US-12617284-B2 - Power supply system

Abstract

In a power supply system mounted on a vehicle, a connection unit allows a user to connect a load (external load). The power supply unit supplies power to the load via the connection unit. The current detection unit (first current detection unit) detects a current flowing from the power supply unit to the load. The notification unit notifies the user of the attention information when the detected current is equal to or larger than the rated current.

Inventors

• Masahide Okada
• Hirotaka Sato

Assignees

• TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20241001

Priority Date

20240123

Claims (4)

1. 1 . A power supply system that is mounted in a vehicle, the power supply system comprising: a power port configured to connect an external load; a battery configured to supply power to the external load via the power port; a sensor configured to detect a current flowing from the battery to the external load; a display configured to notify a user of caution information in a case where the detected current is equal to or greater than a rated current; and a processor configured to: determine whether a total amount of power supplied to the external load and a plurality of in-vehicle loads is equal to or greater than a first predetermined power threshold value, the plurality of in-vehicle loads being components of the vehicle, in a case where the total amount of the power supplied to the external load and the plurality of in-vehicle loads is equal to or greater than a first predetermined power threshold value: notify the user of power consumed by the external load and the plurality of in-vehicle loads using images or characters via the display; receive a user operation that selects one in-vehicle load among the plurality of in-vehicle loads to be limited; and limit a current flowing to the in-vehicle load selected by the user operation.
2. 2 . The power supply system according to claim 1 , wherein the display is configured to notify the user of the caution information in a case where a predetermined first time period elapses in a state where the detected current is equal to or greater than the rated current.
3. 3 . The power supply system according to claim 2 , wherein the processor is further configured to limit the current flowing to the external load to less than the rated current in a case where a predetermined second time period elapses in a state where the detected current is equal to or greater than the rated current, the predetermined second time period is longer than the predetermined first time period.
4. 4 . The power supply system according to claim 2 , wherein the processor is configured to block the current flowing to the external load in a case where a predetermined second time period elapses in a state where the detected current is equal to or greater than the rated current, the predetermined second time period is longer than the predetermined first time period.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-007850 filed on Jan. 23, 2024, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field The present disclosure relates to an in-vehicle power supply system. 2. Description of Related Art Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2015-37940 (JP 2015-37940 A) discloses a protection device for a load circuit that detects a current flowing through a load provided in a vehicle and blocks a load circuit on the basis of the detected current. SUMMARY Meanwhile, a typical vehicle is provided with a connection unit to which a user can connect an electric load, and power can be supplied from the vehicle to the electric load connected to the connection unit. The connection unit includes, for example, a cigarette socket. A rated current is defined for the connection unit. However, the user may connect a load that causes a current equal to or greater than the rated current to flow to the connection unit. An object of the present disclosure is to provide a technology capable of dealing with a situation in which a user connects a load that consumes a large amount of current to a connection unit of a vehicle. In order to solve the above problem, a power supply system according to an aspect of the present disclosure is mounted in a vehicle and includes:a connection unit to which a user is able to connect a load;a power supply unit that supplies power to the load via the connection unit;a current detection unit that detects a current flowing from the power supply unit to the load; anda notification unit that notifies the user of caution information when the detected current is equal to or greater than a rated current. According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a technology capable of dealing with a situation in which a user connects a load that consumes a large amount of current to a connection unit of a vehicle. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like signs denote like elements, and wherein: FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of a power supply system according to an embodiment; and FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a process related to power supply to the connection unit of FIG. 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a configuration of a power supply system 1 according to an embodiment. The power supply system 1 is mounted on a vehicle (not shown) and supplies electric power to various electric loads. The vehicle may be a vehicle that uses only an internal combustion engine as a traveling driving force source, or may be an electrified vehicle that uses an electric motor as a traveling driving force source. Electrified vehicles are, for example, battery electric vehicle (BEV), hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), or fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV). The vehicle may be a vehicle driven by a driver or an autonomous vehicle. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the power supply system 1 includes a power supply unit 10, a switch unit 12, a connection unit 14, a first in-vehicle load 16a, a second in-vehicle load 16b, an input unit 18, an output unit 20, and a processing unit 22. In FIG. 1, the first in-vehicle load 16a and the second in-vehicle load 16b are illustrated, but the power supply system 1 includes a larger number of in-vehicle loads (not illustrated). Hereinafter, a plurality of in-vehicle loads including the first in-vehicle load 16a and the second in-vehicle load 16b will be collectively referred to as an in-vehicle load 16 as appropriate. The power supply unit 10 supplies electric power to the connection unit 14 and the plurality of in-vehicle loads 16 via the switch unit 12. The power supply unit 10 includes, for example, an auxiliary battery (not shown), which is a rechargeable secondary battery. The power supply unit 10 is capable of outputting the electric power stored in the auxiliary battery. Various known configurations can be adopted as the power supply unit 10. The power supply unit 10 may include an alternator or a power converter such as a DC/DC converter. The power supply unit 10 may make the voltage supplied to the connection unit 14 different from the voltage supplied to the plurality of in-vehicle loads 16. The switch unit 12 can individually control the current flowing from the power supply unit 10 to the connection unit 14 and the current flowing from the power supply unit 10 to each of the plurality of in-vehicle loads 16. The switch unit 12 includes a first semiconductor switch 30a, a second semiconductor switch 30b, a third semiconductor switch 30c, a first current detection unit 32a, a second current detection unit 32b, and a third current detection unit 32c. The sw