Power supply device

Abstract

To provide a power source device having a substrate unit in which a power supply from a power storage element to some of loads can be interrupted while generation of heat is suppressed.SOLUTION: A power source device includes: a power converter that converts AC power to DC power; a main power line that supplies power to a first load when the DC power is output from the power converter; an auxiliary power line that supplies power to a second load when the DC power is output from the power converter; a charge / discharge wire that connects the main power line and the auxiliary power line to a power storage element in order to charge / discharge the power storage element; and a substrate unit 40 that is provided on the auxiliary power line and electrically disconnects the second load from the power storage element. The substrate unit 40 has: a plurality of circuit substrates 41a and 41b that are laminated each having a current branch line including metal bars 45a and 45b and a breaker 42 for interrupting a current flowing through the current branch line; and spacer metal bars 46a and 46b that extend in a direction perpendicular to the circuit substrates 41a and 41b, and support the circuit substrates.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] One aspect of the present invention relates to a power supply device.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for disconnecting only loads that do not require backup power supply from a storage battery when a power failure occurs, opening a switch connected to the load when a power failure signal is received, and stopping the output to loads that do not require backup power supply.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In a mobile phone base station, a DC power supply device that rectifies AC input power and supplies it to a radio device as a load is used. In the fifth-generation mobile communication system (so-called "5G"), it is expected that many base stations will be installed.

[0005] The DC power supply device is equipped with a power storage element such as a storage battery and discharges (backup power supply) from the power storage element to the load when the system power supply fails. Many loads are connected to the DC power supply device for 5G mobile phone base stations. When a power failure occurs, in order to continuously supply backup power to important loads from the power storage element of the DC power supply device for a long time, the power supply to some loads (loads with relatively low importance) may be cut off. In this case, a switch is provided in the power line so that the power supply to loads with relatively low importance can be cut off during backup power supply. By applying a switch such as a field effect transistor (FET), the manufacturing cost of the power supply device can be reduced.

[0006] During normal operation without a power outage, many loads are connected to the DC power supply, causing large currents (e.g., several hundred amperes) to flow through the FETs installed in the power lines and the circuit boards on which the FETs are mounted. When large currents flow, the FETs and circuit boards tend to heat up. Using FETs that can withstand large currents (i.e., generate limited heat even when large currents flow) increases the manufacturing cost of the power supply.

[0007] One aspect of the present invention provides a power supply device having a substrate unit that can shut off the power supply from an energy storage element to a portion of a load while suppressing heat generation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A power supply device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: a power converter that converts AC power to DC power; a main power line from which DC power is output from the power converter and supplied to a first load; a secondary power line from which DC power is output from the power converter and supplied to a second load; a charge / discharge line connecting the main power line and the secondary power line to the energy storage element for charging and discharging the energy storage element; and a substrate unit provided on the secondary power line that electrically disconnects the second load from the energy storage element. The substrate unit comprises a plurality of stacked circuit boards, each having a current branching line including a metal bar and a circuit breaker for interrupting the current flowing through the current branching line; and spacers extending in a direction perpendicular to the plurality of circuit boards and supporting the circuit boards. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the above embodiment, it is possible to provide a power supply device having a substrate unit that can shut off the power supply from the energy storage element to a part of the load (second load) while suppressing heat generation. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is a front perspective view of the DC power supply unit. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view showing the internal structure of a DC power supply unit. [Figure 3]This is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of a DC power supply. [Figure 4] This is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of a circuit board unit. [Figure 5] This is a perspective view showing the first example of a circuit board unit. [Figure 6] This is a perspective view showing a second example of a circuit board unit. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] The following describes the general outline of a power supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] (1) The power supply unit comprises a power converter that converts AC power to DC power, a main power line from which DC power is output from the power converter and supplied to a first load, a secondary power line from which DC power is output from the power converter and supplied to a second load, a charge / discharge line connecting the main power line and the secondary power line to the energy storage element for charging and discharging of the energy storage element, and a substrate unit provided on the secondary power line that electrically disconnects the second load from the energy storage element. The substrate unit comprises a plurality of stacked circuit boards, each having current branch lines including metal bars and circuit breakers that interrupt the current flowing through the current branch lines, and spacers that extend in a direction perpendicular to the plurality of circuit boards and support the circuit boards.

[0013] Here, the "first load" may be an important load. The "second load" may be a load of lower importance than the "first load". The "main power line" and the "sub-power line" may each include a cable or a metal bar (also called a busbar). The "sub-power line" may be a power line branched off from the "main power line". The "charging / discharging line" may be connected to the "main power line" between the branching point where the "sub-power line" branches off from the "main power line" and the power converter. According to the above configuration, the current flowing through the auxiliary power line is divided and flows through current branch lines containing metal bars provided on each of the multiple circuit boards of the board unit. Therefore, heat generation in the metal bars and circuit breakers on each circuit board is suppressed, and the second load can be disconnected from the energy storage element by the circuit breaker when necessary (for example, during a power outage). By stacking multiple circuit boards with spacers in between, the cooling performance of these circuit boards can be improved, and the required current can be flexibly accommodated. In addition, the ease of assembly of the board unit and the power supply unit can be improved.

[0014] (2) In the power supply device described in (1) above, the plurality of circuit boards may include a first circuit board on which a first metal bar is provided and a second circuit board on which a second metal bar is provided, and may have a spacer metal bar as the spacer that connects the first metal bar and the second metal bar in parallel to the auxiliary power line.

[0015] According to the above configuration, the number of components in the circuit board unit can be reduced by giving the spacer metal bar both electrical connection and mechanical support functions. By using the spacer metal bar, the electrical resistance of the circuit board unit can be reduced.

[0016] (3) In the power supply device described in (2) above, the first metal bar and the second metal bar may protrude from the outer circumference of the first circuit board and the second circuit board, respectively, in a plan view, and the spacer metal bar may be connected to the protruding portions of the first metal bar and the second metal bar.

[0017] The above configuration improves the ease of assembly of the circuit board unit and power supply unit. Specifically, pre-assembly of the circuit board unit and mounting of the assembled circuit board unit to the power supply unit can be easily performed. Furthermore, the above configuration allows for relatively easy handling of an increase in the number of circuit boards corresponding to the power consumption of the load connected to the power supply unit, resulting in good expandability.

[0018] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the front of a DC power supply device 100 for a mobile phone base station. The DC power supply device 100 has a housing 10 that can be installed outdoors. The housing 10 has a front wall 11, a rear wall 12 facing the front wall 11, side walls 13, side walls 14 (see FIG. 2) facing the side walls 13, and a top wall 15.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1, the front wall 11 in this embodiment is a front door having a handle 20. An introduction duct 16 is provided at the lower part of the front wall 11.

[0020] The introduction duct 16 in this embodiment has a shape like a hood, protrudes forward from the front wall 11, and has an opening at the bottom.

[0021] On the rear wall 12, an exhaust duct 17 is provided at a height position higher than the introduction duct 16 of the front wall 11. In this way, the introduction duct 16 and the exhaust duct 17 are provided on the opposing front wall 11 and rear wall 12. Therefore, outside air is smoothly introduced from the lower part of the front of the housing 10 by a blower (not shown) provided on the rear wall 12 or the exhaust duct 17.

[0022] The exhaust duct 17 in this embodiment has a shape like a hood similar to the introduction duct 16, protrudes rearward from the rear wall 12, and has an opening at the bottom.

[0023] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the DC power supply device by opening the front wall 11 and the rear wall (rear door) 并省略了蓄電素子(鉛蓄電池やリチウムイオン電池などの蓄電池、またはキャパシタ、またはフライホイール)の図示。

[0024] As shown in FIG. 2, an introduction opening 11a communicating with the introduction duct 16 is provided at the lower part of the front wall 11.

[0025] Inside the enclosure 10, four support columns 22a, 22b, 22c, and 22d are provided, and the power converter 50 and heat-generating components such as wiring components are arranged on top of these columns. Below the power converter 50, a storage compartment 25 for arranging energy storage elements is provided.

[0026] In this embodiment, the power converter 50 is constructed by stacking and electrically connecting in parallel multiple (for example, 6 to 7) flat plate-shaped rectifier units (including AC-DC converters and DC-DC converters). A component cooling section 26 for arranging a circuit board unit and the like, which will be described later, is provided on the side of the power converter 50 (between the sides of the multiple rectifier units and the inner surface of the side wall 13 of the housing 10).

[0027] The air introduced from the intake duct 16 passes around an energy storage element (not shown), then hits the underside of the power converter 50, or the underside of a plate-shaped member located below the power converter 50, and flows laterally along that underside, towards the component cooling section 26. The introduced air concentrates in the component cooling section 26, which is a narrow part of the flow path.

[0028] As shown in Figure 3, the DC power supply unit 100 includes an AC power input terminal 21, a storage connection terminal 27, a first load connection terminal 28, and a second load connection terminal 29. Some or all of the terminals may be located inside the housing 10. Some or all of the terminals may be waterproof connectors or other types of connectors.

[0029] AC power is input to the power converter 50 via the AC power input terminal 21. The power converter 50 converts the AC power to DC power and outputs the DC power to the main power line 23. The main power line 23 has a branching point 23a, from which the auxiliary power line 24 branches off. The main power line 23 and the auxiliary power line 24 are connected to the first load connection terminal 28 and the second load connection terminal 29 via the power distribution unit 31, supplying power to the first load 70 and the second load 80, respectively.

[0030] Although simplified in Figure 3, the first load 70 and the second load 80 may each have multiple loads. The power distribution unit 31 may also have multiple switches (circuit breakers) built in.

[0031] In this embodiment, a battery 60 is connected as an energy storage element to the energy storage connection terminal 27 of the DC power supply unit 100. One end of the charge / discharge line 23b is connected to the main power line 23 between the power converter 50 and the branching point 23a. The other end of the charge / discharge line 23b is connected to the energy storage connection terminal 27. The charge / discharge line 23b is provided with a battery switch 32 to protect the battery 60 from overcharging and over-discharging. The battery switch 32 may be an electromagnetic switch.

[0032] A circuit board unit 40 is provided between the branching point 23a and the power distribution unit 31 of the auxiliary power line 24. The auxiliary power line 24 has a positive line and a negative line (not shown). The circuit board unit 40 may be provided on the negative line of the auxiliary power line 24.

[0033] The DC power supply unit 100 has a control unit 30. The control unit 30 controls the power conversion operation of the power converter 50, the opening and closing (on / off) operation of the battery switch 32, the opening and closing operation of the circuit breaker of the circuit board unit 40, and so on.

[0034] As shown in Figure 4, the board unit 40 has an input terminal 40a and an output terminal 40b, to which the negative line (N line) of the auxiliary power line 24 is connected. The board unit 40 has a plurality of current branch lines (two in this embodiment) connected in parallel to the input terminal 40a and the output terminal 40b, and these plurality of current branch lines are arranged on a plurality of (two in this embodiment) circuit boards 41, 41. Each circuit board 41 is equipped with an FET 42 as a circuit breaker, so that the current flowing through the current branch lines can be interrupted by the FET 42. The FET 42 on each circuit board 41 may be configured by connecting a plurality of FETs in parallel.

[0035] A circuit board unit 40, as shown in Figure 5, is placed in the component cooling section 26 shown in Figure 2, and the circuit board unit 40 is cooled by the air flowing through the flow path of the component cooling section 26. The first circuit board 41a and the second circuit board 41b are spaced apart and arranged to extend approximately parallel to the air flowing through the flow path (approximately parallel to the side wall 13 shown in Figure 1). When the power consumption of the electrical load connected to the DC power supply 100 is large, a relatively large current (several hundred amperes) flows through the current branch lines and FET 42 of the first circuit board 41a and the second circuit board 41b, generating heat. At that time, the air flowing through the flow path of the component cooling section 26 is not obstructed by the first circuit board 41a and the second circuit board 41b, efficiently cooling the circuit board unit 40. A heat sink 43 may be provided on the FET 42.

[0036] Metal bars 45a and 45b, which form part of the current branch lines, are fixed to the first circuit board 41a and the second circuit board 41b, respectively, by mechanical fasteners such as screws. In a plan view, the metal bars 45a and 45b protrude from the edges that form the outer periphery of the first circuit board 41a and the second circuit board 41b. In this embodiment, the metal bars 45a and 45b protrude upward and downward from the first circuit board 41a and the second circuit board 41b. Spacer metal bars 46a and 46b are connected to the protruding portions of these metal bars 45a and 45b.

[0037] In this embodiment, spacer metal bars 46a and 46b are fixed to flange portions F provided on the protruding parts of metal bars 45a and 45b by mechanical fasteners such as bolts. The spacer metal bars 46a and 46b have the function of electrically connecting (parallel connecting) the metal bars 45a and 45b near the input terminal 40a and output terminal 40b (see Figure 4) of the substrate unit 40, respectively. In addition, the spacer metal bars 46a and 46b extend in a direction perpendicular to the first circuit board 41a and the second circuit board 41b, and have the function of mechanically supporting the circuit boards 41a and 41b with a gap between them. In addition to the spacer metal bars 46a and 46b, spacers 44 may be provided to mechanically support the circuit boards 41a and 41b.

[0038] As described above, the DC power supply unit 100 includes a board unit 40 provided on the auxiliary power line 24 to electrically disconnect the second load 80 from the storage battery 60. The board unit 40 has a plurality of stacked circuit boards 41a, 41b, each having current branching lines including metal bars 45a, 45b and FETs 42 that interrupt the current flowing through the current branching lines. The board unit 40 also has spacer metal bars 46a, 46b that extend in directions perpendicular to the circuit boards 41a, 41b and support them.

[0039] According to the above configuration, the current flowing through the auxiliary power line 24 is divided and flows through current branch lines including metal bars 45a and 45b provided on circuit boards 41a and 41b, respectively. Therefore, heat generation in the metal bars 45a and 45b and the FET 42 of each circuit board 41a and 41b is suppressed, and the second load 80 can be disconnected from the battery 60 by the FET 42 when necessary (for example, during a power outage). By stacking the circuit boards 41a and 41b via spacer metal bars 46a and 46b, the cooling performance of the circuit boards 41a and 41b can be improved, and the assembly of the board unit 40 and the DC power supply unit 100 can also be improved.

[0040] Furthermore, by providing the spacer metal bars 46a and 46b with both electrical connection and mechanical support functions, the number of components in the circuit board unit 40 can be reduced. The use of spacer metal bars 46a and 46b can also reduce the electrical resistance of the circuit board unit 40.

[0041] In a plan view, metal bars 45a and 45b protrude from the outer periphery of circuit boards 41a and 41b, and spacer metal bars 46a and 46b are connected to these protruding portions of metal bars 45a and 45b, thereby improving the ease of assembly of the board unit 40 and the DC power supply unit 100. Specifically, pre-assembly of the board unit 40 and mounting the assembled board unit 40 to the DC power supply unit 100 can be easily performed.

[0042] Figure 6 shows another board unit 40a. This board unit 40a is constructed by stacking four circuit boards 41a to 41d. In this way, the board unit 40a can relatively easily accommodate an increase in the number of circuit boards corresponding to the power consumption of the load connected to the DC power supply unit 100, and has good expandability. Circuit boards with the same configuration can be used as circuit boards 41a to 41d. The spacer metal bars 46a and 46b used are longer in dimensions than the spacer metal bars of the board unit 40 shown in Figure 5. Board units 40 and 40a, which adopt such a modular design, can reduce manufacturing costs and have good component availability.

[0043] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. Although the embodiment described a DC power supply unit for a mobile phone base station, the present invention can also be applied to DC power supplies for other applications, as well as power supply units such as uninterruptible power supplies (UPS). In particular, it is preferable to apply the present invention to applications where a large number of power supply units are installed in various locations outdoors.

[0044] The power supply unit may be installed indoors. The enclosure 10 is not limited to a rectangular parallelepiped shape as in the embodiment.

[0045] The power converter 50 provided in the power supply unit only needs to have at least one of the following power conversion functions: AC-DC, DC-DC, or DC-AC.

[0046] In this specification, "directions perpendicular to multiple circuit boards" includes not only literally perpendicular directions, but also directions that deviate slightly from orthogonal directions, or diagonal directions, i.e., "directions that intersect multiple circuit boards." It is sufficient that the multiple circuit boards are supported by spacers or spacer metal bars such that at least some of them overlap when viewed from above. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0047] 23 Main power lines 24 Auxiliary power lines 40, 40a PCB unit 41a, 41b, 41c, 41dd circuit board 42 FET (Circuit Breaker) 45a, 45b First metal bar, second metal bar 46a, 46b Spacer metal bar 50 Power Converters 60. Storage batteries (energy storage elements) 70 First load 80 Second load 100 DC power supply (power supply)

Claims

1. A power converter that converts AC power to DC power, The power converter outputs DC power to a main power line that supplies power to the first load, A secondary power line from which DC power is output from the aforementioned power converter and supplied to the second load, A charging / discharging line connects the main power line and the auxiliary power line to the energy storage element for charging and discharging the energy storage element, The system includes a substrate unit provided on the auxiliary power line for electrically disconnecting the second load from the energy storage element, The aforementioned circuit board unit is Multiple circuit boards are stacked, each having a current branching line containing a metal bar and a circuit breaker that interrupts the current flowing through the current branching line. The facility comprises spacers that extend in a direction perpendicular to the plurality of circuit boards and support those circuit boards. power supply.

2. The plurality of circuit boards include a first circuit board provided with a first metal bar and a second circuit board provided with a second metal bar. The first metal bar and the second metal bar are connected in parallel to the auxiliary power line, and a spacer metal bar is provided as the spacer. The power supply device according to claim 1.

3. The first and second metal bars protrude from the outer periphery of the first and second circuit boards, respectively, in a plan view, and the spacer metal bar is connected to the protruding portions of the first and second metal bars. The power supply device according to claim 2.

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