Work machine having an electric drive

• US 10,124,660 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2014
• Issued: 11/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Liebherr-Components Biberach Gmbh (Liebherr-International AG)
• Original Assignee: Liebherr-Components Biberach Gmbh (Liebherr-International AG)
• Inventors: Sommer, Bernd, Fehrensen, Christian, Merkle, Markus
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US15/029,095
• Publication Number:
  US 20160257188A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,526 Days
• Field of Search: 307 101
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2028/003 inhibiting the starter motor, e.g. by controlling ignition or park lock circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2028/006 disconnecting the electric power supply, e.g. the vehicle battery
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/10 responsive to conditions relating to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/12 responsive to conditions relating to doors or doors locks, e.g. open door
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/22 characterised by apparatus, components or means specially adapted for HEVs
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/44 Series-parallel type
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/46 Series type
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/40 Working vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/00 Electric devices on electrically-propelled vehicles for safety purposes; Monitoring operating variables, e.g. speed, deceleration or energy consumption methods or circuit arrangements for monitoring or controlling batteries or fuel cells B60L58/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/04 Cutting off the power supply under fault conditions protective devices and circuit arrangements in general H01H; H02H
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/10 using propulsion power supplied by engine-driven generators, e.g. generators driven by combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/41 Construction vehicles, e.g. graders, excavators
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/92 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/904 Component specially adapted for hev

Abstract

The present invention relates to a work machine, in particular to a construction machine and/or mining machine such as a crawler-type vehicle, a dump truck, mining device or the like, having an electric drive which comprises power electronics which have at least one transformer which has power connections covered by a cover for connecting power cables, wherein a manually actuable grounding device is provided for the all-pole grounding of the transformer and/or for short-circuiting an intermediate circuit connected thereto. The invention in this respect in particular also relates to such a transformer. In accordance with the invention, the manually actuable grounding device is coupled to a cover latch of the cover such that the cover can be unlatched by actuating the named grounding device.

Claims

1. A work machine having an electric drive comprising power electronics which have at least one transformer and/or an intermediate circuit, and having power connections covered by a cover for connecting power cables, wherein a manually actuable grounding device is provided for grounding of the at least one transformer and/or for short-circuiting of the at least one intermediate circuit, wherein the grounding device is coupled to a cover latching for latching the cover such that the cover is unlatched by actuating the grounding device;

wherein the at least one transformer comprises a residual voltage gauge for measuring a residual voltage that is applied to the at least one transformer or to the transformer intermediate circuit, wherein the grounding device comprises an actuation lock for locking the grounding device in an undergrounded and/or non-short-circuited position in dependence on the measured residual voltage, wherein the actuation lock can only be released, or is automatically released, when the residual voltage measured by the residual voltage gauge is smaller than a predefined voltage limit.

2. The work machine in accordance with claim 1, wherein the cover latching is compulsorily coupled to the grounding device such that the cover is openable only when the grounding device is in a grounded and/or short-circuited position;

wherein the work machine is a construction machine and/or a mining machine, wherein the grounding is an all-pole grounding.

3. The work machine in accordance with claim 2, wherein the grounding device has a latching device for latching the grounding device in the grounded and/or short-circuited position.

4. The work machine in accordance with claim 2, wherein the grounding device is integrated into the at least one transformer such that only one actuation element of the grounding device is accessible from an outer side of the transformer.

5. The work machine in accordance with claim 4, wherein the construction machine or the mining machine is a crawler-type vehicle, a truck or a dump truck;

wherein the grounding device is arranged in an interior of a housing of the at least one transformer.

6. The work machine in accordance with claim 1, wherein an actuation lever of the grounding device is mechanically compulsorily coupled to a latching part of the cover latching.

7. The work machine in accordance with claim 1, wherein the residual voltage gauge is connectable to a residual voltage display for displaying the measured residual voltage.

8. The work machine in accordance with claim 1, wherein the at least one transformer has an integrated discharge device for discharging the at least one transformer and/or the intermediate circuit.

9. The work machine in accordance with claim 8, wherein the discharge device is actuable by interrupting or removing a control line for controlling the at least one transformer.

10. The work machine in accordance with claim 8, wherein the at least one transformer is at least two transformers connected to one another by a common intermediate circuit, wherein each of the at least two transformers has the grounding device and the integrated discharging device such that the intermediate circuit is also grounded overall by a second grounded and/or short-circuited transformer after a removal of a first transformer.

11. The work machine in accordance with claim 1, wherein the at least one transformer is a motor transformer associated with an electric motor of the electric drive.

12. The work machine in accordance with claim 1, wherein the at least one transformer is a generator transformer associated with a generator of the electric drive.

13. The work machine in accordance with claim 1, wherein an internal combustion engine is provided for driving a generator for supplying the electric drive with electrical energy.

14. The work machine in accordance with claim 13, wherein a start latching device is automatically actuated by removal of the at least one transformer from its installation position such that the internal combustion engine cannot be started.

15. The work machine in accordance with claim 14, wherein the removal of the at least one transformer from its installation position is only possible when the start latching device is manually actuated such that the internal combustion engine cannot be started.

16. A transformer for a work machine having an electric drive, the transformer having power connections covered by a cover for connecting power cables, wherein a manually actuable grounding device is provided for grounding of the transformer and/or for a short-circuiting of at least one intermediate circuit, wherein the grounding device is coupled to a cover latching for latching the cover such that the cover is unlatched by actuating the grounding device;

wherein the transformer comprises a residual voltage gauge for measuring a residual voltage that is applied to the transformer or to the transformer intermediate circuit, wherein the grounding device comprises an actuation lock for locking the grounding device in an ungrounded and/or non-short-circuited position in dependence on the measured residual voltage, wherein the actuation lock can only be released, or is automatically released, when the residual voltage measured by the residual voltage gauge is smaller than a predefined voltage limit.

17. The transformer in accordance with claim 16, wherein an integrated discharging device is provided for discharging the transformer, and the grounding device is only actuable after actuation of the discharging device and/or only when a present residual voltage is smaller than the predefined voltage limit.

18. The transformer in accordance with claim 17, wherein the grounding is an all-pole grounding;

wherein the integrated discharging device is an energy store.