Control installation making it possible to control the electrical power supply for a plurality of DC electrical units

• US 9,651,970 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2012
• Issued: 05/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SCHEIBER SA
• Original Assignee: SCHEIBER SA
• Inventors: Siaudeau, Jean-Paul, Pain, Anthony, Scheiber, Franck
• Primary Examiner(s): Kinkead, Arnold
• Application Number:
  US14/111,388
• Publication Number:
  US 20140039706A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,824 Days
• Field of Search: 307 64, 307 66, 307 23, 340517, 700286
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/66 Regulating electric power
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/14 Balancing the load in a network
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00 Circuit arrangements for providing remote indication of network conditions, e.g. an instantaneous record of the open or closed condition of each circuitbreaker in the network; Circuit arrangements for providing remote control of switching means in a power distribution network, e.g. switching in and out of current consumers by using a pulse code signal carried by the network
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00007 using the power network as support for the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/40 The network being an on-board power network, i.e. within a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/381 Dispersed generators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/18 via data-bus transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/121 using the power network as support for the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/126 using wireless data transmission

Abstract

A control installation includes a DC power supply (4) able to power a plurality of electrical units (3), and a system (5) for managing the power supply to the electrical units (3). The installation also includes a transmitter control device (1) including radiofrequency transmission elements (10) and actuators (11) each including a transducer making it possible to control the transmission of a radiofrequency signal, and a receiver control device (2) making it possible to send to the management system (5), control signals, dependent on the radiofrequency signal or signals received, so as to activate or deactivate the power supply to at least one part of the electrical units (3). The invention also relates to a structure and a corresponding method of mounting.

Claims

1. A control installation making it possible to control the electrical power supply of a plurality of electrical units, said installation comprising:

a DC power supply, such as a supply battery, able to power a plurality of electrical units, a management system for the power supply of said electrical units, said management system being interposed between said electrical units and the DC power supply, characterized in that said installation also comprises;

an emitter control device comprising radiofrequency emission means and actuators each comprising a transducer in order to energize said radiofrequency emission means so as to control the emission of a radiofrequency signal, a receiver control device comprising radiofrequency reception means, able to receive the radiofrequency signals emitted by the emitter control device, and to transmit to the management system, control signals, dependent on the radiofrequency signal or signals received, so as to activate or deactivate the power supply of at least part of said electrical units,

wherein said management system has relays each exhibiting a pole, or pin, able to be linked to one of said electrical units and another pole, or pin, able to be linked to the DC power supply, and the receiver control device has several outputs, a control input of each relay is linked to one of the outputs of the receiver control device so as to allow the receiver control device to control said relay as a function of the radiofrequency signal or signals received.

2. The installation as claimed in claim 1, wherein said transducer is able to transform a press exerted on said actuator into an electric current so as to energize said radiofrequency emission means.

3. The installation as claimed in claim 1, wherein said transducer is able to transform a renewable energy source, such as solar energy, or wind energy, or a temperature difference, into an electric current so as to energize said radiofrequency emission means.

4. The installation as claimed in claim 1, wherein the installation also comprises a first microchip connected to the receiver control device so as to recover signals from said receiver control device generated on the basis of the signals received by said receiver control device, and in that said management system comprises relays each exhibiting a pole, or pin, able to be linked to one of said electrical units and another pole, or pin, able to be linked to the DC power supply, and at least one control block which includes said or a part of said relays and a second microchip designed to drive the control input of each of the relays of said control block, said or each control block and the first microchip being able to communicate with one another through a network on which said first microchip is able to transmit signals comprising control information generated on the basis of the signals recovered from said receiver control device, said second microchip of the or of each control block being configured to drive the relays of said control block as a function of the control information transmitted on said network.

5. The installation as claimed in claim 4, wherein said first microchip also comprises a plurality of outputs to which are hooked up to control inputs of a part of said relays.

6. The installation as claimed in claim 5, wherein said first microchip and said receiver control device are housed in one and the same casing furnished with means of connection to the electrical units to be driven, with means of connection to the DC power supply and with means of connection to said network.

7. The installation as claimed in claim 1, wherein said relays are field-effect transistors.

8. The installation as claimed in claim 7, wherein each relay is furnished with means for determining the intensity of current which passes through said relay, and in that said receiver control device or the microchip which drives said relay is able to drive said relay as a function of the intensity of current determined.

9. The installation as claimed in claim 8, wherein said installation comprises means for determining, on the basis of said determined intensity of current, the state of the electrical unit hooked up to said relay and means for signaling said state.

10. The installation as claimed in claim 4, wherein the installation comprises calibration means making it possible to adjust for each relay a value of intensity of current beyond which said relay prevents the powering of the corresponding electrical unit by the DC power supply.

11. The installation as claimed in claim 1, wherein the emitter control device comprises a watertight casing.

12. A structure, such as a vehicle or mobile house, comprising a plurality of electrical units and a control installation for said electrical units, wherein said control installation complies with claim 1.

13. A method of mounting a control installation for electrical units in accordance with claim 1, in a structure, such as a vehicle or mobile house, equipped with a DC power supply, such as an original battery, and with electrical units intended to be powered by the DC power supply, wherein said receiver control device and said management system are integrated into said structure by interposing said management system between said electrical units and said DC power supply which forms said DC power supply of the installation.