Vehicle power supply system

Abstract

This vehicle power supply system provides the ability to increase power supply to accommodate additional loads without affecting the existing configuration. [Solution] A vehicle power supply system that supplies power to loads mounted on a vehicle, comprising: a main power supply source; a sub-power supply source; a main power distribution control unit that distributes and supplies power from the main power supply source to a plurality of first loads; and a sub-power distribution control unit that distributes and supplies power from the sub-power supply source to a plurality of second loads and is connected to the main power distribution control unit via a switch so that power from the sub-power supply source can be supplied, wherein when in a first state in which power can be supplied from the sub-power supply source to a plurality of second loads, the switch is controlled to an off state.

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present disclosure relates to a system for supplying power to loads mounted on a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle power supply system that suppresses an increase in the cost of the entire vehicle and enables reduction in the diameter of power supply lines in a wire harness and reduction in power loss. In this vehicle power supply system, it is described that power loss is reduced by supplying power with a voltage of 48V to a high-power load and supplying power with a voltage of 12V obtained by stepping down the voltage of 48V to a low-power load.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] There exists a vehicle power supply system 500 that includes a DCDC converter (DDC) 510 and a battery 520 serving as power supply sources, and a power distribution control unit 530 that includes a plurality of switches 531 to 536, and supplies power to a plurality of loads 540 to 560, as illustrated in FIG. 4.

[0005] In this vehicle power supply system 500, when attempting to add a load to be distributed from the power distribution control unit 530 due to addition of in-vehicle equipment or the like, it is necessary to increase the output capacity of the DCDC converter 510, increase the capacity of the battery 520, or increase the control capacity of the power distribution control unit 530 in order to correspond to the added load. For this reason, the existing configuration has to be changed, and there is a problem that the size and cost of the vehicle power supply system 500 increase.

[0006] This disclosure was made in view of the above-mentioned problems and aims to provide a vehicle power supply system that can increase the power supply to accommodate additional loads without affecting the existing configuration. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To solve the above problems, one aspect of the disclosed technology is a vehicle power supply system for supplying power to loads mounted on a vehicle, comprising: a main power supply source; a sub-power supply source; a main power distribution control unit that distributes and supplies the power of the main power supply source to a plurality of first loads; and a sub-power distribution control unit that distributes and supplies the power of the sub-power supply source to a plurality of second loads and is connected to the main power distribution control unit via a switch so that power from the sub-power supply source can be supplied, wherein the switch is controlled to an off state when the system is in a first state in which power can be supplied from the sub-power supply source to a plurality of second loads. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the vehicle power supply system described above, it is possible to increase the available power to accommodate additional loads without affecting the existing configuration. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] A schematic diagram of a vehicle power supply system and its surrounding components according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] Diagram showing a modified version of the additional power supply. [Figure 3] This diagram shows an example application where a vehicle power supply system is connected to a zone-configured load. [Figure 4] Schematic diagram of a conventional vehicle power supply system and its surrounding components. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The vehicle power supply system of this disclosure, when a load is added to the vehicle's basic load configuration, provides power to this additional load using the additional configuration rather than the existing configuration. Therefore, it is possible to increase the power that can be supplied to accommodate the additional load without affecting the existing configuration (while maintaining the current rating). The embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0011] <Embodiment> [composition] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a configuration including a vehicle power supply system 100 and its surrounding parts according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The vehicle power supply system 100 illustrated in Figure 1 comprises a main DC-DC converter (main DDC) 110, an auxiliary battery 120, a main power distribution control unit 130, and an additional power supply 200. This vehicle power supply system 100 is mounted, for example, on a vehicle.

[0012] The main DC-DC converter 110 is a power converter that receives power from a high-voltage battery (not shown), such as a lithium-ion battery, converts the voltage of the power input from the high-voltage battery (e.g., 48V) to the required voltage (e.g., 12V), and outputs it to the main power distribution control unit 130.

[0013] The auxiliary battery 120 is a rechargeable secondary battery, such as a lithium-ion battery. This auxiliary battery 120 can supply the power it stores to the main power distribution control unit 130.

[0014] The main power distribution control unit 130 is configured (such as a power distribution ECU) to supply and control power to multiple loads 140-160 (first loads), which are many pieces of equipment and devices mounted on the vehicle, using the main DC-DC converter 110 and the auxiliary battery 120 as power sources (main power sources). This main power distribution control unit 130 supplies and controls power via multiple switches 131-137. Semiconductor relays are used for the multiple switches 131-137. Note that the number and arrangement of the multiple switches 131-137 shown in Figure 1 are just examples and are not limited to this configuration.

[0015] The additional power supply 200 is configured to function as a power source for multiple loads 230-250 that are added to the vehicle due to additional equipment or specifications. This additional power supply 200 includes a sub-DC converter (sub-DDC) 210 and a sub-power distribution control unit 220.

[0016] The sub-DC converter 210 is a power converter that receives power from the same high-voltage battery (not shown) as the main DC converter 110, converts the voltage of the power input from the high-voltage battery (e.g., 48V) to the required voltage (e.g., 12V), and outputs it to the sub-power distribution control unit 220.

[0017] The sub-power distribution control unit 220 is configured (e.g., power distribution ECU) to supply and control power to multiple loads 230-250 (second loads) added to the vehicle, using the sub-DC converter 210 as a power source (sub-power source). This sub-power distribution control unit 220 supplies and controls power via multiple switches 221-224. Semiconductor relays are used for the multiple switches 221-224. Note that the number and arrangement of the multiple switches 221-224 shown in Figure 1 are just examples and are not limited to this configuration.

[0018] [Differentiation] FIG. 2 is a modified example using an additional power source 300 having a configuration different from that of the additional power source 200 in the vehicle power supply system 100. The additional power source 300 according to this modified example can be applied when the plurality of loads 230 to 250 (second loads) additionally mounted on the vehicle include loads operating at different voltages.

[0019] This additional power source 300 includes a first sub DCDC converter (first sub DDC) 311 and a sub power distribution control unit 320. The sub power distribution control unit 320 includes a second sub DCDC converter (second sub DDC) 312 and a plurality of switches 221 to 224.

[0020] The first sub DCDC converter 311 adjusts the voltage of the power input from the high-voltage battery to the voltage required by the loads 230 and 240 (for example, 48V) and outputs it to the sub power distribution control unit 320. The second sub DCDC converter 312 converts the voltage of the power input from the first sub DCDC converter 311 (for example, 48V) to the voltage required by the load 250 (for example, 12V).

[0021] With the additional power source 300 configured using the plurality of first sub DCDC converters 311 and second sub DCDC converters 312, it is possible to supply power at an optimal voltage to each of the plurality of loads 230 to 250.

[0022] [Application Example] The vehicle power supply system 100 of the present embodiment can also be connected to loads having a zone configuration as shown in FIG. 3. In the zone configuration illustrated in FIG. 3, the load 140 connected to the main power distribution control unit 130 (zone 1) is replaced by a plurality of loads 141 and 142 connected to the power distribution control unit 410 (zone 2), and the load 150 connected to the main power distribution control unit 130 (zone 1) is replaced by a plurality of loads 151, 152, and 153 connected to the power distribution control unit 420 (zone 3).

[0023] The vehicle power supply system 100 of this embodiment can also be applied to loads with such zone configurations.

[0024] [control] Next, an example of control performed in a vehicle power supply system 100 according to one embodiment of this disclosure will be described.

[0025] As a basic control of the vehicle power supply system 100, in order to make the additional power supply 200 function as a dedicated power supply for multiple loads 230 to 250, when the sub-DC converter 210 (sub-power supply source) is in a state where power can be supplied to multiple loads 230 to 250 (second loads) (first state), at least one of the switch 137 of the main power distribution control unit 130 and the switch 221 of the sub-power distribution control unit 220 is controlled to the off state.

[0026] This control allows for the separation of the main DC-DC converter 110 and auxiliary battery 120 (main power source) from the sub-DC-DC converter 210 (sub-power source). This prevents unnecessary current flow from the main power source to the sub-power distribution control unit 220 and from the sub-power source to the main power distribution control unit 130. Furthermore, when the vehicle is parked, the supply of dark current to the multiple loads 140-160 (first load) can be provided solely from the main power source. This prevents the sub-DC-DC converter 210 (sub-power source) from operating frequently, thereby reducing power consumption while parked.

[0027] Furthermore, as an extended control of the vehicle power supply system 100, when it is impossible to supply power from the sub-DC-DC converter 210 (sub-power source) to multiple loads 230-250 (second loads) (second state), all switches 131, 132, 133, and 137 of the main power distribution control unit 130 and switch 221 of the sub-power distribution control unit 220 are controlled to be conductive. An example of this second state is when the startup of the sub-DC-DC converter 210 is slower than the startup of the main DC-DC converter 110, such as immediately after starting the vehicle system.

[0028] This control allows the main DC-DC converter 110 and auxiliary battery 120 (main power source) to temporarily supply power to multiple loads 230-250 (second loads) until the sub-DC-DC converter 210 (sub-power source) is ready to supply power.

[0029] Furthermore, as a more advanced control of the vehicle power supply system 100, if the main DC-DC converter 110 and the auxiliary battery 120 (main power supply source) are in a state of failure (third state), switches 131 and 133 of the main power distribution control unit 130 are controlled to the off state, and switches 132 and 137 of the main power distribution control unit 130 and switch 221 of the sub-power distribution control unit 220 are controlled to the conduction state.

[0030] This control allows the sub-DC converter 210 (sub-power source) to provide backup power to loads that require emergency evasive driving in addition to the main DC-DC converter 110 and auxiliary battery 120 (main power source).

[0031] <Effects and Actions> As described above, according to the vehicle power supply system 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the system comprises a main DC-DC converter 110 and an auxiliary battery 120 (main power source), a sub DC-DC converter 210 (sub power source), a main power distribution control unit 130 that distributes and supplies power from the main DC-DC converter 110 and the auxiliary battery 120 to a plurality of loads (first loads) 140 to 160, and a sub power distribution control unit 220 that distributes and supplies power from the sub DC-DC converter 210 to a plurality of loads (second loads) 230 to 250 and is connected to the main power distribution control unit 130 via a switch 221 so that power from the sub DC-DC converter 210 can be supplied. When the system is in a first state in which power can be supplied from the sub DC-DC converter 210 to the plurality of second loads 230 to 250, the switch 221 is controlled to an off state.

[0032] This configuration and control allows for increased power supply to accommodate additional loads without affecting the existing configuration. Furthermore, the additional power supply 200 only needs to be added to the vehicle power supply system 100 on a limited basis, when the second loads 230-250 are added to the vehicle as an option or otherwise.

[0033] Furthermore, when adding the additional power supply 200 to the vehicle power supply system 100, some of the loads 140-160 connected to the main power distribution control unit 130 may be connected to the sub-power distribution control unit 220. Alternatively, some of the second loads 230-250 connected to the sub-power distribution control unit 220 of the additional power supply 200 may be connected to the main power distribution control unit 130. Such load swapping can be performed arbitrarily depending on the mounting position and location of the loads in the vehicle. [Industrial applicability]

[0034] The vehicle power supply system disclosed herein can be used in vehicles and the like, which have a configuration in which the ability to supply power continuously for a long period of time is limited by the DC-DC converter (current output rating) and the power distribution ECU (heat generation). [Explanation of Symbols]

[0035] 100 Vehicle Power Supply System 110 Main DC-DC Converter (Main DDC) 120 Auxiliary Battery 130 Main power distribution control unit Switches 131-137, 221-224 Load 140-142, 150-153, 160, 230, 240, 250 200, 300 additional power supply 210, 311, 312 Sub-DC converter (Sub-DDC) 220, 320 Sub-distribution control unit 410, 420 Power Distribution Control Unit

Claims

1. A vehicle power supply system that supplies power to a load mounted on a vehicle, Main power supply source, A secondary power supply source, A main power distribution control unit that distributes and supplies power from the main power source to multiple first loads, The system includes a sub-power distribution control unit that distributes and supplies power from the sub-power source to a plurality of second loads, and is connected to the main power distribution control unit via a switch so that power from the sub-power source can be supplied, When the first state is in which power can be supplied from the sub-power source to the plurality of second loads, the switch is controlled to the off state. Vehicle power supply system.

2. When power supply from the sub-power source to the plurality of second loads is impossible in a second state, the switch is controlled to a conductive state. The vehicle power supply system according to claim 1.

3. When the sub-power supply is backing up the main power supply in a third state, the switch is controlled to a conductive state. The vehicle power supply system according to claim 1.

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