Power supply device

Abstract

Provided is a power supply device for supplying power to a device, the power supply device comprising: a battery pack having a battery and a metal cooler; an insulating oil circuit that cools the battery by causing insulating oil to flow into the cooler; and a control unit that turns on either one of a first relay and a second relay that supply the current from the battery to a power control device, and turns off the other, and releases static electricity generated by the flow of the insulating oil to a housing of the device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a power supply device. Background Art

[0002] In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2023-504801, a battery pack is disclosed, which includes: a battery pack housing forming an outer appearance; a plurality of battery modules disposed within the battery pack housing and including at least one battery cell; at least one heat insulating member disposed between the plurality of battery modules; and an energy discharge unit. The energy discharge unit is separated from at least one heat insulating member and connected to any one of the plurality of battery modules, and when thermal runaway occurs in at least one of the plurality of battery modules, an external short circuit is caused in any one of the battery modules.

[0003] In addition, it is disclosed that "the energy discharge unit may include a relay unit and a resistance unit". The relay unit is arranged to be connected to the battery cell of any one of the battery modules and can perform on-off operations. The resistance unit is connected to the relay unit and is disposed outside the battery pack housing. In addition, it is disclosed that "the inside of the resistance unit may be filled with insulating oil" and "the insulating oil can cool the resistor body inside the resistance unit". Summary of the Invention

[0004] However, in the prior art, for example, there is room for improvement in the case of adjusting the temperature of the battery by circulating the insulating oil.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a technology that can achieve both "reduction of electrostatic charging" and "safety against high voltage".

[0006] In the first aspect of the present disclosure, the following power supply device is provided.

[0007] A power supply device that supplies power to a device,

[0008] The power supply device has:

[0009] A battery pack having a battery and a metal cooler;

[0010] An insulating oil circuit that allows insulating oil to flow to the cooler to cool the battery; and

[0011] A control unit that turns on either a first relay or a second relay that supplies current from the battery to a power control device and turns off the other, and discharges static electricity generated by the flow of the insulating oil to the housing of the device.

[0012] According to one aspect, it is possible to achieve both "reduction of electrostatic charging" and "safety against high voltage". Brief Description of the Drawings

[0013] The features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same reference numerals denote the same elements, and:

[0014] Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the device of the embodiment;

[0015] Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the power supply device of the embodiment;

[0016] Figure 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing of the control unit of the embodiment;

[0017] Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the control unit of the embodiment. Detailed Embodiments

[0018] The principles of the present disclosure will be described with reference to several exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and are helpful for those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure, and do not imply any limitations related to the scope of the present disclosure. The disclosure described in this specification can be implemented by various methods other than those described below.

[0019] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical terms and scientific terms used in this specification have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art of the technical field to which the present disclosure belongs.

[0020] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0021] Configuration

[0022] Configuration of Device 50

[0023] Refer to Figure 1 , and the configuration of the device 50 of the embodiment will be described. Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the device 50 of the embodiment. In Figure 1 example, the device 50 includes a power supply device 1, a first relay 51, a second relay 52, a power control device 53, a drive device (actuator) 54, an insulation resistance 55, a housing (body ground) 56, and a circuit 57.

[0024] The device 50 can be various devices such as a vehicle, an air conditioning device, a household device, a factory device, an office device, etc.

[0025] The first relay 51 and the second relay 52 switch the connection and disconnection of a circuit 57 for supplying power from a power supply device 1 to a power control device 53. When the device 50 is a hybrid electric vehicle, the first relay 51 and the second relay 52 may each be referred to as, for example, a system main relay (SMR). In Figure 1 this example, the first relay 51 switches the connection and disconnection of the positive electrode side of the power supply device 1, and the second relay 52 switches the connection and disconnection of the negative electrode side of the power supply device 1.

[0026] The drive device 54 is a device that converts electrical energy supplied from the power control device 53 into mechanical motion to operate the device 50. The drive device 54 may, for example, have an electric motor. In this case, the drive device 54 may be, for example, a motor generator (MG) that serves as the main power source when the hybrid electric vehicle starts and runs. The motor generator performs functions such as engine assistance during acceleration and regenerates energy when braking to charge the battery.

[0027] The insulation resistance 55 reduces the power conduction from the circuit 57 connected to the power supply device 1 to the housing 56 so that a person who touches the housing 56 will not get an electric shock. The housing 56 may be made of, for example, a material such as metal that is relatively easy to conduct electricity. When the device 50 is a vehicle, the housing 56 may also be referred to as, for example, a body earth. The high-voltage static electricity generated in the power supply device 1 is transmitted from the circuit 57 to the housing 56 via the insulation resistance 55 and dissipated to the ground via tires or the like to which the device 50 is grounded.

[0028] Configuration of the power supply device 1

[0029] Next, with reference to Figure 2 , the configuration of the power supply device 1 according to the embodiment will be described. Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the power supply device 1 according to the embodiment. In Figure 2 this example, the power supply device 1 includes a battery pack 10, an insulating oil circuit 20, and a control unit 30. The battery pack 10 includes a battery 11, a first cooler 12, a second cooler 13, and resin connectors 15A to 15D. The insulating oil circuit 20 includes a circulator 21, a storage tank 22, an oil pump 23, and pipes 24A to 24C.

[0030] The battery pack 10 houses the battery 11, the first cooler 12, the second cooler 13, the resin connectors 15A to 15D, a part of the pipe 24A, and a part of the pipe 24B.

[0031] The battery 11 can be, for example, a secondary battery such as a lithium-ion battery. The first cooler 12 is a cooling member made of metal or the like provided on the positive electrode side of the battery 11. The first cooler 12 can be in contact with the positive electrode or the like in order to conduct electricity from the positive electrode of the battery 11, thereby becoming a high-voltage state. The second cooler 13 is a cooling member made of metal or the like provided on the negative electrode side of the battery 11. The second cooler 13 can be in contact with the negative electrode or the like in order to conduct electricity from the negative electrode of the battery 11, thereby becoming a high-voltage state. In addition, the first cooler 12 is connected to the first relay 51 side, and the second cooler 13 is electrically connected to the second relay 52 side.

[0032] The resin connectors 15A to 15D are resin connectors formed in the shape shown in the example of the enlarged view 151. Each of the resin connectors 15A to 15D can be used for "enabling an operator who performs assembly (manufacturing) or the like to relatively easily connect the piping of the first cooler 12 or the second cooler 13 (for example, the internal piping of the cooler as a metal plate) to the piping 24A or the piping 24B", etc.

[0033] The insulating oil circuit 20 reduces the temperature of the battery 11 by causing insulating oil to flow (circulate) inside the battery pack 10. The insulating oil can be, for example, a liquid with relatively high insulation (for example, a volume resistivity of 10 5 Ω·cm or more). In addition, since the insulating oil has relatively high insulation, it has the characteristic of being unable to discharge the static electricity generated when rubbing against the piping during flow and accumulating the high-voltage static electricity in the insulating oil itself and the piping.

[0034] The circulator 21 is, for example, a device that cools the insulating oil by air cooling or the like. The storage tank 22 is, for example, a tank for storing the insulating oil that has expanded due to a temperature rise. The oil pump 23 is a pump that circulates the insulating oil in the insulating oil circuit 20 by pumping out the insulating oil.

[0035] The piping 24A to 24C are pipes through which the insulating oil flows. The piping 24A is a pipe for allowing the insulating oil to flow into the battery pack 10 from the outside. The piping 24B is a pipe for allowing the insulating oil to flow out of the battery pack 10 to the outside. Regarding the piping 24A and the piping 24B, for example, in order to ensure insulation for the first cooler 12 and the second cooler 13, which are components to which high voltage is applied, the piping 24A and the piping 24B can use members with a volume resistivity above a threshold value.

[0036] In this case, the piping 24A and the piping 24B can be made of, for example, 10 8It is composed of rubber with a resistance of Ωcm or more. Thereby, the cases where the pipes 24A and 24B are damaged by treeing due to static electricity can be reduced. In addition, treeing damage is a phenomenon in which, in a resin insulating material, when the local high electric field part in the solid exceeds the inherent breakdown limit of the solid, the breakdown path gradually develops in a tree shape and finally causes through breakdown. In addition, it is known that treeing damage occurs in resin materials but does not occur in rubber materials.

[0037] The pipe 24C is the part other than the pipes 24A and 24B in the pipes of the insulating oil circuit 20. The pipe 24C can be composed of, for example, rubber or resin with a resistance of 10 7 Ωcm or less that allows static current to flow relatively easily.

[0038] The control unit 30 can be, for example, a microcomputer such as an ECU (Electronic Control Unit). The control unit 30 controls each part of the device 50.

[0039] Processing

[0040] Next, with reference to Figure 3 an example of the processing of the control unit 30 of the embodiment will be described. Figure 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing of the control unit 30 of the embodiment. In addition, as long as there is no contradiction, Figure 3 each process can be executed in a different order.

[0041] In S101, the control unit 30 detects the situation where the device 50 has been started by a user or the like. Here, the control unit 30 can, for example, detect the situation where the power button of the device 50 has been pressed.

[0042] Next, the control unit 30 sets each of the first relay 51 and the second relay 52 to on (S102). Thereby, power is supplied from the power supply device 1 to the power control device 53, and a user or the like can operate the drive device 54. In addition, when each of the first relay 51 and the second relay 52 is turned on, even if the insulating oil circulates in the insulating oil circuit 20, the static electricity of the resin connectors 15A to 15D is released from the housing 56. Therefore, the cases where the resin connectors 15A to 15D are damaged by treeing due to the static electricity carried by the resin connectors 15A to 15D are prevented.

[0043] Next, the control unit 30 detects the situation where the device 50 has been stopped by a user or the like (S103). Here, the control unit 30 can, for example, detect the situation where the power button of the device 50 has been pressed again.

[0044] Next, the control unit 30 sets each of the first relay 51 and the second relay 52 to the off state (S104). Thereby, the power supply from the power supply device 1 to the power control device 53 can be stopped, and thus the drive device 54 can be stopped (non-operating).

[0045] Next, the control unit 30 determines whether to cool the battery 11 (S105). Here, for example, the control unit 30 can determine to cool the battery 11 when the temperature around the battery 11 measured by a temperature sensor or the like is equal to or higher than a threshold value.

[0046] In addition, the process of S105 can be executed, for example, at a specific timing such as a regular timing during a period from when the stop device 50 stops until a specific time (for example, until the temperature around the battery 11 is lower than the threshold value).

[0047] When it is determined to cool the battery 11 (Yes in S105), the control unit 30 circulates the insulating oil in the insulating oil circuit 20 (S106). Here, for example, the control unit 30 can start the oil pump 23 to circulate the insulating oil.

[0048] Next, the control unit 30 turns on either the first relay 51 or the second relay 52 and turns off the other one (S107), and proceeds to the process of S105. Thereby, for example, when cooling the battery 11 while the drive device 54 of the device 50 is non-operating (for example, when the vehicle is parked (stopped)), the static electricity of the resin connectors 15A to 15D is released from the housing 56 in a state where no power is supplied to the power control device 53. Therefore, the resin connectors 15A to 15D are prevented from being dendritically damaged due to the static electricity carried by the resin connectors 15A to 15D. In addition, this static electricity is generated by the friction between the flowing insulating oil and each of the resin connectors 15A to 15D.

[0049] When it is determined not to cool the battery 11 (No in S105), the control unit 30 stops the circulation of the insulating oil in the insulating oil circuit 20 (S108). Here, for example, the control unit 30 can stop the oil pump 23.

[0050] Next, the control unit 30 sets each of the first relay 51 and the second relay 52 to the off state (S109), and ends the process.

[0051] Examples of the sticking of the first relay 51 and the second relay 52

[0052] The control unit 30 can check whether the first relay 51 and the second relay 52 are fixed respectively. When either the first relay 51 or the second relay 52 is fixed, the other is turned off. Thus, for example, even when the first relay 51 is fixed on the circuit 57 due to a fault or the like and is always on, the second relay 52 can be turned off. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a situation where both the first relay 51 and the second relay 52 are on to supply power to the power control device 53 and the power is wasted for cooling the battery 11 when the drive device 54 is not operating.

[0053] In addition, for example, when the voltage of the circuit 57 measured in a state where the first relay 51 is controlled to be off and the second relay 52 is controlled to be on is equal to or higher than a threshold value, the control unit 30 can determine that the first relay 51 is fixed. Further, for example, when the voltage of the circuit 57 measured in a state where the first relay 51 is controlled to be on and the second relay 52 is controlled to be off is equal to or higher than a threshold value, the control unit 30 can determine that the second relay 52 is fixed.

[0054] In addition, when one of the relays is fixed, the control unit 30 can turn on the other relay when the voltage of the static electricity carried by the cooler connected to the other relay side is equal to or higher than a threshold value. Thus, for example, when the static electricity on the side (either the positive electrode side or the negative electrode side of the battery 11) other than the side of the fixed relay is not released, by turning on both relays, the static electricity can be released even when the drive device 54 is started. In addition, the control unit 30 can measure the voltage of the static electricity through a sensor or the like.

[0055] In this case, when the first relay 51 is fixed, the control unit 30 can turn on the second relay 52 when the voltage of the static electricity carried by the second cooler 13 connected to the second relay 52 side is equal to or higher than a threshold value. Further, when the second relay 52 is fixed, the control unit 30 can turn on the first relay 51 when the voltage of the static electricity carried by the first cooler 12 connected to the first relay 51 side is equal to or higher than a threshold value.

[0056] Other

[0057] In the case where a component to which a high voltage is applied is made of a material with a low volume resistivity, it is difficult to ensure insulation. On the other hand, in the case where a component to which a high voltage is applied is made of a material with a high volume resistivity and the component is cooled with oil, the component is likely to be charged with static electricity.

[0058] According to the present disclosure, a path for releasing static electricity of a resin connector for connecting a cooler used in the battery pack 10 to a rubber pipe can be ensured. Therefore, it is possible to balance "reduction of static electricity charging" and "safety against high voltage".

[0059] Hardware Configuration

[0060] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the control unit 30 of the embodiment. In Figure 4 this example, the control unit 30 (computer 100) includes a processor 101, a memory 102, and a communication interface 103. The above components can be connected via a bus or the like. The memory 102 stores at least a part of the program 104. The communication interface 103 includes an interface required for communication with other network elements.

[0061] When the program 104 is executed through the cooperation of the processor 101 and the memory 102, etc., at least a part of the processing of the embodiment of the present disclosure is performed by the computer 100. The memory 102 can be any type of memory. As a non-limiting example, the memory 102 can be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. In addition, the memory 102 can also be implemented using any suitable data storage technology such as semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memories, and removable memories. Although only one memory 102 is shown in the computer 100, several physically different storage modules may also exist in the computer 100. The processor 101 can be any type of processor. The processor 101 can include one or more of a general-purpose computer, a dedicated computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP: Digital Signal Processor), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture as a non-limiting example. The computer 100 can also have multiple processors such as application-specific integrated circuit chips that are subordinate to the clock that synchronizes with the main processor in time.

[0062] Embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented by hardware or dedicated circuits, software, logic circuits, or any combination thereof. It can also be that some technical solutions are implemented by hardware, while on the other hand, other technical solutions are implemented by firmware or software that can be executed by a controller, a microprocessor, or other computing devices.

[0063] In addition, the present disclosure provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable commands such as commands included in program modules, which are executed in a device on an actual processor or a hypothetical processor of an object, and execute the processes or methods of the present disclosure. The program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks and install specific abstract data types. The functions of the program modules can also be combined or divided among the program modules as desired in various embodiments. The machine-executable commands of the program modules can be executed locally or in distributed devices. In distributed devices, the program modules can be configured on both local and remote storage media.

[0064] The program code for executing the method of the present disclosure can also be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes are provided to a processor or a controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other data processing devices capable of programming. When the program code is executed by the processor or the controller, the functions / actions in the flowchart and / or the installed block diagram are executed. The program code is completely executed on the machine, partially executed as an independent software package on the machine, partially executed on the machine, partially executed on a remote machine, or completely executed on a remote machine or a server.

[0065] The program can be stored using various types of non-transitory computer-readable media and provided to a computer. Non-transitory computer-readable media include various types of physical recording media. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include magnetic recording media, magneto-optical recording media, optical disc media, semiconductor memories, etc. Magnetic recording media include, for example, floppy disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives, etc. Magneto-optical recording media include, for example, magneto-optical discs, etc. Optical disc media include, for example, Blu-ray discs, CD (Compact Disc)-ROM (Read Only Memory), CD-R (Recordable), CD-RW (ReWritable), etc. Semiconductor memories include, for example, solid state drive, mask ROM, PROM (Programmable ROM), EPROM (Erasable PROM), flash ROM, RAM (random access memory), etc. In addition, the program can also be provided to a computer through various types of transitory computer-readable media. Examples of transitory computer-readable media include electrical signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. Transitory computer-readable media can provide the program to a computer via wired communication paths such as wires and optical fibers or wireless communication paths.

[0066] Modification example

[0067] The control unit 30 may be a device contained in one housing, but the control unit 30 of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Each part of the control unit 30 may also be implemented by cloud computing composed of one or more computers, for example.

[0068] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be appropriately modified without departing from the gist.

Claims

1. A power supply device that supplies power to a device. The power supply device comprises: A battery pack having a battery and a metal cooler; an insulating oil circuit, allowing insulating oil to flow into the cooler to cool the battery; and The control unit turns on one of a first relay and a second relay that supply current from the battery to the power control device, and turns off the other relay, so that static electricity generated by the flow of the insulating oil is discharged to the housing of the device.

2. The power supply device according to claim 1, The control unit turns on one of the first relay and the second relay and turns off the other when the battery is cooled by the insulating oil circuit when the driving device of the equipment is not in operation.

3. The power supply device according to claim 1 or 2, The cooler pipe and the rubber pipe for allowing the insulating oil to flow to the outside of the battery pack are connected via a resin connector. The static electricity is static electricity generated by friction between the flowing insulating oil and the connector.

4. The power supply device according to claim 1 or 2, The control unit checks whether the first relay and the second relay are each stuck, and if either the first relay or the second relay is stuck, opens the other.

5. The power supply device according to claim 4, The cooler includes a first cooler connected to the first relay side and a second cooler connected to the second relay side. The control unit turns on the second relay when a voltage of the static electricity charged to the second cooler is equal to or greater than a threshold value when the first relay is stuck.

Images