line 82, the large-capacitance capacitor 15 (or the load circuit 20), A current flows through the negative system line 83 and the second inductor 815 in this order. At this time, the two sets of batteries 2A and 2B are connected in series.

  On the other hand, when the first transistor 813 is OFF, the first set of batteries 2A, the first inductor 814, the positive system voltage line 82, the large-capacitance capacitor 1 (or load circuit 20) not shown, the negative system line 83, A current flows through a path of the first diode 816 in order, and the second set of the battery 2B, the second diode 817, the positive system voltage line 82, the large-capacitance capacitor 15 (or the load circuit 20), and the negative system line 83 The current flows through the second inductor 815 in order. At this time, the two sets of batteries 2A and 2B are in parallel.

Thus, the series connection and the parallel connection of the two sets of batteries 2A and 2B are switched within one cycle of operation. Here, when each voltage of the batteries 2A and 2B is E and the duty of the transistor 813 is α, the substantial output voltage (that is, the substantial system voltage) Vs of the DC / DC converter 14 is
Vs = (1 + α) E
Thus, the system voltage Vs is continuously variable over a wide range from E to 2E.

  The controller 18 is input from the system voltage Vs, the load current supplied to the load circuit 20 (not shown), the output current of the DC / DC converter 14, the output currents of the batteries 2A and 2B, and the load circuit 20 (not shown). An operation signal (for example, a signal indicating whether the motor 5 is operated or stopped, whether the motor 5 is a power running operation or a regenerative operation, the magnitude of electric power required by the load circuit 20), etc. And the system voltage Vs is controlled by adjusting the duty of the first transistor 813 based on these input signals. By intentionally increasing or decreasing the system voltage Vs in the range from E to 2E, the load capacitor 20 (FIG. 2) can be driven stably by using the large-capacity capacitor 15 efficiently. For example, about 75% of the maximum energy that can be stored in the large-capacitance capacitor 15 can be effectively utilized by being released from or absorbed by the large-capacity capacitor 15.

  As can be seen from the above example (although it is not so simple in practice), the DC / DC converter 14 shown in FIG. 3 provides the advantage that the use efficiency of the large-capacitance capacitor 15 is very high. Taking advantage of this advantage, for example, the system voltage Vs can be controlled as follows. That is, when it is necessary to supply a large amount of power to the load circuit 20 (FIG. 2), such as during powering of the motor 5 (FIG. 1), the duty of the first transistor 813 is reduced to lower the system voltage Vs. Due to the decrease in the system voltage Vs, the surplus energy in the large-capacitance capacitor 15 is discharged from the large-capacity capacitor 15 and supplied to the load circuit 20. Further, when it is necessary to return a large amount of power from the load circuit 20 (FIG. 2) as during regeneration of the motor 5 (FIG. 1), the duty of the first transistor 813 is increased to increase the system voltage Vs. The energy that is insufficient in the large-capacity capacitor 15 due to the rise of the system voltage Vs is returned from the load circuit 20 to the large-capacity capacitor 15.

  As described above, by increasing or decreasing the system voltage Vs according to the amount of power required by the load circuit 20, a large amount of power is discharged from or absorbed by the large-capacitance capacitor 15, thereby obtaining a DC / DC converter. The output power of 14 does not need to fluctuate greatly, and ideally, the average value of the power that fluctuates greatly required by the load circuit 20 is output. Thus, since the output power of the DC / DC converter 14 can be stabilized, the output current of each of the batteries 2A and 2B does not need to fluctuate greatly (although the system voltage Vs fluctuates greatly).

  Furthermore, since the DC / DC converter 14 shown in FIG. 3 is configured as a series-parallel chopper circuit, the output currents of the batteries 2A and 2B can be kept small. That is, when a series / parallel chopper circuit is used as the DC / DC converter 14, when the load requires the power P, the load current of P / 2E is parallel or parallel when the batteries 2A and 2B each having the output voltage E are connected in series. Although P / E load current flows when connected, the maximum current per battery is P / 2E when connected in series and in parallel. That is, in any state, only a maximum current of P / 2E flows through the components of the batteries 2A and 2B and the DC / DC converter 14. Since the maximum current is thus small, the DC / DC converter can be reduced in size, and the efficiency and life of the batteries 2A and 2B are improved.

  By the way, a larger storage capacity can be obtained by connecting a plurality of DC / DC converters 14 having the configuration shown in FIG. Further, by connecting a plurality of similar DC / DC converters 14 in series to the large-capacitance capacitor 15, the variable range of the system voltage Vs can be further increased. Also, a parallel connection and a series connection of a plurality of DC / DC converters 14 can be combined.

  FIG. 4 is a circuit configuration diagram of an electric vehicle power supply device 10 ′ according to the second embodiment of the present invention. This electric vehicle power supply device 10 'is also mounted on the electric vehicle 1 in the same manner as the electric vehicle power supply device 10 shown in FIG.

  The electric vehicle power supply device 10 ′ shown in FIG. 4 differs from the electric vehicle power supply device 10 shown in FIG. 2 in that a step-up converter 21 and a bypass are bypassed instead of the step-down / boost device 13 shown in FIG. The charging voltage changeover switch 22 provided so as to be used is used. When the battery 2 is rapidly charged or when the battery voltage at the initial stage of charging is low, the controller 18 turns on the charge changeover switch 22 by the control signal S4 while the boost converter 21 is stopped, and the output DC voltage of the rectifier 12 ( For example, the voltage of the battery 2 is selected and the rectifier 12 is designed so that the battery 2 can be charged with the output voltage of the rectifier 12 by directly applying 280V to the DC / DC converter 14. Has been made). In the final stage of charging, when the battery 2 approaches full charge and the voltage of the battery 2 rises, the controller 18 turns off the charging voltage switch 22 by the control signal S4 and drives the boost converter 21 by the control signal S5. Then, the output voltage of the rectifier 12 is boosted to a predetermined voltage (for example, 320 V) and applied to the DC / DC converter 14 to perform so-called push-in charging. The operation of other circuits such as the charge switch 11, the protection switch 16, and the DC / DC converter 14 is the same as that in the configuration shown in FIG.

  As mentioned above, although each embodiment of this invention was described, these are the illustrations for description of this invention, and are not the meaning which limits the scope of the present invention only to these embodiment. Therefore, the present invention can be implemented in various other forms without departing from the gist thereof. In each embodiment mentioned above, although 3-phase 200V was used as the alternating current power supply 6 for charging the battery 2, it is not limited to this. For example, a commercial AC power source such as single-phase 200V, three-phase 100, and single-phase 100V can be used. Moreover, you may use not only a commercial alternating current power supply but the alternating current power source generated with the private power generator. Note that when the input voltage is low, such as three-phase 100 or single-phase 100 V, the output current of the rectifier 12 increases, so it is necessary to select a rectifying element that matches the current capacity. Further, the configuration of the rectifier and the DC / DC converter as shown in the above embodiments may be replaced with a single AC / DC converter.

  Furthermore, in each of the above-described embodiments, by using a sealed battery, the battery is substantially completely insulated from the vehicle, thereby eliminating the need for an insulated transformer in the battery charging circuit. The same effect can be obtained even when an open battery is employed instead of the above and an insulation treatment is applied so that the battery is substantially completely insulated from the vehicle frame. For example, the periphery of the open battery is covered or surrounded with an insulator (specifically, the battery is housed in an insulator box surrounding the entire periphery of the battery in the six directions), or the battery of the vehicle frame is If an electrolyte sheet spills out from the battery electrolyte inlet or conductive dirt on the outer surface of the battery, such as by placing an insulating sheet or pan on the mounting location and mounting a battery on it, etc. However, a method may be adopted in which they are all treated inside the insulator surrounding the battery or on the insulator on which the battery is placed so as not to come out of the insulator.

1 is a block diagram showing an overall schematic configuration of an electric vehicle power supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The circuit block diagram of the electric vehicle power supply device concerning one Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram showing a specific circuit configuration example of the DC / DC converter shown in FIG. 2. The circuit block diagram of the electric vehicle power supply device in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electric vehicle 2 Battery 3 Charging / power supply control circuit 4 Motor driver etc. 5 Motor 6 Three-phase 200V AC power supply 7 Earth leakage breaker 8 Plug 10, 10 'Electric vehicle power supply device 11 Charging switch 12 Rectifier 13 Step-down / Booster 14 DC / DC converter 15 Large-capacitance capacitor 16 Protection switch 17 Motor driver 18 Controller 19 Isolated DC / DC converter 20 Load circuit 21 Boost converter 22 Charging voltage changeover switch

Claims (4)

In the power supply device (10, 10 ') mounted on the electric vehicle (1) for supplying power to the predetermined circuit (18, 20) in the electric vehicle (1),
A rechargeable battery (2) for storing electrical energy to be supplied to the predetermined circuit (18, 20);
A charger (11-14) having a configuration not using an insulating transformer for charging the battery (2) by receiving electric power from an external power source (6) of the electric vehicle;
When the charger (11-14) is charging the battery (2), a blocking means for cutting off the electrical connection between the battery (2) and the predetermined circuit (18, 20). and (16),
The charger (11-14) charges the battery (2) and the shut-off means (16) shuts off the electrical connection between the battery (2) and the predetermined circuit (18, 20). For supplying power from the charger (11-14) or the battery (2) to a specific circuit (18) that needs to operate during charging in the predetermined circuit (18, 20), An electric vehicle power supply device comprising a small-capacity insulated converter (19) having an input side and an output side insulated from each other . The charger (11-14)
It is connected between the battery (2) and the load circuit (20), and the terminal on the load circuit (20) side receives power from the external power source (6) during charging. It has a transformer-less configuration using a switching element, and when the vehicle is in operation, power is supplied from the battery (2) to the load circuit (20) and power from the load circuit (20) to the battery (2). A DC / DC or AC / DC converter (14) for controlling both power conversions of the return and charging the battery (2) by receiving power from the external power source (6) during charging;
It is connected to a terminal on the load circuit (20) side of the DC / DC or AC / DC converter (14), and quickly discharges power to the load circuit (20) when the load suddenly changes, or the load circuit (20). A large-capacitance capacitor (15) that rapidly absorbs power converted from
The battery (2) has two sets of batteries (2A, 2B);
The DC / DC or AC / DC converter (14)
A system line (82, 83) to which the large-capacitance capacitor (15) is connected in the meantime,
A semiconductor switching element (813) for connecting the two sets of batteries (2A, 2B) in series between the system lines (82, 83) or being connected in parallel by being turned ON / OFF during vehicle operation. The output voltage to the load circuit (20) of the DC / DC or AC / DC converter (14) is continuously variable by adjusting the ON / OFF drive duty of the semiconductor switching element (813). ,
Claim 1 Symbol mounting electric vehicle power supply. The electric vehicle power source according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the charger (11-14) sequentially controls the charging current to a set value in a plurality of stages so as to complete a full charge within a set time range during charging. apparatus. A step-up converter (21) for boosting a voltage from the external power source (6) when the charger (11-14) is charged;
At the time of charging, the battery (2) is charged using the normal charge for charging the battery (2) using a voltage not boosted by the boost converter (21) and the voltage boosted by the boost converter (21). A charging voltage changeover switch (22) for selectively switching between indentation charging and charging
The power supply device for an electric vehicle according to claim 1 or 2 .

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