CRAWLER VEHICLE AND RELATIVE CONTROL METHOD

• US 20130333958A1
• Filed: 12/22/2011
• Published: 12/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Prinoth, Spa (Leitner Snow BV)
• Original Assignee: Prinoth, Spa (Leitner Snow BV)
• Inventors: Kalmbach, Klaus, Lutz, Mathias, Milan, Gianluca, Giacometti, Alberto, Runggaldier, Martin
• Granted Patent: US 9,975,417 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 180/6.7
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/20 the prime-movers consisting of electric motors and internal combustion engines, e.g. HEVs
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/365 with the gears having orbital motion
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/445 Differential gearing distribution type
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/48 Parallel type
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/40 Working vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/252 Snowmobiles
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 11/16 the additional power supply being supplied mechanically
• 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 903/91 Orbital, e.g. planetary gears

Abstract

A crawler vehicle having a first and second track driven by a first and second drive wheel respectively; an internal combustion engine; a mechanical power transmission assembly extending from the internal combustion engine to the first and second drive wheel; an electric power transmission assembly; a mechanical power connection configured to transfer energy between the mechanical power transmission assembly and the electric power transmission assembly; and at least one mechanical power transmission configured to transfer energy between the electric power transmission assembly and the mechanical power transmission assembly; the electric power transmission assembly extending from the mechanical power connection to the mechanical power transmission.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A crawler vehicle comprising:

a first track and a second track driven by a first drive wheel and a second drive wheel, respectively;

an internal combustion engine;

a mechanical power transmission assembly extending from the internal combustion engine to the first drive wheel and the second drive wheel;

an electric power transmission assembly;

a mechanical power connection configured to transfer energy between the electric power transmission assembly and the mechanical power transmission assembly; and

at least one mechanical power transmission configured to transfer energy between the electric power transmission assembly and the mechanical power transmission assembly, wherein the electric power transmission assembly extends from the mechanical power connection to the mechanical power transmission.

22. The crawler vehicle of claim 21, wherein the electric power transmission assembly is parallel to a portion of the mechanical power transmission assembly.

23. The crawler vehicle of claim 21, wherein the mechanical power transmission assembly and the electric power transmission assembly are configured to transfer energy simultaneously and alternately, to the first drive wheel and the second drive wheel.

24. The crawler vehicle of claim 21, wherein the mechanical power transmission assembly and the electric power transmission assembly are configured to transfer energy simultaneously to the first drive wheel and the second drive wheel.

25. The crawler vehicle of claim 21, wherein the mechanical power transmission assembly includes:

a mechanical member configured to drive the first drive wheel and the second drive wheel;

a first gear train which defines said mechanical power connection and is configured to share energy from the internal combustion engine between the mechanical member and the electric power transmission assembly; and

a first shaft configured to connect the internal combustion engine to the first gear train.

26. The crawler vehicle of claim 25, wherein the mechanical power transmission assembly includes a second shaft configured to connect the first gear train to the mechanical member, said second shaft is interposed between one of the first drive wheel and the second drive wheel and the first gear train.

27. The crawler vehicle of claim 25, wherein the first gear train includes an epicyclic gear train.

28. The crawler vehicle of claim 27, wherein the electric power transmission assembly includes a first electric machine and the epicyclic gear train includes a sun gear coupled to the first electric machine.

29. The crawler vehicle of claim 27, wherein the epicyclic gear train includes:

a carrier coupled to the internal combustion engine; and

a ring gear coupled to the first drive wheel and the second drive wheel.

30. The crawler vehicle of claim 21, wherein the electric power transmission assembly includes:

a first electric machine coupled to the mechanical power connection; and

two second electric machines independently coupled to the first drive wheel and the second drive wheel respectively, and electrically connected to the first electric machine.

31. The crawler vehicle of claim 30, wherein the mechanical power transmission is configured to independently couple the first electric machine and the second electric machine to the first drive wheel and the second drive wheel, respectively.

32. The crawler vehicle of claim 21, wherein the electric power transmission assembly includes:

a first electric machine coupled to the internal combustion engine, and a first actuating device configured to operate the first electric machine; and

which includes a control device configured to control the first actuating device to share energy from the internal combustion engine between the mechanical power transmission assembly and the electric power transmission assembly based on of a travelling speed of the crawler vehicle.

33. The crawler vehicle of claim 32, wherein the electric power transmission assembly includes:

two second electric machines coupled to the first drive wheel and the second drive wheel, respectively; and

two second actuating devices configured to operate the two second electric machines; and

wherein the control device is configured to control the two second actuating devices to share energy from the electric power transmission assembly between the two second electric machines.

34. The crawler vehicle of claim 33, wherein the control device is configured to control one of the two second actuating devices such that one of the second electric machines operates as an electric generator.

35. The crawler vehicle of claim 34, wherein the control device is configured to control one of:

the other of the two second actuating devices and the first actuating device such that one of;

the other of the second electric machines and the first electric machine operates as an electric motor and is powered by one of the second electric machines.

36. A method of controlling a crawler vehicle including a first track and a second track driven by a first drive wheel and a second drive wheel, respectively, an internal combustion engine, a mechanical power transmission assembly extending from the internal combustion engine to the first drive wheel and the second drive wheel, an electric power transmission assembly, a mechanical power connection, and at least one mechanical power transmission, the method comprising:

transferring energy between the mechanical power transmission assembly and the electric power transmission assembly utilizing the mechanical power connection; and

transferring energy between the electric power transmission assembly and the mechanical power transmission assembly utilizing the mechanical power transmission.

37. The method of claim 36, which includes alternately transferring energy from the internal combustion engine to the first drive wheel and the second drive wheel utilizing the mechanical power transmission assembly and the electric power transmission assembly.

38. The method of claim 36, which includes simultaneously transferring energy from the internal combustion engine to the first drive wheel and the second drive wheel utilizing the mechanical power transmission assembly and the electric power transmission assembly.

39. The method of claim 36, wherein the mechanical power transmission assembly includes a mechanical member configured to transfer mechanical energy from the internal combustion engine to the first track and the second track and which includes sharing energy from the internal combustion engine between the mechanical member and the electric power transmission assembly based on a travelling speed of the crawler vehicle.

40. The method of claim 36, wherein the electric power transmission assembly includes a first electric machine coupled to the internal combustion engine, and two second electric machines coupled to the first drive wheel and the second drive wheel and electrically connected to the first electric machine, and which includes transferring energy independently to the first drive wheel and the second drive wheel utilizing the two second electric machines, respectively.

41. The method of claim 40, which includes transferring energy from the internal combustion engine to the first electric machine.

42. The method of claim 40, which includes generating electric energy utilizing one of the two second electric machines.

43. The method of claim 42, which includes powering one of:

the other of the two second electric machines and the first electric machine with the electric energy generated by said one of the two second electric machines.

44. A crawler vehicle comprising:

a first track and a second track driven by a first drive wheel and a second drive wheel, respectively;

an internal combustion engine;

a mechanical power transmission assembly extending from the internal combustion engine to the first drive wheel and the second drive wheel;

an electric power transmission assembly; and

a control device configured to;

(a) when travelling at a first travelling speed;

(i) transfer a first amount of power from the internal combustion engine to the electric power transmission assembly, and

(ii) transfer a second amount of power from the internal combustion engine to the mechanical power transmission assembly, wherein the first amount of power is greater than the second amount of power, and

(b) when travelling at a second travelling speed;

(i) transfer a third amount of power from the internal combustion engine to the electric power transmission assembly, and

(ii) transfer a fourth amount of power from the internal combustion engine to the mechanical power transmission assembly, wherein the third amount of power is less than the fourth amount of power and the second travelling speed is greater than the first travelling speed.