VEHICLE-USE POWER SUPPLY CONTROL APPARATUS

• US 20080284384A1
• Filed: 05/14/2008
• Published: 11/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Senda, Takashi, Kato, Minoru
• Granted Patent: US 7,872,362 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 322/17
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/1446 in response to parameters of a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 9/48 Arrangements for obtaining a constant output value at varying speed of the generator, e.g. on vehicle H02P9/04 - H02P9/46 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/92 Energy efficient charging or discharging systems for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors specially adapted for vehicles

Abstract

The vehicle-use power supply control apparatus includes a first battery supplying electric power to a load, an alternator driven by a vehicle engine, a second electric accumulator parallel-connected to the first battery, an electric power converter performing two-way power transmission between the first and second batteries, and a power supply control unit. The power supply control includes a function of setting a target power generation efficiency index, a function of setting a target power generation amount of the alternator on the basis of the target power generation efficiency index, while referring to a map defining relationship between a power generation efficiency index and a power generation amount of the alternator, and a function of controlling an amount and a transmission direction of transmission power of the electric power converter in order that an amount of electric power generated by the alternator becomes equal to the target power generation amount.

Claims

1. A vehicle-use power supply control apparatus comprising:

a first electric accumulator for supplying electric power to a load;

an alternator driven by a vehicle engine to generate electric power to be supplied to said load and said first electric accumulator;

a second electric accumulator parallel-connected to said first electric accumulator;

an electric power converter capable of performing two-way power transmission between said first and second electric accumulators; and

a power supply control unit including a first function of setting a target power generation efficiency index of said alternator, a second function of setting a target power generation amount of said alternator on the basis of said target power generation efficiency index set by said first function, while referring to a map defining a relationship between a power generation efficiency index and a power generation amount of said alternator, and a third function of controlling an amount and a transmission direction of transmission power of said electric power converter in order that an amount of electric power generated by said alternator becomes equal to said target power generation amount.

2. The vehicle-use power supply control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first function sets said target power generation efficiency index depending on a remaining capacity of said first electric accumulator.

3. The vehicle-use power supply control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an internal resistance of said second electric accumulator is smaller than an internal resistance of said first electric accumulator.

4. The vehicle-use power supply control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said third function controls said amount of transmission power of said electric power converter with regard to a power consumption of said load and a charging power of said first electric accumulator.