1. A power supply system for an electrically powered vehicle equipped with a motor generating power to drive the vehicle, comprising:
a main power storage device;
an electric power feeding line supplying electric power to an inverter that controls and drives said motor;
a first voltage converter provided between said electric power feeding line and said main power storage device for converting voltage therebetween bidirectionally;
a plurality of sub power storage devices provided in parallel to each other;
a second voltage converter provided between said plurality of sub power storage devices and said electric power feeding line, for converting voltage between one of said plurality of sub power storage devices and said electric power feeding line bidirectionally;
a connection unit provided between said plurality of sub power storage devices and said second voltage converter, for selectively connecting a sub power storage device selected from said plurality of sub power storage devices to said second voltage converter; and
a switching control device controlling selective connection between said plurality of sub power storage devices and said second voltage converter,
said switching control device including
a switching determination unit determining whether or not said selected sub power storage device should be switched based on states of charge of said plurality of sub power storage devices,
a step-up-voltage instruction unit instructing said first voltage converter to provide a voltage on said electric power feeding line to be a first voltage higher than a voltage output from said main power storage device and a voltage output from a sub power storage device to be connected to said second voltage converter after switching, when said switching determination unit determines that it is necessary to switch said selected sub power storage device,
a first electric power limiter unit decreasing values of upper limits on electric power inputoutput tofrom said selected sub power storage device gradually to zero after said voltage on said electric power feeding line has reached said first voltage,
a connection switching control unit switching connection between said plurality of sub power storage devices and said second voltage converter, when said first electric power limiter unit sets said values of said upper limits on electric power inputoutput to zero, and
a second electric power limiter unit increasing said values of said upper limits on electric power inputoutput gradually to values corresponding to a state of charge of the sub power storage device newly connected to said second voltage converter after said connection switching control unit switches connection between said plurality of sub power storage devices and said second voltage converter.
2. The power supply system for an electrically powered vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said step-up-voltage instruction unit continues to instruct said first voltage converter to provide said voltage on said electric power feeding line to be said first voltage until a process for increasing said values of said upper limits on electric power inputoutput by said second electric power limiter unit ends.
3. The power supply system for an electrically powered vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said first voltage corresponds to a value of an upper limit on said voltage on said electric power feeding line controlled by said first voltage converter.
4. The power supply system for an electrically powered vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said switching control device further includes a third electric power limiter unit temporarily relaxing charging and discharging limits for said main power storage device in a period from when said first electric power limiter unit starts decreasing said values of said upper limits on electric power inputoutput to when said connection unit completes switching of connection between said plurality of sub power storage devices and said second voltage converter.
5. The power supply system for an electrically powered vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said electrically powered vehicle further includes
an internal combustion engine configured to be capable of outputting power to drive the vehicle independently of said motor, and
a traveling control unit starting said internal combustion engine when total required power for said electrically powered vehicle is greater than a sum of a value of an upper limit on electric power output from said main power storage device and the value of the upper limit on electric power output from said selected sub power storage device.
6. A method for controlling a power supply system for an electrically powered vehicle equipped with a motor generating power to drive the vehicle, said power supply system including
a main power storage device,
an electric power feeding line supplying electric power to an inverter that controls and drives said motor,
a first voltage converter provided between said electric power feeding line and said main power storage device for converting voltage therebetween bidirectionally,
a plurality of sub power storage devices provided in parallel to each other,
a second voltage converter provided between said plurality of sub power storage devices and said electric power feeding line, for converting voltage between one of said plurality of sub power storage devices and said electric power feeding line bidirectionally,
a connection unit provided between said plurality of sub power storage devices and said second voltage converter, for selectively connecting a sub power storage device selected from said plurality of sub power storage devices to said second voltage converter, and
a switching control device controlling selective connection between said plurality of sub power storage devices and said second voltage converter,
said method for controlling comprising the steps of:
determining whether or not said selected sub power storage device should be switched based on states of charge of said plurality of sub power storage devices;
instructing said first voltage converter to provide a voltage on said electric power feeding line to be a first voltage higher than a voltage output from said main power storage device and a voltage output from a sub power storage device to be connected to said second voltage converter after switching when said step of determining determines that it is necessary to switch said selected sub power storage device;
decreasing values of upper limits on electric power inputoutput tofrom said selected sub power storage device gradually to zero after said voltage on said electric power feeding line has reached said first voltage;
switching connection between said plurality of sub power storage devices and said second voltage converter when said step of decreasing sets said values of said upper limits on electric power inputoutput to zero; and
increasing said values of said upper limits on electric power inputoutput gradually to values corresponding to a state of charge of the sub power storage device newly connected to said second voltage converter after said step of switching switches connection between said plurality of sub power storage devices and said second voltage converter.
7. The method for controlling a power supply system for an electrically powered vehicle according to claim 6, further comprising the step of continuing to instruct said first voltage converter to provide said voltage on said electric power feeding line to be said first voltage until a process for increasing said values of said upper limits on electric power inputoutput in said step of increasing ends.
8. The method for controlling a power supply system for an electrically powered vehicle according to claim 6, wherein said first voltage corresponds to a value of an upper limit on said voltage on said electric power feeding line controlled by said first voltage converter.
9. The method for controlling a power supply system for an electrically powered vehicle according to claim 6, further comprising the step of temporarily relaxing charging and discharging limits for said main power storage device in a period from when said step of decreasing starts decreasing said values of said upper limits on electric power inputoutput to when said connection unit completes switching of connection between said plurality of sub power storage devices and said second voltage converter.
10. The method for controlling a power supply system for an electrically powered vehicle according to claim 6, wherein
said electrically powered vehicle is further equipped with an internal combustion engine configured to be capable of outputting power to drive the vehicle independently of said motor, and
said internal combustion engine is started when total required power for said electrically powered vehicle is greater than a sum of a value of an upper limit on electric power output from said main power storage device and the value of the upper limit on electric power output from said selected sub power storage device.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A process for producing a protein-carbohydrate complex, comprising the steps of:
providing a modified protein (MP), the MP characterized by being denatured and heated sufficiently to gel;
mixing the MP with a carbohydrate to form an MP-carbohydrate mixture; and
heating the MP-carbohydrate mixture to a temperature and for a time sufficient to form MP-carbohydrate complexes.
2. The process defined in claim 1, wherein the mixing and heating steps are carried out in the absence of enzymatic agents.
3. The process defined in claim 1, wherein the MP has a viscosity of at least one-half Pa-s at 46 s\u22121 for one half hour in a steady state shear test at 25\xb0 C. when reconstituted as a 10% weightweight solution in deionized water at a pH of 4.
4. The process defined in claim 1, wherein the MP has a phase angle of five to forty degrees at frequencies of from 0.01 to 20 Hertz in a frequency sweep test at 25\xb0 C. when reconstituted as a 10% weightweight solution in deionized water.
5. The process defined in claim 1, wherein the heating step comprises heating the MP-carbohydrate mixture to a temperature of at least 60\xb0 C.
6. The process defined in claim 1, wherein the heating step comprises heating the MP-carbohydrate mixture for a duration of at least 2 hours.
7. The process defined in claim 1, wherein the mixing step comprises mixing the MP with the carbohydrate at an acidic pH.
8. The process defined in claim 1, wherein the mixing step comprises mixing the MP with the carbohydrate at a pH of between about 3 and 4.
9. The process defined in claim 1, wherein the mixing step comprises mixing the MP with the carbohydrate at a pH of between about 3.3 and 3.6.
10. The process defined in claim 1, further comprising the step of forming the MP-carbohydrate complexes into a powder.
11. The process defined in claim 1, wherein the MP-carbohydrate complexes have a viscosity of at least 1.0 Pa-s at a shear rate of a 50 s\u22121 at 25\xb0 C.
12. The process defined in claim 1, wherein the MP-carbohydrate complexes have a creaming index of less than 25 percent.
13. The process defined in claim 1, wherein the MP-corrector complexes have a creaming index of less than 15 percent.
14. The process defined in claim 1, wherein the MP is provided in an aqueous solution.
15. The process defined in claim 1, wherein the carbohydrate is selected from the group consisting of lactose, corn syrup and dextran.
16. The process defined in claim 1, further comprising the step of adding the MP-carbohydrate complexes to a foodstuff prior to packaging of the foodstuff.
17. The process defined in claim 1, wherein the heating step comprises forming a covalent bond between the MP and a reducing end of the carbohydrate.
18. The process defined in claim 1, wherein the heating step induces a Maillard reaction between the MP and the carbohydrate.
19. The process defined in claim 1, wherein mixing step comprises mixing the MP and the carbohydrate in a ratio between 1:1 and 3:1 by weight.
20. The process defined in claim 13, wherein the ratio is between about 1.5:1 and 2.5:1.
21. The process defined in claim 1, wherein the MP is whey protein.
22. The MP-carbohydrate complex formed by the process of claim 1.
23. A modified protein (MP)-carbohydrate complex having a viscosity of at least 1.0 Pa-s at a shear rate of a 50 s\u22121 at 25\xb0 C. and a creaming index of less than 25 percent.