Power supply device

Abstract

To achieve both reduction of static electricity and safety against high voltage.SOLUTION: A power supply device that supplies power to equipment includes a battery pack having a battery and a metallic cooler, an insulating oil circuit that cools the battery by flowing insulating oil into the cooler, and a control unit that turns on one of a first relay and a second relay that supply 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 a housing of the equipment.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a battery pack including a pack case forming an appearance, a plurality of battery modules provided in the pack case and including at least one battery cell, at least one heat insulating member provided between the plurality of battery modules, and an energy drain unit that is separated from the at least one heat insulating member and is connected to any one of the plurality of battery modules, and shorts any one of the plurality of battery modules to the outside when at least one of the plurality of battery modules undergoes thermal runaway.

[0003] Further, it is disclosed that the energy drain unit may include a relay unit connected to a battery cell of any one of the battery modules and provided to be capable of on-off operation, and a resistance unit connected to the relay unit and provided outside the pack case. Also, it is disclosed that the resistance unit may be filled with insulating oil inside, and the insulating oil can cool the resistor inside the resistance unit.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, in the prior art, for example, there is room for improvement when adjusting the temperature of the battery by circulating insulating oil.

[0006] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a technology that can achieve both reduction of electrostatic charging and safety against high voltages.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] In a first aspect according to the present disclosure, there is provided a power supply device that supplies power to a device, the power supply device including: a battery pack having a battery and a metal cooler; an insulating oil circuit that cools the battery by flowing insulating oil into the cooler; a control unit that turns on one of a first relay and a second relay that supply 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 a housing of the device.

Effects of the Invention

[0008] According to one aspect, it is possible to achieve both reduction of electrostatic charging and safety against high voltages.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] The principle of the present disclosure will be described with reference to several exemplary embodiments. These embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and are intended to help those skilled in the art understand and implement the present disclosure without suggesting any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The disclosure described herein may be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0011] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein shall have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. <Configuration> <<Configuration of Device 50>> Referring to FIG. 1, the configuration of device 50 according to the embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of device 50 according to the embodiment. In the example of FIG. 1, 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 earth) 56, and an electric circuit 57.

[0013] Device 50 may be various devices such as, for example, a vehicle, air conditioning equipment, household appliances, factory equipment, office equipment, etc.

[0014] The first relay 51 and the second relay 52 switch on and off the electric circuit 57 for supplying power from the power supply device 1 to the power control device 53. When device 50 is a hybrid vehicle, each of the first relay 51 and the second relay 52 may be referred to as, for example, a system main relay (SMR). In the example of FIG. 1, the first relay 51 switches on and off the positive side of the power supply device 1, and the second relay 52 switches on and off the negative side of the power supply device 1.

[0015] The drive device 54 is a device that converts the electrical energy supplied from the power control device 53 into mechanical movement to operate device 50. The drive device 54 may have, for example, an electric motor. In this case, the drive device 54 may be, for example, a motor generator (MG) that serves as the main power during the start-up and running of a hybrid vehicle, performs engine assist during acceleration, etc., and regenerates energy to charge the battery when braking.

[0016] Insulation resistance 55 reduces the energization from the electric circuit 57 to which the power supply device 1 is connected to the housing 56 so that a person in contact with the housing 56 does not get an electric shock. The housing 56 may be made of a material that is relatively easy to conduct electricity, such as metal. When the device 50 is a vehicle, the housing 56 may be referred to as a body ground or the like. The high-voltage static electricity generated in the power supply device 1 is transmitted from the electric circuit 57 to the housing 56 through the insulation resistance 55 and is released to the ground through a tire or the like to which the device 50 is grounded.

[0017] <<Configuration of Power Supply Device 1>> Next, with reference to FIG. 2, the configuration of the power supply device 1 according to the embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the power supply device 1 according to the embodiment. In the example of FIG. 2, 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 chiller 21, a reservoir tank 22, an oil pump 23, and pipes 24A to 24C.

[0018] The battery pack 10 encloses 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.

[0019] The battery 11 may be 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 may be in a high-voltage state by contacting the positive electrode or the like to energize the positive electrode of the battery 11. 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 may be in a high-voltage state by contacting the negative electrode or the like to energize the negative electrode of the battery 11. Note that 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.

[0020] The resin connectors 15A to 15D are resin connectors having the shape shown in the example of the enlarged view 151. Each of the resin connectors 15A to 15D is used, for example, to enable an operator or the like who assembles (manufactures) the piping of the first cooler 12 or the second cooler 13 (for example, the pipe inside the cooler which is a metal plate) and the piping 24A or 24B to be connected relatively easily.

[0021] The insulating oil circuit 20 reduces the temperature of the battery 11 by flowing (circulating) insulating oil inside the battery pack 10. The insulating oil may be, for example, a liquid having a relatively high insulation property (for example, a volume resistivity of 10 5 Ω·cm or more). Since the insulating oil has a relatively high insulation property, it cannot dissipate the static electricity generated when it rubs against the piping during flow, and has the property of accumulating high-voltage static electricity in the insulating oil itself and the piping.

[0022] The chiller 21 is, for example, a device that cools insulating oil by an air-cooling method or the like. The reservoir tank 22 is, for example, a tank for storing the insulating oil expanded due to a temperature rise. The oil pump 23 is a pump that circulates the insulating oil through the insulating oil circuit 20 by pushing out the insulating oil.

[0023] The pipes 24A to 24C are pipes through which insulating oil flows. The pipe 24A is a pipe for flowing insulating oil from the outside to the inside of the battery pack 10. The pipe 24B is a pipe for flowing insulating oil from the inside to the outside of the battery pack 10. The pipes 24A and 24B may be made of a member having a volume resistivity above a threshold value in order to ensure insulation against the first cooler 12 and the second cooler 13 which are, for example, components to which a high voltage is applied.

[0024] In this case, the pipes 24A and 24B are, for example, 10 8It may be composed of rubber with a resistivity of Ωcm or more. This can reduce the occurrence of treeing breakdown of the pipes 24A and 24B due to static electricity. Note that treeing breakdown is a phenomenon in a resin insulation material where, when the local high electric field in the solid exceeds the inherent breakdown limit of the solid, the breakdown path gradually progresses in a dendritic shape and finally leads to through breakdown. Note that it is known that treeing breakdown occurs in resin materials but does not occur in rubber materials.

[0025] The pipe 24C is a part of the pipes of the insulating oil circuit 20 other than the pipes 24A and 24B. The pipe 24C may be composed of, for example, rubber or resin with a resistivity of 10 7 Ωcm or less that allows relatively easy passage of static electricity.

[0026] The control unit 30 may be a microcomputer such as an ECU (Electronic Control Unit), for example. The control unit 30 controls each part of the device 50.

[0027] <Processing> Next, with reference to FIG. 3, an example of the processing of the control unit 30 according to the embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing of the control unit 30 according to the embodiment. Note that each process in FIG. 3 may be executed in a different order as long as there is no contradiction.

[0028] In step S101, the control unit 30 detects that the device 50 has been started by a user or the like. Here, the control unit 30 may detect, for example, that the power button of the device 50 has been pressed.

[0029] Subsequently, the control unit 30 sets each of the first relay 51 and the second relay 52 to on (step 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. When each of the first relay 51 and the second relay 52 is on, even when the insulating oil is circulating in the insulating oil circuit 20, the static electricity of the resin connectors 15A to 15D is discharged from the housing 56. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the resin connectors 15A to 15D from being treeing-damaged due to the static electricity charged in the resin connectors 15A to 15D.

[0030] Subsequently, the control unit 30 detects that the device 50 has been stopped by a user or the like (step S103). Here, the control unit 30 may detect, for example, that the power button or the like of the device 50 has been pressed again.

[0031] Subsequently, the control unit 30 sets each of the first relay 51 and the second relay 52 to off (step S104). Thereby, the supply of power from the power supply device 1 to the power control device 53 is stopped, and the drive device 54 can be stopped (non-operated).

[0032] Subsequently, the control unit 30 determines whether to cool the battery 11 (step S105). Here, the control unit 30 may determine to cool the battery 11, for example, when the temperature around the battery 11 measured by a temperature sensor or the like is equal to or higher than a threshold value. Note that the process of step S105 may be executed at a specific timing such as periodically, for example, within a specific time after the device 50 is stopped (for example, until the temperature around the battery 11 becomes lower than the threshold value after the device 50 is stopped).

[0033] When it is determined to cool the battery 11 (YES in step S105), the control unit 30 circulates the insulating oil in the insulating oil circuit 20 (step S106). Here, the control unit 30 may start the oil pump 23, for example, to circulate the insulating oil.

[0034] Subsequently, the control unit 30 turns on one of the first relay 51 and the second relay 52 and turns off the other (step S107), and proceeds to the process of step S105. Thereby, for example, when the driving device 54 of the device 50 is not operating (for example, when the vehicle is parked (stopped)), and the battery 11 is being cooled, static electricity in the resin connectors 15A to 15D is discharged from the housing 56 in a state where no power is supplied to the power control device 53. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the resin connectors 15A to 15D from being treeing-damaged due to the static electricity charged in the resin connectors 15A to 15D. Note that the static electricity is generated by friction between the flowing insulating oil and each of the resin connectors 15A to 15D.

[0035] When it is determined that the battery 11 is not to be cooled (NO in step S105), the control unit 30 stops the circulation of the insulating oil in the insulating oil circuit 20 (step S108). Here, the control unit 30 may, for example, stop the oil pump 23.

[0036] Subsequently, the control unit 30 sets each of the first relay 51 and the second relay 52 to off (step S109), and ends the process.

[0037] (Example when the first relay 51 and the second relay 52 are stuck) The control unit 30 checks whether each of the first relay 51 and the second relay 52 is stuck. If either the first relay 51 or the second relay 52 is stuck, the other may be turned off. Thereby, for example, even when the first relay 51 is stuck to the electric circuit 57 due to a failure or the like and is constantly 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 turned on for cooling the battery 11 when the driving device 54 is not operating, and power is supplied to the power control device 53 and wasted.

[0038] Note that when the voltage of the electric circuit 57 measured in a state where the control unit 30 controls the first relay 51 to be off and the second relay 52 to be on is equal to or higher than the threshold value, the control unit 30 may determine that the first relay 51 is stuck. Further, when the voltage of the electric circuit 57 measured in a state where the control unit 30 controls the first relay 51 to be on and the second relay 52 to be off is equal to or higher than the threshold value, the control unit 30 may determine that the second relay 52 is stuck.

[0039] Further, when one of the relays is stuck, if the voltage of the static electricity charged in the cooler connected to the other relay side is equal to or higher than the threshold value, the control unit 30 may turn on the other relay. Thereby, for example, when the static electricity on the side other than the stuck relay side among the positive electrode side and the negative electrode side of the battery 11 has not escaped, even if the driving device 54 is started by turning on both relays, the static electricity can be discharged. Note that the control unit 30 may measure the voltage of the static electricity with a sensor or the like.

[0040] In this case, when the first relay 51 is stuck, if the voltage of the static electricity charged in the second cooler 13 connected to the second relay 52 side is equal to or higher than the threshold value, the control unit 30 may turn on the second relay 52. Further, when the second relay 52 is stuck, if the voltage of the static electricity charged in the first cooler 12 connected to the first relay 51 side is equal to or higher than the threshold value, the control unit 30 may turn on the first relay 51.

[0041] <Others> When a component to which a high voltage is applied is made of a material having a relatively low volume resistivity, it is difficult to ensure insulation. On the other hand, when a component to which a high voltage is applied is made of a material having a relatively high volume resistivity and the component is cooled with oil, the component is likely to be charged with static electricity.

[0042] According to the present disclosure, a path for discharging the static electricity of the resin connector used for connecting the cooler and the rubber pipe in the battery pack 10 can be secured. Therefore, it is possible to achieve both reduction of static electricity charging and safety against high voltage.

[0043] <Hardware Configuration> FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration example of the control unit 30 according to the embodiment. In the example of FIG. 4, the control unit 30 (computer 100) includes a processor 101, a memory 102, and a communication interface 103. These components may be connected by a bus or the like. The memory 102 stores at least a part of the program 104. The communication interface 103 includes an interface necessary for communication with other network elements.

[0044] When the program 104 is executed by the cooperation of the processor 101, 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 may be of any type. The memory 102 may be, as a non-limiting example, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. Also, the memory 102 may 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 memory, and removable memory. Although only one memory 102 is shown for the computer 100, there may be several physically different memory modules in the computer 100. The processor 101 may be of any type. The processor 101 may include one or more of a general-purpose computer, a dedicated computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and, as a non-limiting example, a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. The computer 100 may have a plurality of processors such as an application-specific integrated circuit chip that is temporally dependent on a clock that synchronizes the main processor.

[0045] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuitry, software, logic or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software that may be executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device.

[0046] The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as instructions included in program modules, which are executed on a device on a target actual processor or virtual processor to execute the processes or methods of the present disclosure. Program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. The functions of the program modules may be combined or divided among the program modules as desired in various embodiments. The machine-executable instructions of the program modules can be executed within a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, the program modules can be arranged on both local and remote storage media.

[0047] The program code for executing the method of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes are provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a dedicated computer, or other programmable data processing devices. When the program code is executed by the processor or controller, the functions / operations in the flowchart and / or the implementation block diagram are executed. The program code is executed entirely on the machine, partly on the machine as a stand-alone software package, partly on the machine, partly on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0048] The program can be stored using various types of non-transitory computer-readable media and supplied to a computer. Non-transitory computer-readable media include various types of tangible recording media. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include magnetic recording media, magneto-optical recording media, optical disk media, semiconductor memories, etc. Magnetic recording media include, for example, flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives, etc. Magneto-optical recording media include, for example, magneto-optical disks, etc. Optical disk media include, for example, Blu-ray disks, CD (Compact Disc)-ROM (Read Only Memory), CD-R (Recordable), CD-RW (ReWritable), etc. Semiconductor memories include, for example, solid state drives, mask ROMs, PROMs (Programmable ROMs), EPROMs (Erasable PROMs), flash ROMs, RAM (random access memory), etc. Also, the program may be supplied to the computer by various types of transitory computer-readable media. Examples of transitory computer-readable media include electrical signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. The transitory computer-readable media can supply the program to the computer via wired communication channels such as electric wires and optical fibers, or wireless communication channels.

[0049] <Modification Example> The control unit 30 may be a device included in one housing, but the control unit 30 of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Each part of the control unit 30 may be realized by cloud computing configured by, for example, one or more computers.

[0050] Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0051] 1 Power supply device 10 Battery pack 11 Battery 12 First cooler 13 Second Cooler 14 Pipe 15A - D Resin Connector 20 Insulating Oil Circuit 21 Chiller 22 Reservoir Tank 23 Oil Pump 24A - C Pipe 30 Control Unit 50 Equipment 51 First Relay 52 Second Relay 53 Power Control Device 54 Drive Device (Actuator) 55 Insulation Resistance 56 Housing (Body Earth) 57 Electric Circuit

Claims

1. A power supply device for supplying power to a machine, comprising: a battery pack having a battery and a metal cooler; an insulating oil circuit for flowing insulating oil into the cooler to cool the battery; a control unit for turning on one of a first relay and a second relay for supplying current from the battery to a power control device and turning off the other, and discharging static electricity generated by the flow of the insulating oil to the housing of the machine; A power supply device having the above.

2. When the control unit cools the battery by the insulating oil circuit when the driving device of the machine is not operating, the control unit turns on one of the first relay and the second relay and turns off the other. The power supply device according to Claim 1.

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

4. The control unit checks whether each of the first relay and the second relay is stuck, and when one of the first relay and the second relay is stuck, turns off the other. The power supply device according to Claim 1 or 2.

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

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