Power supply device

• US 9,831,671 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2012
• Issued: 11/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: UD Trucks Corporation (Isuzu Motors Limited)
• Original Assignee: Volvo Truck Corporation (AB Volvo)
• Inventors: Yamada, Yoshiaki, Tsuchiya, Takayuki, Hikiri, Kunihiko, Itani, Koichi, Toyama, Hiroshi, Miyake, Noriaki
• Primary Examiner(s): BARNIE, REXFORD N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chowdhuri, Swarna N
• Application Number:
  US14/441,894
• Publication Number:
  US 20150333513A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,845 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/007 Physical arrangements or structures of drive train converters specially adapted for the propulsion motors of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2009 for braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/14 Boost converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/40 using propulsion power supplied by capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/20 having different nominal voltages
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/12 Parallel operation of dc generators with converters, e.g. with mercury-arc rectifier
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/345 using capacitors as storage or buffering devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/02 without intermediate conversion into ac
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/158 including plural semiconductor devices as final control devices for a single load
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/5387 in a bridge configuration
• 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 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility

Abstract

A power supply device for supplying power to a load by combining a secondary battery and a capacitor includes a switching element which switches the supply of power to the load from the capacitor, a DC-DC converter which enables a voltage of the capacitor to be stepped up and supplied to the load and a control unit which enables power to be supplied to the load by pulse-controlling the switching element, controlling the DC-DC converter to output a pulse current alternately with the switching element and combining the alternately output pulse currents if the voltage of the capacitor drops below a minimum voltage capable of driving the load.

Claims

1. A power supply device for supplying power to a load by combining a secondary battery and a capacitor, comprising:

a switching element adapted to switch the supply of power to the load from the capacitor;

a DC-DC converter adapted to enable a voltage of the secondary battery to be stepped up and supplied to the load; and

a control unit adapted to enable power to be supplied to the load by pulse-controlling the switching element, controlling the DC-DC converter to output a pulse current alternately with the switching element and combining the alternately output pulse currents if the voltage of the capacitor drops below a minimum voltage capable of driving the load.

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

the DC-DC converter increases a gain for stepping up a voltage of the secondary battery according to a voltage drop of the capacitor.

3. The power supply device according to claim 1, wherein:

the switching element enables power to be continuously supplied to the load from the capacitor if the voltage of the capacitor is a voltage capable of driving the load.

4. The power supply device according to claim 1, wherein:

the control unit enables power to be supplied to the load by pulse-controlling the switching element, controlling the DC-DC converter to output a pulse current alternately with the switching element and combining the alternately output pulse currents if the voltage of the capacitor becomes lower than a voltage higher than the minimum voltage capable of driving the load by a margin voltage.

5. The power supply device according to claim 1, wherein:

the control unit enables power to be continuously supplied to the load from the secondary battery by switching the switching element to a shut-off state and controlling the DC-DC converter if the voltage of the capacitor becomes lower than a voltage higher than a minimum operating voltage of the capacitor by a margin voltage.