Electric vehicle power supply

• US 5,883,496 A
• Filed: 04/21/1997
• Issued: 03/16/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Nozaki, Ko, Esaki, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Peter S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHIN, KYUNG E
• Application Number:
  US08/845,345
• Time in Patent Office: 694 Days
• Field of Search: 320/103, 320/104, 320/125, 320/126, 320/128, 320/132, 320/DIG. 34, 320/134, 320/136, 320/166, 320/167, 318/139
• US Class Current: 320/132
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/15 Preventing overcharging
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/20 having different nominal voltages
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

To obtain an electric vehicle power supply 10 having a high output power density and regenerative power density, and which is compact and lightweight wherein a first battery 12 whose regenerative power density increases with decrease of the SOC and a second battery 14 whose output power density increases with increase of the SOC are used as an electrical storage device, and control is performed so that the SOC of the first battery 12 is maintained low while the SOC of the second battery 14 is maintained high. The regenerative power density of the first battery 12 is therefore high, the regeneration current from the motor 32 is mainly stored by the first battery 12, and the force used to drive the motor 32 is mainly output by the second battery 14 which has a high output power density.

Claims

1. An electric vehicle power supply wherein a motor is driven by power stored in an electrical storage device, and said electrical storage device is charged by regenerative power from said motor, said power supply comprising:

a first battery contained in said storage device, of which the regenerative power density of said first battery increasing as the SOC (State of Charge) decreases,

a second battery contained in said storage device, the output power density of said second battery increasing as the SOC increases,

and SOC control means which maintains the SOC of said first battery equal to or lower than a first predetermined value and maintains the SOC of said second battery equal to or higher than a second predetermined value.

2. An electric vehicle power supply as defined in claim 1, wherein said first and second batteries are lithium ion batteries or lithium polymer batteries.

3. An electric vehicle power supply as defined in claim 1, further comprising a selector switch connected to a power circuit of the motor, said selector switch being switched to said first battery when the device is charging with regenerative power and switched to said second battery when the motor is driven.

4. An electric vehicle power supply as defined in claim 1, further comprising a break switch connected to said second battery, said break switch being closed only when drive force is supplied to said motor.

5. An electric vehicle power supply as defined in claim 1, further comprising a circuit for charging said second battery from said first battery.

6. An electric vehicle power supply as defined in claim 1, further comprising a bypass circuit for bypassing said first and second batteries so as to lead regenerative power to earth.

7. An electric vehicle power supply as defined in claim 1, further comprising an alternator for supplying charging current to said first and second batteries when regenerative power is insufficient.

8. An electric vehicle power supply which provides power to drive a motor and which is charged by regenerative power from said motor, said power supply comprising:

first means the regenerative power density of said first means increasing as the SOC (State of Charge) decreases, for being charged by regenerative power,

second means the output power density of said second means increasing as the SOC increases, for supplying power to drive said motor, and

third means for maintaining the SOC of said first means equal to or lower than a first predetermined value and maintaining the SOC of said second means equal to or higher than a second predetermined value.