Power supply device

Abstract

To provide an on-board power supply device that continues to supply power to the outside.SOLUTION: A power supply device 10 includes a power supply unit 12, a relay unit 18 that turns on and off an electrical connection from the power supply unit 12 to the outside, and a control unit 14 that monitors the power supply unit 12 and controls the relay unit 18. When the control unit 14 is updating a program, the relay unit 18 is turned on to enable power supply from the power supply unit 12 to the outside.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an in-vehicle power supply device including a relay unit connected between a power supply unit and the outside.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an in-vehicle electronic control device that downloads data via a network and updates firmware.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In a power supply device including a relay unit connected between a power supply unit and the outside and a control unit that controls the relay unit, when the control unit is updating a program, the relay unit cannot be controlled, which may cause a problem in power supply to the outside.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an in-vehicle power supply device that continues to supply power to the outside.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above problems, a power supply device according to an aspect of the present invention includes a power supply unit, a relay unit that turns on and off an electrical connection from the power supply unit to the outside, and a control unit that monitors the power supply unit and controls the relay unit. When the control unit is updating a program, the relay unit is turned on to enable power supply from the power supply unit to the outside.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, an in-vehicle power supply device capable of continuously supplying power to the outside can be provided.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of a power supply device 10 according to an embodiment. The power supply device 10 is mounted on a vehicle. The vehicle on which the power supply device 10 is mounted may be a PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle), BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle), HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle), or FCEV (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle), but is at least capable of supplying power to the outside.

[0010] The power supply device 10 includes a power supply unit 12, a control unit 14, a communication unit 16, a relay unit 18, a connection unit 20, and an operating unit 22. The power supply unit 12 is rechargeable, is an auxiliary power supply or an accessory power supply, and is not used for driving the wheels. The power supply unit 12 includes a current sensor disposed on the negative side. The power supply unit 12 supplies power to the in-vehicle ECU (Electronic Control Unit) while the vehicle is stopped.

[0011] The connection unit 20 is a port connectable to an external device. The relay unit 18 turns on / off the electrical connection from the power supply unit 12 to the external device via the connection unit 20. The on / off of the relay unit 18 is controlled by the control unit 14. The external device may be an in-vehicle ECU or an in-vehicle accessory device.

[0012] The control unit 14 monitors the power supply unit 12 and controls the on / off of the relay unit 18. The control unit 14 monitors the remaining amount, temperature, current, etc. of the power supply unit 12, performs charging control of the power supply unit 12, and executes output control to an external device. Also, the control unit 14 turns on the relay unit 18 to energize the power supply unit 12 and the connection unit 20, and turns off the relay unit 18 to de-energize the power supply unit 12 and the connection unit 20.

[0013] The communication unit 16 can be connected to the server device via a network. The communication unit 16 receives update information of the program installed in the control unit 14 from the server device and sends the update information to the control unit 14 via the in-vehicle network.

[0014] When the control unit 14 receives the update information of the program, it reads the update information to update the program, and performs bug fixes and function additions. Here, when the control unit 14 is executing the update process, the function of the control unit 14 stops, so the on / off of the relay unit 18 cannot be performed, and there is a possibility that power cannot be supplied from the power supply unit 12 to the outside.

[0015] Therefore, when the control unit 14 is updating the program, the power supply device 10 turns on the relay unit 18 to enable power supply from the power supply unit 12 to the outside. The operating unit 22 sends an instruction signal to turn on the relay unit 18 from off to on to the relay unit 18 when the control unit 14 updates the program. The operating unit 22 receives information indicating that the program is to be updated from the communication unit 16 via the in-vehicle network, for example, and sends an instruction signal to turn on the relay unit 18. The operating unit 22 sends an instruction signal to turn on the relay unit 18 when it receives an instruction to turn on the relay unit 18 from an external device via the in-vehicle network of the communication unit 16 only during the update of the control unit 14.

[0016] Incidentally, when the control unit 14 receives the program update information, it may turn on the relay unit 18 and then execute the update process. When the control unit 14 receives the program update information, it sends an instruction to turn on the relay unit 18 to the operating unit 22 and executes the update process. Thereby, when updating the control unit 14 while the vehicle is stopped, the power supply to the in-vehicle ECU and accessory devices can be continued.

[0017] As described above, the present disclosure has been described based on the embodiments. The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various design changes and other modifications can be made based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0018] 10 Power supply device, 12 Power supply unit, 14 Control unit, 16 Communication unit, 18 Relay unit, 20 Connection unit, 22 Operating unit.

Claims

【Claim 1】 A power supply unit, a relay unit that turns on and off the electrical connection from the power supply unit to the outside, and a control unit that monitors the power supply unit and controls the relay unit, wherein when the control unit is updating a program, the relay unit is turned on to enable power supply from the power supply unit to the outside. A power supply device characterized by this.

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