Vehicle Power Supply Device Temperature Control via Charge Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing power storage units in vehicles, such as electric vehicles, face reduced charge/discharge performance at lower temperatures, necessitating effective temperature management to maintain efficiency, but existing heating methods waste stored energy and lack efficient solutions.
Innovation Solution
A power supply device with a control unit that adjusts the state of charge of the power storage unit to increase temperature while minimizing energy loss, using a change instruction generation unit, target value setting, and charge processing unit to optimize temperature increase based on temperature conditions and user inputs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If the battery temperature is increased by discharging the battery, then the temperature of the battery is raised, but the electric power stored in the battery is wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an external power supply as an intermediary to provide charging current to the battery during cold conditions. This external power source acts as a mediator that enables temperature increase through charging rather than discharging, thereby avoiding the waste of stored electric power while still achieving the necessary thermal conditions for optimal battery performance
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of increasing battery temperature through discharge (the conventional approach), the patent inverts the approach by using charge current from an external power supply to heat the battery. This reversal of the traditional heating method allows temperature increase without consuming the battery's stored energy
2Power
If a plurality of power storage units are mounted to increase charge/discharge capacity, then the charge/discharge capacity is increased, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit is designed to universally manage multiple power storage units with a single integrated system. It can selectively control charging and discharging operations across different battery units, determining optimal charge/discharge amounts for each unit based on overall system requirements, thereby achieving high charge/discharge capacity without proportionally increasing system complexity
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
The solution reliably increases the temperature of power storage units while preventing energy efficiency decreases, enhancing vehicle performance by maintaining charge/discharge capacity without wasting stored energy.
Implementation Method 1
as the power storage unit stores electric energy utilizing electrochemical action
Implementation Method 2
The control unit includes: a change instruction generation unit that generates a change instruction instructing change of state of charge of the power storage unit
Implementation Method 3
calculating an amount of change in state of charge of the power storage unit necessary to increase temperature of the power storage unit
Data Source
AI summary
A power supply device includes a power storage unit capable of being charged and a control unit controlling charging of the power storage unit. Control unit includes a battery ECU for setting, at the start of charging of the power storage unit, a target value of state of charge of the power storage unit to a first value based on the condition of power storage unit and setting, when a temperature increase instruction (change instruction) is received after the start of charging, the target value to a predetermined second value higher than the first value, and a converter ECU for executing the charging process so that the state of charge of the power storage unit attains to the target value.