Drivetrain and method for drives having widely spaced oeprating points

• US 10,145,359 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2014
• Issued: 12/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EnerKite GmbH
• Original Assignee: EnerKite GmbH
• Inventors: Kovesdi, Peter, Dreier, Jan-Eike
• Primary Examiner(s): Hansen, Colby M
• Application Number:
  US14/916,002
• Publication Number:
  US 20160201768A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,554 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 5/06 the wind-engaging parts swinging to-and-fro and not rotating
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2260/40311 of the epicyclic, planetary or differential type
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2200/2005 with one sets of orbital gears
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2200/2082 one freewheel mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 3/724 using external powered electric machines
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/70 Wind energy

Abstract

A drive unit provided with at least one powertrain which is equipped with at least two widely spaced operating points for achieving a high rotational speed spread with a high degree of efficiency. A method for controlling the load speed of a corresponding device, specifically, a wind turbine plant is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A device to achieve a high speed spread at high efficiency in a powertrain of a driven machine or system, the device comprising:

(i) a first power machine (A1) and a second power machine (A2) which are indirectly—

via appropriate coupling elements, transmission links or translation devices (7, 8)—

or directly torque-proof connected to a carrier shaft (S) and a slower transmission central shaft (2), respectively, of an epicyclic gear (3) that determine a fixed carrier train ratio, and

(ii) a work machine (L) which is indirectly—

via the appropriate coupling elements, transmission links or translation devices—

or directly torque-proof connected with a faster transmission central shaft (1) of the epicyclic gear (3), and

(iii) at least one coupling device (6) which blocks internal movements of the epicyclic gear (3) in a first rotational direction and permits the internal movements in an opposite rotational direction,

further comprising one of the following;

at least one of the coupling devices (6, 7, 8) is torsional flexibly connected with one or several of the involved transmission linkages of the device, or

a speed for optimum machine performance with regard to efficiency is essentially same or deviates from the first and the second power machine by a maximum of 10%, or

a ratio of torque of optimum machine performance with regard to efficiency of the first and the second power machines is essentially equal to an absolute value of a term defined by a reciprocal of a product of a stationary translation and a stationary efficiency in a power flow direction of the epicyclic gear, reduced by 1, or does not deviate more than a maximum of 10% from this term.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one coupling device (6) is formed by a freewheel coupling 6).

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein at least one coupling device is located between the transmission shafts (1, 2) of the epicyclic gear.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one coupling device is located between the carrier shaft (S) and the slower stationary transmission shaft (2) of the epicyclic gear (3).

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein at least one coupling device is located between the carrier shaft (S) and the faster stationary transmission shaft (1) of the epicyclic gear (3).

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein at least one coupling device is located between the carrier shaft (S) and one or more planetary gears (P) of the epicyclic gear (3).

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein at least the first and the second power machines (A1, A2) is functionally connected with at least a further power machine.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein at least one work machine (L) is functionally connected with at least one further work machine.

9. A method for control of a load torque of the device according to claim 1, wherein the coupling device (6) is disengaged during operation (Mode E), the method comprising

(i) controlling torque of

(a) the first or the second power machine (A1 or A2) which is coupled to the slower transmission shaft (2) of the epicyclic gear (3) based on the negative load setpoint, divided by a product of a stationary translation and a stationary efficiency in the power flow direction, or

(b) the first or the second power machine (A1 or A2) which is coupled to the carrier shaft (S) of the epicyclic gear (3) based on a load setpoint, divided by a product of the stationary translation and the stationary efficiency in the power flow direction reduced by 1, and

(ii) for both steps (a) and (b), maintaining the speed of the other of the first or the second power machine at a specific target value.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising maintaining the speed-controlled drive at a speed value which creates a least total loss of power in both the first and the second power machines.

11. The method according to claim 9, further comprising maintaining a speed of the speed-controlled first or second power machine at a negative value of a speed of the other the first or the second power machines.

12. A method of controlling a load speed of the device according to claim 1, wherein the coupling device (6) is disengaged during operation (Mode E), the method comprising:

regulating speeds of both the first and the second power machines (A1, A2) such that a product of the stationary translation and a speed of the drive coupled of the slower transmission shaft (2) of the epicyclic gear (3), reduced by a product of a stationary translation, reduced by 1 and a speed of the other drive, corresponds to a load target speed.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising maintaining an absolute value of a speed for both the first and the second power machines at a ratio of a target speed of an output, and a term defined by a doubled stationary translation of the epicyclic gear reduced by 1.

14. An airborne wind energy converter with extendible and retractable wind sails and a powertrain device to achieve a high speed spread at high efficiency, the powertrain device comprising

(a) a first power machine (A1) and a second power machine (A2),

(b) a work machine (L), and

(c) an epicyclic gear (3) having a stationary translation value which is greater than 1 in terms of amount, and comprising the following transmission linkages:

an input transmission carrier shaft (S), a slower input transmission central shaft (2), a faster output transmission central shaft (1), and at least one freewheel coupling device (6) which blocks internal movements of the epicyclic gear in a first rotational direction and permits the movements in an opposite rotational direction;

wherein

(i) the transmission carrier shaft (S) is torque proof connected to the first power machine (A1) to form drive (A-S), the slower transmission central shaft (2) to the second power machine (A2) to form drive (A-2), and the faster transmission central shaft (1) to the work machine (L),

(ii) in a first operating mode (Modus A), the drives (A-S) and (A-2) are forcibly coupled at the same speed by the at least one freewheel coupling device (6) and have the same rotational direction, and unidirectional torques are applied to the transmission shafts (2) and (S), to call up, on the output transmission central shaft (1), the sum of the input power with the speed of said drive shafts, and

(iii) in a second operating mode (Modus E), the movable transmission linkages and the drives (A-S) and (A-2) are released by the freewheel coupling device (6) which have the opposite rotational direction, to call up, on the output transmission central shaft (1), the sum of the input power with a higher speed.

15. An airborne wind energy converter according to claim 14, wherein, in connection with Modus E, the higher speed corresponds to a product of the stationary translation and a speed of the drive (A-2) coupled to the slower transmission central shaft (2), reduced by a product of the stationary translation reduced by 1 and a speed of the other drive (A-S).

16. An airborne wind energy converter according to claim 14, wherein the epicyclic gear (3) comprises a ring gear and a sun gear.

17. An airborne wind energy converter according to claim 14, wherein the work machine (L) comprises a cable drum connected to the wind sails.