Vehicle Power Supply System, Engine Control Unit, and Power Supply Method

• US 20130181515A1
• Filed: 01/11/2012
• Published: 07/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shindengen Electric Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Shindengen Electric Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Arai, Tatsuya, Harada, Tomomi
• Granted Patent: US 9,242,611 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/10.6
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/03 for supply of electrical power to vehicle subsystems or for circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/04 the motors being associated with current generators
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/087 Details of the switching means in starting circuits, e.g. relays or electronic switches
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2011/0888 DC/DC converters

Abstract

A engine control unit comprises: a three-phase bridge circuit that has a first end connected to the first end of the first load and a second end connected to a ground, the three-phase bridge circuit performing commutation control on an alternating-current power supplied from the motor generator or driving the motor generator; a DC-DC converter connected between the first end of the three-phase bridge circuit and a second end of the control switch; a diode that has an anode connected to the battery connecting terminal and a cathode connected to the second end of the control switch; a voltage detecting circuit that detects a voltage of the battery connecting terminal; a first switch element connected between a second end of the coil and the ground; a second switch element connected between a second end of the first load and the ground; and a control circuit.

Claims

1. A vehicle power supply system, comprising:

a control switch that is turned on/off by a user;

a starter switch that is turned on/off by the user;

a relay circuit that is turned on by energizing a coil having a first end connected to a first end of the control switch, thereby making an electrical connection between a battery connecting terminal connected to a battery and a first end of the starter switch and a first end of a first load, and is turned off by deenergizing the coil so as to interrupt the battery connecting terminal from the first end of the starter switch and the first end of the first load; and

an engine control unit that controls power supplied from the battery and a motor generator, wherein the engine control unit comprises;

a three-phase bridge circuit that has a first end connected to the first end of the first load and a second end connected to a ground, the three-phase bridge circuit performing commutation control on an alternating-current power supplied from the motor generator or driving the motor generator;

a DC-DC converter connected between the first end of the three-phase bridge circuit and a second end of the control switch;

a diode that has an anode connected to the battery connecting terminal and a cathode connected to the second end of the control switch;

a voltage detecting circuit that detects a voltage of the battery connecting terminal;

a first switch element connected between a second end of the coil and the ground;

a second switch element connected between a second end of the first load and the ground; and

a control circuit that is supplied with a direct-current power supplied to the first end of the control switch and controls the three-phase bridge circuit and the first and second switch elements.

2. The vehicle power supply system according to claim 1, wherein in the case where the control switch is turned on and power is supplied from the first end of the control switch,

the control circuit decides, when the voltage detected by the voltage detecting circuit is equal to or higher than a first set voltage, that a starting condition is a first starting condition in which the battery is connected to the battery connecting terminal and has a voltage equal to or higher than a specified value, and

the control circuit decides, when the detected voltage is lower than the first set voltage, that the starting condition is a second starting condition in which the battery is not connected to the battery connecting terminal or the battery has a voltage lower than the specified value and power is supplied from the motor generator.

3. The vehicle power supply system according to claim 2, wherein, when the control circuit decides that a starting condition is the first starting condition, the control circuit turns on the first switch element, so that the coil is energized to turn on the relay circuit.

4. The vehicle power supply system according to claim 2, wherein in the case where the control circuit is capable of detecting a number of revolutions of the motor generator and decides that the starting condition is the second starting condition,

the control circuit decides, when the number of revolutions of the motor generator is equal to or higher than a set number of revolutions, that an engine connected to the motor generator has been started, and turns on the first switch element, thereby energizing the coil to turn on the relay circuit, and

the control circuit decides, when the number of revolutions of the motor generator is lower than the set number of revolutions, that the engine is being started, and turns off the first switch element, thereby deenergizing the coil to turn off the relay circuit.

5. The vehicle power supply system according to claim 1, wherein the voltage detecting circuit includes:

a PNP bipolar transistor having an emitter connected to the battery connecting terminal and a collector connected to the control circuit, and an NPN bipolar transistor having a collector connected to the base of the PNP bipolar transistor, an emitter connected to the ground, and a base connected to one end of the control switch.

6. The vehicle power supply system according to claim 1, wherein in the case where a number of revolutions of the motor generator is detectable, and

the number of revolutions of the motor generator is lower than a set number of revolutions,

the control circuit decides whether to drive the motor generator depending on a state of degradation of the battery.

7. The vehicle power supply system according to claim 6, wherein in the case where the number of revolutions of the motor generator is lower than the set number of revolutions,

the control circuit decides, when the starter switch is turned on and the relay circuit is turned on, whether a set time has elapsed from a time the starter switch is turned on, and

in the case where the set time has elapsed, the control circuit drives the motor generator when the voltage detected by the voltage detecting circuit is equal to or higher than a second set voltage.

8. The vehicle power supply system according to claim 6, wherein the control circuit decides whether a set time has elapsed from a time the starter switch is turned on, and then the control circuit drives the motor generator without detecting the voltage of the battery connecting terminal by means of the voltage detecting circuit in the case where the set time has not elapsed.

9. The vehicle power supply system according to claim 6, wherein the control circuit decides whether a set time has elapsed from a time the starter switch is turned on, and then the control circuit turns off the first switch element to turn off the relay circuit and stop driving the motor generator in the case where the set time has elapsed and the detected voltage is lower than the second set voltage.

10. The vehicle power supply system according to claim 6, wherein, in the case where a number of revolutions of the motor generator is lower than a set number of revolutions and the starter switch is turned off or the relay circuit is turned off, the control circuit stops driving the motor generator.

11. The vehicle power supply system according to claim 1, wherein the engine control unit further comprises

a current detecting circuit that detects a current passing through the three-phase bridge circuit, and

wherein, in the case where a current detected by the current detecting circuit has a current value corresponding to an overcurrent, the control circuit turns off the relay circuit by turning off the first switch element.

12. The vehicle power supply system according to claim 1, wherein, in the case where the engine is started, the control circuit supplies a power outputted from the motor generator to the battery through the three-phase bridge circuit and the relay circuit.

13. The vehicle power supply system according to claim 1, wherein the engine control unit further comprises

a regulator that adjusts a voltage at one end of the control switch to a predetermined value and then supplies the voltage to the control circuit.

14. The vehicle power supply system according to claim 1, wherein the first load is a fuel pump of an engine, an injector of the engine, or an ignition coil of the engine.

15. (canceled)

16. A power supply method applied to a vehicle power supply system, comprising:

a control switch that is turned on/off by a user;

a starter switch that is turned on/off by the user;

a relay circuit that is turned on by energizing a coil having a first end connected to a first end of the control switch, thereby making an electrical connection between a battery connecting terminal connected to a battery and a first end of the starter switch and a first end of a first load, and is turned off by deenergizing the coil so as to interrupt the battery connecting terminal from the first end of the starter switch and the first end of the first load; and

an engine control unit that controls power supplied from the battery and a motor generator, wherein the engine control unit comprises;

a three-phase bridge circuit that has a first end connected to the first end of the first load and a second end connected to a ground, the three-phase bridge circuit performing commutation control on an alternating-current power supplied from the motor generator or driving the motor generator;

a DC-DC converter connected between the first end of the three-phase bridge circuit and a second end of the control switch;

a diode that has an anode connected to the battery connecting terminal and a cathode connected to the second end of the control switch;

a voltage detecting circuit that detects a voltage of the battery connecting terminal;

a first switch element connected between a second end of the coil and the ground;

a second switch element connected between a second end of the first load and the ground; and

a control circuit that is supplied with a direct-current power supplied to the first end of the control switch and controls the three-phase bridge circuit and the first and second switch elements,

the power supply method comprising;

in the case where the control switch is turned on and power is supplied from the first end of the control switch, deciding, when the voltage detected by the voltage detecting circuit is equal to or higher than a first set voltage, that a starting condition is a first starting condition in which the battery is connected to the battery connecting terminal and has a voltage equal to or higher than a specified value, and deciding, when the detected voltage is lower than the first set voltage, that the starting condition is a second starting condition in which the battery is not connected to the battery connecting terminal or the battery has a voltage lower than the specified value and power is supplied from the motor generator.