Vehicle Power Conversion Unit Emergency Charging Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing power supply systems for vehicles cannot output power or energy amounts greater than usual to the outside environment during emergencies or user requests, such as power failures or scheduled charging.
Innovation Solution
A power supply system with a power conversion unit that charges a secondary power storage device to a higher state of charge during external charging in emergency situations, allowing for increased power output through a bidirectional converter and DC-DC converters, and switching between charging paths based on efficiency to ensure higher power output.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If the power storage unit is charged at a normal rate during external charging, then the charging time is reduced, but the power output to the outside of the vehicle cannot be greater than usual during emergencies
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit determines whether the vehicle is in an emergency situation before external charging occurs. When an emergency is detected, the control unit预先 sets the power storage unit to charge at a higher rate than normal, preparing the system to deliver greater than usual power output during the emergency. This preliminary determination and rate adjustment ensures that when emergency charging is needed, the power storage unit is already configured to accept and store energy at the necessary elevated rate.
Solution Approach 2:
The charging rate of the power storage unit is made dynamic rather than fixed. The control unit adjusts the charging rate based on the detected emergency condition, switching from a normal charging rate to a higher emergency charging rate. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to optimize between charging time and available power output according to the specific operational context, resolving the contradiction between normal charging efficiency and emergency power availability.
2Power
If the power storage unit charges at a higher rate during external charging, then more power can be output during emergencies, but the external charging time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit performs a preliminary determination of emergency status before initiating external charging. Based on this determination, it pre-configures the power storage unit with the appropriate charging rate. This preliminary action ensures that the system does not unnecessarily extend charging time by using high-rate charging when not needed, while being prepared to use higher rates when emergencies are detected.
Solution Approach 2:
The charging rate parameter of the power storage unit is changed based on the detected emergency condition. The control unit adjusts this parameter dynamically - using normal charging rates during non-emergency conditions to minimize charging time, and switching to higher charging rates during emergencies to maximize available power output. This conditional parameter change resolves the contradiction by making the charging duration adaptive to operational needs.
3Reliability
If the vehicle always maintains high power output capability, then emergency power needs are met, but the system complexity and energy management burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
The power management system uses dynamic control to adjust charging rates based on detected emergency conditions rather than maintaining a fixed high-power configuration. The control unit monitors for emergencies and only activates high-rate charging when needed, simplifying the system compared to always-maintaining high capability approaches while still ensuring reliability during emergencies.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes operational parameters (charging rate) based on detected conditions rather than maintaining constant high-capability settings. This conditional parameter adjustment reduces system complexity by using standard charging rates during normal operations and only switching to emergency modes when required, thereby maintaining reliability without the burden of continuously complex high-power management.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables the vehicle to output more power or energy to the outside environment during emergencies or user requests, efficiently managing charging time and energy distribution by prioritizing higher power conversion efficiency and reducing external charging time.
Implementation Method 1
a power conversion unit configured to convert the electric power from the external power supply to charge the power storage unit
Implementation Method 2
a bidirectional converter configured to convert electric power between the power storage unit and the external power supply
Implementation Method 3
DC-DC converters
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A power conversion unit including a bidirectional converter (32), a sub DC-DC converter (36), and a main DC-DC converter (22) selectively performs first power conversion converting power supplied from outside of a vehicle into charging power for a power storage unit (12, 40), and second power conversion converting power stored in the power storage unit into output power to the outside of the vehicle. When charging of the power storage unit from the outside of the vehicle is performed in an emergency where power or a power amount to be output to the outside of the vehicle when the second power conversion is performed is requested to be greater than usual, the power conversion unit performs the first power conversion such that a state quantity indicating a state of charge of the power storage unit becomes greater than usual.