Electric drive system, especially for vehicles

• US 20040061336A1
• Filed: 10/10/2003
• Published: 04/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: L-3 Communications Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Magnet-Motor Gesellschaft Fuer Magnet-Motorische Technik MbH
• Inventors: Ehrhart, Peter, Scherg, Christof, Weck, Werner
• Granted Patent: US 6,959,237 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 290/40R
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0023 Detecting, eliminating, remedying or compensating for drive train abnormalities, e.g. failures within the drive train
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0092 with use of redundant elements for safety purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/61 by batteries charged by engine-driven generators, e.g. series hybrid electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• 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

Abstract

For enhancing the operational safety of an electric drive unit of a vehicle comprising a generator (G), which is operated by a combustion machine (V), and drive motors (M1, M2), which are connected to said generator via a direct-voltage intermediate circuit, the generator and drive motors are each subdivided into partial units (TG1, TG2; TM11-TM22), and these partial units have partial power electronics units (TGLE1, TGLE2; TM1LE1, TM1LE2 . . . ) associated therewith. The mutually corresponding partial units of generator, motors and power electronics units each constitute a drive circuit (AK1, AK2) of their own, with control signals being supplied to components thereof by a specifically assigned system control unit (1, 2). The system control units that are interconnected via an information exchange channel (IAK) can undertake compensation measures in their drive circuit or in the other drive circuits in the event of a complete or partial failure of a drive circuit (AK1, AK2). As an alternative to the assignment of one system control unit (1, 2) at a time to a drive circuit, there may also be several system control units connected to the individual drive circuits via bus connections or via multiple single channels.

Claims

1. An electric drive system, in particular for vehicles, comprising:

a) at least two drive motors (M1, M2) are subdivided into at least two partial motors (TM11, TM12;

TM21, TM22) each;

b) at least one generator (G) driven by a combustion machine (V) is subdivided into at least two partial generators (TG1, TG2);

c) the drive motors (M1, M2) and the generator (G) each have a power electronics unit (M1LE, M2LE, GLE) associated therewith which in turn is subdivided into at least two independent partial power electronics units, i.e. first, second, etc. power electronics units (TM1LE1, TM1LE2, TM2LE1, TM2LE2, TGLE1, TGLE2),

d) there are provided at least two superior system control units (1, 2) connected via control lines (a-g;

t-z) to the drive motors, the generator and/or the power electronics units;

e) the system control units (1, 2) have operating elements (B) connected thereto;

f) the independent partial electronics units are associated with the partial motors and the partial generators in a correspondence of 1;

1 each;

g) the first, second, etc. partial electronics units of the drive motors and of the generator are each connected to form first, second, etc. drive circuits (AK1, AK2);

h1) the first, second, etc. drive circuits (AK1, AK2) have first, second, etc. ones of the superior system control units (1, 2) associated therewith;

or

h2) the system control units (1, 2) are associated with all drive circuits (AK1, AK2, AK3); and

i) the system control units are mutually connected via an information exchange channel (IAK) and contain a detector means (11, 21) for sensing a failure of one or more drive circuits (AK1, AK2, AK3).

2. The system of claim 1, characterized by:

h2′

) the drive circuits (AK1, AK2, AK3) each have a plurality of input channels, each thereof being connected to a different one of the system control units (1, 2) e.g. via a bus line (BUS1, BUS2).

3. The system of claim 1, characterized by:

h2″

) the superior system control units each have a plurality of control channels (SK1, SK2, SK3) corresponding in number to that of the drive circuits (AK1, AK2, AK3) which in turn have control channels in a number corresponding to that of the system control units, with one control channel each of the first, second, etc. system control units being connected to one control channel of the drive circuits each.

4. The system of any of claims 1 to 3,

characterized in that the superior system control units perform control so as to establish a symmetric mode of operation within the individual drive circuits (AK1, AK2).

5. The system of any of claims 1 to 3,

characterized in that the system control units control the drive circuits such that each drive circuit is in charge of a defined portion of the total power and individual drive circuits are successively turned off and on in accordance with the power demanded.

6. The system of claim 5,

characterized in that the system control units (1, 2) permute the association of the drive circuits (AK1, AK2, AK3) with respect to the associated portion of the total power in a time pattern.

7. The system of any of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the drive circuits (AK1, AK2) have electric means (TM1BE1-TM2BE2) associated therewith for taking up electric energy.

8. The system of claim 7,

characterized in that the electric means are brake means (TM1BE1-TM2BE2) associated with the individual partial electronics units of the drive motors.

9. The system of any of claims 1 to 8,

characterized in that the system control units engage in control and regulation of the combustion engine (V).

10. The system of any of claims 1 to 9,

characterized in that the system control units are mutually coordinating and regulate the drive circuits (AK1, AK2, AK3) such that a defined power/torque presetting is present at all drive motors.

11. The system of claim 10,

characterized in that the superior system control units preset a defined superimposition power/a defined superimposition torque on one or several ones of the drive motors.

12. The system of claim 10 or 11,

characterized in that the system control units (1, 2) receive feedback information from the drive motors or the power electronics units associated therewith, on the actually issued powers/torques, and perform corresponding regulating operations.

13. The system of any of claims 1 to 12,

characterized in that the drive circuits (AK1, AK2, AK3) in terms of power are designed such that failure of a drive circuit can be compensated.

14. The system of any of claims 1 to 13,

characterized in that there are provided electric, energy-storing primary/secondary elements that are associated with the individual drive circuits and embedded on the supply side.

15. The system of any of claims 1 to 14,

characterized in that suitable electrically operated additional consumers (NV1, NV2) are selectively connected to the first or second etc. drive circuits.

16. The system of any of claims 1 to 15,

characterized in that the drive circuits are interconnected on the supply side, i.e. the current lines between the partial electronics units are interconnected.

17. The system of claim 16,

characterized in that the electric brake means still remain associated with the individual drive circuits and are operated independently, i.e. in association with the respective drive circuit.

18. The system of claim 16 or 17,

characterized in that suitable electric additional consumers (NV1, NV2) are connected to the drive circuits (AK1, AK2) that are interconnected on the supply side.

19. The system of any of claims 1 to 18,

characterized in that each system control unit (1, 2) has direct information connections to the control connections between all other system control units on the one hand and the drive circuits (AK1, AK2) on the other hand and, in case of failure of one or more system control units, also takes over the tasks of the same.

20. The system of any of claims 1 to 19,

characterized in that the drive motors and/or the generator are designed with permanent-magnetic excitation of the rotor.

21. The system of claim 20,

characterized in that the rotor with permanent-magnetic excitation is designed with flux concentration of the permanent magnets and the magnetic flux conduction parts.