ELECTRIC VEHICLE WITH IMPROVED ELECTRIC DRIVE SYSTEM

• US 20140265942A1
• Filed: 03/10/2014
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Li, Fei, Lu, Xi, KANG, Pengju, QIU, Hai, ZHOU, Jian, ZHOU, Ronghui, SHEN, Xiangming, SUN, Fengcheng
• Granted Patent: US 9,780,702 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 318/51
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/007 Physical arrangements or structures of drive train converters specially adapted for the propulsion motors of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/40 Working vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/42 with use of more than one motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0092 with use of redundant elements for safety purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/51 characterised by AC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 5/74 controlling two or more ac dynamo-electric motors H02P5/46, H02P5/60 take precedence
• 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

Abstract

An apparatus includes at least one energy source and a drive system coupled to the at least one energy source. The drive system converts electrical power received from the at least one energy source and provides converted electrical power for driving at least one load. The drive system includes a first converter, a second converter, and a first switch module coupled to outputs of the first and second converters. When the apparatus is operating under a first mode, the first switch module is switched to assume a first state to allow a first output electrical power provided from the first converter and a second output electrical power provided from the second converter to be combined for driving a first load with the combined output electrical power.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one energy source; and

a drive system coupled to the at least one energy source, the drive system configured to convert electrical power received from the at least one energy source and provide converted electrical power for driving at least one load, the drive system comprising;

a first converter;

a second converter; and

a first switch module coupled to an output of the first converter and an output of the second converter,

wherein when the apparatus is operating under a first mode, the first switch module is switched to assume a first state to allow a first output electrical power provided from the first converter and a second output electrical power provided from the second converter to be combined for driving a first load with the combined output electrical power.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein when the apparatus is operating under a second mode, the first switch module is switched to assume a second state to allow the first output electrical power provided from the first converter and the second output electrical power provided from the second converter to be separately provided for driving the first load and a second load, respectively.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the drive system further comprises a second switch module coupled between the second converter and the second load, wherein when the first switch module is operated to allow the combined output electrical power to be supplied to the first load, the second switch module is operated to disconnect the second load from the second converter.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the second load comprises an auxiliary electric motor, the second switch module is further configured to be operated to disconnect the auxiliary electric motor from the second converter when an over-speed operating condition of the auxiliary electric motor is detected.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one energy source comprises:

a first energy source coupled to the first converter, the first energy source configured to provide a first input electrical power to the first converter; and

a second energy source coupled to the second converter, the second energy source configured to provide a second input electrical power to the second converter.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the drive system further comprises:

a third converter; and

a second switch module coupled to the output of the second converter and an output of the third converter,

wherein when the apparatus is operating under the first mode, the second switch module is switched to assume a first state to allow the first load and the second load to be separately powered by the first converter and the second converter.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein when the apparatus is operating under a second mode, the first switch module is switched to assume a second state and the second switch module is switched to assume the first state to allow the first load to be powered by both the first converter and the third converter.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein when the apparatus is operating under a third mode, the first switch module is switched to assume the first state to allow the first load to be powered solely by the first converter, and the second switch module is switched to assume a second state to allow the second load to be powered by both the second converter and the third converter.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the at least one energy source comprises:

a first energy source coupled to the first converter, the first energy source configured to provide first input electrical power to the first converter; and

a second energy source coupled to both the second converter and the third converter, the second energy source configured to provide second input electrical power to both the second converter and the third converter.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the drive system further comprises a controller coupled to the first converter and the second converter, the controller is configured to send control signals to enable the first and second converters to perform power conversion.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first load comprises a traction electric motor.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second load comprises a power take-off (PTO) electric motor configured to drive movement of at least one implement in association with the apparatus.

13. A vehicle, comprising:

a first direct current (DC) to alternative current (AC) converter;

a second DC-to-AC converter;

a controller coupled to the first DC-to-AC converter and the second DC-to-AC converter, the controller configured to send respective control signals to the first and second DC-to-AC converters to enable the first and second DC-to-AC converters to perform power conversion;

a first electric motor coupled to the first DC-to-AC converter; and

a second electric motor coupled to the second DC-to-AC converter,

wherein when the vehicle is operating under a first mode, the first electric motor is powered by both the first and second DC-to-AC converters, and the second electric motor is not operating; and

wherein when the vehicle is operating under a second mode, the first electric motor and the second electric motor are separately powered by the first and second DC-to-AC converters.

14. The vehicle of claim 13, wherein the vehicle further comprises a first switch module coupled to both outputs of the first and second DC-to-AC converters, the first switch module is configured to be switched on and off to supply or terminate electric power generated from the second DC-to-AC converter to the first electric motor.

15. The vehicle of claim 13, wherein the vehicle further comprises a second switch module coupled to the second DC-to-AC converter, the second switch module is configured to be switched on and off to supply or terminate electric power generated from the second DC-to-AC converter to the second electric motor.

16. The vehicle of claim 13, wherein the first electric motor and the second electric motor comprise three-phase AC motors.

17. A vehicle, comprising:

a first converter;

a second converter;

a third converter;

a controller coupled to the first, second, and third converters, the controller configured to send respective control signals to the first, second, and third converters to enable the first, second, and third converters to perform power conversion;

a first electric motor coupled to the first converter; and

a second electric motor coupled to the second converter,

wherein the third converter is configured to selectively supply electric power to either the first electric motor or the second electric motor depending on operation mode of the vehicle.

18. The vehicle of claim 17, wherein the vehicle further comprises:

a first switch module coupled to both outputs of the first converter and the third converters; and

a second switch module coupled to both outputs of the second and third converters,

wherein when the vehicle is operating under a first mode, both the first and second switch modules are switched off to allow the first electric motor to be solely powered by the first converter and the second electric motor to be solely powered by the second converter,

wherein when the vehicle is operating under a second mode, the first switch module is switched on and the second switch module is switched off, such that the first electric motor is powered by both the first converter and the third converter, and the second electric motor is solely powered by the second converter; and

wherein when the vehicle is operating under a third mode, the first switch module is switched off and the second switch module is switched on, such that the first electric motor is solely powered by the first converter, and the second electric motor is powered by both the second converter and the third converter.

19. The vehicle of claim 17, wherein the first converter, the second converter, and the third converter are configured to receive a same input power.

20. The vehicle of claim 17, wherein the first converter, the second converter, and the third converter are configured to receive input power from different power sources.