Forklift Battery Voltage Equalizer and Abnormality Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Engine-type forklift trucks face challenges in stably supplying power to the engine control unit and quickly detecting abnormalities in the equalizer, which can lead to safety accidents and premature battery degradation due to voltage imbalances.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus and method that include a power supply unit with paired batteries, an engine control unit, an equalizer for voltage balance, and an abnormality detecting unit that compares battery voltages to detect imbalances, along with a warning unit to alert the driver of voltage discrepancies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an equalizer is provided to maintain voltage balance between paired batteries, then power supply stability to the ECU is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
An equalizer is introduced as an intermediary device between the paired batteries and the ECU to maintain voltage balance. The equalizer monitors and adjusts voltage distribution, preventing one battery from being overcharged or over-discharged, thus ensuring stable power supply to the ECU without requiring complex control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
An abnormality detecting unit continuously monitors the voltage balance between the paired batteries and provides feedback to the system. When voltage imbalance exceeds a predetermined threshold, the system generates a warning signal, enabling proactive maintenance and preventing power supply instability before it affects ECU operation.
2Measurement precision
If voltage balance monitoring is implemented, then detection precision of equalizer abnormalities is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The abnormality detecting unit implements continuous voltage monitoring with feedback comparison against predetermined thresholds. When the voltage difference between paired batteries exceeds the threshold, the system immediately detects and signals the abnormality, achieving high detection precision through simple comparative measurement rather than complex analysis systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The system monitors changes in voltage parameters between the paired batteries over time. By detecting parameter changes (voltage differential) rather than absolute values, the system achieves precise abnormality detection with simplified measurement requirements, focusing only on the differential change that indicates equalizer failure.
3Reliability
If continuous voltage monitoring is performed, then reliability of power supply is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The abnormality detecting unit performs voltage balance monitoring at periodic intervals rather than continuously. The system checks voltage differential at predetermined time points, generating warnings only when imbalances are detected. This periodic monitoring approach maintains power supply reliability by catching abnormalities while significantly reducing energy consumption compared to continuous monitoring.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosures relates to an apparatus and a method for detecting power abnormality of an engine-type forklift truck, and the apparatus for detecting power abnormality of an engine-type forklift truck includes: a power supply unit including a pair of batteries so as to supply power to an electric device included in an engine-type forklift truck; an engine control unit (ECU) which receives power from the power supply unit; an equalizer which is provided between the power supply unit and the ECU so as to maintain a voltage balance between the pair of batteries and adjust a voltage of power supplied to the ECU; and an abnormality detecting unit which compares a voltage input from the pair of batteries with a voltage input from any one of the pair of batteries, and detects abnormality in the voltage balance.