WO2008041684A1

WO2008041684A1 - Vehicle storage device and system using same

Info

Publication number: WO2008041684A1
Application number: PCT/JP2007/069227
Authority: WO
Inventors: Yohsuke Mitani; Kazuki Morita; Takafumi Koike
Original assignee: Panasonic Corporation
Priority date: 2006-10-02
Filing date: 2007-10-02
Publication date: 2008-04-10

Abstract

A vehicle storage device connected between a main power supply and a load comprises a storage portion, a charging/discharging circuit, and a control circuit. The storage portion stores the power of the main power supply. The charging/discharging circuit is connected to the main power supply, the load, and the storage portion. The control circuit is connected to the storage portion and the charging/discharging circuit. The control circuit controls the charging/discharging circuit so that the storage portion discharges the power until the voltage of the storage portion reaches a predetermined hold voltage after a lapse of a predetermined time at the end of the use of the vehicle. If the voltage of the storage portion reaches a predetermined lower limit voltage when the vehicle is not in use, the control circuit controls the charging/discharging circuit so as to repeat the charging operation until the voltage of the storage portion reaches the predetermined hold voltage. Furthermore, if receiving a signal for recognizing the driver from the outside of the vehicle storage device, the control circuit controls the charging/discharging circuit so as to fully charge the storage portion.

Description

Specification

Power storage device for vehicle and system using the same

Technical field

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle power storage device as an auxiliary power source that supplies power from a power storage unit when a voltage of a main power source drops, and a system using the same.

Background art

In general, when using an automobile (hereinafter referred to as a vehicle), a starter is operated to start an engine. At this time, for example, when a vehicle key is turned on, audio, car navigation, etc. are started before the starter, and power is supplied to these loads. After that, the starter starts. Then, the power supplied to the load is temporarily interrupted due to a decrease in battery voltage due to the starter operation. As a result, the music is interrupted or the destination setting of the car navigation system is erased and needs to be reset.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a vehicle power storage device as an auxiliary power source for supplying sufficient power to a load when the voltage of the battery is temporarily reduced. FIG. 7 is a block circuit diagram of a conventional vehicle power storage device. The vehicular power storage device 201 is provided with an auxiliary power supply unit 203 including an electric double layer capacitor for storing electric power. A charging circuit 205 is connected to the auxiliary power source unit 203. In addition, a stabilization circuit 207 that outputs power of the auxiliary power supply unit 203 is also connected. A detection circuit 209 for detecting the voltage of the charging circuit 205 is connected to the input side of the charging circuit 205. Further, there is provided a power supply switching unit 211 that switches between the power supplied from the auxiliary power supply unit 203 and the power supply from the main power supply 215 according to the detection voltage of the detection circuit 209.

A main power supply unit 215 made of a battery is connected to the input side of the vehicle power storage device 201, that is, the input of the charging circuit 205, via the first switch 213. Further, one end of the second switch 217 is connected between the first switch 213 and the vehicle power storage device 201, and the other end is connected to a starter (not shown) built in the engine 219.

The first switch 213 and the second switch 217 are on / off controlled by a key mounting portion 221. The key mounting part 221 has a lock mode, an accessory mode, an on mode, and a start mode. It has four modes of mode. In the lock mode, both the first switch 213 and the second switch 217 are turned off. In the accessory mode and the on mode, the first switch 213 is turned on and the second switch 217 is turned off. In the start mode, both the first switch 213 and the second switch 217 are turned on. In addition, an in-vehicle device 223 such as audio or car navigation is connected to the output side of the vehicle power storage device 201, that is, the output of the power supply switching unit 211.

Next, the operation of the vehicle power storage device 201 will be described. First, when the vehicle is reused, the first switch 213 is turned on when the key is inserted into the key mounting portion 221 and the accessory mode is set. As a result, the power of the main power supply unit 215 is supplied to the charging circuit 205, the detection circuit 209, and the power supply switching unit 211. As a result, the charging circuit 205 charges the auxiliary power supply unit 203. Since the power supply switching unit 211 selects the main power supply unit 215 side as shown in FIG. 7, the power of the main power supply unit 215 is supplied to the in-vehicle device 223, and audio, car navigation, and the like operate.

[0007] In this state, when the key of the key mounting portion 221 is set to the start mode in order to start the engine, the second switch 217 is also turned on. As a result, the electric power of main power supply unit 215 is supplied to the starter built in engine 219, and the engine starts. At this time, since a large current flows through the starter, the voltage of the main power supply unit 215 greatly decreases accordingly. The detection circuit 209 detects this voltage change, and when it detects that the voltage of the main power supply unit 215 has become lower than a predetermined reference value, it switches the power supply switching unit 211 to the auxiliary power supply unit 203 side. As a result, since electric power is supplied from the auxiliary power supply unit 203 to the in-vehicle device 223 during the starter operation, the in-vehicle device 223 can continue to operate.

[0008] Thereafter, the start of the engine 219 is completed, and the second switch 217 is turned off by setting the key to the on mode. As a result, the voltage of the main power supply unit 215 becomes higher than a predetermined reference value. The detection circuit 209 detects this voltage change and switches the power supply switching unit 211 to the main power supply unit 215 side. As a result, power is supplied to the in-vehicle device 223 from the main power supply unit 215.

[0009] By the operation as described above, stable power is continuously supplied to the in-vehicle device 223 even during the starter operation, so that interruption of music, deletion of settings, and the like can be avoided.

[0010] However, after the key of the key mounting portion 221 is set to the accessory mode, the key can be stopped within a short time. In the first mode, the voltage of the main power supply unit 215 decreases immediately after the in-vehicle device 223 is activated. At this time, since charging of the auxiliary power supply unit 203 is started after the key is in the accessory mode, there is a possibility that charging of the auxiliary power supply unit 203 may be insufficient if the start mode is set within a short time.

On the other hand, the following measures are taken in the conventional vehicle power storage device.

That is, the number of electric double layer capacitors constituting the auxiliary power supply unit 203 is reduced, and charging is performed by reducing the voltage of the main power supply unit 215 by the charging circuit 205. At the time of discharging, the voltage of the auxiliary power supply unit 203 is boosted by a stabilization circuit 207 composed of a DC-DC converter and supplied to the in-vehicle device 223. As a result, the full charge voltage of the auxiliary power supply unit 203 can be lowered, so that the charging can be completed earlier.

[0012] The DC-DC converter requires power for its operation. Therefore, when the starter is driven and power consumption due to the boosting operation of the DC-DC converter is further added, the loss of the main power supply unit 215 increases.

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-64946

Disclosure of the invention

[0013] The present invention is a highly reliable power storage device for a vehicle that can be sufficiently charged before a starter operation when the vehicle is reused and that reduces loss of a main power source.

[0014] The vehicle power storage device of the present invention is connected between a main power supply and a load, and includes a power storage unit, a charge / discharge circuit, and a control circuit. The power storage unit stores the power of the main power source. The charge / discharge circuit is connected to the main power source, the load, and the power storage unit. The control circuit is connected to the power storage unit and the charge / discharge circuit. At the end of use of the vehicle, the control circuit controls the charge / discharge circuit to discharge power until the voltage of the power storage unit reaches the predetermined holding voltage after the predetermined time has elapsed. If the voltage of the power storage unit reaches the predetermined lower limit voltage when the vehicle is not used, the control circuit controls the charge / discharge circuit to repeat the charging operation until the voltage of the power storage unit reaches the predetermined holding voltage. When receiving a signal for recognizing the driver from the outside of the vehicle power storage device, the control circuit controls the charge / discharge circuit so that the power storage unit is fully charged.

[0015] With this configuration, the shortage until the full charge of the power storage unit is charged before the key is set to the accessory mode. Therefore, the voltage of the power storage unit may decrease when the vehicle is reused. It is suppressed. In addition, since power is supplied to the load only by the power storage unit, loss of the main power source due to the DC-DC converter can be avoided.

Brief Description of Drawings

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a power storage device for a vehicle in a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control circuit from when the vehicle power storage device shown in FIG. 1 is used to when the vehicle is reused.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control circuit during the starter operation of the vehicle power storage device shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a block circuit diagram showing a partial configuration of the vehicle power storage device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a block circuit diagram showing a partial configuration of the vehicle power storage device according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

[FIG. 6A] FIG. 6A is a connection circuit diagram of a storage element of the power storage device for a vehicle according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention, and is a connection circuit diagram when the storage element is connected in parallel to the balance circuit

[FIG. 6B] FIG. 6B is a connection circuit diagram of the power storage elements of the vehicle power storage device in Embodiment 3 of the present invention, and is a connection circuit diagram when the power storage elements are connected in series and parallel to the balance circuit.

FIG. 7 is a block circuit diagram of a conventional vehicle power storage device.

Explanation of symbols

[0017] 11, 157, 157A Power storage device for vehicle (power storage device)

13 ignition switch

15 Main power

17, 165 load

19 Starter

21, 163 Charge / discharge circuit

23 Power storage unit

25, 113, 113A Control circuit Vehicle side control circuit

Vehicle side radio wave transmitter / receiver circuit (communication circuit) Radio wave transmitter / receiver (key)

Key side radio wave transmission / reception circuit (communication circuit) Antenna

Battery

Electricity storage element

Power storage element unit

Balance circuit

Switching element

, 115, 117, 139, 177 Resistor Selector switch for voltage monitor Selector switch for non-sense circuit Switch element

1st resistor

Second resistor

diode

, 142 Regulator

Drive voltage input terminal

Insulated signal transmitter for startup

, 147, 155 Photo diode, 149, 153 Light emitting diode

External control circuit

Battery

Battery ignition switch Low voltage load

Isolated signal transmission unit for data transmission Isolated signal transmission unit for data reception 161 Idition switch for main power supply

173 Power storage components

175 Start terminal

179 Power switch for selection switch

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0018] (Embodiment 1)

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a vehicle power storage device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control circuit from the end of use of the vehicle power storage device shown in FIG. 1 to the time of vehicle reuse. Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control circuit during the starter operation. In Fig. 1, bold lines indicate power system wiring, and thin lines indicate signal system wiring. In this embodiment, the case where the power storage device for a vehicle is applied to an idling stop vehicle will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle power storage device (hereinafter referred to as a power storage device) 11 is connected between a main power supply 15 connected via an innovation switch 13 and a load 17. The idle switch 13 has the function of supplying the power of the main power supply 15 to the power storage device 11 and the function of supplying the power of the main power supply 15 to the starter 19 for starting the engine connected to the idance switch 13. Have. Here, the main power source 15 is constituted by a battery, and the load 17 is an auxiliary device such as audio, navigation, and audiovisual navigation.

The power storage device 11 includes a power storage unit 23, a charge / discharge circuit 21, and a control circuit 25. First, the related configuration of the power system wiring shown by the bold lines in Fig. 1 is explained.

[0021] A charge / discharge circuit 21 is connected to the output of the main power supply 15 via an idling switch 13. A load 17 and a power storage unit 23 are connected to the charge / discharge circuit 21. Therefore, charging and discharging of the power storage unit 23 is controlled by the charge / discharge circuit 21. The power storage unit 23 is preferably configured as a capacitor capable of rapid charge / discharge as a power storage element for storing the power of the main power supply 15. In this embodiment, an electric double layer capacitor having a full charge voltage of about 1.83 V and an initial capacity of 70 F is used. This is advantageous for completing the charging of the power storage unit 23 before the driver operates the starter 19 in particular. Two electric double layer capacitors are connected in parallel, and seven parallel connection sets are connected in series to form a power storage unit 23. The With this configuration, the power storage unit 23 covers the power required by the load 17 when the starter 19 operates. In this case, the combined capacity of the power storage unit 23 is 20F, and the full charge voltage is 12.8V.

[0022] In addition to the power storage element (not shown), the power storage unit 23 includes two multiplexers and a plurality of tolerance circuits (none of which are shown). The first multiplexer is a selection switch for voltage monitoring, and is connected to a series connection portion of a plurality of power storage elements, and outputs a voltage of each connection portion. In this embodiment, seven voltages are output excluding ground. The balance circuit is provided in order to balance the voltage at the serial connection portion of a plurality of power storage elements. As many balance circuits as the number of power storage elements in series are provided. In other words, seven balance circuits are provided in this embodiment. The second multiplexer is a selection switch for a balance circuit, and selects one of a plurality of balance circuits and controls its operation on / off.

The charge / discharge circuit 21 controls the charging of the power storage unit 23 and controls the discharge from the power storage unit 23 to the load 17. The charge / discharge circuit 21 has a function of switching the power supply source for the load 17 between the main power supply 15 and the power storage unit 23! /, And a function for on / off controlling the power supply to the load 17. In addition, the charge / discharge circuit 21 is a function that discharges the electric power of the power storage unit 23 as heat inside the charge / discharge circuit 21, and detects the voltage Vb of the main power source, the voltage Vc of the power storage unit 23, and the voltage Vd of the load 17. It also has the ability. Note that a DC-DC converter is not used in the discharge path of the power storage unit 23.

Next, a related configuration of the signal system wiring indicated by the thin line in FIG. 1 will be described. A control circuit 25 composed of a microcomputer is connected to the power storage unit 23 and the charge / discharge circuit 21. Between the power storage unit 23 and the control circuit 25, the wiring of the selection signal SLV, the wiring of the storage element voltage input signal VNin, the wiring of the selection signal SLB, and the wiring of the on signal Lol are connected as signal system wiring. ing. The selection signal SLV is a signal for selecting a voltage detection point for the voltage detection multiplexer of the storage element. The storage element voltage input signal VNin is a signal for inputting the voltage at the selected voltage detection point. The selection signal SLB is a signal transmitted to select the balance circuit to the second multiplexer for on / off control of the balance circuit. ON signal Lol is a signal that turns on the selected balance circuit. [0025] Between the charge / discharge circuit 21 and the control circuit 25, the wiring of the control signal cont and the wiring of the voltage input signal Vin are connected as signal system wirings. The control signal cont is a control signal that controls the overall operation of the charge / discharge circuit 21. The voltage input signal Vin is a signal for inputting the voltages Vb, Vc and Vd detected by the charge / discharge circuit 21.

[0026] The force S, which is the configuration of the power storage device 11, has been described above. The control circuit 25 also inputs and outputs data with the external vehicle-side control circuit 27. Specifically, the control circuit 25 receives the input signal “in” transmitted from the vehicle side control circuit 27 and transmits the output signal “out” to the vehicle side control circuit 27.

Yes

[0027] The vehicle-side control circuit 27 is a power for controlling the entire vehicle. Here, only the parts necessary for describing the present embodiment will be described. The vehicle-side control circuit 27 also has a microcomputer power. In addition to data input / output to / from the control circuit 25, data input / output to / from the decision switch 13 and data transmitted / received to / from the vehicle-side radio wave transmission / reception circuit (hereinafter referred to as communication circuit) 29 I / O is performed.

Here, the innovation switch 13 has four states (modes) as in the prior art.

Further, the idle switch 13 outputs an idling signal IG indicating the current switch mode to the vehicle side control circuit 27. Further, the mode of the innovation switch 13 is switched by the innovation switch control signal IGcont output from the vehicle side control circuit 27. Therefore, the vehicle side control circuit 27 can confirm the switch mode by the ignition signal IG, and can switch the mode of the ignition switch 13 by the ignition switch control signal IGcont.

[0029] The communication circuit 29 has a function of transmitting and receiving radio waves for unlocking and locking the vehicle. The communication circuit 29 is held by the driver and can be operated by the radio transmitter / receiver (hereinafter referred to as the key) 31. Communicate. The key 31 has a built-in battery 37 for supplying power necessary for transmitting and receiving radio waves.

Next, a specific operation using the communication circuits 29 and 33 will be described. When the driver operates the key 31 to transmit, for example, a signal for unlocking the vehicle from the communication circuit 33, the communication circuit 29 receives this signal. The communication circuit 29 outputs the received signal RC to the vehicle side control circuit 27. . The vehicle-side control circuit 27 outputs data for requesting transmission of the unlock signal to the key 31 again to the communication circuit 29 by the transmission signal TR. The communication circuit 29 transmits a transmission request signal corresponding to the transmission signal TR to the key 31 by radio waves. In response to this, the communication circuit 33 transmits the unlock signal to the communication circuit 29 again. The communication circuit 29 outputs the received unlocking signal to the vehicle side control circuit 27 again. The vehicle-side control circuit 27 compares the two unlocking signal data, and if they match, it authenticates that the driver is a legitimate driver. With this driver authentication method, the vehicle recognizes the driver. That is, the key 31, the vehicle-side control circuit 27, and the like are driver authentication units that transmit a signal for recognizing the driver to the power storage device 11.

[0031] Note that an example of a configuration in which the driver recognizes the key 31 by performing the unlocking operation has been described. However, it is possible to use a driver authentication method in which the unlocking signal is transmitted and received just by approaching the vehicle within a certain distance even if the driver does not perform the unlocking operation. In this way, the driver authentication unit may be configured. That is, the method for authenticating the driver is not particularly limited.

Next, the operation of power storage device 11 will be described. First, the operation that characterizes this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control circuit 25 from the end of vehicle use to the time of vehicle reuse. When the use of the vehicle is finished and the driver sets the idle switch 13 to the lock mode, the control circuit 25 executes the control according to the flowchart of FIG. 2 after a predetermined time has elapsed. Although the driver puts the switch 13 in the lock mode, the control circuit 25 waits until the predetermined time elapses because the switch 13 may be put out of the lock mode to use the vehicle immediately. . Since it is assumed that the driver will not restart the engine immediately after entering the lock mode for more than 1 minute, the default time can be set to 1 minute, for example.

[0033] When the predetermined time has elapsed, the control circuit 25 outputs the operation prohibition signal of the starter 19 to the vehicle-side control circuit 27 as the output signal o ut (Sl). In response to this, the vehicle side control circuit 27 prohibits the operation of the starter 19.

Next, the control circuit 25 instructs the charge / discharge circuit 21 to discharge the electric power of the power storage unit 23 (S 3). At this time, the power storage unit 23 is discharged while being controlled by the balance circuit built in the power storage unit 23 so that the voltage across the power storage elements becomes equal. After that, the control circuit 25 is charged and discharged The voltage Vc of the power storage unit 23 is fetched from the circuit 21 by the voltage input signal Vin and compared with the predetermined holding voltage Vk (S5). Here, the default holding voltage Vk is, for example, 10.5V. As a result, since the electricity storage elements are connected in series, the voltage of each electricity storage element is 1.5V. This voltage is a voltage at which the life of the power storage element is equivalent to the life of the vehicle. Here, the vehicle life is assumed to be 15 years. Therefore, the life of power storage unit 23 when the vehicle is not used is equivalent to the life of the vehicle.

In S5, if voltage Vc of power storage unit 23 is larger than predetermined holding voltage Vk (No), control returns to S5 and control circuit 25 waits until it becomes equal to or lower than predetermined holding voltage Vk. If the voltage Vc is equal to or lower than the predetermined holding voltage Vk (Yes), the control circuit 25 instructs the charge / discharge circuit 21 to stop discharging the power storage unit 23 (S7).

[0036] Control up to this point is executed immediately after the end of vehicle use. That is, the control circuit 25 discharges the power storage unit 23 until the voltage of the power storage unit 23 reaches the predetermined holding voltage Vk after the predetermined time has elapsed when the vehicle is finished using.

[0037] After S9, the control is performed when the vehicle is not used. The control circuit 25 takes in the voltage Vc of the power storage unit 23 and compares it with the predetermined lower limit voltage Vcmin (S9). The predetermined lower limit voltage Vcmin is defined as when the voltage across each storage element becomes 1.4V, for example. In this case, the default lower limit voltage Vcmin is 9.8V. If the voltage Vc is equal to or lower than the predetermined lower limit voltage Vcmin (Yes), the control circuit 25 instructs the charge / discharge circuit 21 to recharge the electric power that the power storage unit 23 has self-discharged (Sl l). .

After that, the voltage Vb of the main power supply 15 is taken from the charge / discharge circuit 21 and compared with the predetermined limit voltage Vbmin (S 13). The predetermined limit voltage Vbmin is the lower limit voltage for driving the load 17. In the first embodiment, it is set to 10.5V. If the voltage Vb is equal to or lower than the predetermined limit voltage Vbmin (Yes), it is considered that the main power supply 15 has deteriorated. Therefore, the control circuit 25 instructs the charging / discharging circuit 21 to stop charging the power storage unit 23 in order not to cause further voltage drop of the main power supply 15 (S15). Thereafter, the control jumps to S27 described later.

On the other hand, if the voltage Vb is larger than the predetermined limit voltage Vbmin (No), the control circuit 25 takes in the voltage Vc of the power storage unit 23 and compares it with the predetermined holding voltage Vk (10.5 V) (SI 7). If the electric If the voltage Vc is less than the predetermined holding voltage Vk (No), since the charging of the power storage unit 23 is not completed, the control returns to S13. On the other hand, if the voltage Vc is equal to or higher than the predetermined holding voltage Vk (Yes), it is considered that the storage unit 23 has been charged, and the control circuit 25 instructs the charging / discharging circuit 21 to stop charging the charging unit 23 ( S19). Thereafter, the control returns to S9, and the control circuit 25 again monitors the decrease in the voltage Vc of the power storage unit 23 due to self-discharge.

[0040] If the voltage Vc is larger than the predetermined lower limit voltage Vcmin in S9 (No), the control circuit 25 determines whether or not a full charge start signal of the power storage unit 23 is input from the vehicle-side control circuit 27 (S21). . The full charge start signal is input from the vehicle side control circuit 27 to the control circuit 25 when the unlocking signal of the vehicle is transmitted from the key 31 or when communication between the key 31 and the vehicle becomes possible. . If the full charge start signal is not input (No), the vehicle continues to be in a non-use state, so the control returns to S9 and the control circuit 25 again decreases the voltage Vc of the power storage unit 23 due to self-discharge. To monitor.

[0041] The operation so far is the operation when the vehicle is not used. That is, when voltage Vc of power storage unit 23 reaches predetermined lower limit voltage Vcmin, control circuit 25 repeats the operation of charging until voltage Vc of power storage unit 23 reaches predetermined holding voltage Vk. Note that it takes about several tens of hours for the voltage Vc of the power storage unit 23 shown in S9 to become equal to or lower than the predetermined lower limit voltage Vcmin. If the control circuit 25 continues to operate during that time, power is consumed simply by repeating the operations of S9 and S21. Therefore, the comparison operation of S9 by the control circuit 25 may be intermittent, for example, once every several tens of hours. That is, the control circuit 25 may be in a power saving state until the comparison operation of S9 is performed. As a result, the power of the main power supply 15 can be reduced.

[0042] Next, an operation when the vehicle is reused will be described. If the full charge start signal is input in S21, the control circuit 25 immediately starts charging the power storage unit 23 (S23). This operation is described in detail below.

[0043] The vehicle-side control circuit 27 transmits the full charge start signal to the control circuit 25, and simultaneously transmits an idling switch control signal IGcont to the idance switch 13 so as to enter the accessory mode. As a result, the vehicle-side control circuit 27 supplies power to the power storage device 11. In addition, the control circuit 25 turns off the power supply to the load 17 in order to charge the power storage unit 23. And a control signal cont is transmitted to the charge / discharge circuit 21 so as to charge the power storage unit 23. In this way, charging of the power storage unit 23 is started.

[0044] Next, if the power storage unit 23 has not reached full charge (No), the control returns to S25, and the control circuit 25 waits until full charge is reached. If the battery is fully charged (Yes), the control circuit 25 transmits an operation permission signal for the starter 19 to the vehicle-side control circuit 27 (S27). As a result, even if the starter 19 operates at the time of starting the vehicle and the voltage Vb of the main power supply 15 decreases, power is supplied from the power storage unit 23 to the load 17 while the starter 19 is operating. Therefore, load 17 can be kept operating by force S.

Thus, when the vehicle recognizes the driver, the control circuit 25 instructs the charge / discharge circuit 21 to fully charge the power storage unit 23. That is, the power storage unit 23 is charged so as to always have the predetermined holding voltage Vk even when the vehicle is not used. In addition, if a signal for recognizing the driver is received from the vehicle, the control circuit 25 can rapidly charge the power storage unit 23 before the driver gets into the vehicle. Therefore, when the driver turns on the idle switch 13 to operate the starter 19, electric power can be supplied from the fully charged power storage unit 23 to the load 17. As a result, the possibility of power shortage in the power storage unit 23 is extremely reduced. In this circuit configuration, a conventional DC-DC converter is not used during discharge, so that there is no loss of the main power supply 15 due to its operation.

[0046] Although not shown in FIG. 2, it is preferable that the power storage unit 23 is fully charged again after the starter 19 is operated at the time of starting the vehicle. This is to supply power to the load 17 during the operation of the starter 19 after the idling stop described below. Further, when the driver sets the idle switch 13 to the accessory mode, the vehicle-side control circuit 27 detects that the accessory mode has been set to the accessory mode IG. Then, the vehicle side control circuit 27 informs the control circuit 25 that the idance switch 13 is in the accessory mode by the output signal out. As a result, the control circuit 25 transmits a control signal cont to the charge / discharge circuit 21 so as to turn on the power supply to the load 17. As a result, power is supplied to the load 17, and the load 17 starts to operate.

Next, the operation when using the vehicle will be described with reference to FIG. During normal engine operation, the control circuit 25 is connected to the charge / discharge circuit 21 so that the power of the main power supply 15 is supplied to the load 17. Instruct (S31). Specifically, the control signal cont for switching the charging / discharging circuit 21 to supply the power of the main power supply 15 to the load 17 is transmitted to the charging / discharging circuit 21. Next, the control circuit 25 monitors the output of the voltage detection circuit (not shown) built in the charge / discharge circuit 21 and the output of the comparison circuit between the predetermined limit voltage Vbmin (10.5 V). Although not shown, this comparison circuit is built in the charge / discharge circuit 21. If the voltage Vb is equal to or higher than the predetermined limit voltage Vbmin (No), it means that the starter 19 is not operated after the idling stop, so the control returns to S33 and the control circuit 25 operates the starter 19 Continue judgment

[0048] On the other hand, if the voltage Vb becomes less than the predetermined limit voltage Vbmin (Yes), the control circuit 25 determines that the starter 19 is operating and charges the power storage unit 23 to supply the load 17 with power. The discharge circuit 21 is instructed (S35). Specifically, the control circuit 25 transmits to the charge / discharge circuit 21 a control signal cont for switching to supply the power of the power storage unit 23 to the load 17. As a result, while the voltage Vb of the main power supply 15 drops due to the operation of the starter 19, power is continuously supplied from the power storage unit 23 to the load 17.

[0049] Next, the control circuit 25 takes in the voltage Vb of the main power supply 15 and compares it with the predetermined limit voltage Vbmin (S37). If the voltage Vb is less than the predetermined limit voltage Vbmin (No), the control returns to S37 and the control circuit 25 waits until the voltage Vb recovers to the predetermined limit voltage Vbmin or more. If the voltage Vb is equal to or higher than the predetermined limit voltage Vbmin (Yes), the control circuit 25 controls the charge / discharge circuit 21 to supply the power of the main power supply 15 to the load 17 (S39). This operation is the same as the operation of S31 described above. Next, the control circuit 25 instructs the charge / discharge circuit 21 to fully charge the power storage unit 23 (S41). This prepares for the next idling stop. By repeating such an operation, the voltage drop of the main power supply 15 after idling stop is compensated by the electric power of the power storage unit 23, and the load 17 is continuously driven.

That is, when the voltage Vb of the main power supply 15 falls below the predetermined limit voltage Vbmin in a state where the power storage unit 23 is fully charged, the control circuit 25 controls the charge / discharge circuit 21 to negatively charge the power of the power storage unit 23. Supply to load 17. When the voltage Vb of the main power supply 15 returns to the predetermined limit voltage Vbmin or more, the control circuit 25 controls the charge / discharge circuit 21 to supply the power of the main power supply 15 to the load 17 and to fully charge the power storage unit 23. Repeat the operation. [0051] With the above configuration and operation, the control circuit 25 stores power to some extent in the power storage unit 23 even when the vehicle is not in use, and fully charges the power storage unit 23 when the driver is authenticated. Therefore, the power storage unit 23 is fully charged early, and the loss of the main power supply 15 can be reduced because there is no DC-DC converter.

In the present embodiment, as a method for authenticating the driver, the vehicle unlocking operation of the key 31 by the driver and the approach detection of the key 31 held by the driver to the vehicle are cited. In addition to this, for example, driver authentication including an alcohol detector may be used. In this case, when the driver performs an action such as blowing on the alcohol detector, the vehicle determines that the driver has drunk, and if it is not drunk, the vehicle is allowed to start. The vehicle side control circuit 27 causes the control circuit 25 to start charging the power storage unit 23 from the time when such an operation is started. Therefore, the control circuit 25 can fully charge the power storage unit 23 by the charge / discharge circuit 21 between the start of alcohol detection and the start of the vehicle is permitted. In this way, the driver authentication unit may be configured.

[0053] Further, as the driver recognition method, other recognition methods such as driver face image recognition, fingerprint recognition, vein recognition, iris recognition, and the like may be applied. Also in this case, these driver recognition methods can charge the power storage unit 23 immediately after the operation starts, so that the power can be fully charged during the authentication. In addition, the driver recognition methods described in this embodiment may be used alone or in any combination.

[0054] Further, in the present embodiment, the force described for the idling stop vehicle may be applied at the time of starting in a general vehicle. In this case, since it is not necessary to use the electric power stored in the power storage unit 23 while the vehicle is in use, it may not be fully charged. Therefore, the control circuit 25 discharges the power storage unit 23 until the predetermined holding voltage Vk is reached. Thereafter, when voltage Vc of power storage unit 23 reaches predetermined lower limit voltage Vcmin, control circuit 25 repeats the operation of charging until voltage Vc reaches predetermined holding voltage Vk. As a result, the time during which the power storage unit 23 is in a fully charged state can be shortened, so that the life of the power storage unit 23 can be extended.

Further, in the present embodiment, a force using an electric double layer capacitor as a power storage element, other than this, a capacitor capable of rapid charge / discharge such as an electrochemical capacitor may be used.

[Embodiment 2] FIG. 4 is a block circuit diagram of the vehicle power storage device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. The power storage device for a vehicle in the present embodiment will be described focusing on a preferable function of the balance circuit, which is not described in the first embodiment. The overall configuration including other vehicles is the same as that of the first embodiment.

The storage element 101 that charges and discharges electric power is an electric double layer capacitor, and a plurality of these are connected in series to form the storage element unit 102. A balance circuit 103 is connected to each of the power storage elements 101 in parallel. The balance circuit 103 is configured by connecting a transistor as the switching element 105 and a resistor 107 in series. For this reason, when the switching element 105 is turned on, the resistor 107 is connected to both ends of the power storage element 101. As a result of the discharge by the resistor 107, the voltage of the power storage element 101 decreases. That is, the voltage of the power storage element 101 can be controlled to be lowered by the on / off control of the switching element 105.

The balance circuit 103 is connected to a voltage monitor selection switch (hereinafter referred to as “switch”) 109 for selecting a voltage V;! To Vn (n is the number of the storage elements 101 + 1) at one end thereof. The switch 109 is constituted by a multiplexer, for example. The switch 109 is connected to a control circuit 113 which will be described later. The switch 109 receives from the control circuit 113 a voltage selection signal SLV indicating which voltage V ;! to Vn is to be selected. Switch 109 selects voltage V;! To Vn based on voltage selection signal SLV. Further, the switch 109 has a floating configuration in which any one of the voltages V;! To Vn is not selected when the supply of the power supply voltage (for example, DC5V) is cut off. Thus, when the power source of the switch 109 is turned off at the time of stop, both ends of each balance circuit 103 are all insulated by the switch 109. That is, when the switch 109 is turned off, each balance circuit 103 is opened. Therefore, the storage element 101 is prevented from being discharged via the switch 109.

A balance circuit selection switch (hereinafter referred to as a switch) 111 is connected to the base terminal of the transistor, which is an on / off control terminal of each switching element 105. The switch 111 is also composed of, for example, a multiplexer! Switch 111 is also connected to control circuit 113. The switch 111 receives from the control circuit 113 a switching element selection signal SLB indicating which switching element 105 is selected. Switch 111 is switching An arbitrary switching element 105 is selected based on the element selection signal SLB. Then, the ON signal Lo 1 generated by the control circuit 113 is transmitted to the selected switching element 105. Thus, the control circuit 113 can operate an arbitrary balance circuit 103 according to the voltage balance state of the power storage elements 101, and can individually balance the voltages of the power storage elements 101. Power storage element unit 102, balance circuit 103, switch 109, and switch 111 correspond to power storage unit 23 of the first embodiment.

[0060] The control circuit 113 includes a microcomputer and peripheral circuits (not shown) that generate and transmit / receive various signals such as an ON signal Lol. As described above, the control circuit 113 transmits the voltage selection signal SLV to the switch 109, and the switching element selection signal SLB and the ON signal Lol to the switch 111. In addition, the control circuit 113 receives the midpoint voltage when the voltage selected by the switch 109 (V;! To Vn! /, Deviation) is divided by the two resistors 115 and 117 as the voltage signal Vin. To do. Therefore, the voltage signal Vin has a value proportional to the voltage Vi (l≤i≤n). The control circuit 113 has other terminals for transmitting and receiving force S, which will be described in order.

The driving power (for example, DC5V) of the switches 109 and 111 and the control circuit 113 is supplied when the switch element 119 is turned on. The on / off operation of the switch element 119 is controlled by an activation signal Wake from the outside of the power storage device 157 or a power control signal Lo of the control circuit 113, which will be described later.

The switch element 119 is composed of, for example, a P-channel MOSFET. The source terminal S is connected to the maximum voltage VI of the storage element 101. Further, the first resistor 121 is connected between the source terminal S and the gate terminal G. The gate terminal G is connected to the control circuit 113 through the second resistor 123. On the other hand, a regulator 127 for generating a constant voltage (DC5V) is connected to the drain terminal D via a diode 125 for preventing backflow. As a result, a constant voltage of 5 VDC is obtained from the voltage VI and supplied to the switches 109 and 111 and the drive voltage input terminal 129 of the control circuit 113. That is, the DC5V voltage supply is controlled by turning on and off the switch element 119.

[0063] An activation isolated signal transmission unit (hereinafter referred to as a transmission unit) 131 is connected to a connection point between the control circuit 113 and the second resistor 123. The transmission unit 131 is configured by a photo power bra, for example, and the transmission unit 1 A connection point between the control circuit 113 and the second resistor 123 is connected to the collector side of the phototransistor 133 included in 31. The emitter side of the phototransistor 133 is connected to the ground.

On the other hand, an external control circuit 137 is connected to the anode side of the light emitting diode 135 of the transmission unit 131. Similar to the control circuit 113, the external control circuit 137 includes a microcomputer and a peripheral circuit, and is used for vehicle control including charge / discharge control of the power storage element unit 102 and the like. The external control circuit 137 transmits a start signal Wake to the light emitting diode 135. The power sword side of light emitting diode 135 is connected to ground via resistor 139! / ヽ

The external control circuit 137 is driven at a constant voltage of DC5V, like the control circuit 113. This power is supplied by converting the output voltage of a battery 141 of a low voltage system (for example, DC 12 V) mounted on the vehicle to DC 5 V by a regulator 142. Therefore, the external control circuit 137 obtains power from a power source independent of the control circuit 113. Note that a low voltage load 144 is connected to the battery 141 via a notary idling switch 143. The battery change-over switch 143 has a function of transmitting an turn-on signal IG indicating the turn-on / off state of the turn-on. As shown in FIG. 4, the battery innovation switch 143 transmits an innovation signal IG to an external control circuit 137 and a main power supply innovation switch 161 described later.

[0066] The external control circuit 137 and the control circuit 113 exchange data with each other. First, transmission from the control circuit 113 to the external control circuit 137 is performed by an isolated signal transmission unit for data transmission (hereinafter, transmission unit) 145. The configuration of the transmission unit 145 is the same as the configuration of the transmission unit 131, but the positions of the phototransistor 147 and the light emitting diode 149 are reversed.

[0067] A specific data transmission method is as follows. First, voltage data and the like of the storage element 101 are transmitted from the control circuit 113 to the light emitting diode 149 as a data signal Dout. In response to this, the phototransistor 147 is turned on / off according to the data signal to return to the electric signal, and is input to the external control circuit 137 as the data signal Din.

Similarly, reception from the external control circuit 137 to the control circuit 113 is performed by an isolated signal transmission unit for data reception (hereinafter, transmission unit) 151. The structure of the transmitter 151 is the transmitter The configuration is the same as 131.

[0069] A specific data receiving method is as follows. First, the external control circuit 137 transmits data such as a voltage data transmission request of the storage element 101 to the light emitting diode 153 as a data signal Dout. In response to this, the phototransistor 155 is turned on / off according to the data signal to return to the electric signal, and is input to the control circuit 113 as the data signal Din. Through such control, transmission and reception between the control circuit 113 and the external control circuit 137 are performed. That is, the control circuit 113, the switch element 119, the phototransistor 133 151, the light emitting diode 149, and the like correspond to the control circuit 25 in the first embodiment. The external control circuit 137, the light emitting diode 135 153, the phototransistor 147, and the like correspond to the vehicle side control circuit 27.

[0070] Among the component parts described above, the vehicle power storage device includes the parts surrounded by the thick dotted line in FIG.

(Hereafter, power storage device) 157 is configured. A main power source 15 that is a power source for charging the power storage element 101 is connected to the power storage device 157 via a main power generation switch 161 and a charge / discharge circuit 163. The charge / discharge circuit 163 is a circuit for charging / discharging the storage element 101.

The main power supply 15 is composed of a high voltage secondary battery (for example, a nickel metal hydride battery or a lithium ion battery). Therefore, a high-voltage load 165 such as a starter or a vehicle driving motor of a hybrid vehicle is also connected to the output of the main power supply idler switch 161, for example. The load 165 corresponds to the starter 19 and the load 17 in the first embodiment.

Since the charge / discharge circuit 163 is controlled by the external control circuit 137, wiring for transmitting the charge / discharge control signal cont is connected between the two. Note that as in the first embodiment, the external control circuit 137 may control the charge / discharge circuit 163 via the control circuit 113.

Note that the charge / discharge circuit 163 is completely turned off between the input and the output when stopped. In addition, the main power ignition switch 161 is on / off controlled according to the ignition signal IG from the battery ignition switch 143, so that the wiring for that is connected between the two.

[0074] Note that the ground of power storage device 157 is independent of the ground of other components.

Figure 4 shows this by using a different ground symbol. As a result, the transmission unit 13 Combined with the use of 1, 145, 151, the power storage device 157 is independent of other circuit configuration capabilities. As a result, for example, when the power storage device 157 fails, it can be replaced with a non-defective power storage device 157 very easily.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, a configuration in which only one power storage device 157 is provided is shown. However, a plurality of power storage devices 157 are provided according to the power specifications required by the load 165, and one external control circuit is provided. It may be controlled by the road 137. In this case, since the power storage device 157 is independent of other circuit configuration powers, a plurality of power storage devices 157 can be connected with an extremely simple configuration.

Next, the operation of such power storage device 157 will be described. First, in order to start the vehicle, the driver turns on the battery idle switch 143. Thus, power is supplied to the low voltage load ₁₄ 4, the main power source Lee mite Chillon switch 161 also Ri Do ON, power is supplied to the load 165. Therefore, for example, the starter operates to drive the engine to start the vehicle. At the same time, the battery innovation switch 143 sends an external signal IG indicating an ON state to the external control circuit 137. As a result, the external control circuit 137 transmits a charge / discharge control signal cont to the charge / discharge circuit 163, and commands to start charging the power storage element 101.

Furthermore, the external control circuit 137 transmits an activation signal Wake to the light emitting diode 135 in order to activate the power storage device 157. As a result, the light emitting diode 135 of the transmission unit 131 is

[0078] Until the phototransistor 133 is turned on, the input / output of the charge / discharge circuit 163 is completely turned off, so that the highest voltage VI of the storage element 101 is applied to the source terminal S of the switch element 119. . The source terminal S is connected to the gate terminal G via the first resistor 121, and the gate terminal G is connected to the control circuit 113 via the second resistor 123. When the control circuit 113 is driven! /,! /, The connection point between the second resistor 123 and the control circuit 113 is in an electrically floating state. Therefore, since the source terminal S and the gate terminal G have the equal voltage VI, the switch element 119 is in an off state.

When the phototransistor 133 is turned on at this time, the connection point between the second resistor 123 and the control circuit 113 is connected to the ground via the phototransistor 133. As a result, the voltage at the gate terminal G with respect to the voltage VI at the source terminal S is the resistance value of the first resistor 121 and the second resistor 123. The voltage is lower than the voltage VI. As a result, an ON signal is input to the gate terminal G, so that the switch element 119 is turned on. As a result, the voltage VI is applied to the regulator 127 via the diode 125, so that the regulator 127 outputs a constant voltage (DC5V). This voltage is supplied to control circuit 113 and switches 109 and 111, and power storage device 157 is activated. As a result, the control circuit 113 always keeps the switch element 119 on and continues to supply a constant voltage. Therefore, the control circuit 113 sets the power control signal Lo to the ground level so that the voltage at the connection point between the second resistor 123 and the control circuit 113 maintains the ground level.

Thereafter, the storage element 101 is charged with the electric power of the main power supply 15 via the charge / discharge circuit 163.

At this time, the external control circuit 137 transmits a voltage data transmission request signal Dout to the power storage device 157. In response to this, the control circuit 113 transmits a voltage selection signal SLV to the switch 109. The switch 109 selects the voltage specified by the voltage selection signal SLV (! / Of VI to Vn), and the control circuit 113 reads the voltage signal Vin. By repeating such an operation, the control circuit 113 reads data of all voltages V ;! to Vn. All voltage data is transmitted from the control circuit 113 to the external control circuit 137 via the transmission unit 145 as a data signal Dout. The external control circuit 137 continues to charge the power storage element 101 while controlling the charge / discharge circuit 163 so as to satisfy the optimum condition from the obtained voltage data until the battery is fully charged.

When the power storage element 101 is fully charged, the external control circuit 137 issues a command to the charging / discharging circuit 163 to stop charging. Thereby, activation of power storage device 157 is completed.

Next, a case where a starter that consumes a large current in the load 165 operates will be described. At this time, the main power supply 15 causes a voltage drop, and power cannot be supplied with a stable voltage other than the starter of the load 165. Therefore, the power of the storage element 101 is supplied to the load 165 via the charge / discharge circuit 163 so as to compensate for the voltage drop. As a result, a stable voltage can be continuously supplied to the load 165 even if a voltage drop occurs.

[0083] When the consumption of the large current is completed, the voltage of the main power supply 15 is restored.

113 prepares for the compensation of the next voltage drop by recharging the storage element 101 again.

In this way, when the storage element unit 102 is charged by the charge / discharge circuit 163 during the operation of the storage device 157, the control circuit 113 uses the switches 109 and 111 to switch the voltage of the storage element 101. The lance is controlled to be constant.

[0085] Next, a case will be described in which the use of the vehicle is ended and the notch idling switch 143 is turned off. At this time, since the main power generation switch 161 is also turned off, the power supply to the load 165 is cut off, and an idling signal IG indicating the idling off state is transmitted to the external control circuit 137. Note that the electric power of the battery 141 is always supplied through the regulator 142 in order to perform the minimum necessary control even when the external control circuit 137 is stopped. As a result, the external control circuit 137 transmits a charge / discharge control signal cont and issues a command to completely turn off the input / output of the charge / discharge circuit 163. As a result, the storage element 101 becomes independent from the wiring system of the main power supply 15. Therefore, unnecessary discharge of the storage element 101 is suppressed.

[0086] At this time, since the control circuit 113 is still driven by the electric power of the storage element 101, the control circuit 113 sets the connection point between the second resistor 123 and the control circuit 113 in order to stop the control circuit 113. Float electrically. As a result, since the source voltage and the gate voltage of the switch element 119 become equal as described above, the switch element 119 is turned off, and the control circuit 113, the switches 109 and 111 are all turned off.

Since switch 109 has a floating configuration, none of voltages V;! To Vn is selected. Further, none of the transmission units 131, 145, 151 is directly connected to the wiring system of the external control circuit 137. Because of these factors, the power storage element 101 is in an electrically floating state, so that it does not consume power unnecessarily.

If the vehicle is left in this state, discharge from the circuit connected to power storage element 101 is extremely suppressed, but self-discharge due to the internal resistance of power storage element 101 occurs. As a result, the voltage across the storage element 101 gradually decreases. At this time, a difference occurs in the voltage drop speed due to the internal resistance variation of the power storage element 101, and the voltage value across the power storage element 101 varies. Therefore, in order to reduce variation, it is preferable to automatically perform the following voltage balance operation for each predetermined condition (for example, once a day).

Since the external control circuit 137 is always operating, the external control circuit 137 measures a predetermined time. When the predetermined time elapses, the external control circuit 137 issues a start signal Wake. As a result, the control circuit 113 receives the activation signal Wake and activates the power storage device 157 described above. By performing the same operation as that at the time, the switch element 119 is turned on. As a result, the electric power of power storage element 101 is stabilized at a constant voltage (DC5V) by regulator 127, and power storage device 157 is activated.

Next, the control circuit 113 controls the switch 109 to detect voltages V ;! to Vn. This method is also the same as that at the time of starting the power storage device 157 described above. The control circuit 113 obtains the voltage data power obtained and the voltage across each storage element 101, and controls the switch 111 to operate the balance circuit 103 of the storage element 101 having a high voltage across both ends. Specifically, first, the control circuit 113 transmits a switch means selection signal SLB for selecting the switching element 105 of the target storage element 101 by the switch 111. As a result, the switch 111 transmits a switching element ON signal Tri (l≤i≤n-1) to the selected switching element 105. As a result, the selected switching element 105 is turned on, the power of the corresponding storage element 101 is discharged through the resistor 107, and the voltage decreases.

[0091] Such an operation is repeated, and the voltage balance becomes constant when the voltages across all the power storage elements 101 become equal. Therefore, the control circuit 113 completes the voltage balancing operation. At this time, as in the case of the end of use of the vehicle, the control circuit 113 turns off the switch element 119 by electrically floating the connection point with the second resistor 123. As a result, the operation of power storage device 157 is stopped, and the state is the same as when stopped.

[0092] Since the voltage balance of power storage element 101 is intermittently constant in this way, the possibility of overvoltage to power storage element 101 due to charging in a state where the voltage balance is lost when the vehicle is started is reduced. The As a result, the reliability of the power storage device 157 is improved.

Note that if the storage element 101 is overdischarged by the voltage detection operation, the control circuit 113 transmits an overdischarge signal to the external control circuit 137 via the transmission unit 145. At the same time, the control circuit 113 stops the voltage balancing operation to avoid shortening the life of the power storage element 101. By receiving the overdischarge signal, the external control circuit 137 does not transmit a start signal Wake for each predetermined time thereafter, and warns the driver that the vehicle is overdischarged when the vehicle is started. This improves reliability.

[0094] With the above configuration and operation, unnecessary discharge of power storage element 101 at the time of stop is suppressed as much as possible.

In addition, automatic intermittent voltage monitoring and voltage balancing operations are performed. Thus, the possibility of overvoltage and overdischarge is reduced, and a highly reliable power storage device 157 can be realized.

[0095] (Embodiment 3)

FIG. 5 is a block circuit diagram of the vehicle power storage device according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. A vehicle power storage device (hereinafter referred to as power storage device) 157A according to the present embodiment is the same as vehicle power storage device 157 according to the second embodiment, except for the following points. Therefore, the same components as those in FIG.

1) A power storage component 173 provided separately from the power storage element unit 102 is connected to the drive voltage input terminal 129 of the control circuit 113A.

[0097] 2) The control circuit 113A maintains the power saving state when stopped by the power of the power storage component 173.

. The power storage component 173 has a capacity that allows the control circuit 113A to maintain a power saving state, for example, for about one month.

3) Along with this, the start signal Wake generated from the external control circuit 137 is transmitted to the start terminal 175 of the control circuit 113 A. For this purpose, the collector terminal of the phototransistor 133 is connected to the output of the S regulator 127. A resistor 177 is connected to the emitter terminal of the phototransistor 133. Further, the connection point between the emitter terminal and the resistor 177 is connected to the start terminal 175 of the control circuit 113A.

[0099] 4) Selection switch for the control circuit 113A to turn on / off the power supply to the voltage monitor selection switch 109 and the balance circuit selection switch 111 (hereinafter referred to as “l” and “shift”).

[0100] Power storage component 173 may be a capacitor or a secondary battery, but in this embodiment, a capacitor with a capacitance value of several farads is used!

Next, the operation of vehicle power storage device 157 having such a configuration will be described with a focus on differences from the second embodiment.

First, when battery idling switch 143 is turned on by starting the vehicle, main power idling switch 161 is turned on. As a result, the engine is driven, and the external control circuit 137 transmits a charge / discharge control signal cont to the charge / discharge circuit 163 to instruct to start charging the power storage element 101. This operation is the same as in the second embodiment.

[0103] Furthermore, the external control circuit 137 uses the start signal W to start the power storage device 157 for the vehicle. Send ake. As a result, the light emitting diode 135 of the start-up insulated signal transmission unit 131 is

Here, the control circuit 113A is in the power saving state until the phototransistor 133 is turned on. The drive voltage to the control circuit 113A at this time is supplied from the power storage component 173. In other words, since the control circuit 113A in the power saving state has a very small current consumption, the power storage component 173 having a capacity of several farads can be sufficiently driven. In the power saving state, the control circuit 113A turns off the switch element 119 and the power switch 179 for the selection switch, and the phototransistors 133 and 155 are off. Therefore, the electric power of power storage component 173 is supplied only to control circuit 113A. As a result, the power storage component 173 can drive the control circuit 113A for a long period (approximately one month).

[0105] At this time, when the phototransistor 133 is turned on, the current from the power storage component 173 is

Since it flows to ground through 177, a voltage is generated at the emitter terminal of the phototransistor 133. This corresponds to the start signal Wake. When this voltage is input to the start terminal 175 of the control circuit 113A, the control circuit 113A returns from the power saving state to the normal operation mode and starts. As a result, the control circuit 113A sets the power control signal Lo to the ground level and immediately turns on the switch element 119 as in the second embodiment. As a result, voltage VI is converted to DC5V by regulator 127 and input to drive voltage input terminal 129 of control circuit 113A. Therefore, a stable voltage is supplied thereafter. At the same time, since the power consumed by the power saving state of the control circuit 113A is stored in the power storage component 173 and is fully charged, it is possible to prepare for the next power saving state.

Further, the control circuit 113A transmits the selection switch power signal SP to turn on the selection switch power switch 179. As a result, power is supplied to the power monitor selection switch 109 and switch 111.

[0107] With this operation, power storage device 157A is activated. The subsequent operation is the same as in the second embodiment. That is, the control circuit 113A controls the charging / discharging circuit 163 while monitoring the voltage of each storage element 101 to charge the storage element 101. When the storage element 101 is fully charged, the external control circuit 137 issues a command to the charging / discharging circuit 163 to stop charging. Thereby, activation of power storage device 157A is completed. Next, when the load 165 that consumes a large current operates, the power of the power storage device 101 is supplied to the load 165 via the charge / discharge circuit 163 so as to compensate for the voltage drop of the main power supply 15. As a result, a stable voltage can be continuously supplied to the load 165 even if a voltage drop occurs. When the consumption of the large current is finished, the voltage of the main power supply 15 returns, and then the power storage element 101 is fully charged again to prepare for the next voltage drop compensation.

[0109] When the storage element unit 102 is charged by the charge / discharge circuit 163, the control circuit 113A controls the charging so that the voltage balance of the storage element 101 becomes constant by the switch 109 and the switch 111.

[0110] Next, the end of use of the vehicle will be described. Turning battery idling switch 143 off also turns main power idling switch 161 off. As a result, the power supply to the load 165 is cut off, and an idling signal IG indicating the idling off state is transmitted to the external control circuit 137. As a result, the external control circuit 137 transmits the charge / discharge control signal cont and issues a command to completely turn off the input / output of the charge / discharge circuit 163. As a result, the power storage element 101 becomes independent from the wiring system of the main power supply 15. Therefore, unnecessary discharge of the power storage element 101 is suppressed.

[0111] At this time, the control circuit 113A is still driven by the electric power of the power storage element 101. Therefore, the control circuit 113A turns off the switch element 119 by setting the power control signal Lo to be electrically floated. At the same time, the control circuit 113A turns off the power switch 179 for the selection switch. As a result, as in Embodiment 2, the power storage element 101 is in an electrically floating state, so that unnecessary discharge is not performed. Thereafter, the control circuit 113A enters the power saving state while receiving the power supply from the power storage component 173, and maintains this state.

[0112] If the vehicle is left in this state, the voltage value at both ends of power storage element 101 varies due to the reason described in the second embodiment. In order to reduce this variation, the following voltage balancing operation is automatically performed for each predetermined condition (for example, once a day).

[0113] The external control circuit 137 generates a start signal Wake when a predetermined time elapses. As a result, the control circuit 113A receives the activation signal Wake and returns to the normal operation mode by performing the same operation as when the vehicle power storage device 157 is activated. Then, the control circuit 113A turns on the switch element 119 and the power switch 179 for the selection switch. As a result, the storage element 10 The electric power of 1 is stabilized at a constant voltage (DC5V) by the regulator 127, and the power storage device 157A is activated.

[0114] Next, the control circuit 113A controls the switch 109 in the same manner as in the second embodiment to detect the voltages V ;! to Vn. Then, the control circuit 113A controls the switch 111 to operate the balance circuit 103 of the power storage element 101 having a high voltage across both ends. As a result, the electric power of the target storage element 101 is discharged and the voltage decreases. Such an operation is repeated, and when the voltage balance becomes constant, the control circuit 113A completes the voltage balance operation. The subsequent operation is the same as when the vehicle has been used. As a result, the control circuit 113A enters a power saving state, and the vehicle power storage device 157 enters the same state as when stopped.

In this way, the voltage of the storage element 101 is balanced intermittently. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the possibility of overvoltage of power storage element 101 due to charging in a state where the voltage balance is lost when the vehicle is started, and the reliability is improved.

Note that if the control circuit 113A detects overdischarge of the power storage element 101, the control circuit 113A transmits an overdischarge signal to the external control circuit 137 as in the second embodiment. Also stops the voltage balancing operation. Therefore, reliability is improved.

[0117] With the above configuration and operation, unnecessary discharge of power storage element 101 during stoppage is suppressed as much as possible.

Further, by automatically performing intermittent voltage monitoring operation and voltage balancing operation, the possibility of overvoltage and overdischarge is reduced, and the highly reliable power storage device 157A can be realized.

[0118] Power storage device 157A requires power storage component 173, power switch 179 for the selection switch, and the like, and is slightly complicated in configuration as compared with vehicle power storage device 157 of the second embodiment. However, since the control circuit 113A is not completely turned off as in the second embodiment and maintains the power saving state at the time of stop, it can be quickly started by the start signal Wake.

[0119] Further, in Embodiments 2 and 3, the force with which a plurality of power storage elements 101 are connected in series is not limited to this. A series-parallel connection may be used according to the required power specifications. 6A and 6B show connection circuit diagrams of the storage element 101 and the balance circuit 103 in this case.

First, FIG. 6A shows a case where three power storage elements 101 are connected in parallel to the balance circuit 103. In this case, the power storage element 101 is connected in series and parallel, but the voltage across the three power storage elements 101 in the parallel connection portion is equal, so that the balance circuit 103 is It is not necessary to connect to each power storage element 101. That is, it may be connected to any one of the power storage elements 101 whose voltages at both ends are equal by parallel connection.

FIG. 6B shows a case where two storage elements 101 connected in parallel to the balance circuit 103 are connected in series in two stages. In this case, among the series-parallel connections of the entire storage element 101, the voltage across the storage element 101 is different in the series connection part. Become. Therefore, it is not necessary to connect the balance circuit 103 to each power storage element 101. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6B, for example, every six balance circuits 103 may be connected.

As described above, the balance circuit 103 is not necessarily connected to each power storage element 101, and the balance circuit 103 may be connected to each of the plurality of power storage elements 101 as a group.

Further, in Embodiments 2 and 3, the power storage device for vehicles as an auxiliary power source for vehicles has been described as an example, but the present invention can be applied not only to vehicles but also to general emergency backup power sources. Furthermore, the specific control using the balance circuit 103 shown in the second and third embodiments may be applied independently of the control that is characteristic in the vehicle power storage device of the first embodiment. Here, the control that is characteristic in the first embodiment is the discharge control up to the predetermined holding voltage (Vk) of the power storage unit at the end of use, the holding control at the predetermined holding voltage (Vk), and It means full charge control using driver authentication. That is, the control using the balance circuit 103 described in the second and third embodiments may be applied to the vehicle power storage device that does not perform the above-described control, which is a feature of the first embodiment.

Further, Embodiment 1 shows a configuration in which power storage device 11 is connected in series between main power supply 15 and load 17. On the other hand, Embodiments 2 and 3 show a configuration in which power storage devices 157 and 157A are connected in parallel between main power supply 15 and load 165. That is, power storage devices 157 and 157A are connected to the connection portion between main power supply 15 and load 165. However, this may be a reverse connection method. Therefore, power storage device 11 and power storage devices 157 and 157A may be connected between main power supply 15 and loads 17 and 165 by either a serial or parallel connection method.

Industrial applicability The vehicle power storage device according to the present invention can fully charge the power storage unit at an early stage, and can suppress unnecessary discharge of the main power source and the power storage element. Reliability is improved by automatically performing intermittent voltage balancing. Therefore, it is particularly useful as a vehicle power storage device or the like as an auxiliary power source that supplies power from the power storage unit when the voltage of the main power source drops.

Claims

The scope of the claims

[1] A power storage device for a vehicle connected between a main power source and a load,

A power storage unit for storing the power of the main power source;

A charge / discharge circuit connected to each of the main power supply, the load, and the power storage unit; and a control circuit connected to the power storage unit and the charge / discharge circuit;

At the end of use of the vehicle, the control circuit controls the charge / discharge circuit to discharge power until the voltage of the power storage unit reaches a predetermined holding voltage after a predetermined time has elapsed, and when the vehicle is not used, When the voltage reaches a predetermined lower limit voltage, the control circuit controls the charge / discharge circuit to repeat the operation of charging until the voltage of the power storage unit reaches the predetermined holding voltage,

If a signal for recognizing the driver is received from the outside of the vehicle power storage device, the control circuit controls the charge / discharge circuit to fully charge the power storage unit.

Power storage device for vehicles.

[2] When the voltage of the main power source becomes equal to or lower than the predetermined limit voltage while charging the power storage unit so that the voltage of the power storage unit becomes the predetermined holding voltage when the vehicle is not used, the control is performed. The control circuit stops charging the power storage unit,

The vehicle power storage device according to claim 1.

[3] The predetermined holding voltage is set to a voltage at which a life of the power storage unit when the vehicle is not used is equal to a life of the vehicle.

The vehicle power storage device according to claim 1.

[4] The control circuit according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit intermittently compares the voltage of the power storage unit and the predetermined lower limit voltage until the voltage of the power storage unit reaches the predetermined lower limit voltage when the vehicle is not used. Power storage device for vehicles.

[5] The power storage unit includes a capacitor.

The vehicle power storage device according to claim 1.

[6] During use of the vehicle, the control circuit discharges the power of the power storage unit to a predetermined holding voltage, and if the voltage of the power storage unit reaches a predetermined lower limit voltage, the voltage of the power storage unit is Repeat the charging operation until the preset holding voltage is reached. The vehicle power storage device according to claim 1.

[7] The power storage unit includes:

A power storage element unit composed of a plurality of power storage elements;

A plurality of balance circuits for balancing the voltages of the plurality of power storage elements; a voltage monitor selection switch connected to the plurality of balance circuits; and a balance circuit selection switch connected to the plurality of balance circuits. The control circuit controls the voltage of the power storage element via the voltage monitor selection switch and the balance circuit selection switch, and further includes a switch element, and the start signal received from the outside of the vehicle power storage device The switch element is controlled based on the on-off control of power supply to the voltage monitor selection switch, the balance circuit selection switch, and the control circuit,

During the operation of the power storage device for the vehicle, the control circuit and the voltage monitor selection switch and the balance so that a voltage balance of the power storage element becomes constant when the power storage element unit is charged by the charge / discharge circuit. When the vehicle power storage device stops, the control circuit receives the start signal and turns on the switch element, and controls the voltage monitor selection switch and the balance circuit. The selection switch is controlled to make the voltage balance of the storage element constant,

When the voltage balance of the storage element becomes constant, the control circuit turns off the switch element.

The vehicle power storage device according to claim 1.

[8] A power storage component connected to the drive voltage input terminal of the control circuit and provided separately from the power storage element unit;

A power switch for a selection switch that controls on / off of power supply to the voltage monitor selection switch and the balance circuit selection switch;

When the vehicle power storage device stops, the power storage component supplies power to the control circuit.

Speak,

Upon receiving the activation signal, the control circuit turns on the switch element and the power switch for the selection switch, and selects the voltage monitor selection switch and the balance circuit selection. Controlling the switch to make the voltage balance of the storage element unit constant, and when the voltage balance becomes constant, the control circuit turns off the switch element and the power switch for the selected switch.

The power storage device for a vehicle according to claim 7.

[9] When the voltage monitor selection switch is turned off, the balance circuit is opened.

The power storage device for a vehicle according to claim 7.

[10] The control circuit further includes an insulated signal transmission unit that receives the activation signal from the outside of the vehicle power storage device.

The power storage device for a vehicle according to claim 7.

[11] When the control circuit detects from the voltage of the power storage element that the power storage element is overdischarged, the control circuit transmits an overdischarge signal to the outside.

The power storage device for a vehicle according to claim 7.

12. The vehicle power storage device according to claim 11, wherein the control circuit further includes an insulating signal transmission unit that transmits the overdischarge signal.

[13] Connected between main power source and load,

A power storage unit for storing the power of the main power source;

A charge / discharge circuit connected to each of the main power supply, the load, and the power storage unit; and a control circuit connected to the power storage unit and the charge / discharge circuit. Controlling the charge / discharge circuit to discharge power until the voltage of the power storage unit reaches a predetermined holding voltage after a predetermined time has elapsed;

When the vehicle is not in use, if the voltage of the power storage unit reaches a predetermined lower limit voltage, the control circuit repeats the operation of charging until the voltage of the power storage unit reaches the predetermined holding voltage. A vehicle power storage device for controlling

A driver authentication unit that transmits a signal for recognizing the driver to the vehicle power storage device, and when the signal for recognizing the driver is received from the driver authentication unit, the control circuit fully charges the power storage unit. Controlling the charge / discharge circuit to

system. The driver authentication unit

A radio transceiver that the driver can hold and operate;

14. The system according to claim 13, further comprising a vehicle-side radio wave transmission / reception circuit that communicates with the radio wave transceiver.

The driver authentication unit includes an alcohol detector,

The system of claim 13.