Power supply system

Abstract

It supplies two different voltages of power in the event of a failure, without requiring redundant power supplies. [Solution] The power supply system 10 includes a first energy storage device 11 that outputs power at a reference voltage Vref, a first transformer 21 that transforms the reference voltage Vref to a first voltage V1 that is lower than the reference voltage Vref, a second transformer 22 that transforms the reference voltage Vref to a second voltage V2 that is lower than the reference voltage Vref and lower than the first voltage V1, a second energy storage device 31 that stores the power transformed by the second transformer 22, a third transformer 23 that further transforms the power transformed by the first transformer 21 to the first voltage V1 to the second voltage V2, and a fourth transformer 24 that further transforms the second voltage V2 to the first voltage V1 based on the power transformed by the second transformer 22 to the second voltage V2 and the power stored in the second energy storage device 31.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a power supply system.

Background Art

[0002] The power supply device of Patent Document 1 supplies power by transforming the voltage from DC100V to DC12V for the vehicle operation system and supplies power by transforming the voltage from DC100V to DC24V for the sensor system.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When there are two types of voltages for the devices equipped in a vehicle to operate, even if a failure such as a power outage occurs, in order to operate the vehicle, it is required to multiplex the power supplies for each of the two types of voltages. However, this approach causes problems such as an increase in the weight of the power supply device and an increase in the cost related to the power supply device.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of these points, and an object thereof is to supply power of two types of voltages when a failure occurs without multiplexing the power supplies.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A power supply system according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a first energy storage device that outputs power at a reference voltage; a first transformer that transforms the reference voltage to a first voltage lower than the reference voltage; a second transformer that transforms the reference voltage to a second voltage lower than the reference voltage and lower than the first voltage; a second energy storage device that stores the power transformed by the second transformer; a third transformer that further transforms the power transformed by the first transformer to the first voltage to the second voltage; and a fourth transformer that further transforms the second voltage to the first voltage based on the power transformed by the second transformer to the second voltage and the power stored by the second energy storage device.

[0007] The supply control unit may further include a function that, when it is determined that the first transformer has failed, outputs instruction information to instruct the fourth transformer to start operating the equipment that uses the power transformed to the first voltage, and when it is determined that the second transformer has failed, outputs instruction information to instruct the third transformer to start operating the equipment that uses the power transformed to the second voltage.

[0008] The supply control unit may determine that the first transformer is faulty if the voltage of the power input to the third transformer is less than the first voltage, or if the voltage transformed by the third transformer is less than the second voltage, and may determine that the second transformer is faulty if the voltage of the power input to the fourth transformer is less than the second voltage, or if the voltage transformed by the fourth transformer is less than the first voltage.

[0009] The system further includes a third energy storage device that stores the power transformed by the first transformer, and the supply control unit may output instruction information to prohibit the automatic operation of the vehicle equipped with the power supply system if the charge rate of at least one of the charge rates of the second energy storage device and the third energy storage device is below a predetermined charge rate.

[0010] The system further includes a third energy storage device that stores the power transformed by the first transformer, and the supply control unit may output instruction information to prohibit the automatic operation of the vehicle equipped with the power supply system if the temperature of at least one of the battery fluids in the second energy storage device and the battery fluids in the third energy storage device is below a predetermined temperature.

[0011] The system may further include: a first ideal diode that outputs the power transformed by the first transformer to the first voltage in one direction with a predetermined forward voltage; a second ideal diode that outputs the power transformed by the second transformer to the second voltage in one direction with a predetermined forward voltage; a first connection section connecting the output terminal of the first ideal diode to the output terminal of the fourth transformer; and a second connection section connecting the output terminal of the second ideal diode to the output terminal of the third transformer.

[0012] The third transformer may transform the power that the first transformer has transformed into the first voltage into a third voltage lower than the second voltage, and the fourth transformer may transform the power that has been transformed into the second voltage and the power stored in the second energy storage device into a fourth voltage lower than the first voltage. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to supply power of two different voltages in the event of a failure without requiring redundant power supplies. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] This figure shows an overview of the vehicle S according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] This diagram shows the configuration of the power supply system 10 when the first transformer 21 fails. [Figure 3] This diagram shows the configuration of the power supply system 10 when the second transformer 22 fails. [Figure 4] This figure shows a vehicle S that changes the voltage of the power supplied in response to a power outage. [Figure 5]This diagram shows the configuration of the power supply system 10 when the first transformer 21 shown in Figure 4 has failed. [Figure 6] This diagram shows the voltage of the power supplied to the first device 1b. [Figure 7] Figure 4 shows the configuration of the power supply system 10 when the second transformer 22 shown in Figure 4 has failed. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0015] <Overview of Vehicle S> Figure 1 is a diagram showing an overview of the vehicle S according to this embodiment. The vehicle S shown in Figure 1 comprises a plurality of first devices 1 (first devices 1a and first devices 1b shown in Figure 1), a plurality of second devices 2 (second devices 2a and second devices 2b shown in Figure 1), a control device 3, and a power supply system 10. The vehicle S is a vehicle equipped with the function of supplying power corresponding to the power supply voltage of each of the plurality of auxiliary devices provided by the vehicle S, and is an EV (Electric Vehicle) such as a BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle), HV (Hybrid Vehicle), or FCV (Fuel Cell Vehicle). The plurality of auxiliary devices are, for example, a plurality of first devices 1 and a plurality of second devices 2, and the power supply voltages are, for example, 12V, 24V, and 48V. In the vehicle S shown in Figure 1, the power supply system 10 supplies power corresponding to the power supply voltage of the first device 1 to the first device 1 and supplies power corresponding to the power supply voltage of the second device 2 to the second device 2.

[0016] The first device 1 is a device that operates at a voltage included in the first range. For example, among the plurality of devices provided in the vehicle S, it is a device used for driving the vehicle S (as an example, a steering actuator). The first range is a range including 24V, for example, 20V or more and less than 32V. The second device 2 is a device that operates at a voltage included in the second range. For example, among the plurality of devices provided in the vehicle S, it is a device used for controlling the driving of the vehicle S (as an example, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) that controls a steering actuator). The second range is a range including 12V, for example, 10V or more and less than 20V.

[0017] Note that the first device 1a and the first device 1b are devices having the same function, and the second device 2a and the second device 2b are devices having the same function. And the first device 1a, the first device 1b, the second device 2a, and the second device 2b receive power supply from the power supply system 10 simultaneously. By having the vehicle S equipped with two identical devices and supplying power to these devices simultaneously, even if one device (for example, the first device 1a) becomes unusable, the vehicle S can switch to using the other device (the first device 1b), and since power is being supplied to the other device, the switching time can be shortened.

[0018] The control device 3 is, for example, a device including a VCU (Vehicle Control Unit), and is a device that controls the vehicle S. The control device 3 acquires, for example, device information indicating a device for which power supply has stopped via a VCI (Vehicle Communication Interface), and switches to using another device corresponding to the device. Specifically, when the power supply to the first device 1a stops while the first device 1a is being used, the control device 3 switches to using the first device 1b. Further, the control device 3 acquires, for example, instruction information for instructing execution or prohibition of automatic driving of the vehicle S from the power supply system 10, and controls the vehicle S based on the instruction included in the instruction information.

[0019] The power supply system 10 is a system for supplying power to each device provided in the vehicle S. The power supply system 10 supplies power of a first voltage (for example, 24V) included in a first range to the first device 1a and the first device 1b, and supplies power of a second voltage (for example, 12V) included in a second range to the second device 2a and the second device 2b. For example, when a power failure occurs in the vehicle S, the power supply system 10 outputs instruction information including an instruction to prohibit autonomous driving to the control device 3, thereby putting the vehicle S in a safe state. Specifically, by outputting the instruction information to the control device 3, the power supply system 10 switches the vehicle S from autonomous driving to manual driving, or stops the vehicle S on the road shoulder and maintains the stopped state. As an example, the power failure is a failure due to a transformer (DC-DC converter) that transforms the voltage of the power supply (reference voltage) into the first voltage or the second voltage.

[0020] The power supply system 10 includes a plurality of power supplies and has a configuration capable of supplying power to each device of the vehicle S for each power supply (so-called, multiplexing the power supplies). Thus, even when a failure occurs in one power supply, power can be supplied from another power supply different from the one power supply. However, since the vehicle S supplies power of the first voltage and power of the second voltage, multiplexing the power supplies for each voltage increases the weight and cost of the power supply device. Therefore, the power supply system 10 further includes a transformer (third transformer 23) that converts from the first voltage to the second voltage and a transformer (fourth transformer 24) that converts from the second voltage to the first voltage.

[0021] With the configuration as described above, even if a power failure occurs in the power supply related to the power of the first voltage, the power supply system 10 can generate the power of the first voltage from the power of the second voltage. Also, even if a power failure occurs in the power supply related to the power of the second voltage, the power supply system 10 can generate the power of the second voltage from the power of the first voltage. As a result, the power supply system 10 can supply the power of the first voltage and the power of the second voltage even when a power failure occurs without having a configuration in which the power supplies are multiplexed. Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the power supply system 10 will be described in detail.

[0022] <Configuration of power supply system 10> As shown in Figure 1, the power supply system 10 includes a first energy storage device 11, a first transformer 21, a second transformer 22, a third transformer 23, a fourth transformer 24, a second energy storage device 31, a battery sensor 32, a third energy storage device 33, a battery sensor 34, a memory unit 41, and a power supply control unit 42.

[0023] The first energy storage device 11 is a secondary battery such as a lithium-ion battery that supplies power for driving the vehicle S. For example, it charges with electricity supplied from a charging port provided in the vehicle S or electricity generated by converting regenerative energy generated by the vehicle S. The first energy storage device 11 outputs power at a reference voltage Vref. The reference voltage Vref is, for example, a voltage of 300V or more and 400V or less.

[0024] The first transformer 21 is a DC-DC converter that transforms the reference voltage Vref output by the first energy storage device 11 into a first voltage V1 that is lower than the reference voltage. The first voltage is a voltage that falls within a first range (20V or more and less than 32V), and is, for example, 24V. The second transformer 22 is a DC-DC converter that transforms the reference voltage Vref into a second voltage V2 that is lower than the reference voltage Vref and lower than the first voltage V1. The second voltage is a voltage that falls within a second range (10V or more and less than 20V), and is, for example, 12V.

[0025] The third transformer 23 is a DC-DC converter that further transforms the power transformed by the first transformer 21 to the first voltage V1 into the second voltage V2. The fourth transformer 24 is a DC-DC converter that further transforms the second voltage V2 into the first voltage V1 based on the power transformed by the second transformer 22 to the second voltage V2 and the power stored in the second energy storage device 31. The fourth transformer 24 boosts the second voltage V2 to the first voltage V1 by generating the power of the first voltage V1 based on, for example, the power of the second voltage V2 supplied from the second transformer 22 and the power of the second voltage V2 supplied from the second energy storage device 31.

[0026] The second energy storage device 31 is a secondary battery such as a lead-acid battery, and stores the power transformed to the second voltage V2 by the second transformer 22. The battery sensor 32 is a sensor that detects the liquid temperature of the battery fluid in the second energy storage device 31, the current value of the current charged by the second energy storage device 31, and the current value of the current discharged by the second energy storage device 31. The battery sensor 32 may calculate the State of Charge (SOC) of the second energy storage device 31 based on the detected liquid temperature, current value, and voltage value.

[0027] The third energy storage device 33 is a secondary battery such as a lead-acid battery, and stores the power transformed by the first transformer 21 to the first voltage V1. The battery sensor 34 is a sensor that detects the liquid temperature of the battery fluid in the third energy storage device 33, the current value of the current charged by the third energy storage device 33, and the current value of the current discharged by the third energy storage device 33. The battery sensor 34 may calculate the charge level of the third energy storage device 33 based on the detected liquid temperature, current value, and voltage value.

[0028] The storage unit 41 has a storage medium such as ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), HDD (Hard Disk Drive), or SSD (Solid State Drive). The storage unit 41 stores a program executed by the power supply control unit 42 and various information for the power supply control unit 42 to detect power failure.

[0029] The supply control unit 42 is a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an ECU (Electronic Control Unit). The supply control unit 42 functions as a supply control unit 42 by executing a program stored in the storage unit 41. The supply control unit 42 may consist of one processor, or it may consist of multiple processors or a combination of one or more processors and electronic circuits.

[0030] The power supply control unit 42 determines whether or not a power outage has occurred in the power supply system 10. A power outage includes a power outage related to the power of the first voltage V1 and a power outage related to the power of the second voltage V2. In the following description, as an example of a power outage, a power outage related to the power of the first voltage V1 due to a failure of the first transformer 21 and a power outage related to the power of the second voltage V2 due to a failure of the second transformer 22 will be described.

[0031] The supply control unit 42 acquires, for example, the input voltage and output voltage of the third transformer 23 detected by a voltage sensor (not shown). The supply control unit 42 determines, for example, that a power outage related to the power of the first voltage V1 has occurred due to a failure of the first transformer 21 if the input voltage of the third transformer 23 is not included in the first range, or if the output voltage of the third transformer 23 is not included in the second range. The supply control unit 42 may also determine that the first transformer 21 has failed if the voltage of the power input to the third transformer 23 is less than the first voltage V1, or if the voltage transformed by the third transformer 23 is less than the second voltage V2. If the supply control unit 42 determines that the first transformer 21 has failed, for example, it outputs instruction information to instruct the operation of equipment (first equipment 1b) that uses the power transformed to the first voltage V1 by the fourth transformer 24 to start.

[0032] Figure 2 shows the configuration of the power supply system 10 when the first transformer 21 fails. In Figure 2, equipment and wiring that do not receive power due to the failure of the first transformer 21 are shown with dashed lines. As shown in Figure 2, in the power supply system 10, due to the failure of the first transformer 21, the fourth transformer 24 supplies power at the first voltage V1. Therefore, the control device 3 acquires instruction information to start the operation of the first equipment 1b, and by starting the operation of the first equipment 1b and switching to use the first equipment 1b, the vehicle S can continue to operate even if the first transformer 21 fails.

[0033] The supply control unit 42 acquires, for example, the input voltage and output voltage of the fourth transformer 24 detected by a voltage sensor (not shown). The supply control unit 42 determines, for example, that a power outage related to the power of the second voltage V2 has occurred due to a failure of the second transformer 22 if the input voltage of the fourth transformer 24 is not included in the second range, or if the output voltage of the fourth transformer 24 is not included in the first range. The supply control unit 42 may also determine that the second transformer 22 has failed if the voltage of the power input to the fourth transformer 24 is less than the second voltage V2, or if the voltage transformed by the fourth transformer 24 is less than the first voltage V1. If the supply control unit 42 determines that the second transformer 22 has failed, for example, it outputs instruction information to instruct the operation of equipment (second equipment 2b) that uses the power transformed to the second voltage V2 by the third transformer 23 to start operating.

[0034] Figure 3 shows the configuration of the power supply system 10 when the second transformer 22 fails. In Figure 3, equipment and wiring that are not supplied with power due to the failure of the second transformer 22 are shown with dashed lines. As shown in Figure 3, in the power supply system 10, when the second transformer 22 fails, the third transformer 23 supplies power at the second voltage V2. Therefore, the control device 3 acquires instruction information to start the operation of the second equipment 2b, and by starting the operation of the second equipment 2b and switching to use the second equipment 2b, the vehicle S can continue to operate even when the second transformer 22 fails.

[0035] As the power supply system 10 operates as described above, the vehicle S can continue to operate even if the first transformer 21 or the second transformer 22 fails. However, for example, since the fourth transformer 24 outputs power at the first voltage V1 using the power charged by the second energy storage device 31, if the charge level of the second energy storage device 31 decreases, the output voltage may fall below the first voltage V1. In this case, the vehicle S cannot continue to operate.

[0036] Therefore, the supply control unit 42 outputs instruction information to prohibit automatic driving of the vehicle S equipped with the power supply system 10 if, for example, the charge rate of at least one of the charge rates of the second energy storage device 31 and the third energy storage device 33 is below a predetermined charge rate. The predetermined charge rate is, for example, 75%, and is stored in the storage unit 41. The supply control unit 42 estimates the charge rate of the second energy storage device 31 based on the charging current value and the discharge current value detected by the battery sensor 32, and estimates the charge rate of the third energy storage device 33 based on the charging current value and the discharge current value detected by the battery sensor 34. The supply control unit 42 may also obtain the charge rate of the second energy storage device 31 from the battery sensor 32 and the charge rate of the third energy storage device 33 from the battery sensor 34. By operating as described above, the control device 3 can switch the vehicle S to manual driving or stop the vehicle S based on the instruction to prohibit automatic driving included in the instruction information.

[0037] The supply control unit 42 acquires, for example, the temperature of the battery fluid in the second energy storage device 31, detected by the battery sensor 32, and the temperature of the battery fluid in the third energy storage device 31, detected by the battery sensor 34. If at least one of the acquired temperatures is below a predetermined temperature, the supply control unit 42 may output instruction information to prohibit the automatic operation of the vehicle S equipped with the power supply system 10. The predetermined temperature is, for example, a temperature of 0°C or lower, and is stored in the storage unit 41. Since the amount of discharged power from the energy storage device decreases as the temperature of the battery fluid decreases, the supply control unit 42 can prevent the vehicle S from continuing to operate when the amount of discharged power is low by operating in this manner.

[0038] In the vehicle S shown in Figure 1, the control device 3 switches to using either the first device 1b or the second device 2b based on instruction information output by the power supply system 10 after detecting a fault. Therefore, in the vehicle S shown in Figure 1, the voltage of either the first device 1a or the second device 2a may drop during the time between detecting the fault and switching the devices, potentially resulting in a state where both the first device 1a and the first device 1b, or both the second device 2a and the second device 2b, become inoperable.

[0039] Therefore, the power supply system 10 may be configured to supply power to the first device 1b and the second device 2b at a voltage lower than the voltage before the power failure occurred after a power failure occurs. With the power supply system 10 configured in this way, the vehicle S can switch the operation of the first device 1b and the second device 2b based on the voltage of the supplied power. As a result, since there is no need for the power supply system 10 to detect a fault or for the control device 3 to switch the devices based on instruction information, the vehicle S can shorten the time it takes to switch the devices. In this way, the vehicle S can keep the first device 1a or the first device 1b and the second device 2a or the second device 2b running continuously.

[0040] Figure 4 shows a vehicle S that changes the voltage of the power supplied in response to a power outage. The power supply system 10 shown in Figure 4 differs from the power supply system 10 shown in Figure 1 in that it has a first ideal diode 25 and a second ideal diode 26, but is otherwise the same. Also in Figure 4, a first connection section 27 is shown, which connects the output terminal of the first ideal diode 25 to the output terminal of the fourth transformer 24, and a second connection section 28 is shown, which connects the output terminal of the second ideal diode 26 to the output terminal of the third transformer 23.

[0041] The first ideal diode 25 is a circuit that outputs the power transformed by the first transformer 21 to the first voltage V1 in one direction (i.e., the direction to output to the first device 1b) with a predetermined forward voltage. The predetermined forward voltage is, for example, 0V. The second ideal diode 26 is a circuit that outputs the power transformed by the second transformer 22 to the second voltage V2 in one direction (i.e., the direction to output to the second device 2b) with a predetermined forward voltage.

[0042] Then, as shown in Figure 4, the third transformer 23 transforms the power that the first transformer 21 has transformed into the first voltage V1 to a third voltage V3 that is lower than the second voltage V2. The third voltage V3 is, for example, 12V when the second voltage V2 is 15V. The fourth transformer 24 transforms the power that has been transformed into the second voltage V2 and the power stored in the second energy storage device 31 to a fourth voltage V4 that is lower than the first voltage V1. The fourth voltage V4 is, for example, 24V when the first voltage V1 is 27V. As a result, the power supply system 10 supplies power at the first voltage V1 to the first equipment 1a and the first equipment 1b, and power at the second voltage V2 to the second equipment 2a and the second equipment 2b, provided that the first transformer 21 and the second transformer 22 are not faulty.

[0043] The power supply system 10 supplies power of the fourth voltage V4 to the first equipment 1b when the first transformer 21 fails. Figure 5 shows the configuration of the power supply system 10 when the first transformer 21 shown in Figure 4 fails. In Figure 5, equipment and wiring that do not receive power due to the failure of the first transformer 21 are shown with dashed lines. As shown in Figure 5, in the power supply system 10, when the first transformer 21 fails, the power supplied to the first equipment 1b switches from the power of the first voltage V1 output by the first ideal diode 25 to the power of the fourth voltage V4 output by the fourth transformer 24.

[0044] Figure 6 shows the voltage of the power supplied to the first device 1b. The horizontal axis of Figure 6 represents time, and the vertical axis of Figure 6 represents the output voltage of the first ideal diode 25, the output voltage of the fourth transformer 24, and the output voltage of the first connection section 27 (i.e., the voltage of the power supplied to the first device 1b). Time T1 shown in Figure 6 is the time when the first transformer 21 failed. From time T1 to time T2, the output voltage of the first ideal diode 25 drops from the first voltage V1 to 0V due to the failure of the first transformer 21. On the other hand, the output voltage of the fourth transformer 24 maintains the fourth voltage V4 because the second transformer 22 has not failed. As a result, the output voltage of the first connection section 27 drops from the first voltage V1 to the first voltage V4 from time T1 to time T3, and maintains the fourth voltage V4 from time T3 onward.

[0045] As the power supply system 10 operates as described above, the voltage of the power supplied to the first device 1b changes from the first voltage V1 to the fourth voltage V4. Since the fourth voltage V4 is within the first range, the first device 1b can operate. Based on the change from the first voltage V1 to the fourth voltage V4, the first device 1b can operate in place of the first device 1a. As a result, in the vehicle S, even if the first transformer 21 fails, the first device 1b can start operating in place of the first device 1a before a state occurs where both the first device 1a and the first device 1b are inoperable.

[0046] The power supply system 10 supplies power at the third voltage V3 to the second device 2b when the second transformer 22 fails. Figure 7 shows the configuration of the power supply system 10 when the second transformer 22 shown in Figure 4 fails. In Figure 7, the devices and wiring that do not receive power due to the failure of the second transformer 22 are shown with dashed lines. As shown in Figure 7, in the power supply system 10, when the second transformer 22 fails, the power supplied to the second device 2b switches from the power at the second voltage V2 output by the second ideal diode 26 to the power at the third voltage V3 output by the third transformer 23.

[0047] As the power supply system 10 operates as described above, the voltage of the power supplied to the second device 2b changes from the second voltage V2 to the third voltage V3. Since the third voltage V3 is within the second range, the second device 2b can operate. Based on the change from the second voltage V2 to the third voltage V3, the second device 2b can operate in place of the second device 2a. As a result, in the vehicle S, even if the second transformer 22 fails, the second device 2b can start operating in place of the second device 2a before a state occurs where both the second device 2a and the second device 2b are inoperable.

[0048] <Effects of the power supply system 10> As described above, the power supply system 10 includes a first energy storage device 11 that outputs power at a reference voltage Vref, a first transformer 21 that transforms the reference voltage Vref to a first voltage V1 that is lower than the reference voltage Vref, a second transformer 22 that transforms the reference voltage Vref to a second voltage V2 that is lower than the reference voltage Vref and lower than the first voltage V1, a second energy storage device 31 that stores the power transformed by the second transformer 22, a third transformer 23 that further transforms the power transformed by the first transformer 21 to the first voltage V1 to the second voltage V2, and a fourth transformer 24 that further transforms the second voltage V2 to the first voltage V1 based on the power transformed by the second transformer 22 to the second voltage V2 and the power stored in the second energy storage device 31.

[0049] With the power supply system 10 configured in this way, the power supply system 10 can supply power of the first voltage V1 even if there is a power loss related to the first voltage V1, and can supply power of the second voltage V2 even if there is a power loss related to the second voltage V2, without redundant power sources. As a result, the power supply system 10 can supply power of the first voltage V1 and power of the second voltage V2 while keeping the weight and cost of the power supply unit down.

[0050] Furthermore, the power supply system 10, having the first ideal diode 25 and the second ideal diode 26 shown in Figure 4, can supply power at the fourth voltage V4 to the first device 1b and power at the third voltage V3 to the second device 2b. As a result, the first device 1b and the second device 2b can switch to operate themselves based on voltage changes, thus shortening the switching time in the event of a power outage. Moreover, when there is no power outage, the power supply system 10 can reduce power consumption by supplying power from the first ideal diode 25 and the second ideal diode 26, thereby suppressing the load on the third transformer 23 and the fourth transformer 24.

[0051] Although the present invention has been described above using embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of its gist. For example, all or part of the apparatus can be configured by functionally or physically distributing and integrating in any unit. Furthermore, new embodiments resulting from any combination of multiple embodiments are also included in the embodiments of the present invention. The effects of the new embodiments resulting from the combinations are combined with the effects of the original embodiments. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0052] 1 1st device 1a 1st device 1b 1st device 2 2nd device 2a 2nd device 2b 2nd device 3. Control device 10 Power supply systems 11. First Energy Storage Device 21 Transformer No. 1 22 Second Transformer 23 Third Transformer 24. Transformer No. 4 25. First Ideal Diode 26. Second Ideal Diode 27. First connection section 28 Second connection section 31. Second Energy Storage Device 32 Battery Sensor 33. Third Energy Storage Device 34 Battery Sensor 41 Storage section 42 Supply Control Unit

Claims

1. A first energy storage device that outputs power at a reference voltage, A first transformer that transforms the aforementioned reference voltage to a first voltage lower than the reference voltage, A second transformer that transforms the aforementioned reference voltage into a second voltage that is lower than the reference voltage and lower than the first voltage, A second energy storage device that stores the power transformed by the second transformer, A third transformer further transforms the power that the first transformer has transformed into the first voltage into the second voltage, A fourth transformer further transforms the second voltage to the first voltage based on the power transformed to the second voltage by the second transformer and the power stored by the second energy storage device, A power supply system having

2. The supply control unit further includes, which, when it is determined that the first transformer has failed, outputs instruction information to instruct the fourth transformer to start operating the equipment that uses the power transformed to the first voltage, and when it is determined that the second transformer has failed, outputs instruction information to instruct the third transformer to start operating the equipment that uses the power transformed to the second voltage. The power supply system according to claim 1.

3. The supply control unit determines that the first transformer is faulty if the voltage of the power input to the third transformer is less than the first voltage, or if the voltage transformed by the third transformer is less than the second voltage, and determines that the second transformer is faulty if the voltage of the power input to the fourth transformer is less than the second voltage, or if the voltage transformed by the fourth transformer is less than the first voltage. The power supply system according to claim 2.

4. The system further includes a third energy storage device that stores the power transformed by the first transformer, The power supply control unit outputs instruction information to prohibit the automatic driving of the vehicle equipped with the power supply system if the charge rate of at least one of the second energy storage device and the third energy storage device falls below a predetermined charge rate. The power supply system according to claim 2.

5. The system further includes a third energy storage device that stores the power transformed by the first transformer, The supply control unit outputs instruction information to prohibit the automatic driving of the vehicle equipped with the power supply system if the temperature of at least one of the battery fluids in the second energy storage device and the battery fluids in the third energy storage device falls below a predetermined temperature. The power supply system according to claim 2.

6. A first ideal diode outputs the power transformed by the first transformer to the first voltage in one direction with a predetermined forward voltage, A second ideal diode outputs the power transformed by the second transformer to the second voltage in one direction with a predetermined forward voltage, A first connection section is formed by connecting the output terminal of the first ideal diode and the output terminal of the fourth transformer, The device further includes a second connection section that connects the output terminal of the second ideal diode to the output terminal of the third transformer. The power supply system according to claim 1.

7. The third transformer transforms the power that the first transformer has transformed into the first voltage into a third voltage that is lower than the second voltage. The fourth transformer transforms the power transformed to the second voltage and the power stored in the second energy storage device to a fourth voltage lower than the first voltage. The power supply system according to claim 6.

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