charger

Abstract

The present invention provides a renewable energy charger that can charge secondary battery power sources installed in electric vehicles, including electric cars, without increasing size or cost. [Solution] The system comprises a housing erected on the ground surface, a first solar cell panel provided on the outer surface of the housing with a first light-receiving surface arranged horizontally, a second solar cell panel provided on the upper part of the housing adjacent to the upper part of the first solar cell panel with a second light-receiving surface arranged such that the angle between the second light-receiving surface and the horizontal virtual plane of the housing is obtuse, and a secondary battery power supply built into the lower part of the housing, which is charged via a charging circuit by the power generated by the second solar cell panel and the first solar cell panel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a charger, particularly a charger for charging a secondary battery power source mounted on an electric vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, as part of efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, a shift is gradually being made from vehicles driven by internal combustion engines, that is, engines, to electric vehicles centered on electric vehicles driven by a power source and a motor.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses that in a power supply device mounted on an electric vehicle that runs using a battery, when the remaining capacities of both a high-voltage battery and a low-voltage battery are more than the allowable minimum amount, by stopping the operation of a DC / DC converter, the occurrence of conversion loss of the DC / DC converter is reduced.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] By the way, this type of electric vehicle runs by charging the secondary battery power source mounted on the electric vehicle with a charger, and since it does not emit carbon dioxide during running, it is also considered to contribute to the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions.

[0006] On the other hand, since this type of charger receives a large amount of power from the existing power grid to power electric vehicles and charge their batteries, it is conceivable that, for example, with the further spread of electric vehicles in the future, the amount of power generated by power plants that transmit electricity to the power grid will increase. If this is the case, it is conceivable that carbon dioxide emissions will increase rather than decrease.

[0007] As a countermeasure in such cases, it is conceivable to equip chargers with solar panels and use solar power, a renewable energy source, to charge electric vehicles, thereby avoiding the need to rely on the existing power grid and reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

[0008] However, the power output from solar cells is insufficient to charge the secondary battery power supply installed in electric vehicles. In order to improve the output performance so that it can charge the power supply installed in electric vehicles, it is necessary to install solar cells with an area corresponding to the output performance. However, there are concerns about the increase in size and cost that would accompany the installation of such solar cells.

[0009] This invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a charger using renewable energy that can charge secondary battery power sources installed in electric vehicles, including electric vehicles, without causing an increase in size or scale or cost. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] To achieve the above objective, the charger according to the present invention comprises a housing erected on the ground surface; a first solar cell panel provided on the outer surface of the housing and having a first light-receiving surface arranged horizontally; a second solar cell panel provided on the upper part of the housing adjacent to the upper part of the first solar cell panel and having a second light-receiving surface arranged such that the angle between the second light-receiving surface and the horizontal virtual plane of the housing is an obtuse angle; and a secondary battery power supply built into the lower part of the housing, which is charged via a charging circuit by the power generated by the second solar cell panel and the first solar cell panel.

[0011] According to this, since it is equipped with a first solar panel and a second solar panel, by deploying a small number of solar panels, it is possible to efficiently receive sunlight for a long period of time during daylight hours, from sunrise to sunset.

[0012] Therefore, for example, it is not necessary to install a large number of solar panels covering the entire roof of a garage to increase the amount of electricity generated by solar power to meet the charging needs of electric vehicles, or to install a large number of solar panels on a vast site to set up a charger. Thus, a charger can be obtained that can charge the secondary battery power supply installed in electric vehicles, including electric cars, without increasing the size or scale or the cost.

[0013] To achieve the above objective, the charger according to the present invention comprises a housing erected on the ground surface, a solar cell panel provided on the upper part of the housing with a light-receiving surface positioned such that the angle between the housing's horizontal virtual plane and the light-receiving surface is obtuse, and a secondary battery power supply built into the lower part of the housing, which is charged via a charging circuit by the power generated by the solar cell panel. The solar cell panel is formed to a size that allows the light-receiving surface to continuously receive sunlight during daylight hours for any desired period of time.

[0014] This charger has a shock input portion provided on the outer surface of the housing between the charging circuit and the secondary battery power source, and includes a shock buffer that opens or shorts the connection between the charging circuit and the secondary battery power source when a shock is input to the shock input portion.

Advantages of the Invention

[0015] According to this invention, it is possible to obtain a charger that can charge the secondary battery power source mounted on an electric vehicle without causing an increase in size or scale or an increase in cost.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0016] [Figure 1] It is a diagram for explaining the outline of the configuration of the charger according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Similarly, it is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of the charger according to the present embodiment. [Figure 3] Similarly, it is a diagram for explaining the outline of the configuration of the shock buffer mounted on the charger according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4] Similarly, it is a block diagram for explaining the outline of the operation of the charger according to the present embodiment. [Figure 5] Similarly, it is a block diagram for explaining the outline of the operation of the charger according to the present embodiment. [Figure 6] Similarly, it is a block diagram for explaining the outline of the operation of the charger according to the present embodiment. [Figure 7] It is a diagram for explaining the outline of the configuration of the charger according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] It is a diagram for explaining the outline of the configuration of the charger according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] Next, based on FIGS. 1 to 8, the charger according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0018] (First Embodiment) First, based on FIGS. 1 to 6, the charger according to the first embodiment will be described.

[0019] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the outline of the configuration of the charger according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of the charger. As shown in the figure, the charger 10 mainly includes a housing 20, a first solar panel 30, a second solar panel 40, a DC-DC converter circuit 50, a charging cable 60, wiring 70, a secondary battery power source 80, and a shock absorber 90.

[0020] In the present embodiment, the housing 20 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape having an upper part 20A and a lower part 20B with, for example, a relatively thin metal plate. The top surface part 20a on the upper part 20A side is formed to be inclined, and it is erected on the ground surface via the pedestal 20b on the lower part 20B side.

[0021] The first solar panel 30 is a device that converts light energy, which is renewable energy, into electric power using the photovoltaic effect. In the present embodiment, it is provided on the outer surface of the housing 20 on the upper part 20A side of the housing 20, and the first light-receiving surface 30a is arranged in the horizontal direction H of the housing 20.

[0022] The second solar panel 40 is a device that converts light energy, which is renewable energy, into electric power using the photovoltaic effect. In the present embodiment, it is provided adjacent to the upper part (upper end) of the first solar panel 30 and is inclined following the top surface part 20a on the upper part 20A side of the housing 20.

[0023] Specifically, the second solar panel 40 is provided on the top surface part 20a on the upper part 20A side of the housing 20 with the second light-receiving surface 40a arranged such that the angle formed by the virtual plane V in the horizontal direction H of the housing 20 and the second light-receiving surface 40a of the second solar panel 40 is an obtuse angle A.

[0024] The DC-DC converter circuit 50 is a device that converts a DC voltage to a DC voltage of a different voltage. In this embodiment, a charging circuit consisting of a first charging circuit and a second charging circuit (not shown in Figures 1 and 2) is integrally structured and arranged.

[0025] From a thermal design standpoint, it is preferable that the housing 20 between the first solar cell panel 30 and the second solar cell panel 40 and the DC-DC converter circuit 50 is provided with ventilation holes.

[0026] In this embodiment, the charging cable 60 is connected to the DC-DC converter circuit 50, and the charging terminals on the tip end (not shown in Figures 1 and 2) are connected to the electric vehicle, thereby charging the secondary battery power supply of the electric vehicle.

[0027] In this embodiment, the wiring 70 connects the DC-DC converter circuit 50 and the secondary battery power supply 80 described below, and transmits a control signal that performs control to switch between the energized state and the disconnected state of the secondary battery power supply 80.

[0028] In this embodiment, the secondary battery power supply 80 is composed of a group of battery cells in which multiple nickel-metal hydride secondary battery cells or multiple lithium-ion secondary battery cells are connected in series or in parallel, and the power generated by the first solar panel 30 and the second solar panel 40 is used to charge the battery power supply 80 via the charging circuit of the DC-DC converter circuit 50.

[0029] In this embodiment, the secondary battery power supply 80 is housed within the housing 20 at the lower part 20B of the housing 20.

[0030] In this embodiment, the shock absorbers 90 are provided on each of the outer surfaces of the rectangular parallelepiped housing 20, between the DC-DC converter circuit 50, in which the charging circuit built into the housing 20 is integrally structured, and the secondary battery power supply 80.

[0031] In this embodiment, the space between the DCDC converter circuit 50 and the secondary battery power supply 80, where the shock absorbers 90 are provided on each surface of the outer surface of the housing 20, is assumed to correspond to the position of the bumper of an electric vehicle.

[0032] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating the schematic configuration of the shock absorber 90. As shown in the figure, the shock absorber 90 is formed with a shock input portion 91 that is in an inverted U-shape or U-shape in cross-sectional view or end-face view and is made of a relatively thin metal plate, and a plurality of ribs 92 that stiffen the shock input portion 91 on the inside of the shock input portion 91.

[0033] In this embodiment, the rib 92 has a slit 92a cut out in a direction close to the inside of the impact input portion 91, and the wiring 70 that is exposed to the outside of the housing 20 through an opening formed in the housing 20 (not shown in Figure 2) is interposed in this slit 92a, so that the wiring 70 is partially housed in the impact buffer 90.

[0034] In this embodiment, the shock absorber 90 is described as being attached to each surface of the outer surface of the housing 20, but it may also be formed to conform to the housing 20 and become integrated with the housing 20.

[0035] In this embodiment, the charger 10 having such a configuration is deployed outdoors or at any facility and is mainly used for charging secondary battery power supplies installed in electric vehicles, including electric cars.

[0036] Next, the operation of the charger 10 in this embodiment will be outlined. Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the charger 10 when the secondary battery power supply of the electric vehicle is not being charged.

[0037] As shown in the figure, when sunlight irradiates the first solar panel 30 and the second solar panel 40, the charger 10 generates electricity in response to the irradiation, and when a voltage is applied to the first charging circuit 51 incorporated in the DC-DC converter circuit 50 in response to the generated electricity, the first charging circuit 51 outputs a current Ia.

[0038] Meanwhile, the second charging circuit 52 applies a desired voltage to the excitation coil section 53 via the wiring 70. When the voltage is applied, the excitation coil section 53 operates the relay contacts 82 that connect the multiple battery cell groups 81 constituting the secondary battery power supply 80 to a contact state.

[0039] When the relay contact 82 makes contact, multiple battery cell groups 81, in this embodiment four battery cell groups 81, are connected in two parallel and two series configurations, and the four battery cell groups 81 are charged by the current Ia from the first charging circuit 51.

[0040] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the charger 10 while it is charging the secondary battery power supply of an electric vehicle.

[0041] As shown in the figure, the charger 10 converts the combined current, which is obtained by combining the current Ia from the first charging circuit 51 and the current Ib discharged from the secondary battery power supply 80, into a desired DC current (which is expected to be a relatively large current) and outputs it to the charging terminal 61 of the charging cable via the second charging circuit 52.

[0042] The current output to the charging terminal 61 is output to the electric vehicle via the charging terminal 61, thereby charging the electric vehicle's secondary battery power supply.

[0043] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating the general operation of the charger 10 when an electric vehicle collides with it.

[0044] When the electric vehicle collides with the charger 10, the impact input from the collision is absorbed by the deformation of the impact input section 91 of the impact buffer 90, which is located at a position corresponding to the bumper of the electric vehicle.

[0045] When the impact input section 91 deforms, the rib 92 provided on the inside of the impact input section 91 deforms, causing the wiring 70 interposed in the slit 92a formed in the rib 92 to short-circuit or open.

[0046] When the wiring 70 is short-circuited or open, the desired voltage is not applied from the second charging circuit 52 to the excitation coil section 53 via the wiring 70. As a result, the relay contact 82 is operated to a non-contact state, as shown in the figure, and the series and parallel connections of the battery cell group 81 of the secondary battery power supply 80 are released.

[0047] As described above, by equipping the system with a first solar panel 30 and a second solar panel 40, it is possible to efficiently receive sunlight for a long period of time from sunrise to sunset by deploying a small number of solar panels (it is assumed that the first solar panel 30 receives sunlight from sunrise to midday, and the second solar panel 40 receives sunlight from midday to sunset).

[0048] Therefore, for example, it is not necessary to install a large number of solar panels covering the entire roof of a garage to increase the amount of electricity generated by solar power to meet the charging needs of electric vehicles, or to install a large number of solar panels on a vast site to set up a charger. Thus, a charger 10 can be obtained that can charge the secondary battery power supply installed in electric vehicles, including electric cars, without increasing the size or scale or the cost.

[0049] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a shock absorber 90 is provided between the DC-DC converter circuit 50, which is assumed to be located at a position corresponding to the bumper of the electric vehicle, and the secondary battery power supply 80. When an impact is input to the charger 10, the shock input section 91 absorbs the impact, and the wiring 70 connecting the DC-DC converter circuit 50 and the secondary battery power supply 80 is short-circuited or opened, thereby releasing the series and parallel connections of the battery cell group 81 of the secondary battery power supply 80.

[0050] Therefore, damage to the electric vehicle caused by a collision with the charger 10 can prevent secondary accidents such as electrical leakage due to electrical connection between the metal parts of the electric vehicle and the secondary battery power supply 80 of the charger 10.

[0051] (Second Embodiment) Next, the outline of the charger according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described using Figure 7.

[0052] In Figure 7, components similar to those in the charger 10 are given the same reference numerals, and their explanations are omitted.

[0053] As shown in the figure, the charger 100 differs from the charger 10, which has a first solar panel 30 and a second solar panel 40, in that it has only a single solar panel 110, but otherwise has the same configuration as the charger 10.

[0054] Although not shown in Figure 7, the charger 100 may also be equipped with shock absorbers 90, as shown in Figures 1 to 3, on each surface of the outer surface of the rectangular parallelepiped housing 20, between the DC-DC converter circuit (not shown) and the secondary battery power supply (not shown).

[0055] The solar panel 110 of the charger 100 is formed with a light-receiving surface 110a that is sized to continuously receive sunlight from sunrise to sunset for any desired period of time, that is, to have a larger surface area than the first solar panel 30 and second solar panel 40 of the charger 10, thereby enabling efficient reception of sunlight.

[0056] This makes it possible to obtain a charger 100 that can charge secondary battery power supplies installed in electric vehicles, including electric cars, without increasing the size or cost, similar to charger 10.

[0057] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the first and second embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0058] In the first embodiment described above, the second solar cell panel 40 and the solar cell panel 110 were described as having flat light-receiving surfaces. However, as shown in Figure 8, both the first light-receiving surface 40a of the second solar cell panel 40 and the light-receiving surface 110a of the solar cell panel 110 may be formed in a curved shape, for example, that is convex upwards.

[0059] In the embodiments described above, the case in which the shock absorber 90 is provided on the charger 10 and the charger 100 was explained, but the invention is not limited to this, and may be adapted to be placed on the front bumper, rear bumper, or side door beam of a vehicle, for example.

[0060] In this case, the vehicle's wiring may be configured to open or short-circuit in order to release the series and parallel connections of the secondary battery cells in the vehicle's secondary battery power supply. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 10, 100 charger 20 Housing 30. First solar panel 40. Second solar panel 80 Secondary battery power supply 90 Shock absorber 110 Solar Panels

Claims

1. A housing erected on the ground surface, A first solar cell panel is provided on the outer surface of the housing and has a first light-receiving surface arranged horizontally, A second solar cell panel is provided on the upper part of the housing adjacent to the upper part of the first solar cell panel, and the second light-receiving surface is positioned such that the angle between the second light-receiving surface and the horizontal virtual plane of the housing is an obtuse angle. A secondary battery power supply built into the lower part of the housing is charged via a charging circuit using the power generated by the second solar panel and the first solar panel. A charger equipped with the following features.

2. A housing erected on the ground surface, A solar cell panel provided on the upper part of the housing, wherein the light-receiving surface is positioned such that the angle between the light-receiving surface and the horizontal virtual plane of the housing is an obtuse angle, The system comprises a secondary battery power supply built into the lower part of the housing, which is charged via a charging circuit using electricity generated by the solar panel, The solar cell panel is formed such that the light-receiving surface is sized to continuously receive sunlight during daylight hours for any desired period of time. charger.

3. Between the charging circuit and the secondary battery power supply, there is an impact input portion provided on the outer surface of the housing, and an impact buffer is provided that opens or shorts the connection between the charging circuit and the secondary battery power supply when an impact is input to the impact input portion. The charger according to claim 1 or 2.

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