Power supply system, apparatus, and control method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017244337-A1
Application number	US-201715441137-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 conversion module, and a processor. The conversion module includes conversion units to convert, based on a first control signal, voltage of electric power supplied from the power supply. The conversion units are electrically connected in parallel. The processor is configured to change a number of operating conversion unit among the conversion units. The processor is configured to generate the first control signal to generate a DC component in the electric power output from the power supply. The processor is configured to generate a second control signal to detect a state of the power supply. An AC component is generated according to the second control signal in the electric power output from the power supply such that the AC component has an amplitude based on the number of operating conversion unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A power supply system comprising:
a power supply; a conversion module including conversion units to convert, based on a first control signal, voltage of electric power supplied from the power supply, the conversion units being electrically connected in parallel; a processor configured to
change a number of operating conversion unit among the conversion units, the operating conversion unit being selected to actually convert the voltage,
generate the first control signal to generate a DC component in the electric power output from the power supply, and
generate a second control signal to detect a state of the power supply, an AC component being generated according to the second control signal in the electric power output from the power supply such that the AC component has an amplitude based on the number of operating conversion unit.

2 . The power supply system according to claim 1 , wherein
the processor generates the second control signal so as to make an amplitude of an AC component in a current input to and of an AC component in a current output from each of the conversion units that perform the voltage conversion decrease as the number of operating conversion unit increases.

3 . The power supply system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an obtaining unit that obtains a value of an input current input to the conversion module from the power supply, wherein the processor generates the second control signal so as to make the amplitude of the AC component be dependent on the input current in a case where the number of operating conversion unit is smaller than a threshold.

4 . The power supply system according to claim 3 , wherein
in a case where the number of operating conversion unit is equal to or larger than the threshold, the processor generates the second control signal so as to make the amplitude of the AC component be less dependent on the input current than in the case where the number of operating conversion unit is smaller than the threshold.

5 . The power supply system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an obtaining unit that obtains a value of an input current input to the conversion module from the power supply, wherein the processor generates the second control signal so as to make the amplitude of the AC component increase as the input current increases in a case where the number of operating conversion unit is smaller than a threshold.

6 . The power supply system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an obtaining unit that obtains a value of an input current input to the conversion module from the power supply, wherein the processor generates the second control signal so as to make the amplitude of the AC component be constant for each value of the number of operating conversion unit regardless of the value of the input current in a case where the number of operating conversion unit is equal to or larger than a threshold.

7 . The power supply system according to claim 1 , wherein
the processor generates the second control signal so as to make the AC component have an amplitude of a magnitude that corresponds to a voltage conversion ratio of the conversion module.

8 . The power supply system according to claim 7 , wherein
the amplitude of the AC component is made smaller as the voltage conversion ratio of the conversion module increases.

9 . The power supply system according to claim 1 , wherein
the processor measures an impedance of the power supply on the basis of the AC component generated by using the second control signal and included in the output from the power supply.

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 on the basis of 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 conversion module including conversion units to convert, based on a first control signal, voltage of electric power supplied from the power supply, the conversion units being electrically connected in parallel, the control method comprising:
changing a number of operating conversion unit among the conversion units, the operating conversion unit being selected to actually convert the voltage; generating the first control signal to generate a DC component in the electric power output from the power supply; and generating a second control signal to detect a state of the power supply, an AC component being generated according to the second control signal in the electric power output from the power supply such that the AC component has an amplitude based on the number of operating conversion unit.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kitamoto Ryota

Classifications

• 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

• H01M2250/20

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

• H02P27/06

  using DC to AC converters or inverters (H02P27/05 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H02M3/1584

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

• H01M8/04828

  Humidity; Water content · CPC title