Inductively Transferring Electric Energy to a Vehicle Using Consecutive Segments Which are Operated at the Same Time

• US 20140318913A1
• Filed: 11/09/2012
• Published: 10/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bombardier Transportation GmbH (Bombardier Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Bombardier Transportation GmbH (Bombardier Incorporated)
• Inventors: Woronowicz, Konrad, Czainski, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 9,327,602 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 191/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 5/005 without mechanical contact between the collector and the power supply line
• CPC Class Codes: B60M 1/10 Arrangements for energising and de-energising power line sections using magnetic actuation by the passing vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60M 7/003 for vehicles using stored power (e.g. charging stations)

Abstract

A system for transferring electric energy to a vehicle, including an electric conductor arrangement for producing an alternating electromagnetic field and for thereby transferring electric energy to a vehicle. The conductor arrangement includes a plurality of consecutive segments. Each segment is combined with an assigned controller adapted to control the operation of the segment independently of the other segments. The controllers of at least two consecutive segments are connected to each other and/or to a central controlling device so that the at least two consecutive segments can operate at the same time. Each segment includes at least three alternating current lines for carrying phases of a multi-phase alternating current. The consecutive segments are electrically connected in parallel to each other to a current supply. The alternating current lines of each segment include a plurality of sections which extend transversely to the direction of travel of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A system for transferring electric energy to a vehicle, comprising:

an electric conductor arrangement for producing an alternating electromagnetic field and for thereby transferring electric energy to a vehicle,

the conductor arrangement comprises a plurality of consecutive segments, wherein the segments extend in the direction of travel of the vehicle, which is defined by a track or path of travel,

each segment is combined with an assigned controller adapted to control the operation of the segment independently of the other segments,

the controllers of at least two consecutive segments, which follow each other in a direction of travel of the vehicle, or which follow each other opposite to the direction of travel, are connected to each other, to a central controlling device, or to each other and central controlling device so that the at least two consecutive segments can be operated at the same time,

each segment comprises at least three alternating current lines for carrying phases of a multi-phase alternating current in order to produce the alternating electromagnetic field,

the consecutive segments are electrically connected in parallel to each other to a current supply,

the alternating current lines of each segment comprise a plurality of sections which extend transversely to the direction of travel of the vehicle,

the transversely extending sections of the at least three alternating current lines of each segment form, if viewed in the direction of travel, a repeating sequence of phases of the alternating current, while the segment is operated under control of the assigned controller, wherein each complete repetition of the sequence of phases comprises one transversely extending section of each phase and the order of the phases is the same in each complete repetition,

wherein the controllers of the at least two consecutive segments, the central controlling device, or the at least two consecutive segments and the central controlling device are/is adapted to operate the at least two consecutive segments, so that the repeating sequence of phases continues from one segment to the consecutive segment, wherein the order of the phases is the same in the at least two consecutive segments and in each transition zone of two of the at least two consecutive segments.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is adapted to synchronize the assigned controllers of the at least two consecutive segments in a manner so that an electromagnetic field produced by the at least two consecutive segments forms a magnetic wave which moves in or opposite to the direction of travel of the vehicle, the wave being continuous in the transition zone of the consecutive segments.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein, if viewed in the direction of travel from a first of the two consecutive segments to a second of the two consecutive segments, a transversely extending section of the first consecutive segment follows a transversely extending section of the second consecutive segment in the repeating sequence of phases of the alternating current.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the transversely extending sections of each of the alternating current lines are connected to each other via connecting sections, which at least partly extend in the direction of travel, so that each of the alternating current lines follows a meandering path in the direction of travel in which the connecting sections are located alternating on opposite sides of the conductor arrangement, and wherein the transversely extending sections of a complete repetition of the phases of the repeating sequence are formed by the meandering paths of the alternating current lines in the following manner:

the transversely extending section of a first phase of the alternating current extends from a first side of the conductor arrangement towards a second side of the conductor arrangement, which is the side opposite to the first side of the conductor arrangement,

the transversely extending section of a second phase of the alternating current, which follows the first phase in the order of phases, extends from the second side of the conductor arrangement towards the first side of the conductor arrangement,

the transversely extending section of a third phase of the alternating current, which follows the second phase in the order of phases, extends from the first side of the conductor arrangement towards the second side of the conductor arrangement,

if there are more than three phases, the transversely extending section(s) of the next phase or next phases in the order of phases extend(s) in the opposite direction between the first and second side of the conductor arrangement compared to the transversely extending section of the preceding phase, until the last phase is reached.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a track bound vehicle or a road automobile.

5. A method of operating a system for transferring electric energy to a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

operating an electric conductor arrangement for producing an alternating electromagnetic field and for thereby transferring electric energy to a vehicle,

operating a plurality of consecutive segments of the conductor arrangement, wherein the segments extend in a direction of travel of the vehicle, which is defined by a track or path of travel,

for each segment, operating an assigned controller to control the operation of the segment independently of the other segments,

operating the controllers of at least two consecutive segments, which follow each other in the direction of travel of the vehicle, or which follow each other opposite to the direction of travel, in connection with each other, with a central controlling device, or with each other and a central controlling device so that the at least two consecutive segments are operated at the same time,

in each segment, at least three alternating current lines carry phases of a multi-phase alternating current in order to produce the alternating electromagnetic field, and

electrically connecting the consecutive segments in parallel to each other to a current supply,

wherein the alternating current lines of each segment comprise a plurality of sections which extend transversely to the direction of travel of the vehicle,

wherein the transversely extending sections of the at least three alternating-current lines of each segment form, if viewed in the direction of travel, a repeating sequence of phases of the alternating current, while the segment is operated under control of the assigned controller, wherein each complete repetition of the sequence of phases comprises one transversely extending section of each phase and the order of the phases is the same in each complete repetition,

wherein the controllers of the at least two consecutive segments, the central controlling device, or the at least two consecutive segments and the central controlling device operate(s) the at least two consecutive segments, so that the repeating sequence of phases continues from one segment to the consecutive segment, wherein the order of the phases is the same in the at least two consecutive segments and in each transition zone of two of the at least two consecutive segments.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of synchronizing the assigned controllers of the at least two consecutive segments so that the electromagnetic field produced by the at least two consecutive segments forms a magnetic wave which moves in or opposite to the direction of travel of the vehicle, the wave being continuous in the transition zone of the consecutive segments.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein, if viewed in the direction of travel from a first of the two consecutive segments to a second of the two consecutive segments, a transversely extending section of the first consecutive segment follows a transversely extending section of the second consecutive segment in the repeating sequence of phases of the alternating current.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the transversely extending sections of each of the alternating current lines are connected to each other via connecting sections, which at least partly extend in the direction of travel, so that each of the alternating current lines follows a meandering path in the direction of travel in which the connecting sections are located alternating on opposite sides of the conductor arrangement, and wherein the transversely extending sections of a complete repetition of the phases of the repeating sequence are formed by the meandering paths of the alternating current lines in the following manner:

extending the transversely extending section of a first phase of the alternating current from a first side of the conductor arrangement towards a second side of the conductor arrangement, which is the side opposite to the first side of the conductor arrangement,

extending the transversely extending section of a second phase of the alternating current, which follows the first phase in the order of phases, from the second side of the conductor arrangement towards the first side of the conductor arrangement,

extending the transversely extending section of a third phase of the alternating current, which follows the second phase in the order of phases, from the first side of the conductor arrangement towards the second side of the conductor arrangement,

wherein if there are more than three phases, the transversely extending section(s) of the next phase or next phases in the order of phases extend(s) in the opposite direction between the first and second side of the conductor arrangement compared to the transversely extending section of the preceding phase, until the last phase is reached.

14. The method of claim 6, wherein the vehicle is a track bound vehicle or a road automobile.

9. A method of manufacturing a system for transferring electric energy to a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

providing an electric conductor arrangement for producing an alternating electromagnetic field and for thereby transferring electric energy to a vehicle,

the conductor arrangement comprises a plurality of consecutive segments, wherein the segments extend in a direction of travel of the vehicle, which is defined by a track or path of travel,

combining each segment with an assigned controller adapted to control the operation of the segment independently of the other segments,

connecting the controllers of at least two consecutive segments, which follow each other in the direction of travel of the vehicle, or which follow each other opposite to the direction of travel, to each other, to a central controlling device, or to each other and a central controlling device so that the at least two consecutive segments can be operated at the same time,

each segment comprises at least three alternating current lines for carrying phases of a multi-phase alternating current in order to produce the alternating electromagnetic field,

electrically connecting the consecutive segments in parallel to each other to a current supply,

the alternating current lines of each segment comprise a plurality of sections which extend transversely to the direction of travel of the vehicle,

the transversely extending sections of the at least three alternating-current lines of each segment form, if viewed in the direction of travel, a repeating sequence of phases of the alternating current, while the segment is operated under control of the assigned controller, wherein each complete repetition of the sequence of phases comprises one transversely extending section of each phase and the order of the phases is the same in each complete repetition,

the controllers of the at least two consecutive segments, the central controlling device, or the at least two consecutive segments and the central controlling device are/is adapted to operate the at least two consecutive segments, so that the repeating sequence of phases continues from one segment to the consecutive segment, wherein the order of the phases is the same in the at least two consecutive segments and in each transition zone of two of the at least two consecutive segments.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of synchronizing the assigned controllers of the at least two consecutive segments so that the electromagnetic field produced by the at least two consecutive segments forms a magnetic wave which moves in or opposite to the direction of travel of the vehicle, the wave being continuous in the transition zone of the consecutive segments.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of laying the alternating current lines of the at least two consecutive segments so that, if viewed in the direction of travel from a first of the two consecutive segments to a second of the two consecutive segments, a transversely extending section of the first consecutive segment follows a transversely extending section of the second consecutive segment in the repeating sequence of phases of the alternating current.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of connecting the transversely extending sections of each of the alternating current lines to each other via connecting sections, which at least partly extend in the direction of travel, so that each of the alternating current lines follows a meandering path in the direction of travel in which the connecting sections are located alternating on opposite sides of the conductor arrangement, and wherein the transversely extending sections of a complete repetition of the phases of the repeating sequence are formed by the meandering paths of the alternating current lines in the following manner:

extending the transversely extending section of a first phase of the alternating current from a first side of the conductor arrangement towards a second side of the conductor arrangement, which is the side opposite to the first side of the conductor arrangement,

extending the transversely extending section of a second phase of the alternating current, which follows the first phase in the order of phases, from the second side of the conductor arrangement towards the first side of the conductor arrangement,

extending the transversely extending section of a third phase of the alternating current, which follows the second phase in the order of phases, from the first side of the conductor arrangement towards the second side of the conductor arrangement,

if there are more than three phases, the transversely extending section(s) of the next phase or next phases in the order of phases extend(s) in the opposite direction between the first and second side of the conductor arrangement compared to the transversely extending section of the preceding phase, until the last phase is reached.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the vehicle is a track bound vehicle or a road automobile.