阅读说明：本技术 充电装置 (Charging device ) 是由 阿部典行 小岛喜夫 于 2021-03-11 设计创作，主要内容包括：提供能够利用太阳能电池发出的电力效率良好地对蓄电池进行充电的充电装置。对多个蓄电池单体(CE)串联连接而成的蓄电池(101)进行充电的充电装置(1)具备：太阳能电池(2)、以及副电力电路(3),其能够对各蓄电池单体单元(CUn)选择性地供给太阳能电池发出的电力。副电力电路(3)具备：第一电力调整部(WAm),其将太阳能电池发出的电力调整为第一电力并进行输出；第二电力调整部(WBn),其将第一电力调整部输出的第一电力调整为第二电力并向蓄电池单体单元(CUn)供给；以及缓冲蓄电池(50),其设置在第一电力调整部和第二电力调整部之间,且能够积蓄所述第一电力调整部输出的第一电力。(Provided is a charging device capable of efficiently charging a storage battery by using power generated by a solar cell. A charging device (1) for charging a battery (101) in which a plurality of battery Cells (CE) are connected in series, comprises: the solar cell (2) and the sub-power circuit (3) are capable of selectively supplying the power generated by the solar cell to each battery cell unit (CUn). The sub-power circuit (3) is provided with: a first power adjustment unit (WAm) that adjusts the power generated by the solar cell to a first power and outputs the first power; a second power adjustment unit (WBn) that adjusts the first power output by the first power adjustment unit to a second power and supplies the second power to the battery cell (CUn); and a buffer battery (50) which is provided between the first power adjustment unit and the second power adjustment unit and which is capable of storing the first power output by the first power adjustment unit.)

1. A charging device for charging a battery connected in series with a plurality of cells in a vehicle mounted with the battery,

the plurality of monomers constitute a plurality of monomer units comprising at least one monomer,

the charging device is provided with:

a solar cell; and

a charging circuit capable of selectively supplying electric power generated by the solar cell to each of the plurality of cell units,

the charging circuit has:

a first power adjustment unit that adjusts power generated by the solar cell to first power and outputs the adjusted first power;

a second power adjustment unit that adjusts the first power output by the first power adjustment unit to a second power and supplies the adjusted second power to each of the cell units; and

and a power storage unit that is provided between the first power adjustment unit and the second power adjustment unit and that is capable of storing the first power output from the first power adjustment unit.

2. The charging device of claim 1,

the first power adjustment unit further performs control so that the power generated by the solar cell is maximized.

3. The charging device according to claim 1 or 2,

the power storage unit is at least one of a capacitor element, a capacitor, and a lithium ion battery.

4. The charging device of claim 1,

the battery is connected to a main power circuit for supplying electric power of the battery to an electric motor that drives the vehicle.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a charging device for charging an electric storage device with electric power generated by a solar cell.

Background

In recent years, various solar battery charging systems have been proposed in which an electric storage device is charged with electric power generated by a solar battery. For example, patent document 1 describes a technique in which a main battery for supplying electric power to a running motor, a solar battery, and a boost converter for boosting electric power generated by the solar battery are provided, and the main battery is charged by boosting electric power generated by the solar battery with the boost converter.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2014-217167

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

The power generation of the solar cell is easily affected by weather, for example, and the output voltage may become unstable. The control of the converter that converts the electric power generated by the solar cell controls the charging voltage to be charged into the battery to a target voltage, but when the output voltage of the solar cell becomes unstable, the charging voltage to be charged into the battery also becomes unstable easily. When the charging voltage is unstable, the charging control for charging the secondary battery becomes unstable, and the charging efficiency is lowered. The voltage charged to the battery can be stabilized by extending the control range of the converter, but in this case, the power loss of the converter increases, and therefore, it is difficult to improve the charging efficiency. In the solar battery charging system described in patent document 1, the countermeasure in this respect is not sufficient, and there is room for improvement in regard to efficient charging of the storage battery.

The invention provides a charging device which can stabilize the voltage supplied from a solar cell to a storage battery and efficiently charge the storage battery by using the power generated by the solar cell.

Means for solving the problems

The present invention provides a charging device for charging a battery in a vehicle mounted with the battery, the battery being connected in series with a plurality of cells,

the plurality of monomers constitute a plurality of monomer units comprising at least one monomer,

the charging device is provided with:

a solar cell; and

a charging circuit capable of selectively supplying electric power generated by the solar cell to each of the plurality of cell units,

the charging circuit is provided with:

a first power adjustment unit that adjusts power generated by the solar cell to first power and outputs the adjusted first power,

a second power adjustment unit that further adjusts the first power output from the first power adjustment unit to a second power and supplies the further adjusted second power to the respective unit cells, and

and a power storage unit that is provided between the first power adjustment unit and the second power adjustment unit and that is capable of storing the first power output from the first power adjustment unit.

Effects of the invention

According to the charging device of the present invention, the voltage supplied from the solar cell to the battery can be stabilized, and the battery can be efficiently charged by the electric power generated by the solar cell.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a charging device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Description of the reference numerals

1: charging device

2: solar cell

3: auxiliary power circuit (charging circuit)

4: control unit

50: buffer accumulator (storage battery part)

100: main power circuit

101: storage battery

103: motor for driving (Motor)

CE: accumulator cell

And (4) CUn: battery cell

WAm: first power adjustment unit

WBn: a second power adjustment unit.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the charging device of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

As shown in fig. 1, the charging device 1 of the present embodiment includes a solar battery 2, a sub-power circuit 3 (an example of a charging circuit), and a control unit 4. The charging device 1 is a device that charges a storage battery 101, which will be described later, with electric power generated by the solar cell 2. The charging device 1 is mounted on a Vehicle such as an EV (Electric Vehicle) in which a solar cell 2 is provided on a roof, an engine hood, or the like, for example.

The battery 101 is connected to the main power circuit 100, and is a battery for driving a driving motor 103 (an example of an electric motor) of a vehicle provided in the main power circuit 100. The battery 101 is configured by connecting terminals of adjacent battery cell units to each other so that a plurality of battery cell units CUn (N is 1 to N) are electrically connected in series. In the present embodiment, each battery cell CUn is formed of, for example, a single battery cell CE. The battery 101 is configured as a cell stack in which a plurality of battery cells (battery cell units) and a plurality of insulating plates are alternately stacked, for example. The battery 101 is a high-output battery having an output voltage of about several hundred [ V ] formed by connecting, for example, nickel-metal hydride batteries, lithium ion batteries, and other various battery cells having an output voltage of about several [ V ] to about several hundred. The battery 101 of the present embodiment is configured such that about 100 battery cells (battery cell units) of about 3V are connected and the output voltage is about 300V. The output voltage (charging voltage) of each battery cell CUn is detected by a battery sensor (not shown) and sent to the control section 4.

The solar cell 2 converts solar energy into electric energy. The solar cell 2 includes solar cells that receive sunlight to generate electricity, and is formed in a panel shape, for example. The solar cell is constituted by a photodiode or the like. In order to obtain a desired voltage, a plurality of solar cells are connected in series to form a solar cell string. In addition, the solar battery cell may be configured as a solar battery cell array in which a plurality of solar battery cells are connected in series or in parallel to obtain a desired output. A plurality of solar cells 2 are provided, and the solar cells 2 are connected in parallel with each other. In the present embodiment, a group of solar cells 20 is formed by connecting 1 to 8 solar cells 2 in parallel, and about 30 solar cells 20 are provided. The output voltage of each solar cell 2 is about 48V.

The sub-power circuit 3 is provided between the solar cell 2 and the battery 101. The sub-power circuit 3 is a charging circuit for charging the battery 101 with the electric power generated by the solar cell 2. The sub-power circuit 3 is configured to be able to selectively supply power of the solar cell 2 to each of the plurality of battery cell units CUn (N is 1 to N) constituting the battery 101. The sub-power circuit 3 includes: the first power adjustment unit WAm (M is 1 to M), the second power adjustment unit WBn (N is 1 to N), the voltage sensors 31 and 33, the current sensors 32 and 34, and the buffer battery 50 (an example of a power storage unit).

The first power adjustment unit WAm adjusts the power generated by the solar cell 2 to the first power, and outputs the adjusted first power to the second power adjustment unit WBn. Specifically, the first Power adjustment unit WAm is formed of, for example, a DC/DC converter with Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT). The first power adjustment portions WAm are provided for each solar battery cell 20, and the first power adjustment portions WAm are connected in parallel. The output terminal of each first power adjustment unit WAm is connected to the input terminal of the second power adjustment unit WBn.

The first power adjustment unit WAm controls the voltage of the first power adjustment unit WAm by the MPPT function so as to maximize the output power of the solar cell 2. That is, the first power adjustment unit WAm adjusts the power output from the solar cell 2 so that the power output to the second power adjustment unit WBn follows the optimum operating point. The first power adjustment unit WAm adjusts the voltage output from the solar cell 2 to a predetermined voltage required by the second power adjustment unit WBn. In the present embodiment, the first power adjustment unit WAm reduces the voltage (about 48V) output from the solar cell 2 to about 24V. The DC/DC converter is composed of a switching element, a diode, and the like.

The second power adjustment unit WBn adjusts the first power output by the first power adjustment unit WAm to the second power according to the state of charge of the battery cell CUn, and supplies the adjusted second power to the battery cell CUn.

Specifically, the second power adjustment unit WBn is configured by a DC/DC converter. Second power adjustment units WBn (N is 1 to N) are provided in each of battery cell units CUn (N is 1 to N) constituting battery 101. The second power adjustment portions WBn are provided in the same number as the number of the battery cell units CUn, and the output terminals of the second power adjustment portions WBn are connected to both end portions of each of the battery cell units CUn.

That is, the second power adjustment unit WB1 is connected to the battery cell CU1, the second power adjustment unit WB2 is connected to the battery cell CU2, and the second power adjustment unit WBn is connected to the battery cell CUn. The second power adjustment unit WB1 supplies the electric power generated by the solar cell 2 to the battery cell CU1, the second power adjustment unit WB2 supplies the electric power generated by the solar cell 2 to the battery cell CU2, and the second power adjustment unit WBn supplies the electric power generated by the solar cell 2 to the battery cell CUn. The combinations of the second power adjustment portions and the battery cell units, for example, the combination of the second power adjustment portion WB1 and the battery cell unit CU1, the combination of the second power adjustment portion WB2 and the battery cell unit CU2, and the combination of the second power adjustment portion WBn and the battery cell unit CUn are independent of each other. Thus, the second power adjusting portions WBn are provided in a mutually insulated state.

The second power adjustment unit WBn adjusts the voltage output from the first power adjustment unit WAm to a predetermined voltage required on the battery cell CUn side. In the present embodiment, the second power adjustment unit WBn decreases the voltage (about 24V) output from the first power adjustment unit WAm to about 3V. The step-down DC/DC converter is composed of a switching element, a diode, and the like.

The voltage sensor 31 detects the voltage output from the solar cell 2 to the first power adjustment unit WAm. The voltage information of the detected voltage is transmitted to the control unit 4. The current sensor 32 detects the current flowing from the solar cell 2 to the first power adjustment portion WAm. The current information of the detected current is sent to the control unit 4. The voltage sensor 33 detects the voltage output from the first power adjustment section WAm to the second power adjustment section WBn. The voltage information of the detected voltage is transmitted to the control unit 4. The current sensor 34 detects a current flowing from the first power adjustment section WAm to the second power adjustment section WBn. The current information of the detected current is sent to the control unit 4.

The buffer battery 50 is connected between the first power adjustment unit WAm and the second power adjustment unit WBn, that is, between the MPPT-equipped DC/DC converter and the charging (distribution-purpose) DC/DC converter. The buffer battery 50 is connected between the output terminals of the first power adjustment portion WAm, that is, between the input terminals of the second power adjustment portion WBn. The buffer battery 50 is provided so as to be able to store the electric power output from the first electric power adjustment unit WAm. The buffer battery 50 is composed of a capacitor (capacitor), a lithium ion battery, or the like. The buffer battery 50 has a storage capacity capable of, for example, suppressing the fluctuation range of the voltage output from the first power adjustment unit WAm within a predetermined range.

The control unit 4 controls the operations of the first power adjustment unit WAm and the second power adjustment unit WBn. The battery sensor, the first power adjustment unit WAm, the second power adjustment unit WBn, the voltage sensors 31 and 33, the current sensors 32 and 34, and the like of each battery cell CUn constituting the battery 101 are electrically connected to the control unit 4. The control section 4 controls the first power adjustment section WAm based on, for example, voltage values and current values detected by the voltage sensors 31, 33 and the current sensors 32, 34. The control unit 4 controls the second power adjustment unit WBn corresponding to each battery cell CUn so that the voltages of the battery cells are substantially equal to each other, based on the output voltage (charging voltage) of each battery cell CUn detected by the battery sensor of each battery cell CUn. For example, the control unit 4 calculates an average charge amount of all the battery cell units CUn, and detects a battery cell unit CUn whose charge amount is less than the calculated average charge amount. The control unit 4 selectively controls the second power adjustment unit WBn corresponding to the battery cell CUn so as to preferentially supply the power of the solar cell 2 to the battery cell CUn whose detected amount of charge is small.

The main power circuit 100 is connected to a battery 101, and includes a power conversion unit 102 and a drive motor 103. The structure and function of the battery 101 are as described above. The power conversion unit 102 converts the dc current output from the battery 101 into an ac current (for example, a three-phase current) and supplies the current to the drive motor 103. The drive motor 103 is a motor that functions as a drive source for driving the vehicle.

According to the charging device 1 configured as such, by providing the buffer battery 50 between the output section of the first power adjustment section WAm and the input section of the second power adjustment section WBn, it is possible to absorb (suppress) the variation in the voltage output from the first power adjustment section WAm by accumulating the power of the buffer battery 50. This stabilizes the voltage output from the first power adjustment unit WAm, and supplies the stabilized voltage to the second power adjustment unit WBn. Therefore, the voltage supplied from the solar cell 2 to the battery 101 can be stabilized, and the battery 101 can be efficiently charged with the electric power generated by the solar cell 2. Further, since a stable voltage is supplied to the second power adjustment portion WBn, the second power adjustment portion WBn can stably control the charging voltage of the battery cell CUn, and the control compatible region of the second power adjustment portion WBn can be narrowed. This can suppress the capacity of the second power adjustment unit WBn, and can reduce the cost and size of the second power adjustment unit WBn.

Further, since the control can be performed so as to maximize the electric power generated by the solar cell 2 by the MPPT function of the first electric power adjustment unit WAm, the amount of electric power generated by the solar cell 2 can be increased.

Further, by using any one of the capacitive element, the capacitor, and the lithium ion battery as the buffer battery 50, it is possible to stabilize the electric power output from the first power adjustment unit WAm and supply the stabilized voltage to the second power adjustment unit WBn.

Further, since the battery 101 is connected to the power conversion unit 102 that can supply the electric power of the battery 101 to the driving motor 103 for driving the vehicle, the driving motor 103 for driving the vehicle can be driven by the electric power of the battery 101.

In addition, the above embodiment can be modified, improved, and the like as appropriate.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, each battery cell CUn constituting the battery 101 is formed of a single battery cell CE, but each battery cell may be formed as a battery module in which a plurality of battery cells are stacked and integrated. This enables charging to be performed on a battery module-by-battery module basis by the electric power generated by the solar cell 2.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, one second power adjustment unit WBn is provided for each battery cell CUn constituting the battery 101, but one second power adjustment unit WBn may be provided for 2 or more (where N < N, where N is the number of all battery cells constituting the battery 101) battery cells.

In the present specification, at least the following matters are described. Also, although the respective constituent elements and the like in the above-described embodiments are shown in parentheses, the present invention is not limited thereto.

A charging device (charging device 1) for charging a battery (battery 101) in a vehicle mounted with the battery, the battery being connected in series with a plurality of cells (battery cells CE),

the plurality of cells constitute a plurality of cell units (battery cell units CUn (N ═ 1 to N)) including at least one cell,

the charging device is provided with:

a solar cell (solar cell 2); and

a charging circuit (sub-power circuit 3) capable of selectively supplying electric power generated by the solar cell to each of the plurality of cell units,

the charging circuit has:

a first power adjustment unit (a first power adjustment unit WAm (M is 1 to M)) that adjusts the power generated by the solar cell to a first power and outputs the adjusted first power;

a second power adjustment unit WBn (N is 1 to N) that adjusts the first power output from the first power adjustment unit to a second power and supplies the adjusted second power to the respective unit cells; and

and a power storage unit (buffer battery 50) that is provided between the first power adjustment unit and the second power adjustment unit and that is capable of storing the first power output from the first power adjustment unit.

According to (1), the charging circuit capable of supplying the electric power generated by the solar cell to each cell unit includes the power storage unit capable of storing the electric power output from the first power adjustment unit between the first power adjustment unit and the second power adjustment unit. In this way, the voltage output from the first power adjustment unit can be stabilized by the power storage unit, and the stabilized voltage can be supplied to the second power adjustment unit. Therefore, the voltage supplied from the solar cell to the battery can be stabilized, and the battery can be efficiently charged with the electric power generated by the solar cell.

(2) The charging device according to (1), wherein,

the first power adjustment unit further performs control so that the power generated by the solar cell is maximized.

According to (2), since the first power adjustment unit performs control so that the power generated by the solar cell becomes maximum, the power generated by the solar cell can be increased.

(3) The charging device according to (1) or (2), wherein,

the power storage unit is at least one of a capacitor element, a capacitor, and a lithium ion battery.

According to (3), by using any one of the capacitive element, the capacitor, and the lithium ion battery as the power storage unit, the electric power output from the first electric power adjustment unit can be stabilized.

(4) The charging device according to any one of (1) to (3),

the battery is connected to a main power circuit (main power circuit 100) for supplying electric power of the battery to an electric motor (driving motor 103) for driving the vehicle.

According to (4), since the battery is connected to the main power circuit for supplying the electric power of the battery to the electric motor for driving the vehicle, the electric motor can be driven by the electric power of the battery.