Power supply device and construction machine

• US 8,125,105 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2009
• Issued: 02/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Construction Machinery Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Construction Machinery Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ishida, Toshihiko, Kimura, Toshihiro, Doi, Tetsuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Fureman, Jared
• Assistant Examiner(s): PEREZ BORROTO, ALFONSO
• Application Number:
  US12/603,097
• Publication Number:
  US 20100096921A1
• Time in Patent Office: 860 Days
• Field of Search: 307/9.1, 307 64- 66, 307 72- 75, 307 85- 87
• US Class Current: 307/86
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/40 Working vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/10 DC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/53 in combination with an external power supply, e.g. from overhead contact lines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/20 having different nominal voltages
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/102 being switching converters H02J1/108, H02J1/12 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/062 for AC powered loads
• 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 power supply device comprises a bidirectional voltage converter unit that performs voltage stepping up or voltage stepping down between a first terminal and a second terminal; a first switching unit that applies a DC voltage obtained from the first electric power supply source to the first terminal; a second switching unit that applies a DC voltage obtained from the second electric power supply source to the first terminal; a third switching unit that applies a DC voltage obtained from the first electric power supply source to the second terminal; an output unit that outputs a predetermined DC voltage from the second terminal; and a switching control unit that controls switching of the first switching unit, the second switching unit and the third switching unit.

Claims

1. A power supply device that receives supply of electric power from a first electric power supply source or from a second electric power supply source and generates a predetermined DC voltage, comprising:

a bidirectional voltage converter unit that includes a first terminal and a second terminal and performs step-up converting or step-down converting between the first terminal and the second terminal;

a first switching unit 9 that switches a connection between the first electric power supply source and the first terminal of the bidirectional voltage converter;

a second switching unit 7 that switches a connection between the second electric power supply source and the first terminal of the bidirectional voltage converter;

a third switching unit that switches a connection between the first electric power supply source and the second terminal of the bidirectional voltage converter;

an output unit that outputs a DC voltage at the second terminal of the bidirectional voltage converter unit as the predetermined DC voltage; and

a switching control unit that controls switching of the first switching unit, the second switching unit and the third switching unit, wherein;

if a first DC voltage obtained from the first electric power supply source is equal to the predetermined DC voltage and a second DC voltage obtained from the second electric power supply source is lower than the predetermined DC voltage, the switching control unit opens the first switching unit, closes the second switching unit and closes the third switching unit so that the first DC voltage is outputted as the predetermined DC voltage and the second DC voltage is converted to the predetermined DC voltage by the bidirectional voltage converter unit performing the step-up converting; and

if the first DC voltage and the second DC voltage are lower than the predetermined DC voltage, the switching control unit opens the first switching unit, closes the second switching unit and closes the third switching unit so that the electric power from the first electric power supply source is transmitted to the second electric power supply source via the bidirectional voltage converter unit and thereby the second electric power supply is charged, and, after the second electric power supply has been charged, the switching control unit opens the third switching unit so that the second DC voltage is converted to the predetermined DC voltage by the bidirectional voltage converter unit performing the step-up converting.

2. A power supply device according to claim 1, wherein:

the first DC voltage from the first electric power supply source is obtained by rectifying an AC voltage of an AC power supply grid or obtained from an external battery;

the second DC voltage from the second electric power supply source is obtained from an internal battery;

the bidirectional voltage converter unit is a bidirectional type of voltage converting chopper circuit; and

the switching control unit controls the switching of the first switching unit, the second switching unit and the third switching unit, on the basis of the first DC voltage obtained from the first electric power supply source and the second DC voltage obtained from the second electric power supply source.

3. A power supply device according to claim 1, wherein

if the first DC voltage is equal to the predetermined DC voltage, the second DC voltage is lower than the predetermined DC voltage and the second electric power supply source has been discharged, the switching control unit transmits electric power from the first electric power supply source to the second electric power supply source via the bidirectional voltage converter unit so that the first DC voltage is converted to the second DC voltage by the bidirectional voltage converter unit performing the step-down converting and the second electric power supply is charged.

4. A construction machine that uses an electric motor as a drive power source, comprising:

a power supply device according to claim 1;

an inverter circuit that operates upon the DC output voltage of the power supply device; and

an electric motor driven by the inverter circuit.

5. A construction machine according to claim 4, wherein:

the first electric power supply source is an external AC power supply grid or an external DC power supply; and

the second electric power supply source is a battery internal to a main body of the construction machine.

6. A power supply device that receives supply of electric power from a first electric power supply source or from a second electric power supply source and generates a predetermined DC voltage, comprising:

a bidirectional voltage converter unit that includes a first terminal and a second terminal and performs step-up converting or step-down converting between the first terminal and the second terminal;

a first switching unit that switches a connection between the first electric power supply source and the first terminal of the bidirectional voltage converter;

a second switching unit that switches a connection between the second electric power supply source and the first terminal of the bidirectional voltage converter;

a third switching unit that switches a connection between the first electric power supply source and the second terminal of the bidirectional voltage converter;

an output unit that outputs a DC voltage at the second terminal of the bidirectional voltage converter unit as the predetermined DC voltage; and

a switching control unit that controls switching of the first switching unit, the second switching unit and the third switching unit, wherein;

if a first DC voltage obtained from the first electric power supply source is equal to the predetermined DC voltage and a second DC voltage obtained from the second electric power supply source is lower than the predetermined DC voltage, the switching control unit opens the first switching unit, closes the second switching unit and closes the third switching unit so that the first DC voltage is outputted as the predetermined DC voltage and the second DC voltage is converted to the predetermined DC voltage by the bidirectional voltage converter unit performing the step-up converting; and

if the first DC voltage and the second DC voltage are lower than the predetermined DC voltage, the switching control unit closes the first switching unit, opens the second switching unit and opens the third switching unit so that the first DC voltage is converted to the predetermined DC voltage by the bidirectional voltage converter unit performing the step-up converting.