JPH08289416A - Charging control device for magnetic levitation conveyance system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To eliminate a hindrance to the operation of a conveyance system owing to the poor utilization efficiency of a battery which gives rise to trouble in the periodic charging of an on-vehicle battery under time control and also owing to the continuous use of a deteriorated battery in a magnetic levitation conveyance system. CONSTITUTION: A device 2 for performing the charging control of an on-vehicle battery A is constituted of a means for controlling the charging period of the battery, a means for monitoring the individual charging voltage of the battery at the time of charging, a means for comparing the monitored voltage with a predetermined voltage pattern and a means for determining unusual charging when a reach voltage at the time of the completion of charging is lower than a predetermined voltage to transmit an abnormal signal to an operation control system and therefore the deterioration of a battery can be surely detected and the above-mentioned trouble can be eliminated by rationalizing the replacement period of a deteriorated battery.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a magnetic levitation transfer system, which is effective for improving the utilization efficiency of a battery mounted on a transfer vehicle and for preventing the operation failure of the transfer system due to a battery abnormality. Regarding management device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a battery mounted on a magnetically levitated vehicle has been subjected to a method of maintaining the required remaining charge by performing periodic charging by time management. When a certain discharge (running) time has passed from the previous charge, the charge management device issues a charge instruction to the transport vehicle on the main line through the operation control system. In response to this command, the carrier vehicle enters the charging station, where the vehicle-mounted battery is electrically connected to the charger, and charging is performed while controlling the charging voltage and current by the charging control circuit in the charger. Then, the carrier vehicle that has been charged is returned to the main line again.

[0003]

In the conventional charge management method, the charging circuit is independent of the system, and information such as charging voltage abnormality during charging is not fed back to the host system. For this reason, the deterioration status of the battery cannot be grasped, and the battery is replaced early based on the number of times of charging / discharging as a guide.

However, according to this method of estimating the battery life based on the number of times of charging / discharging, a battery that is still usable may be replaced, resulting in poor utilization efficiency of the battery.

Further, since the deterioration time of the battery varies depending on the variation of the characteristics and the discharging condition, it is possible to continue to use the battery which should be replaced as it is. There is a problem that the operation efficiency (transport efficiency) of the transport system is reduced due to insufficient amount of charge and frequent cases of emergency charging, and traveling becomes impossible on the way.

Therefore, the present invention is provided with a function of discriminating a charging abnormality or a deterioration state of the battery at the time of charging, thereby optimizing the battery replacement timing and wasteful use of the battery due to the deviation of the replacement timing. The challenge is to eliminate the reduction in transport efficiency.

[0007]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in the present invention, a charge management device included in a magnetic levitation transfer system has the following forms (a), (b) and (c). Make one of them.

(A) A means for managing the charging time of the on-vehicle battery, a means for monitoring the charging voltage of each battery during charging, a means for comparing the monitored voltage with a predetermined voltage pattern, and a reaching voltage at the end of charging is predetermined. When the voltage is lower than the voltage, it is determined that the charging is abnormal, and means for transmitting an abnormal signal to the operation control system is provided.

(B) Means for managing the charging time of the on-vehicle battery, means for setting the reference time from the start of charging of the battery to the end of charging in consideration of the traveling time immediately before charging, actual charging from the start of charging to the end of charging It is provided with means for measuring time, means for comparing the reference time with the actual charging time, and means for judging abnormal charging when the actual charging time is shorter than the reference time, and transmitting an abnormal signal to the operation control system.

(C) A means for managing the charging time of the on-vehicle battery, a means for monitoring the charging voltage of each battery during charging, a means for comparing the monitoring voltage with a reference voltage, or a time integrated value of the current consumption of the battery and the immediately preceding value. Means for obtaining a difference in time integrated value of charging current and comparing with a lower limit setting value, means for transmitting an emergency charging request from the carrier when the comparison value is equal to or less than a reference,
A means for counting the number of occurrences of the emergency charging request, determining that there is a charging abnormality and transmitting an abnormality signal to the operation control system when a pattern in which the same vehicle is urgently charged and restarts continuously occurs a predetermined number of times or more. It is equipped with. Note that (a),
Regarding the charge management device of the form (b), when the comparison means determines that there is a charge abnormality, a means for issuing a recharge command is added, and the charge abnormality is determined again by a recheck during recharge. Alternatively, the abnormal signal may be transmitted to the operation control system (claim 4).

In addition, two or more of the three forms (a), (b), and (c) may be integrated to form an apparatus configuration for performing a double check as described in the embodiment. .

[0012]

[Action]

Claim 1 [(a) form] The optimum value of the charging voltage at the time of battery charging is determined by the type of battery. The charging voltage depends on the charging current, the internal resistance of the battery and the battery temperature. The change in the charging voltage during charging will be described below by taking a NiCd battery as an example.

The charging voltage increases as the charging progresses. When reaching a certain amount of charge, the charging voltage shows a peak, and thereafter the charging voltage drops. This is because the oxygen gas generated at the end of charging reacts with the cathode (cadmonium compound) and the heat of oxidation raises the battery temperature. The charging of the NiCd battery is controlled by detecting the peak of this voltage.

By the way, as the deterioration of the battery progresses, the temperature of the battery tends to rise due to the deterioration of the function of the active material, so that the charge capacity decreases. In this case, the peak voltage is lower than the peak voltage during normal operation.

Therefore, if the charging voltage is monitored and it is detected whether or not the voltage reached at the end of charging (peak voltage) is lower than a predetermined voltage, an abnormal signal can be issued to inform the deterioration of the battery when the voltage is low. it can. This allows the battery to be used to its limit without premature replacement. Further, even if the battery deteriorates rapidly, the replacement instruction will not be delayed, and continuous use of the deteriorated battery can be prevented.

It is conceivable that the charging voltage is reduced and the charging time until the peak voltage is reached is shortened due to the progress of battery deterioration. Therefore, by measuring the charging time during battery charging and comparing whether the measured actual charging time is shorter than a predetermined reference time, it is possible to know the deterioration of the battery based on the comparison result. , (A) can be applied to the same system. Since the charging time varies depending on the discharging state immediately before charging, the reference time in this case needs to be determined in consideration of the discharging state immediately before charging. The charging time management unit measures the traveling time from the previous charging in order to know the charging time, and the discharging time (discharge amount) can be estimated from this traveling time. Therefore, it is not difficult to find the appropriate time (this is the reference time) for the current charging required to compensate for the discharge.

Claim 3 [(C) form] When the remaining battery level is low until the next charging, an emergency charging request is issued from the carrier. The cause of insufficient battery level is not only the decrease in charging capacity due to deterioration of the battery, but also a sharp increase in current consumption due to an abnormality in the control circuit of the transport vehicle and insufficient charging due to an abnormality in the charger. It can be considered that these situations have occurred when requests are repeatedly issued. In this case, the cause cannot be identified at the stage when the emergency charging request exceeds the set number of times and an abnormal signal is output, but the cause can be known by returning the vehicle to the maintenance station and investigated, so that the object of the invention can be achieved. The battery can be replaced and the abnormal part can be repaired before the worst situation (running impossible) occurs.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the devices of the above (a) and (b), the peak voltage at the end of charging becomes less than the specified value due to malfunction of the charger due to connection failure, noise, etc. It is possible that the time becomes shorter than the reference time. Therefore, based on the charge abnormality judgment at the time of the first check, the charging is performed again and the check is performed again. As a result, the probability of misdiagnosis of charging abnormality is reduced, and the insufficient charging of the battery can be compensated.

If two or more forms are integrated to perform the double check, the accuracy of diagnosis is improved and the reliability of the system is further improved.

[0020]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows an example of a magnetic levitation transfer system provided with a charge management device of the present invention. This transport system
The operation control device 1, the charging management device 2, the charging station control device 3, the charger 4, the carrier 5, the charging station, the loading and unloading station, the maintenance station, and other tracks (not shown).

The carrier 5 includes a levitation magnet that applies a magnetic attraction force to a ferromagnetic rail of the track, a levitation control circuit that performs feedback control based on a signal from a gap sensor to keep the levitation constant, and a track. It is a well-known transport vehicle including a secondary conductor (none of which is shown) that constitutes a linear motor for propulsion in combination with a primary stator provided on the side. This transport vehicle is equipped with a battery A for supplying the required electric power on the vehicle, and a battery charge remaining amount monitoring circuit B,
A communication circuit C and a charging terminal 6 for electrically connecting the battery A to the charger 4 are provided.

The operation control device 1 has an operation control function of a carrier vehicle, a function of receiving an emergency charging request and a battery remaining amount information transmitted from the carrier vehicle, a charge management device 2 which has a running time for each carrier vehicle and a carrier vehicle. It has a function of transmitting the identification information of the onboard battery and the emergency charging instruction.

Further, the charge management device 2 is the operation control device 1
And has a function of transmitting a charging start command to the charger 4 via the charging station control device 3 and also receiving a charging voltage and a charging completion signal from the charging station control device 3. It also has a function of storing the number of times of charging for each battery, the number of times of emergency charging and the charging voltage pattern, and comparing with the reference data to judge the charging timing, charging abnormality, and the like.

The transport vehicle 5 is controlled by a command from the operation control device 1. The battery remaining amount monitoring circuit B mounted on the carrier vehicle 5 has a function of detecting the remaining amount of the battery by performing time integration of the consumption current and the charging current of the battery, and an emergency when the remaining amount of the battery falls below the lower limit set value. Has a function to issue a charging request. Further, the communication circuit C has a function of transmitting the battery remaining amount detected by the battery remaining amount monitoring circuit B and the emergency charging request to the operation control device 1.

When the operation control device 1 issues a warehousing instruction, the transport vehicle 5 warehousing to a designated station. If the warehousing instruction is a charging instruction, the vehicle enters the charging station, so that the vehicle-mounted battery A is charged via the charging terminal 6 to the charger 4
It is connected to and charged.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the flow of charge abnormality determination by the charge management device 2 at this time.

When the charging station control device 3 detects a charging peak voltage and issues a charging completion signal, the charging management device 2 presets the voltage at the completion of charging (peak voltage) at the time of receiving the signal. If the peak voltage is lower than the reference voltage as compared with the reference voltage, a recharge command is issued. Then, a recheck is performed here, and if the peak voltage at the time of recharging is also low again, it is determined that the battery may be deteriorated and the battery replacement is displayed. This display may be a message or an alarm by a lamp or a buzzer.

If the compared peak voltage is higher than the reference voltage, then the actual charging time at the time of charging is compared with a preset time, and if the actual charging time is longer than the set time, the charging is normal. Judge that it is finished. On the other hand, if the actual charging time is shorter than the set time, then the actual running time from the previous charging to immediately before this charging is compared with the preset standard running time, and the actual running time is shorter than the standard running time. If
Since it is natural that the amount of discharge from the previous charge is small and the charge time of the current charge is short, it is determined that the charge has ended normally. If the actual traveling time is longer than the standard traveling time, the condition that the actual traveling time should be shorter than the standard traveling time is not satisfied. Therefore, it is determined that the battery may be deteriorated, and the battery replacement is displayed.

Here, in the voltage comparison step at the time of recharging, peak voltage at completion of charging> YES for reference voltage
If the condition of is satisfied, it is judged that the charging has been completed normally because the charging has been ensured for the amount of time after recharging.However, the judgment is stopped and the step of comparing the actual charging time is moved to. You may do it.

Further, the replacement display of the battery may be held several times as in the example system, and the replacement display may be performed when the number of holdings exceeds the set number.

The illustrated charge management device has another type of determination function in addition to the determination function according to the flow of FIG. The determination function stores which battery (or which transport vehicle) has issued the emergency charge request, and after emergency charging and re-traveling, if the emergency charge request is continuously issued from the same battery (or transport vehicle) again. The number of times of repetition is counted and compared with the set number of times, and when the number of counts exceeds the set number of times, it is determined that there is an abnormality, and an alarm or the like prompting investigation of the content of the abnormality is issued.

The charge management apparatus described here integrates the above-mentioned three forms (a), (b) and (c) to perform a double check, and also detects a charge abnormality due to a cause other than battery deterioration. It is possible to do so, and there is a high degree of reliability regarding the prior detection of abnormalities that hinder the operation of the transport system.

[0033]

As described above, the charge management device of the present invention can detect battery deterioration, charge abnormality, etc. with high accuracy, and the battery replacement timing can be optimized, thereby eliminating waste of battery use. be able to.

Further, it is possible to prevent the battery remaining amount from becoming insufficient due to a delay in replacement of the deteriorated battery, a circuit abnormality, and the like, and frequent occurrence of emergency charging, thereby improving the operation efficiency (transfer efficiency) of the magnetic levitation transfer system.

Further, a system having a function of detecting an abnormality from the number of times of emergency charging requests continuously generated can cope with an abnormality accompanying an increase in current consumption of a control circuit of a carrier vehicle, an abnormality of a charger, etc. More reliable,
The transport efficiency can be further improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a magnetic levitation transfer system adopting a charge management system of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a flow chart of charge abnormality determination.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Operation control device 2 Charge management device 3 Charging station control device 4 Charger 5 Transport vehicle 6 Charging terminal A Battery B Battery remaining amount monitoring circuit C Communication circuit

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Internal reference number FI Technical indication location H02J 7/02 H02J 7/02 F H04Q 9/00 301 H04Q 9/00 301B

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A charge management device included in a magnetic levitation transportation system for storing a battery-equipped magnetic levitation transportation vehicle in a charging station from the main line when charging time comes, charging an in-vehicle battery, and returning the vehicle to the main line. There is a means for managing the charging time of the on-vehicle battery, a means for monitoring the charging voltage of each battery during charging, a means for comparing the monitored voltage with a predetermined voltage pattern, and a reached voltage at the end of charging lower than the predetermined voltage. A charge management device for a magnetic levitation transfer system, which is provided with means for determining an abnormal charge and transmitting an abnormal signal to an operation control system. 2. A charging management device included in a magnetic levitation transportation system for loading a battery-equipped magnetic levitation transportation vehicle into a charging station from the main line when charging time arrives, charging an in-vehicle battery and returning the vehicle to the main lane. There is a means to manage the charging time of the in-vehicle battery, a means to set the reference time from the start of charging the battery to the end of charging in consideration of the traveling time immediately before charging, and the actual charging time from the start of charging to the end of charging Magnetic levitation transportation, which includes means for comparing the reference time with the actual charging time, means for determining an abnormal charging when the actual charging time is shorter than the reference time, and transmitting an abnormal signal to the operation control system. System charge management device. 3. When the comparison means determines that the charging is abnormal, a means for issuing a recharge command is added, and an abnormality signal is issued to the operation control system when the charging abnormality is determined again by the recheck at the time of recharging. 1 or 2 is adapted to be transmitted to
Charge management apparatus for the magnetic levitation transfer system described. 4. A charge management device included in a magnetic levitation transportation system for storing a battery-equipped magnetic levitation transportation vehicle in a charging station from the main line when charging time comes, charging an in-vehicle battery, and returning the vehicle to the main line. There is a means for managing the charging time of the on-vehicle battery, a means for monitoring the charging voltage of each battery during charging, a means for comparing the monitoring voltage with a reference voltage, or a time integrated value of the current consumption of the battery and the immediately preceding charging current. A means for obtaining the difference between the time integrated values and comparing it with the lower limit setting value, a means for transmitting an emergency charging request from the transport vehicle when the comparison value is less than the reference, and counting the number of occurrences of the emergency charging request, When a pattern of emergency charging and re-running is continuously generated a predetermined number of times or more, it is determined that the charging is abnormal, and the magnetic device is provided with means for transmitting an abnormal signal to the operation control system. Charge management device for airborne transportation system.