POWER SUPPLY MANAGEMENT APPARATUS AND METHOD THEREOF

• US 20140084679A1
• Filed: 09/17/2013
• Published: 03/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Li, Fei, Zhou, Jian, Kang, Pengju, Zhou, Ronghui, Shen, Xiangming, Sun, Fengcheng, Qiu, Hai, Lu, Xi
• Granted Patent: US 10,363,823 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2045 for optimising the use of energy
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/40 Working vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/53 in combination with an external power supply, e.g. from overhead contact lines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/90 using propulsion power supplied by specific means not covered by groups B60L50/10 - B60L50/50, e.g. by direct conversion of thermal nuclear energy into electricity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 8/003 Converting light into electric energy, e.g. by using photo-voltaic systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 8/006 Converting flow of air into electric energy, e.g. by using wind turbines
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

An apparatus comprising an onboard energy storage device, an onboard power conversion device configured to be electrically coupled to an external power source for receiving electrical power therefrom, and at least one drive system electrically coupled to the onboard energy storage device and the onboard power conversion device, wherein the onboard energy storage device and the onboard power conversion device cooperatively provide electrical power for the at least one drive system. A vehicle and a method for managing power supply are also disclosed.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

an onboard energy storage device;

an onboard power conversion device configured to be electrically coupled to an external power source for receiving electrical power therefrom; and

at least one drive system electrically coupled to the onboard energy storage device and the onboard power conversion device,

wherein the onboard energy storage device and the onboard power conversion device cooperatively provide electrical power for the at least one drive system.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one drive system comprises a traction drive system and a power take-off (PTO) drive system, the traction drive system is configured to receive electrical power cooperatively provided from the onboard energy storage device and the onboard power conversion device for driving movement of the apparatus, and the PTO drive system is configured to receive electrical power cooperatively provided from the onboard energy storage device and the onboard power conversion device for driving movement of at least one implement in association with the PTO drive system.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the apparatus comprises an electric tractor, and the at least one implement comprises at least one of a plow, a forklift, a dump, a shovel, and an excavator.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the external power source comprises at least one of a utility power grid, a portable electricity generator, a wind turbine generator, hydro-micro turbine generator, and a solar panel.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a direct-current (DC) bus coupled to the onboard energy storage device and the onboard power conversion device; and

an energy storage switch electrically coupled to the onboard energy storage device and the DC bus,

wherein when the apparatus is operating in a charging mode, the energy storage switch is closed to allow at least a part of the electrical power provided from the onboard power conversion device to be transferred to the onboard energy storage device via the DC bus and the energy storage switch.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein when the apparatus is operating in a driving mode, the energy storage switch is opened to stop charging the onboard energy storage device.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

a vehicle controller electrically coupled to the energy storage switch, wherein the vehicle controller is configured to send a first switch signal to close the energy storage switch when the apparatus is operating in the charging mode; and

the vehicle controller is further configured to send a second switch signal to open the energy storage switch when the apparatus is operating in the driving mode.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein when the apparatus is operating in the charging mode, the at least one drive system is disabled.

9. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

a DC bus coupled to the onboard energy storage device and the onboard power conversion device; and

a traction switch electrically coupled to the DC bus and the traction drive system

wherein when the apparatus is operating in a charging mode, the traction switch is opened to disable the traction drive system, and

wherein when the apparatus is operating in a driving mode, the traction switch is closed to allow at least a part of the electrical power provided from the onboard power conversion device to be transferred to the traction drive system via the DC bus and the traction switch.

10. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

a DC bus coupled to the onboard energy storage device and the onboard power conversion device; and

a PTO switch electrically coupled to the DC bus and the PTO drive system,

wherein when the apparatus is operating in a charging mode, the PTO switch is opened to disable the PTO drive system, and

wherein when the apparatus is operating in a driving mode, the PTO switch is closed to allow at least a part of the electrical power provided from the onboard power conversion device to be transferred to the PTO drive system via the DC bus and the PTO switch.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein when a state of charge (SOC) of the onboard energy storage device is determined to be below a low-SOC threshold value, an energy transfer link is established between the onboard power conversion device and the onboard energy storage device, such that at least a part of the electrical power provided from the onboard power conversion device is transferred along the energy transfer link to the onboard energy storage device.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein when a SOC of the onboard energy storage device is determined to be above a high-SOC threshold value, the at least one drive system is driven by a combination electrical power provided from the onboard energy storage device and the onboard power conversion device.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein during the time period that at least a part of the electrical power provided from the onboard power conversion device is delivered to at least one drive system, at least another part of the electrical power provided from the onboard power conversion device is delivered to charge the onboard energy storage device.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an energy storage switch electrically coupled to the onboard energy storage device;

a sensor coupled to an output of the onboard energy storage device; and

a vehicle controller coupled in electrical communication with the energy storage switch and the sensor;

wherein when a sensor feedback signal generated from the sensor and transmitted to the vehicle controller indicates that the onboard energy storage device is over-charged or over-discharged, the vehicle controller sends a control signal to open the energy storage switch.

15. A vehicle, comprising:

an onboard energy storage device for providing a first direct current (DC) power;

an alternating current-direct current (AC-DC) converter configured to be electrically coupled to a utility power grid for receiving input alternating current (AC) power from the utility power grid and converting the input AC power to provide a second DC power;

a DC bus electrically coupled to the onboard energy storage device and the AC-DC converter for receiving the first DC power and the second DC power respectively;

a traction inverter electrically coupled to the DC bus for converting at least one of the first DC power and the second DC power received at the DC bus to traction AC power; and

a traction motor electrically coupled to the traction inverter, the traction motor configured to convert the fraction AC power received from the traction inverter to mechanical power to drive movement of the vehicle,

wherein the AC-DC converter continues receiving the input AC power from the utility power grid to maintain the movement of the vehicle.

16. The vehicle of claim 15, further comprising:

a power take-off (PTO) inverter electrically coupled to the DC bus for converting at least one of the first DC power and the second DC power received at the DC bus to PTO AC power; and

a PTO motor electrically coupled to the PTO inverter, the PTO motor configured to convert the PTO AC power received from the PTO inverter to mechanical power to drive movement of at least one PTO implement in association with the PTO motor,

wherein the AC-DC converter continues receiving the input AC power from the utility power grid to maintain the movement of the at least one PTO implement.

17. The vehicle of claim 16, wherein simultaneously with at least a part of the second DC power being delivered to at least one of the traction inverter and the PTO inverter, at least another part of the second DC power is transferred to charge the onboard energy storage device.

18. A method of managing power supply of an apparatus, comprising:

receiving input alternating current (AC) power from a utility power grid;

converting the received input AC power to provide a first DC power; and

converting at least part of the first DC power to at least one of a traction AC power and a power take-off (PTO) AC power, respectively, for a traction motor and a PTO motor of the apparatus,

wherein receiving input AC power from a utility power grid is implemented concurrently with converting at least part of the first DC power to at least one of a traction AC power and a PTO AC power.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising transferring at least part of the first DC power to an energy storage device of the apparatus.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the transferring at least part of the first DC power to an energy storage device of the apparatus is implemented concurrently with converting the DC power to at least one of a traction AC power and a PTO AC power.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving a second DC power provided from an onboard energy storage device; and

converting a combination of the first DC power and the second DC power to at least one of the traction AC power and the PTO AC power.

22. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

determining whether an onboard energy storage device of the vehicle is over-charged or over-discharged; and

discontinuing an energy transfer between the utility power grid and the onboard energy storage device in response to the determining that the onboard energy storage device is over-charged or over-discharged.