SWITCHING POWER SUPPLY DEVICE

• US 20190036462A1
• Filed: 01/31/2017
• Published: 01/31/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: TAZAKI, SHINTARO, KATO, SHINTA, ARAI, SHIGENORI, ICHIKI, RYO
• Granted Patent: US 10,270,360 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/22 Constructional details or arrangements of charging converters specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/32 Means for protecting converters other than automatic disconnection
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/06 using discharge tubes without control electrode or semiconductor devices without control electrode
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/062 Avoiding or suppressing excessive transient voltages or currents
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/12 using discharge tubes with control electrode or semiconductor devices with control electrode
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/1557 with automatic control of the output voltage or current
• 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 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

A switching power supply device includes: a plurality of power supply circuits which include a first power supply circuit and a second power supply circuit and respectively correspond to a plurality of phases of a multiphase AC power supply; a switching circuit; an inrush current prevention (ICP) circuit; and a control circuit. The control circuit causes the switching circuit to switch a phase to be connected to the second power supply circuit to a phase corresponding to the first power supply circuit, and causes the ICP circuit to function so that initial charge of electrolyte capacitors included in the respective power supply circuits is performed. After the initial charge is completed, the control circuit causes the switching circuit to switch the phase to be connected to the second power supply circuit to the phase corresponding to the second power supply circuit, and causes the ICP circuit to turn off.

Claims

1. A switching power supply device comprising:

a plurality of power supply circuits including a first power supply circuit and a second power supply circuit, the plurality of power supply circuits respectively corresponding to a plurality of phases of a multiphase alternating-current (AC) power supply, the plurality of power supply circuits being connected with each other at a connection point, and the plurality of power supply circuits including capacitors, respectively;

a switching circuit that switches a phase to be connected to the second power supply circuit between a phase corresponding to the first power supply circuit and a phase corresponding to the second power supply circuit;

an inrush current prevention circuit that prevents inrush current and is disposed on a negative power supply line of the multiphase AC power supply, at a position closer to the multiphase AC power supply than the connection point is, and

a control circuit that controls the switching circuit and the inrush current prevention circuit,

wherein the control circuit causes the switching circuit to switch the phase to be connected to the second power supply circuit to the phase corresponding to the first power supply circuit, and causes the inrush current prevention circuit to function so that initial charge of the capacitors is performed, and

when the initial charge of the capacitors is completed, the control circuit causes the switching circuit to switch the phase to be connected to the second power supply circuit to the phase corresponding to the second power supply circuit, and causes the inrush current prevention circuit to turn off.

2. The switching power supply device according to claim 1,

wherein each of the plurality of power supply circuits includes an AC/DC converter that converts AC power into direct-current (DC) power, and a DC/DC converter that transforms DC voltage output from the AC/DC converter,

the AC/DC converter includes one of the capacitors and a voltmeter that measures a voltage of the one of the capacitors, and

the control circuit determines, based on a voltage value from the voltmeter, whether or not the initial charge of the one of the capacitors is completed.

3. The switching power supply device according to claim 2,

wherein the inrush current prevention circuit includes an inrush current limiting resistor,

the first power supply circuit corresponds to a first phase of the multiphase AC power supply,

the second power supply circuit corresponds to a second phase of the multiphase AC power supply,

when a single-phase AC power supply is applied,

the control circuit controls the switching circuit and the inrush current prevention circuit when the initial charge is performed, such that power supplied from the single-phase AC power supply is supplied to the first power supply circuit via the first phase and is also supplied to the inrush current limiting resistor, and

the control circuit controls the switching circuit and the inrush current prevention circuit after the initial charge is completed, such that power supplied from the single-phase AC power supply is supplied to the first power supply circuit via the first phase and is not supplied to the inrush current limiting resistor, and

when a two-phase AC power supply is applied,

the control circuit controls the switching circuit and the inrush current prevention circuit when the initial charge is performed, such that power supplied from the two-phase AC power supply is supplied to the first power supply circuit and the second power supply circuit via the first phase and is also supplied to the inrush current limiting resistor, and

the control circuit controls the switching circuit and the inrush current prevention circuit after the initial charge is completed, such that power supplied from the two-phase AC power supply is supplied to the first power supply circuit via the first phase and to the second power supply circuit via the second phase, and is not supplied to the inrush current limiting resistor.

4. The switching power supply device according to claim 2,

wherein the inrush current prevention circuit includes an inrush current limiting resistor,

the plurality of power supply circuits further include a third power supply circuit,

the first power supply circuit corresponds to a first phase of the multiphase AC power supply,

the second power supply circuit corresponds to a second phase of the multiphase AC power supply,

the third power supply circuit corresponds to a third phase of the multiphase AC power supply,

when a single-phase AC power supply is applied,

the control circuit controls the switching circuit and the inrush current prevention circuit when the initial charge is performed, such that power supplied from the single-phase AC power supply is supplied to the first power supply circuit via the first phase and is also supplied to the inrush current limiting resistor, and

the control circuit controls the switching circuit and the inrush current prevention circuit after the initial charge is completed, such that power supplied from the single-phase AC power supply is supplied to the first power supply circuit via the first phase and is not supplied to the inrush current limiting resistor, and

when a two-phase AC power supply is applied,

the control circuit controls the switching circuit and the inrush current prevention circuit when the initial charge is performed, such that power supplied from the two-phase AC power supply is supplied to the first power supply circuit and the second power supply circuit via the first phase and is also supplied to the inrush current limiting resistor, and

the control circuit controls the switching circuit and the inrush current prevention circuit after the initial charge is completed, such that power supplied from the two-phase AC power supply is supplied to the first power supply circuit via the first phase and to the second power supply circuit via the second phase and is not supplied to the inrush current limiting resistor, and

when a three-phase AC power supply is applied,

the control circuit controls the switching circuit and the inrush current prevention circuit when the initial charge is performed, such that power supplied from the three-phase AC power supply is supplied to the first power supply circuit, the second power supply circuit, and the third power supply circuit via the first phase and is also supplied to the inrush current limiting resistor, and

the control circuit controls the switching circuit and the inrush current prevention circuit after the initial charge is completed, such that power supplied from the three-phase AC power supply is supplied to the first power supply circuit via the first phase, to the second power supply circuit via the second phase, and to the third power supply circuit via the third phase and is not supplied to the inrush current limiting resistor.