KR102139572B1 - Power Control Unit for Electric Vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an electric vehicle power control device including: a case having a storage space to store electric vehicle-only components and including a plurality of connection terminals for input and output; an OBC installed in the storage space of the case, and connected with a charging cable of an electric vehicle power supply device (EVSE) through one of the connection terminals to receive power; a PDU installed in the storage space of the case, and electrically connected with the OBC to distribute the power supplied to the OBC to a battery pack (BMS) and power distribution control target components; and an LDC installed in the storage space of the case, and electrically connected with the PDU to convert a high voltage distributed from the PDU into a low voltage to charge a 12V low-voltage battery used for electronic components of the vehicle. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the use of an interior space of a vehicle can be enhanced by integrating and modularizing the OBC, the LDC and the PDU, costs can be reduced by reducing an input/output connection harness cable, a connector and the like, an error caused by an external noise or linear resistance can be prevented, and also, the efficiency of main battery charging, 12V auxiliary battery charging and power distribution can be increased. Moreover, as internal heat is quickly and naturally cooled through a plurality of radiation wings provided in the case, the lifespan and safety of a component can be improved.

Description

Power Control Unit for Electric Vehicles

The present invention relates to an electric vehicle power control device, and more specifically, a vehicle-mounted charger (OBC, On-board Charger), a low voltage DC-DC converter (LDC), and a power distribution device in more detail for an electric vehicle. (PDU, Power Distribution Unit) is an electric vehicle power control device that is integrated and modularized.

Electric vehicles are electric vehicles that use electric energy rather than existing fossil fuels, and related technologies are rapidly developing in response to the recent depletion of fossil fuels and the development trend of eco-friendly vehicles.

Since electric vehicles use electricity as an energy source, electricity must be stored and stored as an energy source. To this end, the battery must be charged through a general commercial power source. At this time, the circuit used to charge the battery, which is the energy storage device of the electric vehicle, by using a commercial power source having high voltage is an on-board charger (OBC) circuit, which is a charging circuit for an electric vehicle.

The OBC circuit is also called a slow charging circuit. In the OBC circuit, commercial power, which is AC, is converted into direct current to charge the battery, and the voltage charged in the battery is high-voltage direct current supplied to a motor for driving an electric vehicle.

The low voltage DC-DC converter (LDC) circuit, which is a power conversion circuit, is a circuit that converts high voltage to low voltage. It is output from the OBC circuit and converts high voltage direct current used in motor driving to low voltage 12V, which is used in the vehicle's electronic components. Supply the low voltage of 12V used.

As described above, a battery charging system for a vehicle generally requires an on-board charger (OBC) and a low voltage DC-DC converter (LDC) to operate the vehicle.

Power Distribution Unit (Power Distribution Unit) is to enable the efficient distribution by controlling the power applied to the components of the main power system for driving an electric vehicle, a battery or PCU (Power Control Unit) or PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) Heater), including a plurality of connection terminals that are electrically connected to the power distribution control target components and circuit components such as fuses and relays.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the vehicle-mounted charger (On-board Charger), LDC (Low voltage DC-DC Converter), and power distribution unit (Power Distributi Unit), which are parts for a conventional electric vehicle, are each configured as individual devices. As a result, it occupies each individual space, and the connector connection using a harness cable for each device costs expensive connectors and harnesses, and it is difficult to secure a harness wiring space.

Republic of Korea Patent No. 10-2017-0131895 (Publication date 2017.12.01) Korea Registered Patent No. 10-1949099 (Registration Date 2019.02.11)

The present invention has been made to solve the conventional problems,

An object of the present invention is to provide an electric vehicle power control device in which the vehicle-mounted charger (On-board Charger), a low voltage DC-DC converter (LDC), and a power distribution unit, which are parts for an electric vehicle, are integrated and modularized. have.

Another object of the present invention is to integrate the vehicle-mounted charger (On-board Charger), LDC (Low voltage DC-DC Converter), and power distribution unit (Power Distribution Unit) to increase the utilization of space inside the vehicle, and connect input and output It is to provide an electric vehicle power control device that can reduce the unit cost by reducing harness cables and connectors, and by providing a plurality of heat dissipating blades in the case to quickly cool the internal heat to improve the life and safety of parts. .

An electric vehicle power control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention provided to achieve the above object has a housing space in which electric vehicle components can be accommodated, and a case in which a plurality of connection terminals for input and output are provided; An OBC installed in the accommodation space of the case and connected to a charging cable of an electric vehicle power supply (EVSE) through one of the connection terminals to receive power; A PDU installed in the accommodation space of the case and electrically connected to the OBC to distribute power supplied to the OBC to BMS (battery pack) and power distribution control target parts; And an LDC installed in the accommodating space of the case and electrically connected to the PDU to convert a high voltage distributed from the PDU to a low voltage to charge a 12V low voltage battery used in electric vehicle parts. do.

Here, the connection terminals are BDU (Battery Disconnect Unit) input and output terminals, PTC Heater and Air-conditioner output terminals, LDC_OUT(-) output terminals, LDC_OUT(+) output terminals, communication connector input and output terminals, AC_IN input terminals, EPT (Electronic Power Train) It characterized in that it comprises an input and output terminal, the case is characterized in that the heat dissipation blades are arranged to dissipate the internal heat on the outer surface.

In addition, the OBC and the LDC are characterized in that they are spaced apart for heat distribution and heat dissipation efficiency.

Here, the OBC is characterized in that it comprises a control board that controls the relay control signal for each operation of the PDU when requesting a control signal through CAN communication between external devices and controls the BMS of the main battery when charging. In order to minimize the LDC board, the DC-DC converter includes a control board for controlling motion.

In addition, the case is characterized in that a blocking box for dividing the accommodation space is provided, and the blocking box is provided so that a plurality of fuses and a plurality of relays, which are components of the PDU, can be arranged up and down.

In addition, the blocking box is provided with a plurality of installation grooves for separating each of the plurality of fuses, and each of the installation grooves communicates for electrical communication between a plurality of fuses installed in the upper space and a plurality of relays installed in the lower space. Characterized in that the hole is provided.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the OBC, LDC, and PDU are integrated and modularized to increase the space utilization in the vehicle, and to reduce the unit cost by reducing input/output connection harness cables and connectors.

In addition, it is possible to increase the safety of the high-voltage harness cable, prevent errors caused by external noise or line resistance, minimize the product, reduce weight, and improve the efficiency of charging the main battery, charging the 12V auxiliary battery, and distributing power. It has the effect of increasing.

In addition, by providing a plurality of heat dissipation wings in the case, there is an effect that can improve the life and safety of the parts by quickly cooling the internal heat.

1(a) shows a conventional OBC, (b) shows a conventional LDC, and (c) shows a conventional PDU, each of which is configured as a separate device.
2 is a view showing a state in which a conventional OBC, LDC, and PDU composed of individual devices occupy each individual space and are connected by connectors using harness cables for each device.
Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the electric vehicle power control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a perspective view showing the inside of the case by removing the cover of the case in the electric vehicle power control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a plan view of an electric vehicle power control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a configuration diagram for explaining the components and electrical operation of the electric vehicle power control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The following detailed description of the present invention is an embodiment in which the present invention may be practiced and reference is made to the accompanying drawings shown as examples of the embodiment. These embodiments are described in detail so that those skilled in the art are sufficient to practice the present invention. It should be understood that the various embodiments of the present invention are different, but need not be mutually exclusive. For example, specific shapes, structures, and properties described herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention in relation to one embodiment. It should also be understood that the location or arrangement of individual components within each described embodiment can be changed without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Therefore, the following detailed description is not intended to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is limited only by the appended claims, along with all ranges equivalent to those claimed by the claims, if appropriately described. In the drawings, similar reference numerals refer to the same or similar functions across various aspects.

The terminology used in the present invention has been selected, while considering the functions in the present invention, general terms that are currently widely used are selected, but this may vary according to the intention or precedent of a person skilled in the art or the appearance of new technologies. Also, in certain cases, some terms are arbitrarily selected by the applicant, and in this case, the meaning of the terms will be described in detail in the description of the applicable invention. Therefore, the term used in the present invention should be defined based on the meaning of the term and the contents of the present invention, rather than a simple term name.

When a part of the invention is said to "include" a component, this means that other components may be further included rather than excluding other components, unless otherwise stated. In addition, terms such as “… unit” and “… module” described in the specification mean a unit that processes at least one function or operation, which may be implemented in hardware or software, or a combination of hardware and software.

3 to 5, the electric vehicle power control apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a vehicle-mounted charger (OBC) 130 that is an electric vehicle-only component in the accommodation space 111 in the case 110 ), PDU (Power Distribution Unit) 140, LDC (Low Voltage DC Converter) 150 is accommodated and is a single modularization.

First, the case 110 is made of an insulating material having excellent heat resistance and strength, and has an accommodation space 111 accommodating OBC 130, PDU 140, and LDC 150, which are parts for electric vehicles, and an accommodation space ( It comprises a cover 112 to cover 111).

In addition, a plurality of connection terminals for electrical connection with the OBC 130, the PDU 140, and the LDC 150 are provided on the sidewall of the case 110.

Here, the connection terminals are BDU (Battery Disconnect Unit) I/O terminal 113, PTC Heater and Air-conditioner output terminal 114, LDC_OUT(-) output terminal 115, LDC_OUT(+) output terminal 116, for communication It includes a connector input/output terminal 117, an AC_IN input terminal 118, and an electronic power train (EPT) input/output terminal 119.

In addition, on the outer surface of the case 110 including the cover 112, a heat dissipation blade 120 for dissipating heat generated from OBC and LDC accommodated inside the case 110 is arranged at regular intervals. In other words, the heat dissipation wing 120 is arranged outwardly from the side wall and the bottom surface of the case 110 and the top surface of the cover 112 so that a heat sink having a wing shape is arranged at regular intervals to release heat inside the case 110 more quickly and It is provided for natural cooling.

Here, the heat dissipation wing 120 is intended to increase the cooling efficiency by expanding the contact area of the air, and may be formed of a metal material having good thermal conductivity, such as aluminum and copper.

The OBC 130, the PDU 140, and the LDC 150 are accommodated in the accommodation space 111 of the case 110.

At this time, the receiving space 111 of the case 110 has a blocking box 143 for dividing the receiving space 111 so that the OBC 130, PDU 140, and LDC 150 are accommodated in a limited receiving space without difficulty. It may be provided.

The blocking box 143 is provided to divide the plurality of fuses 141 and the relays 142, which are components of the PDU 140, up and down. That is, the blocking box 143 divides a part of the receiving space 111 of the case 110 into upper and lower sides, allows a plurality of fuses 141 to be installed in the upper space, and a plurality of relays 142 in the lower space. By placing the PDU components up and down by allowing them to be installed, the space occupied by the PDU 140 is reduced, and a space in which the OBC 130 and the LDC 150 are accommodated is secured.

At this time, the blocking box 143 is provided with a plurality of installation grooves 144 for separating each of the plurality of fuses 141, and each installation groove 144 has a plurality of fuses 141 installed in the upper space and the lower side. A communication hole (not shown) for electrical communication between the plurality of relays 142 installed in the space is provided.

Here, the plurality of fuses 141 is preferably provided in a number corresponding to one-to-one with control target components such as a battery disconnect unit (BDU), a power control unit (PCU), or a positive temperature coefficient efficient heater (PTC). The relays 142 are capable of selectively turning on/off the parts to be controlled, and, like the fuses 141, are preferably provided in a number corresponding to each controlled part.

In addition, the case 110 is preferably provided with a plurality of fastening flange portions 146 in a position corresponding to the coupling portion 145 of the blocking box 143 for coupling with the blocking box 143, the relay 142 ) It is preferable that a plurality of receiving grooves (not shown) that can accommodate separately.

Then, the OBC 130 and the LDC 150 are installed in the secured lower space. At this time, the OBC 130 and the LDC 150 are preferably arranged to be spaced apart at regular intervals for heat distribution and heat dissipation efficiency.

Here, the OBC 130 includes an OBC control board in charge of integrating the corresponding relay control signal when requesting the corresponding control signal through CAN communication between external devices. In the case of the conventional PDU, a separate serial communication port in addition to the CAN communication circuit is added to the VCU for relay control for each operation. At this time, the length of the communication line (the length of the existing 2M line) increases, and as the length increases, an error occurs due to external noise or line resistance. The present invention prevents errors due to external noise or line resistance as well as a significant reduction in communication lines by integrating the corresponding relay control signal in the OBC.

In addition, the OBC 130 controls the operation during charging in conjunction with the BMS of the main battery. Conventionally, when charging, EVCC and VCU checked whether or not the state of charge, and OBC was woken up through BMS. That is, the battery's BMS is in sleep mode when it is not running. Wakeup at regular intervals to wake up OBC and LDC in charging mode. In the present invention, the OBC 130 wakes up at regular intervals to operate the important functions by recognizing the state of the charge gun and checking the auxiliary battery voltage. That is, the unnecessary step of driving the OBC 130 through various paths can be reduced by not using the EVCC equipment.

In addition, the LDC 150 may implement an LDC operation by configuring a control board for operation control in a DC-DC converter to minimize the LDC board.

The electric operation of the electric vehicle power control device configured as described above is as follows.

As shown in FIG. 6, when an AC charging gun is inserted into the AC_IN input terminal 118, a check is made on whether or not the charging gun is installed (SAE J1772 standard, CC/CP) on the OBC 130 control board for charging to wake up the battery BMS.

Subsequently, the OBC operation relay of the PDU 140 is turned on in the OBC 130 control board.

Subsequently, when the OBC 130 and LDC 150 are turned on, and the OBC 130 control board informs the BMS of the main battery about the charging preparation step information (CAN), the battery high voltage relay for charging is turned on in the BMS.

Subsequently, charging of the main battery through the OBC 130 (DC 144V/23A output) and charging of the 12V auxiliary battery through the LDC 150 (DC 14V/85A output) are started.

As described above, the present invention can increase the utilization of space inside the vehicle by integrating OBC, LDC, and PDU, and can reduce the unit cost by reducing input/output connection harness cables and connectors.

In addition, it is possible to increase the safety of the high-voltage harness cable, prevent errors caused by external noise or line resistance, minimize the product, reduce weight, and improve the efficiency of charging the main battery, charging the 12V auxiliary battery, and distributing power. Can be increased.

In addition, by providing a plurality of heat dissipation wings in the case, it is possible to improve the life and safety of parts by quickly cooling the internal heat.

Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. That is, a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains can make a number of changes and modifications to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims, and all such appropriate changes and modifications It should be considered equivalent to belong to the scope of the present invention.

100: electric vehicle power control device 110: case
111: accommodation space 112: cover
113: BDU input and output terminal 114: PTC Heater and Air-conditioner output terminal
115: LDC_OUT(-) output terminal 116: LDC_OUT(+) output terminal
117: Communication connector input/output terminal 118: AC_IN input terminal
119: EPT input and output terminal 120: heat dissipation wing
130: OBC 140: PDU
141: fuse 142: relay
143: blocking box 144: installation groove
150: LDC

Claims (8)

A case having an accommodation space at which an upper portion is opened so that parts for exclusive use of electric vehicles are accommodated, and a plurality of connection terminals for input and output are provided on a side wall;
OBC receiving power by being connected to a charging cable of an electric vehicle power supply (EVSE) through any one of the connection terminals, and BMS (battery pack) that is electrically connected to the OBC and supplied with power to the OBC. ) And a PDU that is distributed to the parts to be controlled for power distribution, and an LDC that is electrically connected to the PDU and converts the high voltage distributed from the PDU to a low voltage to charge a 12V low voltage battery used in electric vehicle parts. Parts for electric vehicles installed in the case accommodating space;
Includes a cover for covering the open receiving space of the case to protect the parts (OBC, PDU, LDC) dedicated to the electric vehicle inside the case; includes,
In the case, a blocking box for dividing a part of the accommodation space into upper and lower sides is provided, and the blocking box reduces the space occupied by the PDU by arranging a plurality of fuses and relays, which are components of the PDU, up and down. Secure the heat distribution and heat dissipation efficiency by securing the space where the OBC and LDC are arranged at regular intervals,
A plurality of heat dissipating blades are arranged on the case and the cover at regular intervals, and the electric vehicle power control device is characterized by rapidly cooling the heat inside the case. According to claim 1,
The connection terminals are BDU (Battery Disconnect Unit) input/output terminal, PTC Heater and Air-conditioner output terminal, LDC_OUT(-) output terminal, LDC_OUT(+) output terminal, communication connector input/output terminal, AC_IN input terminal, EPT(Electronic Power Train) ) Electric vehicle power control device comprising an input and output terminal. delete delete According to claim 1,
The OBC is an electric vehicle power control device comprising a control board that controls the relay control signal for each operation of the PDU when requesting a control signal through CAN communication between external devices, and controls in conjunction with the BMS of the main battery when charging. According to claim 1,
The LDC electric vehicle power control device comprising a control board for controlling the operation in the DC-DC converter to minimize the LDC board. delete According to claim 1,
The blocking box has a plurality of installation grooves for separating the plurality of fuses, and each installation groove has a communication hole for electrical communication between a plurality of fuses installed in an upper space and a plurality of relays installed in a lower space. Electric vehicle power control device, characterized in that provided.

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