Power Cabinet
The power cabinet controls temperature using the heat generated by power modules, addressing space and cost issues in existing designs by maintaining efficient operation in low-temperature environments without additional heating components.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK
- Filing Date
- 2024-10-23
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-11
AI Technical Summary
Existing power cabinets for vehicle charging require additional space and increased costs due to the need for heaters to maintain temperature, which complicates the design and increases component count.
A power cabinet design that utilizes the heat generated by power modules to control internal temperature through a control device, temperature sensor, and fans, eliminating the need for additional heating elements.
Maintains appropriate internal temperature without increasing component count, ensuring efficient operation in low-temperature environments while reducing costs and space requirements.
Smart Images
Figure 2026075733000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present disclosure relates to a power cabinet, and more particularly to a power cabinet including a power module for supplying power to charging equipment for charging a vehicle.
Background Art
[0002] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-109215 (Patent Document 1) describes a charging stand including a main body that houses electrical equipment used for charging a vehicle, and a heater that generates heat upon energization to raise the surface temperature of the main body. According to the charging stand described in Patent Document 1, even when the charging stand is disposed in a low-temperature environment, the temperature inside the main body can be raised to a usable range of the electrical equipment by the heater.
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0003]
Patent Document 1
Summary of the Invention
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0004] However, in the case of the technology described in Patent Document 1, since it is necessary to mount a heater for raising the temperature inside the main body on the charging stand, it is necessary to secure space for the heater, and there is also a problem that the cost increases due to an increase in the number of parts.
[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to control the temperature inside the power cabinet to an appropriate temperature without increasing the number of parts.
Means for Solving the Problems
[0006] (1) The power cabinet relating to this disclosure is a power cabinet for supplying power to a first charging facility for charging a vehicle, comprising a housing, a heating element disposed inside the housing for raising the temperature inside the housing, a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature inside the housing, and a control device, wherein the heating element includes a first power module for supplying power to the first charging facility, and the control device controls the state of the first power module from a state in which power supply to the first charging facility is impossible to a standby state in which power supply to the first charging facility is possible when the temperature exceeds a threshold after the first power module has been started.
[0007] According to the configuration described in (1) above, the temperature inside the enclosure rises when the first power supply module, which supplies power to the first charging equipment, is activated. The temperature inside the enclosure is measured by a temperature sensor, and if the temperature exceeds a threshold after the first power supply module is activated, the control device controls the state of the first power supply module from a state where it is unable to supply power to the first charging equipment to a standby state where it is able to supply power to the first charging equipment. Therefore, the temperature inside the power cabinet can be controlled to an appropriate temperature without increasing the number of components.
[0008] (2) The power cabinet relating to this disclosure includes a cabinet fan for discharging heat from inside the enclosure, and the first power module includes a module fan for discharging heat from inside the first power module and a control circuit, the control circuit drives the module fan when the first power module is started, and the control device drives the cabinet fan when power supply from the first power module to the first charging equipment is started.
[0009] According to the configuration described in (2) above, the cabinet fan expels heat from inside the enclosure. The module fan expels heat from inside the first power module. When the first power module is started up, the control circuit drives the module fan. When power supply from the first power module to the first charging equipment begins, the control device drives the cabinet fan. This allows for effective heating of the inside of the enclosure while also controlling the temperature to prevent it from becoming too high.
[0010] (3) The power cabinet relating to this disclosure further comprises a communication device that relays communication between the control device and the first charging equipment, and when the control device receives information from the first charging equipment indicating the start of charging to the vehicle, it causes the first power module to start supplying power to the first charging equipment.
[0011] According to the configuration described in (3) above, the communication device relays communication between the control device and the first charging equipment. When information requesting charging of the vehicle is received from the first charging equipment, the control device starts supplying power to the first charging equipment to the first power module. This allows the first power module to be controlled according to the status of the first charging equipment.
[0012] (4) In the power cabinet relating to this disclosure, the heating element further includes a second power supply module, the second power supply module supplies power to the second charging equipment, and the control device starts up the first power supply module and the second power supply module together.
[0013] According to the configuration described in (4) above, the temperature inside the enclosure rises when the second power supply module, which supplies power to the second charging equipment, is activated. The control device activates both the first and second power supply modules simultaneously. This enhances the heating effect inside the enclosure. [Effects of the Invention]
[0014] According to this disclosure, the temperature inside the power cabinet can be controlled to an appropriate temperature without increasing the number of components. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0015] [Figure 1] This figure shows an example of the configuration of a charging system to which the power cabinet according to this embodiment is applied. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of how a power supply module is arranged within the enclosure of a power cabinet. [Figure 3] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of a power cabinet. [Figure 4] This is a flowchart showing the processing procedure for power cabinets. [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0016] The embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their descriptions will not be repeated.
[0017] Figure 1 shows an example of the configuration of a charging system 1 to which a power cabinet 100 according to this embodiment is applied. The charging system 1 includes a power cabinet 100 and charging posts 60. Multiple charging posts 60 are connected to the power cabinet 100. Figure 1 shows an example in which two charging posts 60 are connected to the power cabinet 100. However, the power cabinet 100 may have one charging post 60 connected to it, or it may have three or more charging posts 60 connected to it.
[0018] The charging post 60 is an example of a charger for charging a vehicle 70. The vehicle 70 is an electric vehicle (BEV: Battery Electric Vehicle) or a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV: Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle), etc. The vehicle 70 is equipped with a connector 71 and an energy storage device 72.
[0019] The charging post 60 includes a power plug 61 that is connected to the connector 71 of the vehicle 70. The power supplied to the vehicle 70 is charged to the power storage device 72. The power charged to the power storage device 72 is used as the driving force of the vehicle 70.
[0020] Power is supplied to the power cabinet 100 from a power system 50 which is an example of a high-voltage (for example, 400V) AC power source. The power cabinet 100 has a function of converting the high-voltage power from the power system 50 into power of a predetermined magnitude. For example, the power cabinet converts the high-voltage power from the power system 50 into 200V DC power and supplies the 200V DC power to the charging post 60. The charging post 60 supplies 200V DC power to the vehicle 70 via the power plug 61.
[0021] The charging system 1 is assumed to be arranged outdoors. Therefore, the power cabinet 100 is required to operate normally even in the extremely low temperature environment in the dead of winter in cold regions (for example, an environment of minus 10°C or lower). For this purpose, it is necessary to keep the temperature inside the power cabinet 100 at an appropriate temperature even in the extremely low temperature environment.
[0022] In order to keep the temperature inside the power cabinet 100 at an appropriate temperature, for example, it is also conceivable to provide a dedicated heater inside the power cabinet 100. However, in that case, it is necessary to secure space for the heater inside the power cabinet 100, and the cost increases due to the increase in the number of parts. Therefore, below, a method for controlling the temperature inside the power cabinet to an appropriate temperature without increasing the number of parts of the power cabinet 100 is proposed.
[0023] Figure 2 shows an example of how the power modules 10 are arranged within the enclosure 101 of the power cabinet 100. As shown in Figure 2, multiple power modules 10 are stacked inside the enclosure 101 of the power cabinet 100. The power modules 10 have the function of converting high-voltage power from the power grid 50 into 200V DC power. The power modules 10 are equipped with multiple module fans 13 for dissipating heat from within the power modules 10. The enclosure 101 is provided with a cabinet fan 23 for dissipating heat from within the enclosure 101. Although not shown in Figure 2, in addition to the power modules 10, various electrical equipment, piping, and wiring are arranged in the enclosure space 102.
[0024] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the power cabinet 100. As shown in Figure 3, the power cabinet 100 comprises a plurality of power modules 10, a control device 21, a temperature sensor 22, a cabinet fan 23, a communication device 24, a low-voltage power supply 31 corresponding to 12V, and a low-voltage power supply 32 corresponding to 24V.
[0025] The control device 21 controls the power cabinet 100. The control device 21 is composed of, for example, a microcomputer mounted on a control board. The control device 21 includes a processor, memory, and interfaces, etc. The processor is an example of an electrical circuit and executes a predetermined program.
[0026] The power module 10 comprises a control circuit 11, a converter 12, and a module fan 13. The converter 12 converts 400V AC power from the power grid 50 to 200V DC power. The 200V DC power is supplied to the charging post 60 via a power connector 40. The power output of the power module 10 is, for example, 40kW.
[0027] The low-voltage power supplies 31 and 32 supply power for operation to the control circuit 11, control device 21, temperature sensor 22, cabinet fan 23, and communication device 24 of the power supply module 10.
[0028] The temperature sensor 22 measures the temperature inside the housing 101. The temperature sensor 22 may be mounted on the top, side, or bottom inside the housing 101. For example, the temperature sensor 22 may be mounted on a plate member that makes up the housing 101. The control device 21 obtains the temperature from the temperature sensor 22.
[0029] The control device 21 communicates with the control circuit 11 and the charging post 60 of the power module 10. The communication device 24 relays communication between the control device 21 and the charging post 60 by communicating wirelessly with the charging post 60.
[0030] The control device 21 communicates with the charging post 60 and obtains information from the charging post 60, such as the occurrence of a charging request to the vehicle 70 and the occurrence of a charging abnormality. The control device 21 communicates with the control circuit 11 of the power module 10 and changes the device state of the power module 10 between sleep state, standby state and power supply state.
[0031] The sleep state is a state in which the power consumption of the power module 10 is reduced to the minimum amount necessary to receive commands from the control device 21. The standby state is a state in which power can be supplied to the charging post 60. The power supply state is a state in which power is actually being supplied to the charging post 60. In the sleep state, and in the period between the sleep state and the standby state, the power module 10 cannot supply power to the charging post 60.
[0032] The power module 10, a type of electrical device, generates heat when it operates. A module fan 13 is provided to dissipate this heat. The amount of heat generated per unit time by the power module 10 varies depending on the device state. Generally, the amount of heat generated per unit time in sleep mode is minimal.
[0033] However, when the power module 10, which is in sleep mode, is started, various circuits, including the converter 12, are started according to the instructions of the control circuit 11, and the processing load of the control circuit 11 itself also increases. As a result, the temperature inside the power module 10 rises rapidly. The control circuit 11 drives the module fan 13 when the power module 10 is started. This dissipates the heat inside the power module 10. The heat dissipated from the power module 10 causes the temperature inside the enclosure 101 to rise. The more power modules 10 that are started, the faster the temperature rises. Therefore, in this embodiment, we propose a technique to warm the inside of the enclosure 101 by utilizing the heat generated when one or more power modules 10 are started. In this way, in this embodiment, each power module functions as a heat-generating element to raise the temperature inside the enclosure 101.
[0034] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure for the power cabinet 100. First, the control device 21 identifies that the startup conditions for the power cabinet 100 have been met (step S1). The designer can set various startup conditions. The startup condition may be the temperature inside the enclosure 101. For example, the startup condition may be that "the temperature obtained from the temperature sensor 22 is lower than the reference temperature (for example, minus 10°C)."
[0035] Next, the control device 21 commands each power module 10, which is in sleep mode, to start up (step S2). Each power module 10 starts up from sleep mode. As a result, the amount of heat generated by each power module 10 increases. Next, the module fan 13 in each power module 10 is driven (step S3).
[0036] Next, the control device 21 acquires a sensor value from the temperature sensor 22 (step S4). Then, the control device 21 determines whether the temperature identified by the sensor value exceeds threshold A (step S5). The designer can set threshold A in various ways, using the lower limit of the operating temperature of the power cabinet 100 as a guideline. Threshold A may be, for example, minus 10°C.
[0037] The control device 21 commands each power supply module 10 to limit power supply if the temperature determined by the sensor value does not exceed threshold A (step S6). As a result, each power supply module 10 waits to transition to a standby state where it can supply power to the charging post 60. The process then returns to step S4, and steps S4 to S6 are repeated until the temperature determined by the sensor value exceeds threshold A.
[0038] If the temperature determined by the sensor value exceeds threshold A, the control device 21 commands each power supply module 10 to release the power supply restriction (step S7). As a result, each power supply module 10 enters a standby state (step S8).
[0039] Next, the control device 21 determines whether or not it has received a charging request from any of the charging posts 60 (step S9). The control device 21 waits until it receives a charging request from any of the charging posts 60. If the control device 21 receives a charging request from any of the charging posts 60, it starts supplying power from the power module 10 corresponding to that charging post 60 to the charging post 60 (step S10).
[0040] As a result, the power module 10 changes from standby state to power supply state. This change from standby state to power supply state further increases the amount of heat generated per unit time by the power module 10. Therefore, the control device 21 drives the cabinet fan 23 (step S11). This exhausts the heat inside the enclosure 101 to the outside. As a result, it is possible to prevent the temperature inside the enclosure 101 from rising too high and adversely affecting the operation of the electrical equipment inside the enclosure 101.
[0041] The control device 21 may also control the rotation speed of the cabinet fan 23 according to the temperature obtained from the temperature sensor 22. For example, the control device 21 may stop driving the cabinet fan 23 if the temperature obtained from the temperature sensor 22 falls below threshold B. The designer can set threshold B in various ways, using the upper limit of the guaranteed operating temperature of the power cabinet 100 as a guideline.
[0042] As described above, according to this embodiment, the heat generated from the power module 10 when it is started up can be used to raise the temperature inside the power cabinet 100. Therefore, even when the power cabinet 100 is placed in an extremely low temperature environment, the temperature inside the power cabinet 100 can be adjusted to a temperature at which the power module 10 can perform normal charging operations. As a result, the operation of various electrical devices installed inside the power cabinet 100 can also be stabilized.
[0043] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the heat generated from the power module 10 is used to raise the temperature inside the power cabinet 100. Compared to the case where a heater or the like is installed inside the power cabinet 100, this does not increase the cost due to an increase in the number of parts, and it also eliminates the need for space to install a heater or the like. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the temperature inside the power cabinet 100 can be controlled to an appropriate temperature without increasing the number of parts.
[0044] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of this disclosure is indicated by the claims rather than by the description of the embodiments above, and all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims are intended to be included. [Explanation of Symbols]
[0045] 1 Charging system, 10 Power module, 11 Control circuit, 12 Converter, 13 Module fan, 21 Control device, 22 Temperature sensor, 23 Cabinet fan, 24 Communication device, 31, 32 Low voltage power supply, 40, 71 Connector, 50 Power grid, 60 Charging post, 61 Power plug, 70 Vehicle, 72 Energy storage device, 100 Power cabinet, 101 Enclosure, 102 Enclosure space.
Claims
1. A power cabinet for supplying power to a first charging facility for charging a vehicle, The casing and A heating element is placed inside the enclosure to raise the temperature inside the enclosure, A temperature sensor for measuring the temperature inside the housing, Equipped with a control device, The heating element includes a first power supply module for supplying power to the first charging equipment. The control device controls the state of the first power module from a state in which power cannot be supplied to the first charging equipment to a standby state in which power can be supplied to the first charging equipment when the temperature exceeds a threshold after the first power module has been started up, in a power cabinet.
2. The enclosure is equipped with a cabinet fan for dissipating heat from within the enclosure, The first power supply module is, A module fan for dissipating heat from within the first power supply module, Including a control circuit, The control circuit drives the module fan when starting the first power supply module. The power cabinet according to claim 1, wherein the control device drives the cabinet fan when power supply from the first power module to the first charging equipment is started.
3. The system further includes a communication device that relays communication between the control device and the first charging equipment. The power cabinet according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control device, upon receiving information from the first charging equipment requesting charging of the vehicle, causes the first power module to start supplying power to the first charging equipment.
4. The heating element further includes a second power supply module, The second power module supplies power to the second charging equipment, The power cabinet according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control device starts up the first power module and the second power module together.