Power supply control system

Abstract

To provide a power supply control system capable of securing power to the extent that a moving body including a ship can be guided to a safe place and stopped in an emergency manner when blackout occurs or there is a possibility of blackout during movement of the moving body.SOLUTION: A power supply control system includes a sub-battery 12 connected to each system including a starting system, an ignition system, a charging system, and a control system of an electronically controlled engine 3 included in a moving body via positive and negative buses 4748 and, and a BMU11 for monitoring and controlling a main battery 46 and the sub-battery 12 similarly included in the moving body. When the bus voltage between the positive and negative buses 4748 and is equal to or lower than a predetermined value for a predetermined time, the BMU11 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the main battery 46 and / or the charging system, and switches the connection destination of each of the systems from the main battery 46 to the sub-battery 12.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a power supply control system that controls the power supply to a mobile object equipped with an electronically controlled engine. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, with the increase in ships equipped with electronically controlled engines, loss of onboard power, or the occurrence of so-called blackouts, has become a major problem, and various technologies have been proposed to address this issue. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a ship power management system that includes multiple generators capable of supplying power to multiple auxiliary equipment and a power monitoring unit that monitors the amount of power used by the generators. The system checks the allowable power up to the upper output limit of the operating generators from the output value of the power monitoring unit, and if the power consumption of an auxiliary equipment to be started exceeds the allowable power, stops the operating auxiliary equipment, and starts the auxiliary equipment to be started after the allowable power exceeds the power consumption. This power management system can effectively avoid blackouts while limiting the number of generators that need to be started. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-231565 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, when a blackout occurs or is likely to occur while a moving object, including a ship, is in motion, it is desirable to take measures to ensure that the moving object can continue to move normally thereafter. However, adopting a redundant configuration with many generators for this purpose may result in excess equipment, which may be undesirable from the standpoints of energy efficiency and equipment availability.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its main object is to provide a power supply control system for a mobile object that is preferable from the viewpoint of energy efficiency. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present inventor has found that when a blackout occurs or is likely to occur while a moving object, including a ship, is in motion, it is preferable from the viewpoint of energy efficiency to secure enough power to guide the moving object to a safe place and stop it as an emergency evacuation measure. Based on this finding, the present inventor has invented the following.

[0007] One aspect of the present invention is a power supply control system that controls the supply of power to a mobile body that has an electronically controlled engine, systems including a starting system, an ignition system, a charging system, and a control system for the engine, and a main battery connected to each of the systems via positive and negative buses.The power supply control system includes a sub-battery connected to each of the systems via the positive and negative buses, a switching unit that switches the connection of each of the systems to the main battery or the sub-battery, and a monitoring and control unit that monitors and controls the main battery and the sub-battery.When the main battery is connected to each of the systems and the bus voltage between the positive and negative buses is below a predetermined threshold for a predetermined period of time, the monitoring and control unit determines that an abnormality has occurred in the main battery and / or the charging system, and causes the switching unit to switch the connection of each of the systems from the main battery to the sub-battery.

[0008] In addition, in the above aspect, when the main battery is connected to each of the systems, the monitoring control unit may determine that an abnormality has occurred in the main battery when the bus voltage is below a predetermined threshold for a predetermined period of time and the temperature of the main battery is below a predetermined threshold, and output a warning indicating the abnormality.

[0009] In addition, in the above aspect, when the main battery is connected to each of the systems, the monitoring control unit may determine that an abnormality has occurred in the main battery and the charging system when the bus voltage is below a predetermined threshold for a predetermined time, and the temperature of the main battery and the current value of the positive bus are each below a predetermined threshold, and output a warning indicating the abnormality.

[0010] In addition, in the above aspect, when the main battery is connected to each of the systems, if the bus voltage is below a predetermined threshold for a predetermined time, the temperature of the main battery is below a predetermined threshold, and the current value of the positive bus exceeds a predetermined threshold, the monitoring control unit may determine that no abnormality has occurred in the charging system but that an abnormality has occurred in the main battery, and output a warning indicating the abnormality.

[0011] In addition, in the above aspect, when the main battery is connected to each system, if the bus voltage is below a predetermined threshold for a predetermined time, the temperature of the main battery exceeds a predetermined threshold, and the current value of the positive bus is below a predetermined threshold, the monitoring control unit may determine that no abnormality has occurred in the main battery but that an abnormality has occurred in the charging system, and output a warning indicating the abnormality.

[0012] In the above aspect, the moving body may be a ship, and the charging system may include an alternator. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, when a blackout occurs or is likely to occur while a moving object is moving, it is possible to guide the moving object to a safe place and stop it as an emergency evacuation measure. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing connection destinations of the power supply control system according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of a power supply control system. [Figure 3] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure for a power supply monitoring process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments are merely examples of methods and devices for embodying the technical concept of the present invention, and the technical concept of the present invention is not limited to the following. Various modifications can be made to the technical concept of the present invention within the technical scope described in the claims.

[0016] (System configuration) The power supply control system of this embodiment is a system for controlling the power supply to a mobile body. The mobile body here includes various types of bodies such as ships and automobiles, but the following description will be given taking a ship as an example.

[0017] 1 is a block diagram showing the connection destinations of the power supply control system of this embodiment. A ship (an example of a moving body) connected to the power supply control system (hereinafter simply referred to as the "control system") 1 includes an electronically controlled engine 3 and an engine electrical system 4. As will be described later, this engine electrical system 4 includes a control system, a starting system, an ignition system, and a charging system for the engine 3.

[0018] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the control system. In addition to the control system 1, Fig. 2 also shows the configurations of the engine 3 and engine electrical system 4 provided in the vehicle 2. Note that the components of the control system 1 are assigned reference numerals in the 10s, and the components of the engine electrical system 4 are assigned reference numerals in the 40s.

[0019] 2, the engine electrical system 4 includes an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 41, a starter motor 42, an ignition system 43, an alternator 44, and a regulator 45. The ECU 41 constitutes a control system for the engine 3 and performs various controls on the engine 3, such as fuel injection control for the engine 3.

[0020] The starter motor 42 constitutes a starting system for the engine 3, and cranks and starts the engine 3 in accordance with instructions from the ECU 41. The ignition system 43 constitutes an ignition system for the engine 3, and ignites the engine 3 in accordance with instructions from the ECU 41.

[0021] The alternator 44 and the regulator 45 constitute a charging system for the engine 3. The alternator 44 is driven by the engine 3 to generate electricity. The regulator 45 controls the output voltage of the alternator 44 to maintain it within a predetermined appropriate range.

[0022] The engine electrical system 4 also includes a main battery 46. The main battery 46 is connected to the control system, starting system, ignition system, and charging system of the engine 3 described above via a positive bus 47 and a negative bus 48. During operation of the engine 3, the alternator 44 generates power to charge the main battery 46 and a sub-battery 12, which will be described later.

[0023] The control system 1 includes a BMU (Battery Management Unit) 11 and a sub-battery 12. The BMU 11 is a device that monitors and controls the main battery 46 and the sub-battery 12. The main battery 46 is connected to terminals 13a and 13b of the BMU 11, and the sub-battery 12 is connected to terminals 14a and 14b of the BMU 11.

[0024] The sub-battery 12 has a smaller capacity than the main battery 46 and is capable of securing the amount of power required to guide the boat 2 to a safe location and stop it as an emergency evacuation measure in the event of a blackout or the possibility of a blackout. As will be described later, in this embodiment, when a failure of the main battery 46 and / or the alternator 44 is predicted, it is determined that there is a risk of a blackout occurring, and power supply is switched to that from the sub-battery 12.

[0025] The main battery 46 and the sub-battery 12 are connected to a changeover switch 15 that is connected to a positive bus 47. The changeover switch 15 switches the connection between each of the above-mentioned systems provided in the engine electrical system 4 and the main battery 46 or the sub-battery 12.

[0026] A temperature sensor 51 is connected to the main battery 46, and a temperature sensor 16 is connected to the sub-battery 12. These temperature sensors 51, 16 detect the temperatures of the main battery 46 and the sub-battery 12, respectively, and output signals indicating the detection results to the BMU 11.

[0027] An AC external power source 61 is connected to terminals 16a and 16b of the BMU 11. By using this external power source 61, the sub-battery 12 can be supplementally charged, so that the sub-battery 12 can be kept fully charged at all times. Furthermore, even if the main battery 46 and / or the alternator 44 fail, the sub-battery 12 can be supplementally charged by the external power source 61, so that the engine 3 can continue to operate.

[0028] A varistor 52 is provided between the positive and negative buses 47 and 48, a fuse 53 and a DC ammeter 54 are provided on the positive bus 47, and a thyristor 55 is provided between the positive bus 47 and the terminal 13a of the BMU 11.

[0029] (System Operation) Next, the operation of the control system 1 configured as described above will be described with reference to a flowchart. When the main battery 46 and the alternator 44 operate normally, the power required for driving and controlling the engine 3 can be secured. However, if the main battery 46 and / or the alternator 44 fail, a blackout may occur, causing the engine 3 to stop. To avoid such a situation, the BMU 11 included in the control system 1 executes a power supply monitoring process to monitor the operation of the main battery 46 and the alternator 44.

[0030] 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of the power supply monitoring process executed by the BMU 11. Note that the following power supply monitoring process is executed when the main battery 46 is connected to each system of the electrical system 4 by the selector switch 15.

[0031] First, the BMU 11 acquires the voltage value of the bus voltage between the positive and negative buses 47 and 48 via the terminals 13a and 13b (S101), and acquires the current value of the positive bus 47 using the DC ammeter 54 (S102).

[0032] Next, the BMU 11 acquires the temperatures of the main battery 46 and the sub-battery 12 based on the output signals from the temperature sensors 51 and 16 (S103). The BMU 11 saves the data indicating the voltage value of the bus voltage, the current value of the positive bus 47, and the temperatures of the main battery 46 and the sub-battery 12 acquired as described above (S104).

[0033] Next, the BMU 11 refers to the stored data and determines whether the bus voltage value is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value for a predetermined time (for example, within a range of 5 to 60 seconds) (S105). If it determines that the voltage value is not equal to or less than the predetermined threshold value for the predetermined time (NO in S105), the BMU 11 returns to step S101 and executes the subsequent processing.

[0034] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S105 that the voltage value of the bus voltage has been equal to or less than the predetermined threshold value for the predetermined time (YES in S105), the BMU 11 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the main battery 46 and / or the alternator 44. In this case, the BMU 11 determines that a blackout may occur, and switches the connection destination of each system of the engine electrical system 4 from the main battery 46 to the sub-battery 12 using the changeover switch 15 (S106). Note that if an abnormality occurs in the alternator 44, the voltage value of the bus voltage will drop from a normal value, making the above-mentioned determination possible.

[0035] Next, the BMU 11 refers to the stored data and determines whether the latest temperature of the main battery 46 is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold (S107). If the temperature is equal to or lower than the predetermined threshold, an abnormality in the main battery 46 is recognized, but it is not possible to determine whether an abnormality has occurred in the alternator 44. Therefore, if the BMU 11 determines that the temperature is equal to or lower than the predetermined threshold (YES in S107), it refers to the stored data and determines whether the latest current value of the positive bus 47 is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold (S108).

[0036] If it is determined in step S108 that the current value is not equal to or less than the predetermined threshold value (NO in S108), the BMU 11 determines that no abnormality has occurred in the alternator 44, and that an abnormality has occurred only in the main battery 46, and outputs warning information indicating an abnormality in the main battery 46 (S109).On the other hand, if it is determined that the current value is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold value (YES in S108), the BMU 11 determines that an abnormality has occurred in both the main battery 46 and the alternator 44, and outputs warning information indicating an abnormality in the main battery 46 and the alternator 44 (S110).

[0037] Also, in step S107, if it is determined that the latest temperature of the main battery 46 is not equal to or lower than the predetermined threshold (NO in S107), the BMU 11 determines whether the latest current value of the positive bus 47 is equal to or lower than the predetermined threshold (S111), in the same manner as in step S108.

[0038] If it is determined in step S111 that the current value is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold value (YES in S111), the BMU 11 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the alternator 44, and outputs warning information indicating an abnormality in the alternator 44 (S112). On the other hand, if it is determined that the current value is not equal to or less than the predetermined threshold value (NO in S111), the BMU 11 determines that an abnormality has occurred in either the main battery 46 or the alternator 44, although it cannot identify which one it is, and outputs warning information indicating an abnormality in the main battery 46 or the alternator 44 (S113).

[0039] The warning information in steps S109, S110, S112 and S113 is output by a known method such as displaying a specific indicator, outputting a sound, sending an e-mail or sending an SMS.

[0040] As described above, in this embodiment, when the bus voltage value between the positive and negative buses 47, 48 remains below a predetermined threshold for a predetermined period of time, the BMU 11 determines that a blackout is likely to occur and switches power supply from the main battery 46 to the sub-battery 12. Here, although the sub-battery 12 has a smaller capacity than the main battery 46, it can secure the amount of power necessary to guide the boat 2 to a safe location and stop it, so that emergency evacuation measures can be taken. As such, this embodiment can avoid a situation in which the boat 2 has an accident without adopting a redundant configuration such as having an excessive number of generators, and is therefore preferable from the perspective of energy efficiency, etc.

[0041] Furthermore, in this embodiment, it is possible to check whether an abnormality has occurred in both the main battery 46 and the alternator 44, or in just one of them, thereby enabling subsequent recovery work to be carried out efficiently.

[0042] Furthermore, the control system 1 of this embodiment can be easily incorporated into existing vehicles equipped with electronically controlled engines, which has the advantage of being a low-cost solution to blackouts.

[0043] (Other embodiments) In the above embodiment, when the BMU 11 detects an abnormality, the connection destination of each system of the engine electrical system 4 is automatically switched from the main battery 46 to the sub-battery 12, but this may also be done manually. For example, if the bus voltage between the positive and negative buses 47, 48 remains below a predetermined threshold for a predetermined period of time, the BMU 11 may output a signal indicating this to the outside, and an operator recognizing the output may manually switch the battery. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 1. Power supply control system 11 BMU 12 Sub-battery 15. Selector switch 16 Temperature Sensor 2 Ship (mobile) 3 Engine 4 Engine Electrical System 41 ECU 42 Starter motor 43 Ignition System 44 Alternator 45 Regulator 46 Main battery 47 positive busbar 48 Negative bus 51 Temperature Sensor 52 Barista 53 Fuse 54 DC ammeter 55 Thyristor 61 External power supply

Claims

1. A power supply control system for controlling power supply to a mobile body including an electronically controlled engine, systems including a starting system, an ignition system, a charging system, and a control system of the engine, and a main battery connected to the systems via positive and negative buses, a sub-battery connected to each of the systems via the positive and negative buses; a switching unit that switches the connection between each of the systems and the main battery or the sub-battery; a monitoring control unit that monitors and controls the main battery and the sub-battery; Equipped with When the main battery is connected to each of the systems, if a bus voltage between the positive and negative bus bars is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold for a predetermined time, the monitoring control unit determines that an abnormality has occurred in the main battery and / or the charging system, and switches the connection destination of each of the systems from the main battery to the sub-battery using the switching unit. Power supply control system.

2. When the main battery is connected to each of the systems, if the bus voltage is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold for a predetermined time and the temperature of the main battery is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold, the monitoring control unit determines that an abnormality has occurred in the main battery and outputs a warning indicating the abnormality. The power supply control system according to claim 1 .

3. When the main battery is connected to each of the systems, if the bus voltage is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold for a predetermined time, and the temperature of the main battery and the current value of the positive bus are each equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold, the monitoring control unit determines that an abnormality has occurred in the main battery and the charging system, and outputs a warning indicating the abnormality. The power supply control system according to claim 1 .

4. When the main battery is connected to each of the systems, if the bus voltage is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold for a predetermined time, the temperature of the main battery is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold, and the current value of the positive bus exceeds a predetermined threshold, the monitoring control unit determines that no abnormality has occurred in the charging system but that an abnormality has occurred in the main battery, and outputs a warning indicating the abnormality. The power supply control system according to claim 1 .

5. When the main battery is connected to each of the systems, if the bus voltage is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold for a predetermined time, the temperature of the main battery exceeds a predetermined threshold, and the current value of the positive bus is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold, the monitoring control unit determines that no abnormality has occurred in the main battery but that an abnormality has occurred in the charging system, and outputs a warning indicating the abnormality. The power supply control system according to claim 1 .

6. The moving body is a ship, and the charging system includes an alternator.

6. The power supply control system according to claim 1.

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