Portable AC-DC power converter and vehicle-mounted power supply management device
By using a portable AC-DC power converter and an on-board power management device, a trigger signal is generated by short contact points of conductors to automatically disconnect the connection, solving the power supply needs of on-board refrigeration units in electric vehicles, extending battery life and reducing carbon emissions.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202310845058.5
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2023-07-10
- Publication Date
- 2025-01-10
AI Technical Summary
In electric vehicles, increasing the capacity of high-voltage DC batteries faces many constraints, making it difficult to meet the power supply requirements of on-board refrigeration units. This could lead to battery depletion and reduced cruising range, and existing technologies are unable to effectively solve this problem.
It adopts a portable AC-DC power converter and vehicle power management device, and generates a trigger signal through a short contact point of the conductor to automatically disconnect the vehicle electrical equipment from the vehicle power supply, thus avoiding power switching shock.
It enables flexible power supply management, extends the life of vehicle batteries, reduces carbon emissions, lowers equipment costs, and avoids the impact of power switching on equipment.
Smart Images
Figure CN119283630A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present application relates to power management technology and cold chain transportation technology, and in particular to a portable AC-DC power converter for a vehicle-mounted refrigeration unit and a vehicle-mounted power supply management device suitable for use with the above-mentioned portable AC-DC power converter. Background Art
[0002] In the cold chain transportation industry, in order to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, the use of batteries as a refrigeration energy source is becoming a development trend. Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an electric vehicle equipped with an onboard refrigeration unit. Figure 1 , the electric vehicle 10 includes a high-voltage DC battery 110, a low-voltage DC battery 120, and an on-board refrigeration unit 130 for providing driving power. Considering the high power consumption of the on-board refrigeration unit 130, it is a wise choice to use the high-voltage DC battery 110 as its energy source. However, the capacity increase of the high-voltage DC battery 110 faces many constraints (such as constraints such as the energy density of battery materials and battery safety). Therefore, in the case of already facing huge challenges in meeting the mileage requirements, the battery should be used to reduce the power supply to the on-board refrigeration unit as much as possible. In particular, events such as the depletion of battery power or the shortening of the cruising range of the electric vehicle due to power supply to the on-board refrigeration unit need to be avoided. Summary of the invention
[0003] According to one aspect of the present application, there is provided a portable AC-DC power converter for vehicle-mounted electrical equipment, comprising:
[0004] AC-DC conversion unit;
[0005] one or more AC power plugs connected to the input terminal of the AC-DC conversion unit; and
[0006] One or more connectors connected to the output end of the AC-DC conversion unit, wherein the connector includes a DC output interface and a conductor, and the conductor is configured to short-circuit contacts arranged on the vehicle side to generate a trigger signal for disconnecting the connection between the on-board electrical equipment and the on-board power supply when the DC output interface is engaged with the DC input interface of the on-board connector.
[0007] Optionally, in the above portable AC-DC power converter, the DC output interface includes:
[0008] a base; and
[0009] A male terminal or a female terminal is arranged on the base.
[0010] Further optionally, in the above portable AC-DC power converter, the conductor is a metal connecting wire, which is arranged on the base and located between the male terminals or between the female terminals.
[0011] Or further optionally, in the above portable AC-DC power converter, the conductor is a metal connecting wire, which is arranged on the base and located on one side of the male terminal or one side of the female terminal.
[0012] Still further optionally, in the above portable AC-DC power converter, the metal connecting wire is in the shape of a , and its end is further away from the surface of the base than the end of the male terminal.
[0013] Optionally, in the above portable AC-DC power converter, there are multiple AC power plugs.
[0014] Optionally, in the above portable AC-DC power converter, there are multiple connectors.
[0015] According to another aspect of the present application, there is provided a vehicle-mounted power supply management device suitable for use with the above-mentioned portable AC-DC power converter, comprising:
[0016] An on-board control unit configured to control the connection state between the on-board electrical equipment and the on-board power supply;
[0017] The vehicle-mounted connector comprises a DC input interface and contacts, wherein the contacts are connected to the vehicle-mounted control unit.
[0018] When the DC output interface of the portable AC-DC power converter is engaged with the DC input interface of the vehicle connector, the contacts are short-circuited via the conductor to generate a trigger signal at the vehicle control unit. In response to the trigger signal, the vehicle control unit disconnects the connection between the vehicle electrical equipment and the vehicle power supply.
[0019] Optionally, in the above-mentioned vehicle-mounted power supply management device, the vehicle-mounted control unit is in the form of a printed circuit board.
[0020] Optionally, the above-mentioned vehicle power supply management device further includes a switch located between the vehicle electrical equipment and the vehicle power supply, and the vehicle control unit controls the connection state between the vehicle electrical equipment and the vehicle power supply by controlling the on-off state of the switch.
[0021] Optionally, in the above-mentioned vehicle power supply management device, the DC input interface includes:
[0022] a base; and
[0023] A female terminal or a male terminal is arranged on the base.
[0024] Optionally, in the above-mentioned vehicle-mounted power supply management device, the vehicle-mounted electrical equipment is a vehicle-mounted refrigeration unit. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0025] The above and / or other aspects and advantages of the present application will become clearer and easier to understand through the following description of various aspects in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which the same or similar units are represented by the same reference numerals. The accompanying drawings include:
[0026] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an electric vehicle equipped with on-board electrical equipment.
[0027] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of a portable AC-DC power converter according to some embodiments of the present application.
[0028] Figure 3A and 3B They are schematic diagrams of connectors of portable AC-DC power converters according to other embodiments of the present application.
[0029] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of a vehicle power supply management device according to some other embodiments of the present application.
[0030] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of an on-board connector of an on-board power supply management device according to some other embodiments of the present application.
[0031] Figure 6 A schematic block diagram of a typical processing device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0032] The present application is described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings in which illustrative embodiments of the present application are illustrated. However, the present application may be implemented in different forms and should not be interpreted as being limited to the embodiments given herein. The above embodiments are given to make the disclosure herein comprehensive and complete, so as to more fully convey the scope of protection of the present application to those skilled in the art.
[0033] In this specification, terms such as "comprise" and "include" indicate that in addition to the units and steps directly and explicitly stated in the specification and claims, the technical solution of the present application does not exclude the situation where there are other units and steps that are not directly or explicitly stated.
[0034] In this specification, terms such as "A is connected to B" and "A is connected to B" indicate the following situations: i) there is a direct electrical connection or mechanical connection between A and B; ii) an electrical connection or mechanical connection is established between A and B through C.
[0035] Unless otherwise specified, terms such as "first" and "second" do not indicate the order of the units in terms of time, space, size, etc., but are merely used to distinguish the units.
[0036] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of a portable AC-DC power converter according to some embodiments of the present application. It should be noted that, in addition to Figure 2 In addition to the units shown, the AC-DC power converter also contains other units that are essential for implementing power conversion. However, for the sake of simplicity, Figure 2 And the following description will only involve units directly related to the technical problems solved by this application.
[0037] Figure 2 The portable AC-DC power converter 20 shown includes an AC-DC conversion unit 210, a housing 220 for accommodating the AC-DC conversion unit 210, an AC power plug 230, and a connector 240. The functions of the AC-DC conversion unit 210 can be implemented using various existing AC-DC conversion circuits, and in some embodiments, the unit 210 is implemented in the form of a printed circuit board. The AC power plug 230 serves as an interface for inputting electric energy, which can be connected to the input end of the AC-DC conversion unit 210 via a cable; on the other hand, the connector 240 serves as an interface for outputting electric energy, which can be connected to the output end of the AC-DC conversion unit 210 via a cable and can be engaged with a vehicle-mounted connector so that a vehicle-mounted device (e.g., a vehicle-mounted refrigeration unit) can draw electric energy from the portable AC-DC power converter 20.
[0038] Compared with the method of installing the AC-DC power converter in a vehicle or a fixed place (such as in a building), since the portable AC-DC power converter 20 is physically separable from the power source and the on-board electrical equipment (such as a vehicle-mounted refrigeration unit), it is greatly convenient for the external power source to power the on-board electrical equipment. In addition, since the AC-DC power converter and the on-board electrical equipment are no longer integrated together, the AC-DC power converter and the electrical equipment can be designed independently of each other, thereby providing higher flexibility in design, especially for the on-board refrigeration unit. Furthermore, the above-mentioned spatial separation also allows an AC-DC power converter to be shared by electrical equipment of different vehicles, thereby reducing equipment costs. In addition, when the vehicle is parked at a fixed place, the AC power supply to the on-board electrical equipment can reduce the use time of the on-board power supply (such as a vehicle-mounted battery, a vehicle-mounted diesel generator set), thereby extending the service life of the vehicle-mounted battery and reducing carbon emissions. Furthermore, since it only involves the management of power supply from an external power source to vehicle-mounted electrical devices and does not involve charging of the vehicle-mounted battery by the external power source, the control logic of the portable AC-DC power converter 20 (such as monitoring of charging voltage and current and providing a battery protection mechanism, etc.) is simplified.
[0039] It should be pointed out that although Figure 1 In the portable AC-DC power converter shown, the number of AC power plugs and connectors is 1, but this is only exemplary. In some other embodiments, the number of AC power plugs can be more than one, and the same is true for the connector. By configuring a plurality of AC power plugs and connectors for the portable AC-DC power converter, power can be supplied to electrical devices of multiple vehicles or multiple electrical devices of the same vehicle at the same time, thereby saving the number of portable AC-DC power converters.
[0040] In some applications, when the power-consuming device is connected to the portable AC-DC power converter, it is necessary to disconnect the former from the vehicle power supply (such as the vehicle battery). For example, for a vehicle-mounted refrigeration unit, it is powered by the vehicle's high-voltage DC battery during driving. Due to the difference in output power between the high-voltage DC battery and the AC-DC power converter, the sudden switching between power sources may have an impact on the refrigeration unit and the battery, thereby affecting their service life and even causing damage to the device and the battery.
[0041] In some embodiments, a protection mechanism is provided to prevent the above situation from occurring. Specifically, in addition to the DC output interface, the connector 240 also includes a conductor. The arrangement of the conductor is such that when the DC output interface is engaged with the DC input interface of the vehicle-mounted connector, the contact arranged on the vehicle side is short-circuited, thereby generating a trigger signal, which will cause the connection between the vehicle-mounted electrical equipment and the vehicle-mounted battery to be disconnected. The above protection mechanism has at least the advantages of being simple and reliable in implementation, requiring no manual intervention (such as manually switching the power supply), and avoiding complex control logic.
[0042] It should be noted that the conductor described here should be broadly understood as a conductive medium that can short-circuit the contacts on the vehicle side. It can be of various shapes and materials, and its position can also be flexibly arranged according to specific applications. In some examples, the conductor can be, for example, Figure 3A The shown The conductor may be made of other materials (e.g., conductive plastics), and is not limited to a specific shape (e.g., various shapes such as "I" shape, "E" shape, "F" shape, "H" shape, "T" shape, and "W" shape), as long as the contacts can be short-circuited when the DC output interface is connected to the DC input interface. In other examples, the conductor may be in the form of a keycap (a component commonly used to implement jumpers on computer motherboards), and correspondingly, the contacts may be in the form of pins.
[0043] Figure 3A and 3B They are schematic diagrams of connectors of portable AC-DC power converters according to other embodiments of the present application, wherein: Figure 3A This is a side view of the connector. Figure 3B This is a schematic diagram of the front side of the connector. Figure 3A and 3B The illustrated embodiments provide exemplary implementations of the above-described protection mechanisms and may be used to Figure 2 Connector 240 in.
[0044] like Figure 3A and Figure 3BAs shown, the connector 30 includes a DC output interface 310 and a conductor 320. Exemplarily, the DC output interface 310 includes a base 311 and male terminals 312A, 312B arranged on the base 310, and the male terminals are suitable for engaging with female terminals (not shown) on the vehicle-mounted connector, so as to establish an electrical connection between the AC-DC conversion unit and the vehicle-mounted electrical equipment. The male terminal described here is also called a male connector, a connector, a pin, a plug, etc., which usually has a rod-shaped or copper-plate-shaped protrusion or end. The female terminal described here is also called a female connector, which usually has a slot or a recess suitable for the male connector to be physically inserted. It should be pointed out that in some other embodiments, the male terminal 312 arranged on the base can also be replaced by a female terminal.
[0045] See also Figure 3A In the embodiment shown, the conductor 320 is The male terminals 312A and 312B are shaped like metal connecting wires (e.g., hard metal wires) and the ends 321A and 321B face outward. When the male terminals 312A and 312B move toward the female terminals of the vehicle-mounted connector (e.g., move to the right in the figure), the ends 321A and 321B will abut against the contacts T1 and T2 provided on the vehicle side, thereby short-circuiting the contacts T1 and T2 together. As will be further described below, this short-circuiting will generate a trigger signal in the vehicle-mounted control unit to disconnect the vehicle-mounted electrical equipment from the vehicle-mounted battery.
[0046] See also Figure 3B In the embodiment shown, the metal connection wire as the conductor 320 is arranged on the base 311 and is located between the male terminals 312A and 312B. However, this is only an exemplary manner. In some other embodiments, the conductor arranged on the base may also be located on one side of the male terminal or one side of the female terminal.
[0047] Continue to see Figure 3A Combined with Figure 3B Optionally, the ends 321A and 321B are further away from the surface 311A of the base 311 than the ends of the male terminals 312A and 312B, thereby ensuring that the metal connecting wire has short-circuited the contacts on the vehicle side when or before the male terminal is engaged with the female terminal of the vehicle connector.
[0048] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of a vehicle power supply management device according to some other embodiments of the present application. Figure 4 The vehicle power supply management device shown can be used with Figure 2 The portable AC-DC converter shown is used in conjunction with an external power source to supply power to onboard electrical equipment.
[0049] like Figure 4As shown, the vehicle power supply management device 40 includes a vehicle control unit 410, a vehicle connector 420, and a switch 430 located between the vehicle power device and the vehicle power supply (such as a vehicle battery). Figure 4 In addition to the units shown, the vehicle power supply management device also includes other units that are essential for implementing power supply management. However, for the sake of simplicity, Figure 4 And the following description will only involve units directly related to the technical problems solved by this application.
[0050] exist Figure 4 In the vehicle-mounted power supply management device 40 shown, the vehicle-mounted control unit 410 is configured to control the connection state between the vehicle-mounted electrical equipment (e.g., a vehicle-mounted refrigeration unit) 41 and the vehicle-mounted battery (e.g., a DC high-voltage battery) 42. Optionally, the vehicle-mounted control unit 410 can be implemented in the form of a printed circuit board. In addition, optionally, the vehicle-mounted power supply management device 40 also includes a switch 430 located between the vehicle-mounted electrical equipment 41 and the vehicle-mounted battery 42, and the vehicle-mounted control unit 410 controls the connection state between the vehicle-mounted electrical equipment 41 and the vehicle-mounted battery 42 by controlling the on-off state of the switch 430.
[0051] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of an on-board connector of an on-board power supply management device according to some other embodiments of the present application. The on-board connector shown can be used to implement Figure 4 The vehicle connector 420 and the Figure 3A and 3B The connector shown fits.
[0052] exist Figure 5 In the illustrated embodiment, the vehicle-mounted connector 50 includes a DC input interface 510 and contacts 520A and 520B. For example, the DC input interface 510 includes a base 511 and a contact 520A and 520B disposed on the base 510 and connected to the base 511. Figure 3A and Figure 3B The male terminals of the connector 30 are shown to be adapted to the female terminals 512A and 512B. It should be noted that when the terminals of the connector 30 are female terminals, the female terminals arranged on the base 511 will be replaced with male terminals to keep adapting to the connector 30.
[0053] It should be noted that the contact described here should be broadly understood as a component that can switch between electrical isolation and electrical connection, which can be of various shapes and materials, and the position can also be flexibly arranged according to specific applications. In some examples, the contact can be, for example, Figure 5The dot-shaped metal pads shown in the figure can also be made of other materials (such as conductive plastic) and other shapes (such as pins, plates, balls, polyhedrons, etc.), as long as the contacts can be short-circuited together via the conductor when the DC output interface is connected to the DC input interface. In addition, the position of the contacts can be set according to the position of the conductors in the connector 30.
[0054] Continue to see Figure 5 In the illustrated embodiment, the contacts 520A and 520B can be connected to the vehicle control unit 410 via wires (e.g., connected to electronic components arranged on a printed circuit board for implementing the functions of the vehicle control unit). When the connector 30 is not engaged with the vehicle connector 50, the contacts 520A and 520B are in an electrically isolated state. On the other hand, when the male terminal of the connector 30 moves toward the female terminals 512A and 512B of the vehicle connector, the ends 321A and 321B of the conductor of the connector 30 will abut against the contacts 520A and 520B, thereby short-circuiting the latter together. The short-circuiting of the contacts 520A and 520B will generate a trigger signal in the vehicle control unit 410. In response to the trigger signal, the vehicle control unit 410 disconnects the vehicle electrical equipment 41 from the vehicle battery 42 (e.g., by making the switch 430 in an off state).
[0055] Figure 6 A schematic block diagram of a typical processing device. Figure 6 The processing device shown can be used to implement Figure 4 The on-board control unit in the vehicle.
[0056] like Figure 6 As shown, the processing device 60 comprises an interface unit 610 , a memory 620 (eg a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory, a ROM, a hard drive, a magnetic disk, an optical disk), a microcontroller 630 and a computer program 640 .
[0057] The interface unit 610 is configured to convert the control signal generated by the microprocessor 630 into a corresponding driving signal and provide it to the controlled unit (eg Figure 4 switch 430 in).
[0058] The memory 620 stores a computer program 640 executable by the microcontroller 630. In addition, the memory 620 may store data generated when the microcontroller 630 executes the computer program.
[0059] The microcontroller 630 is configured to run a computer program 640 stored on the memory 620 and to access data on the memory 620. Optionally, the port of the microcontroller 630 can be connected to Figure 5The contacts 520A and 520B in the vehicle are connected. When the contacts 520A and 520B are short-circuited, a trigger signal will be generated on the port, causing the microcontroller 630 to generate a control command to disconnect the vehicle-mounted electrical device 41 from the vehicle-mounted battery 42.
[0060] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both.
[0061] In order to show the interchangeability between hardware and software, various schematic components, blocks, modules, circuits and steps are generally described above according to their functionality. Such functionality is implemented in hardware form or software form depending on the specific application and the design restrictions imposed on the overall system. Those skilled in the art can implement the described functionality in a variable manner for specific specific applications, but such implementation decisions should not be understood as causing deviations from the scope of the present application.
[0062] Although only some of the specific embodiments of the present application are described, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the present application can be implemented in many other forms without departing from its subject matter and scope. Therefore, the examples and embodiments shown are considered to be illustrative rather than restrictive, and the present application may include various modifications and substitutions without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application as defined in the appended claims.
[0063] The embodiments and examples set forth herein are provided to best illustrate embodiments according to the present technology and its specific applications, and thereby enable those skilled in the art to implement and use the present application. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the above description and examples are provided only for ease of illustration and example. The description set forth is not intended to cover all aspects of the present application or to limit the present application to the precise form disclosed.
Claims
1. A portable AC-DC power converter for vehicle-mounted electrical equipment, comprising: AC-DC conversion unit; One or more AC power plugs connected to the input terminal of the AC-DC conversion unit; as well as One or more connectors connected to the output end of the AC-DC conversion unit, wherein the connector includes a DC output interface and a conductor, and the conductor is configured to short-circuit contacts arranged on the vehicle side to generate a trigger signal for disconnecting the connection between the on-board electrical equipment and the on-board power supply when the DC output interface is engaged with the DC input interface of the on-board connector.
2. The portable AC-DC power converter according to claim 1, wherein: The DC output interface comprises: a base; and A male terminal or a female terminal is arranged on the base.
3. The portable AC-DC power converter according to claim 2, wherein: The conductor is a metal connecting wire, which is arranged on the base and located between the male terminals or between the female terminals.
4. The portable AC-DC power converter according to claim 2, wherein: The conductor is a metal connecting wire, which is arranged on the base and located on one side of the male terminal or one side of the female terminal.
5. The portable AC-DC power converter according to claim 3 or 4, wherein: The metal connecting wire is The end of the male terminal is further away from the surface of the base than the end of the male terminal.
6. The portable AC-DC power converter according to claim 1, wherein: The number of the AC power plugs is multiple.
7. The portable AC-DC power converter according to claim 4, wherein: The number of the connectors is multiple.
8. A vehicle-mounted power supply management device suitable for use with the portable AC-DC power converter according to any one of claims 1 to 7, comprising: An on-board control unit configured to control the connection status between the on-board electrical equipment and the on-board power supply; The vehicle-mounted connector comprises a DC input interface and contacts, wherein the contacts are connected to the vehicle-mounted control unit. When the DC output interface of the portable AC-DC power converter is engaged with the DC input interface of the vehicle connector, the contacts are short-circuited via the conductor to generate a trigger signal at the vehicle control unit. In response to the trigger signal, the vehicle control unit disconnects the connection between the vehicle electrical equipment and the vehicle power supply.
9. The vehicle-mounted power supply management device according to claim 8, wherein: The on-board control unit is in the form of a printed circuit board.
10. The vehicle-mounted power supply management device according to claim 8, wherein: It further includes a switch located between the vehicle-mounted electrical device and the vehicle-mounted power supply, and the vehicle-mounted control unit controls the connection state between the vehicle-mounted electrical device and the vehicle-mounted power supply by controlling the on-off state of the switch.
11. The vehicle-mounted power supply management device according to claim 8, wherein: The DC input interface comprises: a base; and A female terminal or a male terminal is arranged on the base.
12. The vehicle-mounted power supply management device according to claim 8, wherein: The vehicle-mounted electrical equipment is a vehicle-mounted refrigeration unit.