AC power supplying system, power supply apparatus, and vehicle having the same

• US 7,550,861 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2005
• Issued: 06/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Oyobe, Hichirosai, Ishikawa, Tetsuhiro, Sato, Hitoshi, Minezawa, Yukihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Ponomarenko; Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US11/663,214
• Publication Number:
  US 20080169651A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,302 Days
• Field of Search: 290/1.R, 290/40.R, 290/40.C, 290/51, 322/37, 123/1.A, 123/198.DC
• US Class Current: 290/40.00C
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/006 to power outlets
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2009 for braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/14 Boost converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/20 AC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/40 DC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/14 Synchronous machines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/54 Windings for different functions
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/421 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/423 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/61 by batteries charged by engine-driven generators, e.g. series hybrid electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/24 Using the vehicle's propulsion converter for charging
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 55/00 Arrangements for supplying energy stored within a vehicle to a power network, i.e. vehicle-to-grid [V2G] arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/14 for vehicles propelled by ac motors
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• 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 9/062 for AC powered loads
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/008 Plural converter units for generating at two or more independent and non-parallel outputs, e.g. systems with plural point of load switching regulators
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 25/16 characterised by the circuit arrangement or by the kind of wiring
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 27/06 : using dc to ac converters or inverters H02P27/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 : Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 : Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 : Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 : Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• 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: 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 20/20 : End-user application control systems

Abstract

Upon power failure of a commercial power source, an automatic switching device switches to power supply from a hybrid vehicle. An ECU of the vehicle, when receiving a request for generation of a commercial AC voltage, sets an upper-limit power generation amount based on a remaining amount of fuel. The ECU transmits the upper-limit power generation amount via an antenna to an on-premises ECU, while controlling a power generation amount based on the upper-limit power generation amount. The on-premises, when receiving the upper-limit power generation amount, controls the load state such that commercial AC power is supplied firstly to a first load of priority level 1, according to proprieties registered in advance, and such that the amount of the power supplied to the electric loads does not exceed the upper-limit power generation amount.

Claims

1. An AC power supplying system supplying AC power to a plurality of electric loads, comprising:

a power supply apparatus outputting said AC power; and

a control device controlling a load amount of each of said plurality of electric loads such that a supply amount of said AC power to said plurality of electric loads does not exceed an upper limit of a power amount which can be output from said power supply apparatus;

wherein

said power supply apparatus includes;

a first motor generator coupled to an internal combustion engine of a vehicle and generating power;

a first inverter connected to said first motor generator and receiving supply of power from a power source; and

a control unit controlling an operation of said first inverter,

said control unit including

an upper limit setting unit setting an upper limit of a power amount generated by said first motor generator based on a remaining amount of fuel in said internal combustion engine,

a power generation amount control unit controlling said power amount generated, based on said set upper limit of said power amount, and

a transmitting unit transmitting a signal designating said upper limit of said power amount to said control device.

2. The AC power supplying system according to claim 1, wherein

said control device includes:

a receiving unit receiving a signal designating said upper limit of said power amount from said power supply apparatus;

a load state detection unit detecting said load amount of each of said plurality of electric loads; and

a load state control unit supplying said AC power only to a selected electric load from among said plurality of electric loads such that a sum of said detected load amounts of said electric loads does not exceed said upper limit of said power amount designated by said received signal.

3. The AC power supplying system according to claim 2, wherein said load state control unit selects said electric load to be supplied with said AC power, in accordance with priorities registered in advance.

4. The AC power supplying system according to claim 3, wherein said priorities are determined based on relative evaluation of importance of each of said plurality of electric loads.

5. The AC power supplying system according to claim 2, further comprising:

a commercial power source; and

a switching device for automatically connecting one of said commercial power source and said power supply apparatus to said plurality of electric loads.

6. The AC power supplying system according to claim 5, wherein said load state control unit compares a supply amount of said AC power from said commercial power source with said upper limit of said power amount at a timing when said switching device switches from connection between said power supply apparatus and said plurality of electric loads to connection between said commercial power source and said plurality of electric loads, and, when the supply amount from said commercial power source is smaller than said upper limit of said power amount, supplies said AC power only to a selected electric load from among said plurality of electric loads such that a sum of the load amounts of said plurality of electric loads does not exceed the supply amount from said commercial power source.

7. The AC power supplying system according to claim 1, wherein said upper limit setting unit sets said upper limit of said power amount to decrease along with a decrease of the remaining amount of the fuel in said internal combustion engine when said remaining amount of said fuel becomes not more than a prescribed reference value, and sets said upper limit of said power amount to zero when said remaining amount of said fuel reaches a predetermined threshold value that is lower than said prescribed reference value.

8. The AC power supplying system according to claim 1, wherein

said power supply apparatus further includes:

a second motor generator coupled to a driving wheel of a vehicle; and

a second inverter connected to said second motor generator and receiving supply of DC power from said power source;

wherein

said control unit controls operations of said first and second inverters to drive said first and second motor generators and to generate AC power between neutral points of said first and second motor generators.

9. The AC power supplying system according to claim 8, wherein said upper limit setting unit sets said upper limit of the generated power amount such that the remaining amount of the fuel in said internal combustion engine is not less than a prescribed threshold value.

10. The AC power supplying system according to claim 9, wherein said prescribed threshold value corresponds to a remaining amount of the fuel in said internal combustion engine required for said vehicle to run to a supply station of said fuel.

11. The AC power supplying system according to claim 10, wherein said transmitting unit and said receiving unit have wireless communication media.

12. The AC power supplying system according to claim 10, wherein said transmitting unit and said receiving unit have power lines for supplying said AC power from said power supply apparatus to said plurality of electric loads as communication media.

13. A power supply apparatus supplying generated AC power to an external electric load, comprising:

a first motor generator coupled to an internal combustion engine of a vehicle and generating power;

a second motor generator coupled to a driving wheel of said vehicle;

first and second inverters connected to said first and second motor generators and receiving supply of DC power from a power source; and

a control device controlling operations of said first and second inverters to drive said first and second motor generators and to generate said AC power between neutral points of said first and second motor generators;

wherein

said control device includes

an upper limit setting unit setting an upper limit of a power generation amount of said first motor generator based on a remaining amount of fuel in said internal combustion engine,

a power generation amount control unit controlling said power generation amount based on said set upper limit of said power generation amount, and

a transmitting unit transmitting a signal designating said upper limit of said power generation amount to said external electric load.

14. The power supply apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said upper limit setting unit sets said upper limit of said power generation amount such that the remaining amount of the fuel in said internal combustion engine is not less than a prescribed threshold value.

15. The power supply apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said prescribed threshold value corresponds to a remaining amount of the fuel in said internal combustion engine required for said vehicle to run to a supply station of said fuel.

16. A vehicle having the power supply apparatus as recited in claim 13.