POWER SUPPLY DEVICE FOR VEHICLE

• US 20120262881A1
• Filed: 04/17/2012
• Published: 10/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Nippon Soken, Inc.
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Nippon Soken, Inc.
• Inventors: Obayashi, Kazuyoshi, Sakamoto, Akira, Kawano, Shigeru, ONIMARU, Sadahisa, Andou, Shinji, Iyasu, Seiji
• Granted Patent: US 9,067,477 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/701
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/3222 characterised by the compressor driving arrangements, e.g. clutches, transmissions or multiple drives B60H1/3208, B60H1/3226 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/003 to auxiliary motors, e.g. for pumps, compressors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/12 Methods and devices for control or regulation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/10 DC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/30 AC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/40 DC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/34 Cabin temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/36 Temperature of vehicle components or parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/525 Temperature of converter or components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/662 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/80 Time limits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/003 relating to inverters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/22 Constructional details or arrangements of charging converters specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/20 having different nominal voltages
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

A power supply device includes a refrigeration cycle having a compressor, a motor, an inverter-integrated charger, a heat exchanger unit, and a controller having a determining unit. The inverter-integrated charger selectively controls operation of the motor using electrical power of a battery and charge of the battery with external power. The heat exchanger unit cools a cooling-necessary part of the inverter-integrated charger using refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle. When the vehicle is stopped and the battery is charged with the external power, the controller makes the inverter-integrated charger serve as: a charger to perform the charge of the battery; or an inverter to control the operation of the motor, thereby driving the compressor, upon determination that the cooling-necessary part needs to be cooled by the determining unit.

Claims

1. A power supply device adapted to be disposed in a vehicle having a battery, the power supply device comprising:

a refrigeration cycle for air conditioning that includes a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator;

a motor that is configured to drive the compressor;

an inverter-integrated charger that is configured to selectively control operation of the motor using electrical power of the battery and charge of the battery with external power;

a heat exchanger unit that is disposed in the refrigeration cycle and configured to cool a cooling-necessary part of the inverter-integrated charger using refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle; and

a controller that is configured to control operation of the inverter-integrated charger and that includes a determining means for determining whether the cooling-necessary part needs to be cooled, wherein when a traveling function of the vehicle is stopped and the battery is charged with the external power, the controller makes the inverter-integrated charger serve as;

a charger to perform the charge of the battery;

or

an inverter to control the operation of the motor, thereby driving the compressor, upon determination that the cooling-necessary part needs to be cooled by the determining means.

2. The power supply device according to claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger unit is a refrigerant reservoir portion in which liquid-phase refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle is stored.

3. The power supply device according to claim 2, wherein the inverter-integrated charger is formed integrally with the refrigerant reservoir portion.

4. The power supply device according to claim 2, wherein the inverter-integrated charger is located away from the refrigerant reservoir portion, the power supply device further comprising a pipe that extends from the refrigerant reservoir portion toward a surface of the inverter-integrated charger so that liquid-phase refrigerant in the refrigerant reservoir portion flows through the pipe.

5. The power supply device according to claim 4, further comprising one of:

a liquid refrigerant pump that is disposed at the pipe and configured to pressure-feed liquid-phase refrigerant, wherein the controller controls an amount of refrigerant pressure-fed by the liquid refrigerant pump in accordance with an output of the inverter-integrated charger or an amount of heat generation by the cooling-necessary part; and

a liquid refrigerant valve that is disposed at the pipe and configured to regulate a flow rate of liquid-phase refrigerant in the pipe through change of an opening degree of the liquid refrigerant valve, wherein the controller controls the opening degree of the liquid refrigerant valve in accordance with the output of the inverter-integrated charger or the amount of heat generation by the cooling-necessary part.

6. The power supply device according to claim 2, further comprising a first level detecting unit that is configured to detect a level of liquid-phase refrigerant in the refrigerant reservoir portion, wherein the determining means determines that the cooling-necessary part needs to be cooled when the level of liquid-phase refrigerant is lower than a first predetermined level.

7. The power supply device according to claim 2, further comprising a second level detecting unit that is configured to detect a level of liquid-phase refrigerant stored in the refrigerant reservoir portion, wherein the controller stops the drive of the compressor and makes the inverter-integrated charger serve as the charger to perform the charge of the battery when the level of liquid-phase refrigerant becomes equal to or higher than a second predetermined level.

8. The power supply device according to claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger unit is a cooling storage part having a cooling storage material that performs cooling storage by refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle.

9. The power supply device according to claim 1, further comprising a temperature detecting unit that is configured to detect temperature of the cooling-necessary part, wherein the determining means determines that the cooling-necessary part needs to be cooled when the temperature of the cooling-necessary part is higher than a predetermined temperature.

10. The power supply device according to claim 1, wherein the controller fully opens the expansion valve at time of the drive of the compressor.

11. The power supply device according to claim 1, wherein:

the heat exchanger unit uses liquid-phase refrigerant on a low pressure side of the refrigeration cycle from the expansion valve to the compressor when the refrigeration cycle is in operation; and

at time of the drive of the compressor, the controller produces a pressure difference between a high pressure side of the refrigeration cycle from the compressor to the expansion valve, and the low pressure side of the refrigeration cycle, through adjustment of an opening degree of the expansion valve.

12. The power supply device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a receiving part that receives dew condensation water generated when the inverter-integrated charger is cooled by the heat exchanger unit; and

a heating unit that is configured to evaporate dew condensation water stored in the receiving part.

13. The power supply device according to claim 1, further comprising a cooling fan that is configured to blow cooling air toward the condenser, wherein at time of the drive of the compressor, the controller is configured to actuate the cooling fan.

14. The power supply device according to claim 1, wherein the inverter-integrated charger is formed integrally with the compressor, the power supply device further comprising a heat insulating part that is disposed between the compressor and the inverter-integrated charger and configured to prevent heat of the compressor when the compressor is in operation from transmitting to the inverter-integrated charger.