Multimode hybrid energy railway vehicle system and method

• US 20060012320A1
• Filed: 07/13/2005
• Published: 01/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Global Sourcing LLC (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Kumar, Ajith Kuttannair
• Granted Patent: US 7,430,967 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 318/376
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/20 for control of the vehicle or its driving motor to achieve a desired performance, e.g. speed, torque, programmed variation of speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2045 for optimising the use of energy
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/20 DC electrical machines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/28 Four wheel or all wheel drive
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/15 with additional electric power supply with capacitors charged by engine-driven generators B60L50/40; with batteries charged by engine-driven generators B60L50/61
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/30 using propulsion power stored mechanically, e.g. in fly-wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/40 using propulsion power supplied by capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/51 characterised by AC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/61 by batteries charged by engine-driven generators, e.g. series hybrid electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/06 for vehicles propelled by ac motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/12 for vehicles propelled by dc motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/14 for vehicles propelled by ac motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/22 Dynamic electric resistor braking, combined with dynamic electric regenerative braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 9/005 Interference suppression
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 9/02 using dc motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 9/16 using ac induction motors
• CPC Class Codes: B61C 3/02 with electric accumulators
• 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 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 30/00 : Transportation of goods or passengers via railways, e.g. energy recovery or reducing air resistance
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

A hybrid energy railway vehicle system having a traction motor with a dynamic braking mode of operation for dynamically braking the traction motor and for generating dynamic braking electrical energy and an electrical energy storage system that is in electrical communication with the traction motor and that stores dynamic braking electrical energy generated by the traction motor. The system also has a hybrid energy railway vehicle with a plurality of wheels wherein the traction motor has a motoring mode of operation for driving one of the wheels in response to electrical input energy. A converter selectively provides stored electrical energy from the energy storage system to the traction motor as electrical input energy for driving one or more of wheels. The hybrid energy railway vehicle is optionally equipped computer readable medium having computer executable instructions for controlling the operation of the hybrid energy railway vehicle and a processor configured to control the operation of the railway vehicle as a function of at least one of a plurality of operating modes.

Claims

1. In a computerized system for controlling the operation of a hybrid energy railway vehicle, said railway vehicle comprising:

a hybrid energy railway vehicle having a plurality of wheels;

a traction motor coupled to at least one of the wheels, said traction motor having a motoring mode of operation for driving the coupled wheel and a dynamic braking mode of operation for braking the coupled wheel, and said traction motor generating dynamic braking electrical energy when operating in the dynamic braking mode;

an electrical energy source for supplying charging electrical energy; and

an electrical energy storage system in electrical communication with the energy source and the traction motor for storing electrical energy, said energy storage system storing charging electrical energy supplied by the energy source to the energy storage system and storing dynamic braking electrical energy generated by the traction motor during braking, said energy storage system selectively supplying stored electrical energy to the traction motor for driving the coupled wheel, and

said computerized system comprising a processor executing computer executable instructions, the improvement comprising computer executable instructions including;

defining instructions for defining a plurality of hybrid energy railway vehicle operating modes, each of said operating modes defining a set of operational parameters; and

operating instructions for controlling the operation of the hybrid energy railway vehicle as a function of at least one of the operating modes.

2. The computerized system of claim 1, wherein the operating modes include one or more of the following:

a switcher mode, an energy tender mode, a pusher mode, and a roadmate mode.

3. The computerized system of claim 1, wherein the set of operational parameters includes one or more of the following:

defining a configuration of the energy storage system, operating the traction motor in the dynamic braking mode to generate dynamic braking electrical energy, dissipating dynamic braking electrical energy, receiving external electrical energy, supplying stored electrical energy, generating charging electrical energy, operating the traction motor in the motoring mode, storing charging electrical energy, storing dynamic braking electrical energy, storing received external electrical energy, and receiving a control command from an external control system.

4. The computerized system of claim 1, wherein the railway vehicle further comprises a communication link in communication with the processor, and wherein the operating instructions select an operating mode for controlling the operation of the railway vehicle in response to a control command received via the communication link

5. The computerized system of claim 4, wherein the control command is received from an external control system.

6. The computerized system of claim 1, wherein operating instructions control the operation of another railway vehicle as a function of at least one of the operating modes.

7. In a computerized system for controlling the operation of a hybrid energy railway vehicle, said railway vehicle comprising:

a hybrid energy railway vehicle;

an electrical energy source for supplying charging electrical energy;

an electrical energy storage system for storing the charging electrical energy supplied by the energy source;

a converter electrically coupled to the energy storage system, said energy storage system selectively transferring stored electrical energy to the converter and said converter being responsive to the transferred stored electrical energy to provide hybrid energy railway vehicle drive energy;

a traction motor, said traction motor being electrically coupled to the converter and adapted to propel the hybrid energy railway vehicle in response to the railway vehicle drive energy;

a resistive grid electrically connected to the energy storage system, said resistive grid dissipating electrical energy selectively supplied thereto by the energy source; and

said computerized system comprising a processor executing computer executable instructions, the improvement comprising computer executable instructions including;

defining instructions for defining a plurality of hybrid energy railway vehicle operating modes, each of said operating modes defining a set of operational parameters; and

operating instructions for controlling the operation of the hybrid energy railway vehicle as a function of at least one of the operating modes.

8. In a computerized system for controlling the operation of a hybrid energy railway vehicle system comprising:

a hybrid energy railway vehicle having a plurality of wheels;

a traction motor having a motoring mode of operation for driving one of the wheels in response to electrical input energy, said traction motor also having a dynamic braking mode of operation for dynamically braking the traction motor, said traction motor generating dynamic braking electrical energy when operating in the dynamic braking mode;

an electrical energy storage system in electrical communication with the traction motor for selectively storing dynamic braking electrical energy generated by the traction motor during braking;

a converter selectively providing stored electrical energy from the energy storage system to the traction motor as electrical input energy for driving one or more of the wheels; and

said computerized system comprising a processor executing computer executable instructions, the improvement comprising executing computer executable instructions including;

defining instructions for defining a plurality of hybrid energy railway vehicle operating modes, each of said operating modes defining a set of operational parameters; and

operating instructions for controlling the operation of the hybrid energy railway vehicle as a function of at least one of the operating modes.

9. The hybrid energy railway vehicle system of claim 8 wherein the plurality of operating modes includes one or more of the following:

a switcher mode, an energy tender mode, a pusher mode, and a roadmate mode.

10. The hybrid energy railway vehicle system of claim 9 wherein the set of operational parameters includes one or more of the following:

defining a configuration of the energy storage system, operating the traction motor in the dynamic braking mode to generate dynamic braking electrical energy, dissipating dynamic braking electrical energy, receiving external electrical energy, supplying stored electrical energy, generating charging electrical energy, operating the traction motor in the motoring mode, storing charging electrical energy, storing dynamic braking electrical energy, storing received external electrical energy, and receiving a control command from an external control system.

11. The hybrid energy railway vehicle system of claim 8, wherein the control system is configured to control operation of another railway vehicle.

12. The hybrid energy railway vehicle system of claim 8 further comprising a communication link in communication with the control system, said communication link being configured to receive a control command from an external control system and to provide the control command to the control system, and wherein the control system is responsive to the control command for selecting an operating mode for controlling operation of the railway vehicle.

13. The hybrid energy railway vehicle system of claim 12, wherein the communication link is a wireless communication facility.

14. In a computerized system for controlling the operation of a hybrid energy off-highway vehicle, said off-highway vehicle comprising:

a hybrid energy off-highway (OHV) vehicle having a plurality of wheels;

a traction motor coupled to at least one of the wheels, said traction motor having a motoring mode of operation for driving the coupled wheel and a dynamic braking mode of operation for braking the coupled wheel, and said traction motor generating dynamic braking electrical energy when operating in the dynamic braking mode;

an electrical energy source for supplying charging electrical energy; and

an electrical energy storage system in electrical communication with the energy source and the traction motor for storing electrical energy, said energy storage system storing charging electrical energy supplied by the energy source to the energy storage system and storing dynamic braking electrical energy generated by the traction motor during braking, said energy storage system selectively supplying stored electrical energy to the traction motor for driving the coupled wheel, and

said computerized system comprising a processor executing computer executable instructions, the improvement comprising computer executable instructions including;

defining instructions for defining a plurality of OHV operating modes, each of said operating modes defining a set of operational parameters; and

operating instructions for controlling the operation of the OHV as a function of at least one of the operating modes.

15. The computerized system of claim 14, wherein the operating modes include one or more of the following:

a switcher mode, an energy tender mode, a pusher mode, and a roadmate mode.

16. The computerized system of claim 14, wherein the set of operational parameters includes one or more of the following:

defining a configuration of the energy storage system, operating the traction motor in the dynamic braking mode to generate dynamic braking electrical energy, dissipating dynamic braking electrical energy, receiving external electrical energy, supplying stored electrical energy, generating charging electrical energy, operating the traction motor in the motoring mode, storing charging electrical energy, storing dynamic braking electrical energy, storing received external electrical energy, and receiving a control command from an external control system.

17. The computerized system of claim 14, wherein the OHV further comprises a communication link in communication with the processor, and wherein the operating instructions select an operating mode for controlling the operation of the OHV in response to a control command received via the communication link.

18. The computerized system of claim 17, wherein the control command is received from an external control system.

19. The computerized system of claim 14, wherein operating instructions control the operation of another OHV as a function of at least one of the operating modes.

20. The computerized system of claim 14, wherein the OHV is a road locomotive, a switcher locomotive or a mining dump truck.