Power supply system, apparatus, and control method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017244336-A1
Application number	US-201715441133-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 23, 2017
Priority date	Feb 24, 2016
Publication date	Aug 24, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A power supply system includes a power supply, a converter, and a processor. The converter converts voltage of the electric power supplied from the power supply. The processor is configured to generate a first control signal to control the converter to output a target voltage or a target current via a feedback control based on the first control signal. The processor is configured to generate a second control signal to detect a state of the power supply. The processor is configured to combine the first control signal and the second control signal to control the converter.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A power supply system comprising:
a power supply; a converter to convert voltage of the electric power supplied from the power supply; and a processor configured to
generate a first control signal to control the converter to output a target voltage or a target current via a feedback control based on the first control signal;
generate a second control signal to detect a state of the power supply; and
combine the first control signal and the second control signal to control the converter.

2 . The power supply system according to claim 1 , wherein
the processor superimposes the second control signal on the first control signal outside a feedback loop and outputs a signal based on the first control signal on which the second signal is superimposed to the converter.

3 . The power supply system according to claim 1 , wherein
the first control signal is used to generate a DC component in the power supplied by the power supply, and the second control signal is used to generate an AC component in the power.

4 . The power supply system according to claim 1 , wherein
the first control signal is a DC signal, and the second control signal is an AC signal.

5 . The power supply system according to claim 3 , wherein
the processor generates the second control signal outside a feedback loop, and the second control signal has a frequency higher than a frequency that corresponds to a control cycle of the feedback control.

6 . The power supply system according to claim 3 , wherein
the second control signal has an amplitude of a magnitude that corresponds to a voltage conversion ratio of the converter.

7 . The power supply system according to claim 6 , wherein
the amplitude of the second control signal is made smaller as the voltage conversion ratio of the converter increases.

8 . The power supply system according to claim 3 , wherein
the converter is constituted by a plurality of conversion units capable of performing the voltage conversion, the plurality of conversion units being electrically connected in parallel, the power supply system further comprises a change unit that changes the number of operations, which indicates the number of conversion units that perform the voltage conversion, and the second control signal has an amplitude of a magnitude that corresponds to the number of operations.

9 . The power supply system according to claim 1 , wherein
the processor measures an impedance of the power supply based on an output from the power supply generated by using the second control signal.

10 . The power supply system according to claim 9 , wherein
the power supply is a fuel cell, and the processor adjusts a humidity amount in the fuel cell based on the impedance.

11 . An apparatus comprising:
the power supply system according to claim 1 .

12 . A control method performed by a power supply system including a power supply and a converter to convert voltage of the electric power supplied from the power supply, comprising:
generating a first control signal to control the converter to output a target voltage or a target current via a feedback control based on the first control signal; generating a second control signal to detect a state of the power supply; and combining the first control signal and the second control signal to control the converter.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kitamoto Ryota

Classifications

• H01M2250/20

  Fuel cells in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane · CPC title

• H02M3/1584

  with a plurality of power processing stages connected in parallel · CPC title

• B60R16/033

  characterised by the use of electrical cells or batteries (for propulsion puposes B60K1/04; supplying batteries to, or removing batteries from, vehicles B60S5/06; testing of charge state G01R31/36) · CPC title

• H02P2201/07

  DC-DC step-up or step-down converter inserted between the power supply and the inverter supplying the motor, e.g. to control voltage source fluctuations, to vary the motor speed · CPC title

• H02M7/1557

  with automatic control of the output voltage or current · CPC title