Power supply unit, program

Abstract

To provide a power supply device and a program capable of suppressing an influence of noise which occurs during a switching control.SOLUTION: A low voltage power supply device 80 has a switching power supply with a switch and a linear regulator. The switching power supply drops input voltage from a low voltage storage battery 41 to be outputted to the linear regulator by a switching control of the switch. The linear regulator drops the input voltage from the switching power supply to be outputted to a feeding object apparatus. A micro computer 70, on condition that a predetermined condition is determined to be established, maintains the switch of the switching power supply ON and controls the linear regulator.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a power supply device and a program applied to the power supply device. [Background Art]

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known a power supply device including an insulated switching power supply that supplies power to a switch drive circuit. There is also a known technique of intermittently operating the switching power supply during external charge control in which a power storage unit is charged from an external power supply, for suppressing the influence of noise generated along with switching control of the switching power supply. A technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 can be mentioned as an example of such a technique. [Prior Art Literature] [Patent Literature]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2022-118417 [Summary of the Invention] [Problem to be Solved by the Invention]

[0004] Some power supply devices include a switching power supply having a switch and a linear regulator. Even in such a power supply device, it is desired to suppress the influence of noise generated along with switching control of the switch included in the switching power supply.

[0005] A main object of the present disclosure is to provide a power supply device and a program capable of suppressing the influence of noise generated along with switching control. [Means for Solving the Problem]

[0006] The present disclosure relates to a switching power supply having a switch,[ ] a linear regulator,[ ] in a power supply device comprising:[ ] The switching power supply, through switching control of the switch, steps down the input voltage from the energy storage unit and outputs it to the linear regulator. The linear regulator steps down the input voltage from the switching power supply and outputs it to the device to be powered. The system includes a switch control unit that controls the linear regulator while keeping the switch ON, provided that it determines that a predetermined condition has been met.

[0007] A linear regulator steps down the input voltage by utilizing the voltage drop across its components. Therefore, linear regulators do not perform switching control, and thus do not generate noise associated with switching control. In contrast, switching power supplies generate noise due to the switching control of the switches.

[0008] Therefore, in this disclosure, the switch control unit controls the linear regulator while keeping the switch ON, provided that it determines that a predetermined condition has been met. This makes it possible to continue supplying power to the powered device while suppressing the effects of noise generated by the switching control of the switch in the switching power supply. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] Overall configuration diagram of the control system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] A diagram showing the control device and its peripheral configuration. [Figure 3] A diagram showing a low-voltage power supply unit. [Figure 4] A circuit diagram showing a switching power supply. [Figure 5] A circuit diagram showing a linear regulator (series regulator). [Figure 6] A flowchart illustrating the control process for a low-voltage power supply unit. [Figure 7] A flowchart showing the control process procedure for the low-voltage power supply according to the second embodiment. [Figure 8]A flowchart showing the control process procedure for the low-voltage power supply according to the third embodiment. [Figure 9] A circuit diagram showing a linear regulator (shunt regulator) according to another embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Multiple embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In multiple embodiments, functionally and / or structurally corresponding and / or related parts may be given the same reference numeral, or reference numerals that differ by hundreds or more digits. For corresponding and / or related parts, refer to the descriptions of other embodiments.

[0011] <First Embodiment> Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the power supply device relating to this disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The power supply device of this embodiment constitutes a control system 10, which is mounted in an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle or other electric vehicle.

[0012] As shown in Figure 1, the control system 10 comprises a rotating electric machine 20, an inverter 30 that supplies current to the armature windings 21 of each phase of the rotating electric machine 20, and a rechargeable high-voltage storage battery 40 (corresponding to the "high-voltage storage unit"). The high-voltage storage battery 40 has a rated voltage of several hundred volts and is, for example, a lithium-ion storage battery or a nickel-metal hydride storage battery.

[0013] The rotating electric machine 20 is an on-board main machine and is capable of transmitting power to drive wheels (not shown). The rotating electric machine 20 in this embodiment is a three-phase synchronous machine (for example, a permanent magnet synchronous machine). The rotating electric machine 20 is equipped with armature windings 21 for three phases.

[0014] The inverter 30 is configured by a full-bridge circuit having the same number of upper and lower arms as the number of phases of the armature winding 21, and a current flows through the armature winding 21 of each phase by switching control of switches configuring each arm. Specifically, the inverter 30 includes a series-connected body of upper and lower arm switches SW for three phases. In each phase, a first end of the armature winding 21 is connected to a connection point between the upper arm switch SW and the lower arm switch SW. Second ends of the armature windings 21 of the respective phases are connected at a neutral point. The armature windings 21 of the respective phases are arranged shifted from each other by 120° in electrical angle.

[0015] Incidentally, in the present embodiment, each switch SW of the inverter 30 is a voltage-controlled semiconductor switching element, specifically, an IGBT. A freewheeling diode D is connected in anti-parallel to each switch SW. Note that each switch of the inverter 30 may be, for example, an N-channel MOSFET instead of an IGBT.

[0016] A positive electrode terminal of a high-voltage storage battery 40 is connected to a collector, which is a high-potential side terminal of each switch SW in the upper arm, via a high-potential side electrical path 31H. A negative electrode terminal of the high-voltage storage battery 40 is connected to an emitter, which is a low-potential side terminal of each switch SW in the lower arm, via a low-potential side electrical path 31L.

[0017] A cutoff switch SMR (e.g., a relay switch) is provided in each of the high-potential side electrical path 31H and the low-potential side electrical path 31L. When the cutoff switch SMR is turned on, the high-voltage storage battery 40 and the inverter 30 are electrically connected to each other, and when the cutoff switch SMR is turned off, the electrical path between the high-voltage storage battery 40 and the inverter 30 is electrically cut off. Each cutoff switch SMR may be driven by a control device 50 described later, or may be driven by a higher-level ECU 100 (see FIG. 2), which is a higher-level control device relative to the control device 50.

[0018] The inverter 30 is equipped with a smoothing capacitor 32. The first end of the smoothing capacitor 32 is connected between the circuit breaker switch SMR and the inverter 30 in the high-potential side electrical path 31H. The second end of the smoothing capacitor 32 is connected between the circuit breaker switch SMR and the inverter 30 in the low-potential side electrical path 31L. In other words, the smoothing capacitor 32 is connected in parallel to the series connection of the upper and lower arm switches SW for each phase. Note that the smoothing capacitor 32 may be provided outside the inverter 30.

[0019] The control system 10 includes a current sensor 11, a rotation angle sensor 12, and a voltage sensor 13. The current sensor 11 detects the current flowing through at least two phases of the armature windings 21 for each phase. The rotation angle sensor 12 detects the rotation angle (electrical angle) of the rotor of the rotating electric machine 20, for example, a resolver. The voltage sensor 13 detects the terminal voltage of the smoothing capacitor 32. The detected values ​​of each sensor 11, 12, and 13 are input to the control device 50 provided in the control system 10.

[0020] Next, we will describe the external charging-related configuration that makes up the control system 10.

[0021] The control system 10 includes an external charging mechanism 60. The external charging mechanism 60 includes an inlet 62 and a relay 61. The inlet 62 is connected via the relay 61 between the high-voltage battery 40 and the inverter 30 in each of the electrical paths 31H and 31L. The inlet 62 is configured to supply power from the external power supply 210 of the charging equipment 200 to the high-voltage battery 40 when the cutoff switch SMR and relay 61 are turned on and external charging control is in progress.

[0022] External charging is performed when the inlet 62 is electrically connected to the charging equipment 200. The charging equipment 200 includes an external power supply 210 and a connector 220. The connector 220 is configured to be connectable to the vehicle's inlet 62. The external power supply 210 is, for example, a DC power supply, but it may also be an AC power supply. In this case, an AC / DC converter is required.

[0023] As shown in Figure 2, the control device 50 includes a microcontroller 70. The microcontroller 70 controls the drive of the rotating electric machine 20 for driving the vehicle, as well as external charging control and external power supply control. The microcontroller 70 is equipped with an AD converter for inputting the detection values ​​of each of the sensors 11 to 13.

[0024] The normal control of the rotating electric machine 20 is a control to control the control amount (e.g., torque) of the rotating electric machine 20 to a commanded value, and is a switching control of each switch SW on the inverter 30. For this drive control, the microcomputer 70 generates switching commands to alternately turn on the switches SW of the upper and lower arms and outputs them to the drive circuit 71 of the control device 50. The switching commands are either on commands or off commands.

[0025] External charging control is a control for charging the high-voltage battery 40 from the charging equipment 200 via the external charging mechanism 60 while the vehicle is stopped. External power supply control is a control for supplying power from the high-voltage battery 40 via the external charging mechanism 60 to an external power supply target located outside the control system 10 while the vehicle is stopped. When the external power supply target is electrical equipment in a building such as a residence, the external power supply control is also called V2H (Vehicle to Home). Furthermore, when the external power supply target is an external power supply 210 as a grid power source, the external power supply control is also called V2G (Vehicle to Grid). In this embodiment, the external charging control or external power supply control is performed by the higher-level ECU 100. The higher-level ECU 100 keeps the cutoff switch SMR ON during the external charging control or external power supply control.

[0026] Although Figure 1 shows a configuration that enables neutral point boost charging / power supply by electrically connecting the neutral point of the armature winding 21 to the relay 61, this configuration is not mandatory.

[0027] Incidentally, the microcontroller 70 in the control device 50 and the microcontroller in the higher-level ECU 100 are equipped with processors (specifically CPUs). The functions provided by each microcontroller can be provided by software recorded in a physical memory device and the computer that executes it, by software only, by hardware only, or by a combination thereof. For example, when each microcontroller is provided by electronic circuits which are hardware, it can be provided by digital circuits including a large number of logic circuits, or by analog circuits. For example, each microcontroller executes a non-transitory tangible storage medium which serves as its own memory. The program includes, for example, a set of instructions that can execute the processing shown in Figure 6, which will be described later. When the program installed on each microcontroller is executed, the method corresponding to the program is executed. The memory is, for example, non-volatile memory. The program stored in the memory can be downloaded and updated via a communication network such as the Internet, for example, OTA (Over The Air).

[0028] The drive circuit 71 operates by being powered by the isolated power supply unit 42. The drive circuit 71 is provided individually for each switch SW of the inverter 30. The drive circuit 71 receives a switching command from the microcontroller 70 and drives the switch SW based on the received switching command. Specifically, if the drive circuit 71 determines that the switching command is an ON command, it uses the output voltage of the isolated power supply unit 42 as the power supply voltage VCC and supplies a charging current to the gate of the switch SW. As a result, the gate voltage of the switch SW becomes equal to or greater than the threshold voltage Vth, and the switch SW is turned ON. The threshold voltage Vth is lower than the power supply voltage VCC. On the other hand, if the drive circuit 71 determines that the switching command is an OFF command, it flows a discharge current from the gate to the emitter side of the switch SW. As a result, the gate voltage of the switch SW becomes less than the threshold voltage Vth, and the switch SW is turned OFF.

[0029] Each drive circuit 71 keeps the switch SW in the OFF position and stops the switching control of the inverter 30 during external charging control or external power supply control.

[0030] The isolated power supply unit 42 is a switching power supply that transforms the voltage input from the low-voltage battery 41 (corresponding to the "low-voltage energy storage unit") provided in the control system 10 and outputs it to the drive circuit 71. The low-voltage battery 41 is a battery with a lower output voltage (specifically, rated voltage) than the high-voltage battery 40, and is, for example, a lead-acid battery. The isolated power supply unit 42 can be controlled, for example, by a microcontroller 70.

[0031] The control device 50 includes a low-voltage power supply unit 80. As shown in Figure 3, the low-voltage power supply unit 80 of this embodiment includes a first switching power supply 81, a first series regulator 82, a second switching power supply 83, a second series regulator 84, and a third series regulator 85. Each switching power supply 81, 83 is a non-isolated, step-down DC-DC converter. The control device 50 and the inverter 30 are housed in the same case.

[0032] The first switching power supply 81 steps down the input voltage (e.g., 12V) from the low-voltage battery 41 to a first intermediate target voltage Vtgtm1 (e.g., 2.5V) and outputs it to the first series regulator 82. Specifically, as shown in Figure 4, the first switching power supply 81 includes a resistor 81a, a switch 81b, a diode 81c, a reactor 81d, and a capacitor 81e. In this embodiment, the switch 81b is an N-channel MOSFET. The positive terminal of the low-voltage battery 41 is connected to the first terminal of the resistor 81a, and the drain of the switch 81b is connected to the second terminal of the resistor 81a. The cathode of the diode 81c and the first terminal of the reactor 81d are connected to the source of the switch 81b. The first terminal of the capacitor 81e and the input side of the first series regulator 82 are connected to the second terminal of the reactor 81d. The anode of diode 81c and the second terminal of capacitor 81e are connected to the ground in the low-voltage region.

[0033] The switch 81b of the first switching power supply 81 is switched by the microcontroller 70 at a predetermined switching frequency. As a result, the output voltage from the first switching power supply 81 to the first series regulator 82 is controlled to the first intermediate target voltage Vtgtm1. In this embodiment, the switch 81b of the first switching power supply 81 is switched by the microcontroller 70.

[0034] The first series regulator 82 steps down the input voltage from the first switching power supply 81 to a first final target voltage Vtgt1 (e.g., 1.5V) and outputs it to the powered device. Specifically, as shown in Figure 5, the first series regulator 82 includes a resistor 82a, a switch 82b, and a capacitor 82c. In this embodiment, the switch 82b is an N-channel MOSFET. The first terminal of the resistor 82a is connected to the positive terminal of the low-voltage battery 41, and the second terminal of the resistor 82a is connected to the drain of the switch 82b. The source of the switch 82b is connected to the first terminal of the capacitor 82c and the positive terminal of the powered device. The second terminal of the capacitor 82c and the negative terminal of the powered device are connected to the ground in the low-voltage region. The powered device of the first series regulator 82 includes, for example, the CPU of the microcontroller 70.

[0035] The gate voltage of switch 82b of the first series regulator 82 is controlled by the microcontroller 70. This controls the output voltage from the first series regulator 82 to the powered device to be controlled to the first final target voltage Vtgt1. In this embodiment, switch 82b of the first series regulator 82 is controlled by the microcontroller 70.

[0036] The second switching power supply 83 steps down the input voltage from the low-voltage battery 41 to a second intermediate target voltage Vtgtm2 (for example, 6V) and outputs it to the second series regulator 84. The second switching power supply 83 in this embodiment has the same configuration as the first switching power supply 81.

[0037] The second series regulator 84 steps down the input voltage from the second switching power supply 83 to a second final target voltage Vtgt2 (e.g., 5V) and outputs it. The output voltage of the second series regulator 84 is output to the devices powered by the second switching power supply 83 and to the third series regulator 85. The devices powered by the second series regulator 84 include, for example, at least one of each of the sensors 11 to 13 and the AD converter of the microcontroller 70.

[0038] The third series regulator 85 steps down the input voltage from the second series regulator 84 to a third final target voltage Vtgt3 (e.g., 2.5V) and outputs it. The output voltage of the third series regulator 85 is output to the device to which the third series regulator 85 is powered. The device to which the third series regulator 85 is powered includes, for example, at least one of each of the sensors 11 to 13.

[0039] The switches in the second switching power supply 83, the second series regulator 84, and the third series regulator 85 of this embodiment are controlled by the microcontroller 70. Note that the switches in each switching power supply 81, 83 and each series regulator 82, 84, 85 may be controlled, for example, by an IC provided separately from the microcontroller 70 in the low-voltage region of the control device 50.

[0040] Incidentally, the low-voltage battery 41, microcontroller 70, low-voltage power supply unit 80, and higher-level ECU 100 are located in the low-voltage region of the control system 10. The switches SW of the high-voltage battery 40, drive circuit 71, and inverter 30 are located in the high-voltage region of the control system 10. The isolated power supply unit 42 is located across both the low-voltage and high-voltage regions.

[0041] In this embodiment, the switching power supplies 81 and 83 are provided upstream (input side) of the series regulators 82 and 84 for reasons such as (A) and (B) below.

[0042] (A) The input voltage range that switching power supplies 81 and 83 can handle is wider than the input voltage range that series regulators 82 and 84 can handle. The input voltage of switching power supplies 81 and 83 changes because, for example, the output voltage of the low-voltage battery 41 changes depending on the usage status of the low-voltage battery 41.

[0043] (B) The voltage drop achievable in the switching power supplies 81 and 83 is greater than the voltage drop achievable in the series regulators 82 and 84. If the voltage drop in the series regulators 82 and 84 is large, the amount of heat generated in the series regulators 82 and 84 will increase excessively, which may reduce the reliability of the series regulators 82 and 84.

[0044] Next, using Figure 6, the control process of the low-voltage power supply unit 80 executed by the microcontroller 70 will be explained. This process is designed to suppress the effects of noise generated in conjunction with the switching control of the first and second switching power supplies 81 and 83, and is executed repeatedly, for example, at a predetermined control cycle.

[0045] In step S10, based on information obtained from the higher-level ECU 100, it is determined whether external charging control or external power supply control is in progress.

[0046] If it is determined in step S10 that external charging control or external power supply control is not in progress, it is determined that the rotating electric machine 20 should be controlled normally, and the process proceeds to step S11. In step S11, the switch 81b of the first switching power supply 81 is switched at a predetermined switching frequency in order to control the output voltage of the first switching power supply 81 to the first intermediate target voltage Vtgtm1. In addition, the gate voltage of the switch 82b of the first series regulator 82 is controlled in order to control the output voltage of the first series regulator 82 to the first final target voltage Vtgt1.

[0047] In step S11, the switch of the second switching power supply 83 is switched at a predetermined switching frequency in order to control the output voltage of the second switching power supply 83 to the second intermediate target voltage Vtgtm2. In addition, the gate voltage of the switch of the second series regulator 84 is controlled in order to control the output voltage of the second series regulator 84 to the second final target voltage Vtgt2, and the gate voltage of the switch of the third series regulator 85 is controlled in order to control the output voltage of the third series regulator 85 to the third final target voltage Vtgt3.

[0048] In the following step S12, switching commands are generated and output to the drive circuits 71 of each switch SW in order to perform normal control of the rotating electric machine 20.

[0049] If it is determined in step S10 that external charging control or external power supply control is in progress, the process proceeds to step S13. In step S13, the switch 81b of the first switching power supply 81 is kept ON, specifically, the switch 81b is kept fully ON. Full ON means that the gate voltage of the switch 81b is at a voltage that turns on the switch 81b in the non-saturation region. The non-saturation region is the region in the output characteristics where the drain-source voltage Vds and drain current Id of the switch 81b are related, in which the drain current Id increases as the voltage Vds increases. When fully ON, the ON resistance of the switch 81b is close to 0. Also in step S13, the gate voltage of the switch 82b of the first series regulator 82 is controlled in order to control the output voltage of the first series regulator 82 to the first final target voltage Vtgt1.

[0050] In step S13, the switch of the second switching power supply 83 is kept fully on. In addition, the gate voltage of the switch of the second series regulator 84 is controlled in order to control the output voltage of the second series regulator 84 to the second final target voltage Vtgt2, and the gate voltage of the switch of the switch of the third series regulator 85 is controlled in order to control the output voltage of the third series regulator 85 to the third final target voltage Vtgt3. In this embodiment, the processing in step S13 corresponds to the "switch control unit".

[0051] In step S14, the higher-level ECU 100 performs external charging control or external power supply control, and outputs an off command for each switch SW. This stops the switching control of each switch SW of the inverter 30. In this embodiment, the processing in step S14 corresponds to the "inverter control unit". Incidentally, there may be conditions under which each switch SW of the inverter 30 is not necessarily turned off during external power supply control. For example, if the external power supply route is from the rotating electric machine 20 to the external charging mechanism 60 to the charging equipment 200 and then to a household outlet, it is necessary to output voltage to the outside by turning the switch SW of the inverter 30 on / off. In this case, the output of the inverter 30 is lower than the output of the inverter 30 when the vehicle is running, so the temperature of the control board is lower and it becomes possible to fully turn on switch 81b.

[0052] For example, using the first switching power supply 81, when switch 81b is fully turned on in step S13, the input voltage of the first series regulator 82 rises compared to step S11, and the amount of heat generated in the first series regulator 82 may increase. However, during external charging control or external power supply control, each switch SW of the inverter 30 is kept off, so the amount of heat generated in the inverter 30 is lower than in step S11. Therefore, even if the amount of heat generated in the first series regulator 82 increases, a decrease in the reliability of the first series regulator 82 can be prevented.

[0053] As described in detail above, this embodiment makes it possible to suppress the effects of noise generated by the switching control of the switches in the first and second switching power supplies 81 and 83 while continuing to supply power from the low-voltage power supply 80 to the powered equipment.

[0054] <Second Embodiment> The second embodiment will now be described, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment, with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, as shown in step S15 of Figure 7, the switch 81b of the first switching power supply 81 is kept in a half-on state rather than a fully-on state. Half-on means that the gate voltage of the switch 81b is at a voltage that turns on the switch 81b in the saturation region. The saturation region is the region in the output characteristics where the drain-source voltage Vds and drain current Id of the switch 81b are related, where the drain current Id is approximately constant regardless of the magnitude of the voltage Vds. The voltage drop at the half-on switch 81b is greater than the voltage drop at the fully-on switch 81b. Therefore, the input voltage of the first series regulator 82 can be reduced, and the difference between the input voltage of the first series regulator 82 and the first final target voltage Vtgt1 can be reduced. As a result, when controlling the gate voltage of switch 82b of the first series regulator 82 in order to control the output voltage of the first series regulator 82 to the first final target voltage Vtgt1, the amount of heat generated in the first series regulator 82 can be reduced.

[0055] In step S15, the switch of the second switching power supply 83 is kept half-on. Also, the gate voltage of the switch of the second series regulator 84 is controlled to control the output voltage of the second series regulator 84 to the second final target voltage Vtgt2, and the gate voltage of the switch of the third series regulator 85 is controlled to control the output voltage of the third series regulator 85 to the third final target voltage Vtgt3.

[0056] <Third Embodiment> The third embodiment will now be described, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment, with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, the process of step S13 is performed when predetermined conditions are met while the vehicle is in motion, rather than when the vehicle is stationary. As shown in Figure 2, the control system 10 is equipped with a temperature sensor 14. In this embodiment, the temperature sensor 14 includes a sensor that detects the ambient temperature Tinvr of the inverter 30 inside the case, a sensor that detects the cooling water temperature Thwr that cools each switch SW of the inverter 30, and a sensor that detects the temperature Tsbr of the control board on which the microcontroller 70, low-voltage power supply 80, isolated power supply 42, and drive circuit 71 are mounted. The detected value of the temperature sensor 14 is input to the microcontroller 70.

[0057] Using Figure 8, the control process of the low-voltage power supply unit 80, which is executed by the microcontroller 70, will be explained. This process is repeatedly executed, for example, at a predetermined control cycle while the vehicle is in motion.

[0058] Steps S20 to S22 determine whether all of the following conditions (C1) to (C3) are met.

[0059] (C1) The condition that the ambient temperature Tinvr of the inverter 30 detected by the temperature sensor 14 is less than or equal to the first temperature threshold Tinvth.

[0060] (C2) The condition that the cooling water temperature Thwr detected by the temperature sensor 14 is less than or equal to the second temperature threshold Thwth.

[0061] (C3) The condition that the temperature Tsbr of the control board detected by the temperature sensor 14 is less than or equal to the third temperature threshold Tsbth.

[0062] If it is determined in steps S20 to S22 that at least one of (C1) to (C3) is not true, the process proceeds to step S12 via step S11.

[0063] On the other hand, if it is determined in steps S20 to S22 that all of (C1) to (C3) are true, the process proceeds to step S12 via step S13.

[0064] According to the embodiment described above, even while the vehicle is in motion, power can be continuously supplied from the low-voltage power supply unit 80 to the powered equipment, while suppressing the effects of noise generated by the switching control of the switches in the first and second switching power supplies 81 and 83.

[0065] <Other Embodiments> Furthermore, each of the above embodiments may be implemented with the following modifications.

[0066] Instead of processing steps S20 to S22 in Figure 8, the process may proceed to step S13 if it is determined that at least one of (C1) to (C3) is true, and to step S11 if it is determined that none of (C1) to (C3) are true.

[0067] The linear regulator is not limited to a series regulator; a shunt regulator may also be used. Figure 9 shows an example of a shunt regulator 182. The shunt regulator 182 includes a resistor 182a, a switch 182b, and a capacitor 182c. The switch of the shunt regulator may be a bipolar transistor, which is a current-controlled switch, instead of a voltage-controlled switch.

[0068] The low-voltage and high-voltage energy storage sections are not limited to batteries; for example, they may be capacitors (electric double-layer capacitors).

[0069] The inverter is not limited to a 3-level inverter; it may also be a multi-level inverter with 4 or more levels, or a 2-level inverter. Furthermore, the inverter and rotating electric machine are not limited to 3-phase; they may be 2-phase or have 4 or more phases.

[0070] The mobile device on which the power supply unit is mounted is not limited to a vehicle; for example, it could be an aircraft or a ship. Furthermore, the location on which the power supply unit is mounted is not limited to a mobile device; it could be a stationary device.

[0071] The control unit and its method described herein may be implemented by a dedicated computer provided by configuring a processor and memory programmed to perform one or more functions embodied by a computer program. Alternatively, the control unit and its method described herein may be implemented by a dedicated computer provided by configuring a processor by one or more dedicated hardware logic circuits. Alternatively, the control unit and its method described herein may be implemented by one or more dedicated computers configured by a combination of a processor and memory programmed to perform one or more functions and a processor configured by one or more hardware logic circuits. Furthermore, the computer program may be stored as instructions executed by the computer on a computer-readable non-transitional tangible recording medium. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0072] 41...Low-voltage storage battery, 70...Microcontroller, 80...Low-voltage power supply, 81, 83...Switching power supply, 82, 84, 85...Series regulator.

Claims

1. A switching power supply (81, 83) having a switch (81b), Linear regulators (82, 84, 85, 182) and In a power supply device (80) equipped with, The switching power supply, by controlling the switching of the switch, steps down the input voltage from the energy storage unit (41) and outputs it to the linear regulator. The linear regulator steps down the input voltage from the switching power supply and outputs it to the powered devices (11, 12, 70). A power supply device comprising a switch control unit (70) that controls the linear regulator while keeping the switch ON in order to continue supplying power from the energy storage unit to the power supply target device via the switching power supply and the linear regulator, provided that predetermined conditions have been determined to be met.

2. Low-voltage energy storage unit (41) and A high-voltage energy storage unit (40) with a higher output voltage than the low-voltage energy storage unit, An inverter (30) electrically connected to the high-voltage energy storage unit, A rotating electric machine (20) having an armature winding (21) electrically connected to the inverter, In a power supply unit (80) applied to a system comprising, A switching power supply (81, 83) having a switch (81b), Linear regulators (82, 84, 85, 182) and Equipped with, The switching power supply, by controlling the switching of the switch, steps down the input voltage from the low-voltage energy storage unit and outputs it to the linear regulator. The linear regulator steps down the input voltage from the switching power supply and outputs it to the powered devices (11, 12, 70). The system includes a switch control unit (70) that controls the linear regulator while keeping the switch ON, provided that it has determined that a predetermined condition has been met. The predetermined condition is that the system is in the process of external charging, where the high-voltage energy storage unit is charged from an external power source (210) located outside the system, or that the system is in the process of external power supply, where the high-voltage energy storage unit is supplied with power to an externally powered object located outside the system.

3. The power supply device according to claim 2, further comprising an inverter control unit (70) that stops the switching control of the inverter when the external charging control or external power supply control is in progress.

4. A switching power supply (81, 83) having a switch (81b), Linear regulators (82, 84, 85, 182) and In a power supply device (80) equipped with, The switching power supply, by controlling the switching of the switch, steps down the input voltage from the energy storage unit (41) and outputs it to the linear regulator. The linear regulator steps down the input voltage from the switching power supply and outputs it to the powered devices (11, 12, 70). A power supply device comprising a switch control unit (70) that controls the linear regulator while maintaining the switch in a half-on state, provided that it is determined that a predetermined condition has been met.

5. Low-voltage energy storage unit (41) and A high-voltage energy storage unit (40) with a higher output voltage than the low-voltage energy storage unit, An inverter (30) electrically connected to the high-voltage energy storage unit, A rotating electric machine (20) having an armature winding (21) electrically connected to the inverter, In a power supply unit (80) applied to a system comprising, A switching power supply (81, 83) having a switch (81b), Linear regulators (82, 84, 85, 182) and Equipped with, The switching power supply, by controlling the switching of the switch, steps down the input voltage from the low-voltage energy storage unit and outputs it to the linear regulator. The linear regulator steps down the input voltage from the switching power supply and outputs it to the powered devices (11, 12, 70). The system includes a switch control unit (70) that controls the linear regulator while keeping the switch ON, provided that it has determined that a predetermined condition has been met. The predetermined condition is that the temperature of the inverter or a temperature correlated with the temperature of the inverter is below a threshold value, in this power supply device.

6. A switching power supply (81, 83) having a switch (81b), Linear regulators (82, 84, 85, 182) and Computers and, In a program applied to a power supply unit (80) equipped with the following features, To the aforementioned computer, The switching control of the switch reduces the voltage input from the energy storage unit (41) to the switching power supply and outputs it from the switching power supply to the linear regulator. The process involves controlling the linear regulator to step down the voltage input from the switching power supply to the linear regulator and outputting it from the linear regulator to the powered devices (11, 12, 70), A program that determines whether a predetermined condition has been met, and, if it has been determined that the predetermined condition has been met, performs the following process: maintaining the switch on and controlling the linear regulator in order to continue supplying power from the energy storage unit to the powered device via the switching power supply and the linear regulator.

7. A switching power supply (81, 83) having a switch (81b), Linear regulators (82, 84, 85, 182) and Low-voltage energy storage unit (41) and A high-voltage energy storage unit (40) with a higher output voltage than the low-voltage energy storage unit, An inverter (30) electrically connected to the high-voltage energy storage unit, A rotating electric machine (20) having an armature winding (21) electrically connected to the inverter, Computers and, In a program applied to a system that includes, To the aforementioned computer, The switching control of the switch reduces the voltage input from the low-voltage energy storage unit to the switching power supply and outputs it from the switching power supply to the linear regulator. The process involves controlling the linear regulator to step down the voltage input from the switching power supply to the linear regulator and outputting it from the linear regulator to the powered devices (11, 12, 70), The system performs the following steps: determine whether a predetermined condition has been met, and, if it has been determined that the predetermined condition has been met, control the linear regulator while keeping the switch ON; A program in which the predetermined conditions are the condition that external charging control is in progress, in which the high-voltage energy storage unit is charged from an external power source (210) located outside the system, or the condition that external power supply control is in progress, in which the high-voltage energy storage unit is supplied with power to an external power supply target located outside the system.

8. A switching power supply (81, 83) having a switch (81b), Linear regulators (82, 84, 85, 182) and Computers and, In a program applied to a power supply unit (80) equipped with the following features, To the aforementioned computer, The switching control of the switch reduces the voltage input from the energy storage unit (41) to the switching power supply and outputs it from the switching power supply to the linear regulator. The process involves controlling the linear regulator to step down the voltage input from the switching power supply to the linear regulator and outputting it from the linear regulator to the powered devices (11, 12, 70), A program that determines whether a predetermined condition has been met, and, if it has been determined that the predetermined condition has been met, performs a process of controlling the linear regulator while maintaining the switch in a half-on state.

9. A switching power supply (81, 83) having a switch (81b), Linear regulators (82, 84, 85, 182) and Low-voltage energy storage unit (41) and A high-voltage energy storage unit (40) with a higher output voltage than the low-voltage energy storage unit, An inverter (30) electrically connected to the high-voltage energy storage unit, A rotating electric machine (20) having an armature winding (21) electrically connected to the inverter, Computers and, In a program applied to a system that includes, To the aforementioned computer, The switching control of the switch reduces the voltage input from the low-voltage energy storage unit to the switching power supply and outputs it from the switching power supply to the linear regulator. The process involves controlling the linear regulator to step down the voltage input from the switching power supply to the linear regulator and outputting it from the linear regulator to the powered devices (11, 12, 70), The system performs the following steps: determine whether a predetermined condition has been met, and, if it has been determined that the predetermined condition has been met, control the linear regulator while keeping the switch ON; A program in which the predetermined condition is that the temperature of the inverter or a temperature correlated with the temperature of the inverter is below a threshold.

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