Power supply control device for electric vehicle

• US 5,796,175 A
• Filed: 07/30/1996
• Issued: 08/18/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Itoh, Tomoyuki, Itoh, Hisahiro, Furumoto, Koji, Yoshikawa, Shinji
• Primary Examiner(s): Elms, Richard T.
• Application Number:
  US08/689,148
• Time in Patent Office: 749 Days
• Field of Search: 307/9.1, 307/10.1, 307/10.7, 307/43-46, 307/48, 307/64-66, 180/65.1, 180/65.8, 290/50, 320/48, 322/62-64
• US Class Current: 307/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/10 DC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0023 Detecting, eliminating, remedying or compensating for drive train abnormalities, e.g. failures within the drive train
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/51 characterised by AC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/06 with automatic change-over , e.g. UPS systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility

Abstract

A backup power supply 11 is not loaded by peripheral equipment 9 and a low-voltage battery 5. A switch controller 12 is energized by any of the backup power supply 11, the DC/DC converter 7, and the low-voltage battery 5 for controlling the energization of a relay 3L. When the power supply from the DC/DC converter 7 and the low-voltage battery 5 to the switch controller 12 is declined, it is complemented by the backup power of a low voltage from the backup power supply 11. Accordingly, the switch controller 12 is always energized with a sufficient level of the power supply regardless of the residual storage of the low-voltage battery 5.

Claims

1. A power supply control device for an electric vehicle, comprising:

a voltage converter means connected through a main switch to a high-voltage battery;

a drive motor energized by the high-voltage battery;

a low-voltage battery and vehicle periphery equipment both connected to the voltage converter means for receiving a power supply;

a switch controlling means, connected to at least one of the voltage converter means and the low-voltage battery, for receiving a power supply and for controlling the opening and closing actions of the main switch; and

a means for supplementally supplying a backup power to the switch controlling means so that the switch controlling means is energized with enough power to ensure a normal operation of the switch controlling means,

wherein said switch controlling means receives a sum of voltage outputs of said voltage converter means, said low-voltage battery and said means for supplying said backup power.

2. A power supply control device according to claim 1, wherein the backup power is not supplied to the low-voltage battery and vehicle periphery equipment.

3. A power supply control device according to claim 1, wherein the voltage converter means comprises:

a voltage converter unit for converting the output voltage of the high-voltage battery to a drive voltage for vehicle periphery equipment;

a sub power source for converting the output voltage of the high-voltage battery to a voltage suitable for actuating the voltage converter unit, in which a part of the output of the sub power source is supplied as the backup power to the switch controlling means.

4. A power supply control device according to claim 3, further comprising a means for producing an alarm when the output of the sub power source exceeds a predetermined level.

5. A power supply control device according to claim 1, wherein the backup power supplying means is a sub voltage converter means for lowering and delivering the output of the high-voltage battery supplied through the main switch.

6. A power supply control device according to claim 1, wherein the backup power supplying means is a subcharge storage means connected in parallel to the low-voltage battery and charged with the output of the voltage converter means.

7. A power supply control device according to claim 6, further comprising a charging line extending from the voltage converter means to the backup power supplying means;

and a power supply line extending from the backup power supplying means to the switch controlling means, the charging line being different from the power supply line.

8. A power supply control device according to claim 1, wherein the switch controlling means comprises:

a first supply line for transmitting the power from the voltage converter means and the low-voltage battery to a relay means of the main switch;

a second supply line for transmitting the backup power to the relay means of the main switch, and

a controller unit for controlling the power supply along both the supply lines to the relay means.

9. A power supply control device according to claim 8, further comprising a third supply line for transmitting the backup power to the controller unit for ensuring the normal operation of the controller unit.