Charging system

Abstract

To provide a charging system capable of suppressing deterioration of a storage battery that supplies power.SOLUTION: A charging system 10 for charging a first storage battery 31 that is the target of charging includes a second storage battery 100, a temperature sensor 104 that measures the temperature of the second storage battery 100, and a control unit 107 that can switch between a first charging by supplying power from the second storage battery 100 to the first storage battery 31 and a second charging by supplying power from an AC power source 21 to the first storage battery 31. When the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 104 becomes a predetermined upper limit temperature or more, the control unit 107 executes switching from the first charging to the second charging.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a charging system. [Background technology]

[0002] With the widespread use of electric vehicles equipped with storage batteries, there is a demand for various technologies related to charging storage batteries. In this regard, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for rapid charging a storage battery to be charged using a rapid charging device equipped with a storage battery with high output density and a storage battery with high energy density. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2012-034554 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 does not manage the temperature of the storage battery that supplies power to the storage battery to be charged. Therefore, even if the storage battery that supplies power becomes hot, the power supply from the storage battery continues, which leads to deterioration of the storage battery.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in light of the above-mentioned circumstances, and has an object to provide a charging system capable of suppressing deterioration of a storage battery that supplies power. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure to achieve the above-mentioned object is a charging system for charging a first storage battery to be charged, comprising: a second storage battery; a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the second storage battery; and a control unit capable of switching between a first charging by supplying power from the second storage battery to the first storage battery and a second charging by supplying power from an AC power source to the first storage battery, wherein the control unit switches from the first charging to the second charging when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined upper limit temperature.

[0007] In one of the above aspects, the control unit may further include a temperature control unit that adjusts the temperature of the second storage battery, and when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor becomes equal to or higher than the upper limit temperature, the control unit may further adjust the temperature of the second storage battery to less than the upper limit temperature by the temperature control unit.

[0008] In the above aspect, the control unit may switch from the second charging to the first charging when the temperature of the second storage battery is adjusted by the temperature adjustment unit to below a predetermined chargeable temperature.

[0009] In the above aspect, the power supply device may further include a communication unit that receives an end condition for charging the first storage battery, and the control unit may end the charging of the first storage battery in accordance with the received end condition. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a charging system capable of suppressing deterioration of a storage battery that supplies power. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a charging system according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing an example of another configuration of the charging system according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3]4 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation of the charging system according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a control unit as a computer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a charging system 10 according to the embodiment. The charging system 10 is a system that charges a storage battery 31 to be charged that is mounted on a vehicle 30 or the like. In this embodiment, the charging system 10 is capable of rapid charging of the storage battery 31, and therefore the charging system 10 may be referred to as a rapid charging system. The vehicle 30 is, for example, an electric vehicle such as a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) or a battery electric vehicle (BEV) including a storage battery 31 that can be charged from outside the vehicle 30. Note that, in this embodiment, as an example, the storage battery 31 to be charged is described as being mounted on the vehicle 30, but the storage battery 31 does not necessarily have to be mounted on the vehicle. The storage battery 31 is a rechargeable secondary battery, for example, a lithium ion battery or the like, but the type of the secondary battery is not particularly limited.

[0013] The charging system 10 is connected to an AC power source 20 and an AC power source 21. The AC power source 20 and the AC power source 21 are commercial power sources that supply AC current of, for example, 100 volts or 200 volts. Although two AC power sources 20 and 21 are illustrated in FIG. 1, one AC power source that functions in place of these AC power sources may be used. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the charging system 10 includes a storage battery 100, an AC / DC converter 101, a DC / DC converter 102, a switch 103a, a switch 103b, a temperature sensor 104, a temperature adjustment unit 105, a communication unit 106, and a control unit 107.

[0014] The storage battery 100 is a storage battery that stores power for charging the storage battery 31 to be charged. That is, the storage battery 100 is a storage battery that supplies power to the storage battery 31 to be charged. The storage battery 100 may be called a power supply storage battery in order to distinguish it from the storage battery 31 to be charged. The storage battery 100 is a rechargeable secondary battery, for example, a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery, but the type of the secondary battery is not particularly limited. In this embodiment, the storage battery 100 is charged by power supply from the AC power source 20. That is, the storage battery 100 stores electricity supplied from the AC power source 20, and outputs the stored electricity to the storage battery 31 to be charged under the control of a control unit 107 to be described later. Specifically, the storage battery 100 is connected to the AC power source 20 via an AC / DC converter 101. In addition, when the storage battery 31 to be charged is connected to the charging system 10, the storage battery 100 is connected to the storage battery 31 via a DC / DC converter 102.

[0015] The AC / DC converter 101 converts the AC power supplied from the AC power source 20 into DC power, and also transforms the voltage as necessary before outputting the DC power to the storage battery 100 to charge the storage battery 100. The DC / DC converter 102 converts the DC power from the storage battery 100 into a voltage and current required for charging the storage battery 31, and outputs the same to the storage battery 31. In this way, the storage battery 31 is charged using the storage battery 100.

[0016] The storage battery 100 is provided with a temperature sensor 104 that measures the temperature of the storage battery 100. The temperature measured by the temperature sensor 104 is notified to a control unit 107, which will be described later. The charging system 10 also has a temperature adjustment unit 105 that adjusts the temperature of the storage battery 100. In this embodiment, the temperature adjustment unit 105 includes a cooler, such as a chiller or a fan, that cools the storage battery 100 to lower the temperature of the storage battery 100. The temperature adjustment unit 105 may further include a heater, such as a heater, that heats the storage battery 100 to increase the temperature of the storage battery 100. In the configuration shown in FIG. 1, the temperature adjustment unit 105 is driven by power supplied from an AC power source 20.

[0017] In this embodiment, the charging system 10 is capable of DC charging (i.e., charging with direct current power) of the storage battery 31 using the storage battery 100, as well as AC charging (i.e., charging with alternating current power) of the storage battery 31 using the alternating current power source 21. That is, the charging system 10 is capable of a first charging (DC charging) by supplying power from the storage battery 100 to the storage battery 31, and a second charging (AC charging) by supplying power from the alternating current power source 21 to the storage battery 31. This second charging can also be said to be charging without using the storage battery 100.

[0018] To switch between AC charging and DC charging, the charging system 10 has a switch 103a and a switch 103b. The switch 103a is a switch for controlling the execution of DC charging. In the configuration example shown in FIG. 1, the switch 103a is connected to the output terminal of the DC / DC converter 102, and is interposed between the storage battery 31 and the DC / DC converter 102 when the storage battery 31 to be charged is connected to the charging system 10. That is, the input terminal of the switch 103a is connected to the output terminal of the DC / DC converter 102, and the output terminal of the switch 103a is connected to the output terminal of the charging system 10. Therefore, when the switch 103a is in an off state, electricity for DC charging is not output from the output terminal of the charging system 10. In this way, the storage battery 31 is connected to the storage battery 100 and the DC / DC converter 102 via the switch 103a. Therefore, when the switch 103a is in an on state, power is supplied from the storage battery 100 to the storage battery 31, and DC charging of the storage battery 31 is performed. On the other hand, when the switch 103a is in the OFF state, the supply of power from the storage battery 100 to the storage battery 31 is cut off, and DC charging of the storage battery 31 is not performed.

[0019] The switch 103b is a switch for controlling the execution of AC charging. In the configuration example shown in FIG. 1, the switch 103b is connected to the AC power source 21, and is interposed between the storage battery 31 and the AC power source 21 when the storage battery 31 to be charged is connected to the charging system 10. That is, the input terminal of the switch 103b is connected to the AC power source 21, and the output terminal of the switch 103b is connected to the output terminal of the charging system 10. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the output terminal of the switch 103b is connected between the output terminal of the switch 103a and the output terminal of the charging system 10, but the output terminal of the charging system 10 to which the output terminal of the switch 103b is connected may be a terminal different from the output terminal of the charging system 10 to which the output terminal of the switch 103a is connected. Since the switch 103b is between the output terminal of the charging system 10 and the AC power source 21, when the switch 103b is in an off state, electricity for AC charging is not output from the output terminal of the charging system 10. In this manner, the storage battery 31 is connected to the AC power source 21 via the switch 103b. Therefore, when the switch 103b is in an on state, power is supplied from the AC power source 21 to the storage battery 31, and AC charging of the storage battery 31 is performed. In contrast, when the switch 103b is in an off state, the supply of power from the AC power source 21 to the storage battery 31 is cut off, and AC charging of the storage battery 31 is not performed. Note that, when AC charging is performed, the AC power output from the charging system 10 is converted into DC power within the vehicle 30 by an AC / DC converter (not shown) mounted on the vehicle 30 or the like, and is input to the storage battery 31.

[0020] The connection configuration shown in FIG. 1 is an example, and the charging system 10 may be a system having a connection configuration different from that shown in FIG. 1. For example, the charging system 10 may have a connection configuration as shown in FIG. 2. The configuration shown in FIG. 2 is different from the configuration shown in FIG. 1 in that the switch 103b is present between the AC power source 20 and the AC / DC converter 101. Accordingly, the AC power source 21 is omitted in the configuration shown in FIG. 2. In the configuration example shown in FIG. 2, specifically, a first output terminal of the switch 103b is connected to an input terminal of the AC / DC converter 101, and the input terminal of the switch 103b is connected to the AC power source 20. In addition, the switch 103b has a second output terminal connected to an output terminal of the charging system 10 in addition to a first output terminal connected to an input terminal of the AC / DC converter 101. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the second output terminal of the switch 103b is connected between the output terminal of the switch 103a and the output terminal of the charging system 10, but the output terminal of the charging system 10 to which the second output terminal of the switch 103b is connected may be a terminal different from the output terminal of the charging system 10 to which the output terminal of the switch 103a is connected. In the configuration shown in FIG. 2, the switch 103b controls the execution of AC charging by controlling the output of power from the second output terminal. Note that, although specific connection examples of the switch 103a and the switch 103b have been shown with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the switch 103a can be provided at any position where the execution of DC charging can be controlled, and the switch 103b can be provided at any position where the execution of AC charging can be controlled.

[0021] The charging system 10 also includes a communication unit 106 for communicating with an external device. The communication unit 106 includes a transmission / reception circuit and performs wireless communication with other devices. For example, the communication unit 106 communicates with a terminal device such as a smartphone used by the vehicle 30 or a user of the vehicle 30 (for example, a driver of the vehicle 30), and receives information used for controlling the charging system 10 as necessary. In the present embodiment, in particular, the communication unit 106 receives an end condition for charging the storage battery 31. For example, the communication unit 106 may receive a required charge amount for the storage battery 31 as an end condition for charging. In this case, when the charge amount for the storage battery 31 reaches the required charge amount received as the end condition, the control unit 107 ends the charging of the storage battery 31. With this configuration, charging that is preferable for the vehicle 30 or the user can be realized. Note that the communication unit 106 may receive information other than the end condition. For example, the communication unit 106 may receive position information of the vehicle 30 so that the charging system 10 knows the time required for the vehicle 30 to reach a charging spot equipped with the charging system 10. The communication unit 106 may also receive state information of the storage battery 31, such as the remaining battery capacity (SOC: State Of Charge) of the storage battery 31.

[0022] The charging system 10 also includes a control unit 107 that controls the operation of the charging system 10. The control unit 107 is connected to the storage battery 100, the AC / DC converter 101, the DC / DC converter 102, the switch 103a, the switch 103b, the temperature sensor 104, the temperature adjustment unit 105, and the communication unit 106. The control unit 107 acquires the charge amount from the storage battery 100 to the storage battery 31 (i.e., the charge amount by DC charging) when DC charging is performed, and acquires the charge amount from the AC power source 21 or 20 to the storage battery 31 (i.e., the charge amount by AC charging) when AC charging is performed. The control unit 107 may also acquire the remaining battery capacity of the storage battery 100. The charge amount and the remaining battery capacity can be measured or estimated by a known technique, and the specific measurement or estimation method is not particularly limited. In the present embodiment, the control unit 107 acquires the temperature of the storage battery 100 from the temperature sensor 104 in particular.

[0023] Also, the control unit 107 can switch between a first charging (i.e., DC charging) by supplying power from the storage battery 100 to the storage battery 31 and a second charging (i.e., AC charging) by supplying power from the AC power source 21 or 20 to the storage battery 31. Specifically, as described above, the control unit 107 switches the switch 103a and the switch 103b on and off to switch between DC charging and AC charging. That is, when DC charging is performed, the control unit 107 switches the switch 103a to an on state and switches the switch 103b to an off state. Also, when AC charging is performed, the control unit 107 switches the switch 103a to an off state and switches the switch 103b to an on state. Note that, in the case of the configuration illustrated in FIG. 2, it is sufficient that the second output terminal of the switch 103b (the output terminal connected to the output terminal of the charging system 10) is in an off state during DC charging, and the first output terminal of the switch 103b (the output terminal on the AC / DC converter 101 side) may be in an on state or an off state. In the case of the configuration illustrated in FIG. 2, during AC charging, it is sufficient that the second output terminal of the switch 103b (the output terminal connected to the output terminal of the charging system 10) is in the on state, and the first output terminal of the switch 103b (the output terminal on the AC / DC converter 101 side) may be in either the on state or the off state.

[0024] In this embodiment, the control unit 107 switches between DC charging of the storage battery 31 using the storage battery 100 and AC charging of the storage battery 31 using the AC power source 21 or 20 based on the temperature of the storage battery 100. Specifically, the control unit 107 executes switching from DC charging to AC charging when the temperature of the storage battery 100 detected by the temperature sensor 104 becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined upper limit temperature. This can suppress deterioration of the storage battery 100 due to high temperature. This upper limit temperature is a temperature that is predetermined as a temperature at which DC charging is possible while suppressing deterioration of the storage battery 100. Note that, when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 104 becomes equal to or higher than the above-mentioned predetermined upper limit temperature, the control unit 107 may adjust the temperature of the storage battery 100 to less than the upper limit temperature by the temperature adjustment unit 105. This can further suppress deterioration of the storage battery 100. Also, the control unit 107 may execute switching from AC charging to DC charging when the temperature of the storage battery 100 becomes lower than a predetermined chargeable temperature. Particularly in this embodiment, when the temperature of the storage battery 100 is adjusted by the temperature adjustment unit 105 to a temperature lower than the chargeable temperature, the control unit 107 executes switching from AC charging to DC charging. This makes it possible to resume rapid charging by DC charging again. Here, this predetermined chargeable temperature may be any preset temperature that is equal to or lower than the above-mentioned upper limit temperature, or may be the same temperature as the upper limit temperature.

[0025] Furthermore, the control unit 107 terminates charging the storage battery 31 according to the termination condition of charging. That is, when the termination condition is satisfied, the control unit 107 terminates the DC charging or AC charging being performed on the storage battery 31. Specifically, the control unit 107 switches the switch 103a or 103b to the OFF state. The termination condition of charging may be a termination condition received by the communication unit 106, or may be a termination condition that is uniformly determined regardless of the user. As the uniformly determined termination condition, a predetermined chargeable time (e.g., 30 minutes) may be used. In this case, the control unit 107 terminates charging the storage battery 31 when the charging time of the storage battery 31 reaches the chargeable time determined as the termination condition. When there are multiple termination conditions, the control unit 107 terminates charging the storage battery 31 when any of the termination conditions is satisfied.

[0026] When starting DC charging or AC charging, the control unit 107 may confirm that the connection between the vehicle 30 and the charging system 10 has been normally established. The control unit 107 may also perform control other than the above-mentioned control. For example, the control unit 107 may control the AC / DC converter 101 to adjust the current and voltage input to the storage battery 100, or may control the DC / DC converter 102 to adjust the current and voltage output to the storage battery 31.

[0027] Next, a description will be given of an example of the flow of operations of the charging system 10. Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of operations of the charging system 10. Below, the example of operations of the charging system 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 3.

[0028] In step S100, the control unit 107 acquires the charging termination condition. As described above, the control unit 107 may acquire the termination condition (e.g., the required charging amount) for the storage battery 31 to be charged, which is received by the communication unit 106, or may acquire the termination condition (e.g., the chargeable time) that is uniformly determined regardless of the user, from the memory 151 described later or the like.

[0029] Next, in step S101, the control unit 107 controls the switches 103a and 103b to start DC charging of the storage battery 31 to be charged. When DC charging starts, in step S102, the control unit 107 acquires the temperature of the storage battery 100 measured by the temperature sensor 104. Then, in step S103, the control unit 107 determines whether the acquired temperature is below a preset upper limit temperature. If the temperature of the storage battery 100 is below the upper limit temperature (YES in step S103), the process proceeds to step S104, and if the temperature of the storage battery 100 is equal to or higher than the upper limit temperature (NO in step S103), the process proceeds to step S105.

[0030] In step S104, the control unit 107 determines whether or not the charging termination condition acquired in step S100 is satisfied. If the charging termination condition is satisfied (YES in step S104), the control unit 107 terminates DC charging of the storage battery 31. On the other hand, if the charging termination condition is not satisfied (NO in step S104), the process returns to step S102, and checking the temperature of the storage battery 100 is repeated.

[0031] When the temperature of the storage battery 100 reaches the upper limit temperature, in step S105, the control unit 107 controls the switches 103a and 103b to switch from DC charging to AC charging. That is, the control unit 107 ends the DC charging of the storage battery 31 and starts AC charging of the storage battery 31. Also, when the temperature of the storage battery 100 reaches the upper limit temperature, in step S106, the control unit 107 performs temperature adjustment of the storage battery 100. That is, the control unit 107 controls the temperature adjustment unit 105 to cool the storage battery 100 and lower the temperature of the storage battery 100. While AC charging is being performed, in step S107, the control unit 107 determines whether the charging termination condition acquired in step S100 is satisfied. When the charging termination condition is satisfied (YES in step S107), the control unit 107 ends the AC charging of the storage battery 31. In this case, the control unit 107 may end the temperature adjustment of the storage battery 100 by the temperature adjustment unit 105. On the other hand, if the condition for ending charging is not satisfied (NO in step S107), the process proceeds to step S108.

[0032] In step S108, the control unit 107 acquires the temperature of the storage battery 100 measured by the temperature sensor 104. Then, in step S109, the control unit 107 determines whether the acquired temperature is below a preset chargeable temperature. If the temperature of the storage battery 100 is below the chargeable temperature (YES in step S109), the process proceeds to step S110, and if the temperature of the storage battery 100 is equal to or higher than the chargeable temperature (NO in step S109), the process returns to step S107.

[0033] When the temperature of the storage battery 100 drops below the chargeable temperature, in step S110, the control unit 107 ends the temperature adjustment of the storage battery 100 by the temperature adjustment unit 105. Then, in step S111, the control unit 107 controls the switches 103a and 103b to switch from AC charging to DC charging. That is, the control unit 107 ends AC charging of the storage battery 31 and starts DC charging of the storage battery 31. Then, the process returns to step S102, and the above-mentioned processes from step S102 onwards are repeated.

[0034] In the above-described flowchart, the temperature is adjusted by the temperature adjustment unit 105 during AC charging, but temperature adjustment may be omitted. Also, when the temperature of the storage battery 100 falls below the chargeable temperature during AC charging, charging is switched from AC charging to DC charging, but such a switch does not necessarily have to be performed.

[0035] The control unit 107 may be configured as a dedicated hardware circuit for realizing the above-mentioned processing of the control unit 107, or may be configured as a computer as shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the control unit 107 as a computer. In the example shown in Fig. 4, the control unit 107 has an input / output interface 150, a memory 151, and a processor 152.

[0036] The input / output interface 150 is an interface through which the control unit 107 communicates with other components in the charging system 10.

[0037] The memory 151 is configured, for example, by a combination of a volatile memory and a non-volatile memory. The memory 151 is used to store programs executed by the processor 152, data used in processing, etc. The memory 151 may include multiple memories.

[0038] The processor 152 performs the processing of the control unit 107 by reading and executing a program from the memory 151. In this case, the processing of the control unit 107 is performed, for example, by the processor 152 reading and executing a program from the memory 151. The processor 152 may be, for example, a microprocessor, a microprocessor unit (MPU), a central processing unit (CPU), or a graphics processing unit (GPU). The processor 152 may include multiple processors.

[0039] The embodiment has been described above. During DC charging, the temperature of the power supply battery may rise and exceed the upper limit temperature. If the power supply battery is continued to be used in a state where the upper limit temperature is exceeded, the power supply battery may deteriorate. However, according to the present embodiment, when the temperature of the storage battery 100, which is the power supply battery, reaches or exceeds the upper limit temperature, DC charging is switched to AC charging. This makes it possible to suppress deterioration of the power supply battery.

[0040] The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and may be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, when the remaining battery power of the storage battery 100 becomes zero during DC charging, the control unit 107 may switch from DC charging to AC charging. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 10 Charging System 20 AC power supply 21 AC power supply 30 Vehicles 31 Storage battery 100 Battery 101 AC / DC converter 102 DC / DC converter 103a Switch 103b Switch 104 Temperature Sensor 105 Temperature control unit 106 Communications Department 107 Control Unit 150 Input / Output Interface 151 Memory 152 processors

Claims

1. A charging system for charging a first storage battery that is a charging target, A second storage battery; a temperature sensor for measuring a temperature of the second storage battery; a control unit capable of switching between a first charging by supplying power from the second storage battery to the first storage battery and a second charging by supplying power from an AC power source to the first storage battery; having The control unit executes switching from the first charging to the second charging when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined upper limit temperature. Charging system.

2. Further comprising a temperature control unit for controlling a temperature of the second storage battery, When the temperature detected by the temperature sensor becomes equal to or higher than the upper limit temperature, the control unit further adjusts the temperature of the second storage battery to less than the upper limit temperature by the temperature adjustment unit. The charging system of claim 1 .

3. The control unit switches from the second charging to the first charging when the temperature of the second storage battery is adjusted to a temperature lower than a predetermined chargeable temperature by the temperature adjustment unit. The charging system according to claim 2 .

4. a communication unit that receives a termination condition for charging the first storage battery; The control unit terminates charging of the first storage battery in accordance with the received termination condition.

4. A charging system according to claim 1.

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