CN109291797B

CN109291797B - Device and method for providing electrical protection, electrical system and mobile charging vehicle

Info

Publication number: CN109291797B
Application number: CN201811300583.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 刘源; 谭卓辉; 邹积勇
Original assignee: NIO Anhui Holding Co Ltd
Current assignee: NIO Holding Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-11-02
Filing date: 2018-11-02
Publication date: 2021-10-15
Anticipated expiration: 2038-11-02
Also published as: CN109291797A

Abstract

The invention relates to a device and a method for providing electrical protection, an electrical system and a mobile charging vehicle. According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for providing electrical protection to an electrical system of a mobile charging cart, the electrical system comprising a power generating unit coupled to an engine and a charging unit coupled to the power generating unit, wherein a mobile charging process is divided into a plurality of operational phases, the method comprising the steps of: receiving one or more state parameters associated with operation of the power generation unit or charging unit; and generating an operating command of the electrical system based on the state parameter and a preset strategy, wherein the preset strategy comprises a global strategy applicable to a plurality of operation stages or a local strategy applicable to a single operation stage.

Description

Device and method for providing electrical protection, electrical system and mobile charging vehicle

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technology of new energy automobiles, in particular to a device and a method for providing electrical protection for an electrical system of a mobile charging vehicle, the electrical system comprising the device and the mobile charging vehicle.

Background

In recent years, with the rapid development of the electric vehicle market, urban charging facilities are not constructed in place, and charging support of medium-long distance/special lines, large-scale activity logistics and the like is increasingly difficult, so that the mobile charging vehicle gradually becomes an important part of a charging support network.

According to the operation mode division, the mobile charging vehicle generally comprises a fuel vehicle type with an energy storage battery, an electric vehicle type with an energy storage battery, a pure power takeoff power generation type, a power takeoff power generation and energy storage battery type and the like. The mobile charging vehicle based on the power take-off power generation and the energy storage battery well meets the requirements of endurance mileage, more energy carrying capacity and high charging power, and is favored by users. However, this mode requires high system control because engine efficiency, battery life, and satisfaction of charging service need to be considered at the same time.

The mobile charging vehicle includes a power generation unit and a charging unit coupled to the power generation unit, the latter charging an external vehicle or a battery using electric energy generated by the former. Generally, it is necessary to perform the process from the start-up to the external charging in a short time.

During the starting phase, the transient voltage at the generator end, the transient current at the charging side, and the relay failure, the charging module failure, the charging interaction failure, and the environmental conditions may cause the overvoltage, the over-temperature, the overload, the short circuit, and the like of the power generation unit and the charging unit.

In the prior art, electrical protection is provided by monitoring for faults and shutting off the power supply after a fault is detected. As the functionality of electrical systems increases, the causes of faults and the impact on the system become more complex, and there is a need to provide electrical protection in a more efficient manner.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for providing electrical protection to an electrical system of a mobile charging cart that improves the robustness and utilization of the system operation while providing effective electrical protection to the electrical system.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for providing electrical protection to an electrical system of a mobile charging cart, the electrical system comprising a power generating unit coupled to an engine and a charging unit coupled to the power generating unit, wherein a mobile charging process is divided into a plurality of operational phases, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving one or more state parameters associated with operation of the power generation unit or charging unit; and

generating an operating command of the electrical system based on the state parameter and a preset strategy, wherein the preset strategy comprises a global strategy applicable to a plurality of operation stages or a local strategy applicable to a single operation stage.

Optionally, in the above method, the state parameter includes at least one of: voltage, current and power at a node of the electrical system and an on-off state of a switching element at the node.

Optionally, in the above method, the plurality of operating phases comprises the following operating phases: the method comprises a shutdown stage, a power generation starting stage, a standby stage, a charging stage and a fault processing stage, wherein in the shutdown stage, the power generation unit and the charging unit are both in a non-started state, in the power generation starting stage, the power generation unit operates in a no-load state, and the charging unit is in a non-started state, in the standby stage, the power generation unit operates in a no-load state, and the charging unit is in a started state but is not externally charged, in the charging stage, the power generation unit operates in a loaded state, and the charging unit is externally charged, and in the fault processing stage, the fault occurring is tried to be eliminated.

Optionally, in the above method, the global policy includes a voltage, current, or power monitoring policy, under which if the voltage, current, or power at the node is kept within a set range within a time interval of a set duration, the current operating stage enters a subsequent operating stage or keeps the current operating stage, and otherwise, corresponding fault handling logic is executed.

Optionally, in the above method, the global policy includes a switching semaphore monitoring policy, under which if the switching value of the switching element is consistent with the desired state, the current operating stage enters a subsequent operating stage or maintains the current operating stage, otherwise, the fault handling logic is executed.

Optionally, in the above method, the fault handling logic is based on the current operating phase and severity of the fault.

Optionally, in the method, during the fault handling stage, the fault is eliminated in one of the following ways: a) automatically repairing the fault; b) suspending charging of the charging unit and resetting the power generating unit, the switching element, and the charging unit; c) opening the switching element and entering the shutdown phase.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for providing electrical protection to an electrical system of a mobile charging cart, the electrical system comprising a power generating unit coupled to an engine and a charging unit coupled to the power generating unit, wherein a mobile charging process is divided into a plurality of operational phases, the apparatus comprising:

a first module for receiving one or more state parameters associated with operation of the power generation unit or charging unit; and

a second module for generating operating commands of the electrical system based on the state parameters and a preset strategy, wherein the preset strategy comprises a global strategy applicable to a plurality of operating phases or a local strategy applicable to a single operating phase.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for providing electrical protection to an electrical system of a mobile charging cart, the electrical system comprising a power generation unit coupled to an engine and a charging unit coupled to the power generation unit, wherein the mobile charging process is divided into a plurality of operational phases, the apparatus comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored on the memory and operable on the processor, the program being executable to:

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electrical system comprising:

a power generation unit coupled with the engine;

a charging unit coupled with the power generation unit; and

a control unit comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored on the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the program is executed to:

Optionally, in the above electrical system, the charging unit is a dc or ac charging pile.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mobile charging cart including:

an engine; and

an electrical system as described above.

By starting the timing sequence and the dynamic limit value, the fault point can be narrowed to a local range, so that larger faults are prevented from being triggered; in addition, the dynamic limit makes it possible to smooth a failure that causes a shutdown, thereby ensuring the continuity and stability of the charging service. According to one or more embodiments of the invention, the reliability and the stability of the equipment are further ensured by considering the linkage operation of the power generation unit and the charging unit.

Drawings

The above and/or other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the various aspects taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like or similar elements are designated with like reference numerals. The drawings comprise:

fig. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a mobile charging cart in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a voltage, current, or power monitoring strategy in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a switching semaphore monitoring strategy.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an electrical system switching between different operational phases in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a flow diagram of a method for providing electrical protection to an electrical system of a mobile charging cart in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a block diagram of an apparatus for providing electrical protection to an electrical system of a mobile charging cart in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a block diagram of an apparatus for providing electrical protection to an electrical system of a mobile charging cart in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. The embodiments described above are intended to provide a full and complete disclosure of the present invention to more fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

In the present specification, words such as "comprise" and "comprises" mean that, in addition to elements and steps directly and unequivocally stated in the specification and claims, the technical solution of the present invention does not exclude other elements and steps not directly or unequivocally stated.

Terms such as "first" and "second" do not denote an order of the elements in time, space, size, etc., but rather are used to distinguish one element from another.

The mobile charging cart 10 shown in fig. 1 includes an engine 110 and an electrical system 120. The electrical system 120 includes a power generation unit 121, a charging unit 122, switching elements K1, K2, and a control unit 123. In the electrical system shown in fig. 1, a power generation unit 121 is coupled to the engine 110 to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy. The charging unit 122 is coupled with the power generating unit 121 via switching elements K1 and K2 (e.g., a relay and an emergency stop button) to output the electric power generated by the power generating unit 121 to the outside (e.g., charge a battery of the electric vehicle 20). The charging unit 122 may be a dc or ac charging post. It is noted that the number and arrangement of the switching elements are merely exemplary, and alternatively, the switching elements may be arranged at other nodes of the electrical system 121.

Referring to fig. 1, as a device for providing electrical protection to an electrical system, the control unit 123 is configured to acquire a state parameter associated with the operation of the power generation unit 121, the charging unit 122, and the like, and generate an operation command of the electrical system based on the state parameter and a preset policy. For example, the control unit 123 may be connected to an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) and a charging pile control board through a CAN bus to acquire voltage, current and power, etc. state parameters at nodes of the electrical system and generate an operation command of the electrical system according to a preset policy and the state parameters, the Electronic Control Unit (ECU) and the charging pile control board controlling operations of respective components within the power generation unit 121 and the charging unit 122 based on the operation command. Alternatively, the control unit 123 may collect the switching value signal through the DIDO and generate an operation command based on the preset strategy and the switching value signal, and control the on/off of the switching element through the DIDO based on the operation command.

Optionally, the state parameter includes at least one of the following: voltage, current and power at a node of the electrical system and an on-off state of a switching element at the node. Examples of voltages, currents and powers at the nodes include, but are not limited to: current, voltage, power at the output side of the power generation unit; current, voltage, power at the input side of the charging unit; and current, voltage, power, etc. at the output side of the charging unit.

In one or more embodiments of the invention, the mobile charging process is divided into a plurality of operational phases. Optionally, the plurality of operational stages comprises the following operational stages: the method comprises a shutdown phase, a power generation starting phase, a standby phase, a charging phase and a fault handling phase. Particularly, in the shutdown stage, the power generation unit and the charging unit are both in an un-started state; in the power generation starting stage, the power generation unit is in a no-load running state, and the charging unit is in an un-started state; in the standby stage, the power generation unit is in the state of no-load operation, and the charging unit is in the starting state but is not charged outwards; in the charging stage, the power generation unit is in a loaded running state and the charging unit charges outwards; in the fault handling phase, attempts are made to eliminate the occurring faults.

Optionally, in the fault handling stage, the fault is eliminated in one of the following ways: a) automatically repairing the fault; b) suspending charging of the charging unit and resetting the power generating unit, the switching element, and the charging unit; c) opening the switching element and entering the shutdown phase.

In one or more embodiments of the invention, the preset strategy comprises a global strategy suitable for multiple operating phases or a local strategy suitable for a single operating phase. Alternatively, the global policy may include a voltage or current monitoring policy and a switching semaphore monitoring policy. This will be described in detail below.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a voltage, current, or power monitoring strategy in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention. As shown in fig. 2, in step 210, the control unit 123 samples and filters the measurement signal of the output voltage of the power generation unit 121 or the generator provided by the ECU within a time window. It should be noted that the output voltage of the generator described herein is merely exemplary, voltages at other nodes (e.g., the input side and the output side of the charging unit) may be applied to the strategy shown in fig. 2, and the monitored state parameters are not limited to voltage, but may be current, power, and the like.

Then, in step 220, the control unit 123 determines whether the output voltage, current or power is stable or remains within a predetermined range within the time window. If so, step 230 is entered, otherwise step 240 is entered. Alternatively, different operating phases have different setting ranges, and the setting ranges may vary over time.

In step 230, the control unit 123 generates an operation command of the electrical system. For example, if the power generation starting phase is currently in progress, the operation command is to enter the standby phase. As another example, if the charging phase is currently in progress, the operation command is to keep the charging phase unchanged.

In step 240, the control unit executes the corresponding fault handling logic. Optionally, the fault handling logic is based on the current operating phase and severity of the fault. For example, if the power generation start-up phase is currently being performed, the operation command is to enter a shutdown phase. As another example, if the current state is in the standby phase or the charging phase, the operation command is to enter the fault handling phase.

In one or more embodiments of the invention, the setting range in step 220 may be dynamically adjustable. For example, the output voltage, current or power of the power generation unit and the charging unit may be monitored in real time, and when the output voltage, current or power has a tendency to trigger the fault handling logic, the control unit 123 may adjust the set range to prevent the fault handling logic from being triggered, thereby ensuring the stability of the operation of the electrical system.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a switching semaphore monitoring strategy. As shown in fig. 3, the control unit 123 acquires the states of the switching elements such as the relay and the emergency stop button in step 310. For a plurality of switching elements, a polling scheme may be employed.

Subsequently, proceeding to step 320, the control unit 123 determines whether the switching amount of the switching element coincides with the desired state. If so, step 330 is entered, otherwise step 340 is entered.

In step 330, the control unit 123 generates an operation command of the electrical system. For example, if the power generation starting phase is currently in progress, the operation command is to enter the standby phase. As another example, if the charging phase is currently in progress, the operation command is to keep the charging phase unchanged.

In step 340, the control unit 123 executes the corresponding fault handling logic. Optionally, the fault handling logic is based on the current operating phase and severity of the fault. For example, if it is currently in the power generation starting phase, the standby phase, or the charging phase, the operation command is to enter the fault handling phase.

As shown in fig. 4, the electrical system switches between various operational phases based on various triggering events.

For example, when the voltage, current or power monitoring strategy shown in fig. 2 is employed, if it is detected that the output voltage of the generator is stable during the shutdown phase, the electrical system will enter the power generation startup phase; if the output voltage of the generator is detected to be stable in the power generation starting stage, the electric system enters a standby state; if the output voltage of the generator is detected to be unstable in the power generation starting stage, the electric system enters a shutdown stage; if the output voltage of the generator is detected to be stable in the standby stage, the electric system enters a charging stage, and the power generation unit and the charging unit are coupled at the moment; if the output voltage of the generator or the charging unit is detected to drop rapidly in the standby stage and the charging stage, the electrical system enters a fault handling stage, and if the fault cannot be eliminated in the fault handling stage, the electrical system enters a shutdown stage; if the removal of the load on the output side of the charging unit (i.e. the charging is stopped) is detected in the charging stage, the electrical system enters a standby state; if the charging unit is detected to be turned off in the standby phase, the electrical system enters a power generation starting state, and the power generation unit and the charging unit are not coupled any more.

For another example, when the switching signal amount monitoring strategy shown in fig. 3 is adopted, if it is detected that the relay does not pull in or the emergency stop button is pressed in the power generation starting stage, the electrical system will enter the fault handling stage, and if the fault cannot be eliminated in the fault handling stage, the electrical system enters the shutdown stage; if it is detected that the relay does not pull in or the emergency stop button is pressed in the standby phase and the charging phase, the electrical system enters a fault handling phase, and if the fault cannot be eliminated in the fault handling phase, the electrical system enters a shutdown phase.

Fig. 5 is a flow diagram of a method for providing electrical protection to an electrical system of a mobile charging cart in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention. Illustratively, the electrical system shown in FIG. 1 is used as a carrier for the method implementation.

As shown in fig. 5, the control unit 123 selects a corresponding preset strategy and a node to be monitored based on the current operation stage. For example, during the shutdown phase, the selected preset strategy may include the voltage, current or power monitoring strategy shown in fig. 2, and during the power generation start-up phase, the standby phase and the charging phase, the voltage, current or power monitoring strategy shown in fig. 2 and the switching signal amount monitoring strategy shown in fig. 3 may be included.

Proceeding then to step 520, the control unit 123 receives one or more status parameters at the selected node, which parameters are associated with the operation of the power generating or charging unit, as described above.

Proceeding to step 530, the control unit 123 switches the electrical system to another operating phase or keeps the current operating state unchanged, based on the received state parameters and the selected preset strategy.

After completion of step 530, the method flow shown in FIG. 5 returns to step 510.

Fig. 6 is a block diagram of an apparatus for providing electrical protection to an electrical system of a mobile charging cart, which may be used with the electrical system shown in fig. 1, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention.

The apparatus 60 shown in fig. 6 includes a first module 610 and a second module 620. In the device 60 shown in fig. 6, a first module 610 is configured to receive one or more state parameters associated with the operation of the power generation unit or the charging unit, and a second module 620 is configured to generate an operation command of the electrical system based on the state parameters and a preset strategy, wherein the preset strategy comprises a global strategy applicable to a plurality of operation stages or a local strategy applicable to a single operation stage.

Fig. 7 is a block diagram of an apparatus for providing electrical protection to an electrical system of a mobile charging cart, which may be used with the electrical system shown in fig. 1, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention.

The apparatus 70 shown in fig. 7 comprises a memory 710, a processor 720 and a computer program 730 stored on said memory 710 and executable on said processor 720, which program 730 when executed implements the method described above with reference to fig. 5.

The embodiments and examples set forth herein are presented to best explain the embodiments in accordance with the present technology and its particular application and to thereby enable those skilled in the art to make and utilize the invention. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the foregoing description and examples have been presented for the purpose of illustration and example only. The description as set forth is not intended to cover all aspects of the invention or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed.

In view of the foregoing, the scope of the present disclosure is to be determined by the following claims.

Claims

1. A method for providing electrical protection to an electrical system of a mobile charging cart, the electrical system comprising a power generating unit coupled to an engine and a charging unit coupled to the power generating unit, wherein a mobile charging process is divided into a plurality of operational phases, the method comprising the steps of:

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the state parameter comprises at least one of: voltage, current and power at a node of the electrical system and an on-off state of a switching element at the node.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of operational stages comprises the following operational stages: the method comprises a shutdown stage, a power generation starting stage, a standby stage, a charging stage and a fault processing stage, wherein in the shutdown stage, the power generation unit and the charging unit are both in a non-started state, in the power generation starting stage, the power generation unit operates in a no-load state, and the charging unit is in a non-started state, in the standby stage, the power generation unit operates in a no-load state, and the charging unit is in a started state but is not externally charged, in the charging stage, the power generation unit operates in a loaded state, and the charging unit is externally charged, and in the fault processing stage, the fault occurring is tried to be eliminated.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the global policy comprises a voltage, current, or power monitoring policy under which if the voltage, current, or power at a node remains within a set range for a set period of time, a subsequent operating phase is entered into or maintained from a current operating phase, and otherwise, corresponding fault handling logic is executed.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the global strategy comprises a switching semaphore monitoring strategy under which, if the switching amount of the switching element is consistent with a desired state, a subsequent operating phase is entered into or maintained from the currently located operating phase, otherwise, fault handling logic is executed.

6. The method of claim 4 or 5, wherein the fault handling logic is based on the current operating phase and severity of the fault.

7. A method according to claim 3, wherein, in the fault handling phase, faults are eliminated in one of the following ways: a) automatically repairing the fault; b) suspending charging of the charging unit and resetting the power generating unit, the switching element, and the charging unit; c) opening the switching element and entering the shutdown phase.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the set range is dynamically adjustable.

9. An apparatus for providing electrical protection to an electrical system of a mobile charging cart, the electrical system including a power generation unit coupled to an engine and a charging unit coupled to the power generation unit, wherein a mobile charging process is divided into a plurality of operational phases, the apparatus comprising:

10. An apparatus for providing electrical protection to an electrical system of a mobile charging cart, the electrical system comprising a power generation unit coupled to an engine and a charging unit coupled to the power generation unit, wherein a mobile charging process is divided into a plurality of operational phases, the apparatus comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored on the memory and operable on the processor, the program being executed to:

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the state parameter comprises at least one of: voltage, current and power at a node of the electrical system and an on-off state of a switching element at the node.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the plurality of operational stages comprises the following operational stages: the method comprises a shutdown stage, a power generation starting stage, a standby stage, a charging stage and a fault processing stage, wherein in the shutdown stage, the power generation unit and the charging unit are both in a non-started state, in the power generation starting stage, the power generation unit operates in a no-load state, and the charging unit is in a non-started state, in the standby stage, the power generation unit operates in a no-load state, and the charging unit is in a started state but is not externally charged, in the charging stage, the power generation unit operates in a loaded state, and the charging unit is externally charged, and in the fault processing stage, the fault occurring is tried to be eliminated.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the global policy comprises a voltage, current, or power monitoring policy under which if the voltage, current, or power at the monitored node remains within a set range for a set length of time, a subsequent operational phase is entered into or maintained from a current operational phase, and otherwise, fault handling logic is executed.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the global policy comprises a switching semaphore monitoring policy under which, if the switching amount of the switching element is consistent with a desired state, a subsequent operating phase is entered into or maintained from a current operating phase, and otherwise, fault handling logic is executed.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 or 14, wherein the fault handling logic is based on a current operating phase and severity of the fault.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein during the fault handling phase, faults are resolved in one of the following ways: a) automatically repairing the fault; b) suspending charging of the charging unit and resetting the power generating unit, the switching element, and the charging unit; c) opening the switching element and entering the shutdown phase.

17. An electrical system for moving a charging cart, comprising:

a power generation unit coupled with the engine;

a charging unit coupled with the power generation unit; and

18. The electrical system of claim 17, wherein the charging unit is a dc or ac charging post.

19. A mobile charging cart, comprising:

an engine; and

an electrical system as claimed in claim 17 or 18.