Power supply apparatus
원문보기
IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
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국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
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출원번호 |
US-0451693
(2008-05-29)
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등록번호 |
US-8586256
(2013-11-19)
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우선권정보 |
JP-2007-181268 (2007-07-10) |
국제출원번호 |
PCT/JP2008/059878
(2008-05-29)
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§371/§102 date |
20091124
(20091124)
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국제공개번호 |
WO2009/008229
(2009-01-15)
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발명자
/ 주소 |
- Yanase, Norimasa
- Ishisone, Noboru
- Tamachi, Tsuneaki
- Ozaki, Toru
- Sarata, Takafumi
- Yuzurihara, Kazutaka
- Iwasaki, Fumiharu
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출원인 / 주소 |
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대리인 / 주소 |
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인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
4 인용 특허 :
1 |
초록
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A power supply apparatus has a combined power source with power cells configured electrically independently. A switch arbitrarily changes connection paths of the power cells by selectively connecting power cell terminals through switching elements. A voltage detector detects differences in electrica
A power supply apparatus has a combined power source with power cells configured electrically independently. A switch arbitrarily changes connection paths of the power cells by selectively connecting power cell terminals through switching elements. A voltage detector detects differences in electrical potentials between the power cell terminals. A controller controls ON-OFF states of the switching elements by controlling the switch by a control signal generated based on voltage signals representing the differences in electrical potentials detected by the voltage detector so as to isolate one of the power cells to stop a supply of electric power therefrom when a voltage generated in the power cell has dropped to a specified voltage or lower. The controller restarts the supply of electric power from the power cell whose power supply has been stopped when the duration of a down time of the power cell has reached a predetermined time or longer.
대표청구항
▼
1. A power supply apparatus, comprising: a combined power source comprised of a plurality of power cells configured electrically independently;a switch connected to the combined power source and configured to arbitrarily change connection paths of the respective power cells by selectively connecting
1. A power supply apparatus, comprising: a combined power source comprised of a plurality of power cells configured electrically independently;a switch connected to the combined power source and configured to arbitrarily change connection paths of the respective power cells by selectively connecting terminals of the plurality of power cells through switching elements;a voltage detector configured to detect differences in electrical potentials between the terminals of the plurality of power cells; andcontrol means for controlling ON-OFF states of the switching elements by controlling the switch by a control signal generated based on voltage signals representing the differences in electrical potentials detected by the voltage detector so as to isolate a power cell from among the plurality of power cells to stop a supply of electric power from the isolated power cell when a voltage generated in the isolated power cell has dropped to a specified voltage or lower, and for restarting the supply of electric power from the isolated power cell whose power supply has been stopped when the duration of a down time of the power cell has reached a predetermined time or longer. 2. A power supply apparatus according to claim 1; wherein the switch has first switching elements, whose number is equal to a number of the power cells, between the positive electrode of output ports of the switch and positive electrodes of the respective power cells; second switching elements, whose number is equal to the number of the power cells, between the negative electrode of the output ports of the switch and negative electrodes of the respective power cells; and third switching elements, whose number is smaller than the number of the power cells by one, between the power cells adjacent in a series direction of the power cells. 3. A power supply apparatus according to claim 1; further comprising: a voltage regulator connected between the switch and a load and configured to stabilize a voltage supplied to the load; andan output detector configured to detect a power consumption in the load and/or an output power of the combined power source;wherein the control means controls the ON-OFF states of the switching elements by controlling the switch by the control signal generated based on the voltage signals representing the differences in electrical potentials detected by the voltage detector, the power consumption, and the output power of the combined power source. 4. A power supply apparatus according to claim 3; wherein the control means controls a connection status of each of the power cells via the switch so as to stop the supply of electric power from a power cell having a lowest output voltage, if it has been detected that a power value detected by the output detector is equal to or lower than an output power preset based on a power generating capacity of the combined power source. 5. A power supply apparatus according to claim 3; wherein the control means controls a connection status of each of the power cells via the switch so as to stop the supply of electric power from a power cell having a lowest output voltage, when a continuous power generation time of each power cell becomes a predetermined time or longer, if it has been detected that a power value detected by the output detector is equal to or lower than an output power preset based on a power generating capacity of the combined power source. 6. A power supply apparatus according to claim 3; wherein the control means controls a connection status of each of the power cells via the switch so as to stop the supply of electric power from the plurality of power cells in order of increasing output voltage, when a continuous power generation time of each power cell becomes a predetermined time or longer, if it has been detected that a power value detected by the output detector is equal to or lower than an output power preset based on a power generating capacity of the combined power source. 7. A power supply apparatus according to claim 3; wherein the control means controls a connection status of each of the power cells via the switch so as to stop the supply of electric power from a power cell having a lowest output voltage and to restart the supply of electric power from the power cell whose power supply has been stopped until then, and which is different from the power cell having the lowest output voltage, when a continuous power generation time of each power cell becomes a predetermined time or longer, if it has been detected that a power value detected by the output detector is equal to or lower than an output power preset based on a power generating capacity of the combined power source. 8. A power supply apparatus according to claim 3; wherein the output detector is configured to detect the power consumption based on an output voltage of the voltage regulator and a load current supplied to the load. 9. A power supply apparatus according to claim 1; wherein the voltage detector is further configured to connect output ports of the respective power cells to a multiplexer, to sequentially switch and scan the power cells, whose voltages are to be detected, by a control signal of the control means, and to connect a voltage detecting instrument to an output port of the multiplexer to sequentially supply the voltage signals of the respective power cells to the control means. 10. A power supply apparatus, comprising: a combined power source having a plurality of power cells configured electrically independently;a switch configured to arbitrarily connect each of the power cells by selectively connecting between terminals of the power cells through first switching elements between the positive electrode of output ports of the switch and positive electrodes of the respective power cells, second switching elements between the negative electrode of the output ports of the switch and negative electrodes of the respective power cells, and third switching elements between the power cells adjacent in a series direction of the power cells;a voltage detector configured to respectively detect differences in electric potentials between the terminals of the power cells;an output detector configured to detect a power consumption in a load and/or an output power of the combined power source; andcontrol means for controlling ON-OFF states of the switching elements so as to isolate from the plurality of power cells a power cell to stop a supply of electric power from the isolated power cell when a voltage generated in the isolated power cell has dropped to a specified voltage level or below as determined based on voltage signals respectively indicating the differences in electric potentials detected by the voltage detector, and for restarting the supply of electric power from the isolated power cell whose power supply has been stopped when the duration of the downtime of the isolated power cell has reached a predetermined time or greater. 11. A power supply apparatus according to claim 10; wherein a number of each of the first switching elements and the second switching elements is equal to the number of the power cells; and wherein a number of the third switching elements is smaller than the number of the power cells by one. 12. A power supply apparatus according to claim 10; wherein the control means controls the ON-OFF states of the switching elements by controlling the switch by the control signal generated based on the voltage signals representing the differences in electrical potentials detected by the voltage detector, the power consumption, and the output power of the combined power source. 13. A power supply apparatus according to claim 10; further comprising a voltage regulator connected between the switch and the load and configured to stabilize a voltage supplied to the load; and wherein the output detector is configured to detect the power consumption based on an output voltage of the voltage regulator and a load current supplied to the load. 14. A power supply apparatus according to claim 10; wherein the control means controls a connection status of each of the power cells via the switch so as to stop the supply of electric power from a power cell having a lowest output voltage, if it has been detected that a power value detected by the output detector is equal to or lower than an output power preset based on a power generating capacity of the combined power source. 15. A power supply apparatus, according to claim 10; wherein the control means controls a connection status of each of the power cells via the switch so as to stop the supply of electric power from a power cell having a lowest output voltage, when a continuous power generation time of each power cell becomes a predetermined time or longer, if it has been detected that a power value detected by the output detector is equal to or lower than an output power preset based on a power generating capacity of the combined power source. 16. A power supply apparatus according to claim 10; wherein the control means controls a connection status of each of the power cells via the switch so as to stop the supply of electric power from the plurality of power cells in order of increasing output voltage, when a continuous power generation time of each power cell becomes a predetermined time or longer, if it has been detected that a power value detected by the output detector is equal to or lower than an output power preset based on a power generating capacity of the combined power source. 17. A power supply apparatus according to claim 10; wherein the control means controls a connection status of each of the power cells via the switch so as to stop the supply of electric power from a power cell having a lowest output voltage and to restart the supply of electric power from the power cell whose power supply has been stopped, when a continuous power generation time of each power cell becomes a predetermined time or longer, if it has been detected that a power value detected by the output detector is equal to or lower than an output power preset based on a power generating capacity of the combined power source.
이 특허에 인용된 특허 (1)
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James David E., Measuring cell voltages of a fuel cell stack.
이 특허를 인용한 특허 (4)
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Danesh, Seyed Amir Ali; Hurwitz, Jonathan Ephraim David, Current measurement.
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Danesh, Seyed Amir Ali; Hurwitz, Jonathan Ephraim David, Current measurement.
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Wood, Stephen James Martin; Hurwitz, Jonathan Ephraim David; Danesh, Seyed Amir Ali, Current measurement.
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Wood, Stephen James Martin; Hurwitz, Jonathan Ephraim David; Danesh, Seyed Amir Ali, Current measurement.
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