IN-VEHICLE POWER SUPPLY DEVICE AND PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER GENERATION DEVICE

• US 20150183329A1
• Filed: 05/21/2013
• Published: 07/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakaya, Satoshi
• Granted Patent: US 9,834,102 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/10 DC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/30 AC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/51 characterised by AC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/11 DC charging controlled by the charging station, e.g. mode 4
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/18 Cables specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/20 characterised by converters located in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/51 Photovoltaic means
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/665 Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/02021 for solar cells electrical connection means, e.g. junction boxes, specially adapted for structural association with photovoltaic modules H02S40/34
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/24 of photovoltaic origin
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/322 the battery being on-board an electric or hybrid vehicle, e.g. vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G], power aggregation, use of the battery for network load balancing, coordinated or cooperative battery charging
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/381 Dispersed generators
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/35 with light sensitive cells
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/02 without intermediate conversion into ac
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/44 by static converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 40/34 comprising specially adapted electrical connection means to be structurally associated with the PV module, e.g. junction boxes
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 40/38 Energy storage means, e.g. batteries, structurally associated with PV modules
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/56 Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 70/30 : Systems combining energy storage with energy generation of non-fossil origin
• 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 10/92 : Energy efficient charging or discharging systems for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors specially adapted for vehicles
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 : Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/126 : the energy generation units being or involving electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV], i.e. power aggregation of EV or HEV, vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

Provided is an in-vehicle power supply device that ensures safety and meets the standards required by the regulation associated with a high voltage, without requiring a large change in the in-vehicle power supply device when outputting DC electric energy stored in a storage battery mounted on a vehicle to the outside of the vehicle, and also provided is a photovoltaic power generation device. In the in-vehicle power supply device, when controlling a switching unit (112) so that a second DC voltage output from a DC/DC converter (111) is output to a DC voltage outlet (103), a vehicle-side control unit (107) controls the DC/DC converter (111) so that the second DC voltage becomes smaller than or equal to a predetermined voltage value that is smaller than the rated voltage value of a storage battery (106).

Claims

1-16. -16. (canceled)

17. A vehicle-mounted power supply apparatus comprising:

a DC/DC converter that converts a first DC voltage outputted from a vehicle-mounted storage battery and that outputs the converted voltage as a second DC voltage;

a switching section that outputs the second DC voltage outputted from the DC/DC converter to any one of an auxiliary battery mounted on the vehicle and a DC voltage outlet through which the second DC voltage is outputted to an outside of the vehicle; and

a control section that controls the DC/DC converter and the switching section, wherein

when the control section controls the switching section so that the second DC voltage is outputted to the DC voltage outlet, the control section controls the DC/DC converter so that the second DC voltage becomes equal to or below a predetermined voltage value which is smaller than a rated voltage value of the storage battery.

18. The vehicle-mounted power supply apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising the DC voltage outlet.

19. The vehicle-mounted power supply apparatus according to claim 17, wherein, when the control section controls the switching section so that the second DC voltage is outputted to the DC voltage outlet, the control section controls the DC/DC converter so that the second DC voltage becomes equal to or above a predetermined voltage value which is greater than a rated voltage value of the auxiliary battery.

20. The vehicle-mounted power supply apparatus according to claim 17, wherein:

the DC/DC converter is a bidirectional DC/DC converter;

the DC/DC converter converts the DC voltage inputted from the outside of the vehicle via the DC voltage outlet and outputs the converted DC voltage; and

the storage battery is chargeable with the output of the DC/DC converter.

21. The vehicle-mounted power supply apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising a vehicle information acquiring section that detects a speed of the vehicle, wherein, when the speed acquired by the vehicle information acquiring section is equal to or below a predetermined speed, the control section controls the switching section so that the second DC voltage is outputted to the DC voltage outlet.

22. The vehicle-mounted power supply apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the control section further detects whether a plug is inserted from the outside of the vehicle into the DC voltage outlet, and controls, upon detecting that the plug is inserted, the switching section so that the second DC voltage is outputted to the DC voltage outlet.

23. The vehicle-mounted power supply apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising a vehicle-side communication section that communicates with the outside of the vehicle, wherein the control section receives a voltage value of the second DC voltage from the outside of the vehicle via the vehicle-side communication section.

24. The vehicle-mounted power supply apparatus according to claim 17, wherein:

the rated voltage value of the storage battery is greater than a rated voltage value of the auxiliary battery; and

the DC/DC converter steps down the first DC voltage outputted from the storage battery and outputs the voltage as the second DC voltage.

25. The vehicle-mounted power supply apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the storage battery is a nickel hydrogen storage battery or lithium ion storage battery, and the auxiliary battery is a lead storage battery.

26. The vehicle-mounted power supply apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the vehicle is a vehicle configured to travel on electric energy stored in the storage battery.

27. A vehicle-mounted power supply apparatus comprising a control section that controls a DC/DC converter configured to convert a first DC voltage outputted from a vehicle-mounted storage battery and to output the converted voltage as a second DC voltage, and a switching section configured to output the second DC voltage outputted from the DC/DC converter to any one of an auxiliary battery mounted on the vehicle and a DC voltage outlet through which the second DC voltage is outputted to an outside of the vehicle, wherein

when the control section controls the switching section so that the second DC voltage is outputted to the DC voltage outlet, the control section controls the DC/DC converter so that the second DC voltage becomes equal to or below a predetermined voltage value which is smaller than a rated voltage value of the storage battery.

28. A photovoltaic power generating apparatus provided in a house, the apparatus comprising:

a DC voltage inlet through which a DC voltage is received from an outside of the house;

a photovoltaic power generating section that converts sunlight to electric energy and that outputs the electric energy as a voltage;

an inverter that converts the DC voltage received through the DC voltage inlet and the voltage outputted from the photovoltaic power generating section to an AC voltage and that outputs the AC voltage;

a backflow preventing section;

a domestic storage battery;

a bidirectional DC/DC converter that converts a voltage of an electrical joint between the DC voltage received through the DC voltage inlet and the voltage outputted from the photovoltaic power generating section and that outputs the voltage to the domestic storage battery or that converts the output voltage of the domestic storage battery and outputs the converted voltage to the inverter; and

a bypass relay that switches ON/OFF conduction between the electrical joint and the DC voltage inlet, wherein

the backflow preventing section is provided between the electrical joint and the DC voltage inlet and prevents a current from flowing in a direction from the electrical joint to the DC voltage inlet.

29-32. -32. (canceled)