MODULAR POWER PLANTS FOR MACHINES

• US 20180022340A1
• Filed: 03/13/2017
• Published: 01/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2016
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: MIQ LLC
• Original Assignee: MIQ LLC
• Inventors: Hill, William McGinley, Livesay, Adam Monroe, Schwasnick, Steven Richard
• Application Number:
  US15/457,962
• Publication Number:
  US 20180022340A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00428 electric
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/003 to auxiliary motors, e.g. for pumps, compressors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/02 to electric heating circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/36 Vehicles designed to transport cargo, e.g. trucks
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/40 Working vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/622 by satellite navigation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/10 by alarm
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• 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 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/08 including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/26 for electrical energy, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/13 in order to stay within battery power input or output limits; in order to prevent overcharging or battery depletion
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/0677 Engine power
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/086 Power
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/242 for electrical energy
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 63/047 Movable engine-generator combinations on wheels
• 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 10/88 : Optimized components or subsystems, e.g. lighting, actively controlled glasses
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 : Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/93 : Conjoint control of different elements

Abstract

Embodiments are directed towards modular power plants that provide power to operate machines. A power plant is a combustion-electric hybrid power plant that includes at least one or more engines, one or more generators, and one or more battery arrays. The battery arrays include one or more modular batteries. Rather than the engine directly providing power to the machine, the engine and generators charge the batteries. The batteries provide the power required to operate the machine. A user may vary the maximum power output of the power plant by varying the number and/or type of modular batteries included in the one or more battery arrays. The specific configuration of the batteries may be based on the power requirements of the machine'"'"'s expected usage or operation. The power plant is configured to a specific machine application by installing and/or removing batteries from the battery arrays based on the machine'"'"'s power requirements.

Claims

1. A system for providing energy to operate a machine, comprising:

a platform that provides the energy to the machine, wherein the platform includes;

one or more engines that generate mechanical energy;

one or more generators that convert at least a portion of the mechanical energy into electrical energy; and

a network computing device that executes logical operations to perform actions, comprising;

providing a machine type of the machine based on one or more of an amount of, or a component type of, one or more components that are coupled to the machine;

providing one or more ranges for an amount of energy provided to the machine, wherein the one or more ranges are based on one or more of the machine type, or an expected usage of the machine; and

enabling the energy to be provided to operate the machine, and wherein the power energy includes one or more of the electrical energy or the mechanical energy.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more ranges include one or more of a minimum threshold or a maximum threshold.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more ranges are further based on an amount of the energy that is currently available, wherein the available energy includes one or more of a peak amount of the electric energy that is available, or the mechanical energy that is available.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising one or more modules that store at least a portion of the converted electrical energy, wherein the one or more modules include one or more of a battery or a battery array.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the expected usage of the machine is based on one or more of a user, previous machine usage by the user of the machine, a community of users, previous usage of one or more other machines having the same type, one or more permissions for the user, a physical environment of the machine, a geo-location of the machine, the type of the machine, a maximum amount of power requirement, a particular application of the machine, or a contract to use one or more of the platform or the machine.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising determining a schedule for maintaining the machine, wherein the schedule is based on one or more of the expected usage of the machine, previous machine usage by the user, one or more permissions for the user, a physical environment of the machine, a geo-location of the machine, or the type of the machine.

7. A controller for managing energy provided to operate a machine, comprising:

providing a machine type of the machine based on one or more of an amount of, or a component type of, one or more components that are coupled to the machine;

providing one or more ranges for an amount of energy provided to the machine, wherein the one or more ranges are based on one or more of the machine type, or an expected usage of the machine; and

enabling the energy to be provided to operate the machine, wherein the energy includes one or more of electrical energy or mechanical energy.

8. The controller of claim 7, further comprising one or more engines that are employed to generate the mechanical energy, or one or more devices that are employed to convert the mechanical energy into the electrical energy.

9. The controller of claim 7, wherein the one or more ranges include one or more of a minimum threshold or a maximum threshold.

10. The controller of claim 7, wherein the one or more ranges are further based on an amount of currently available energy, and wherein the available energy includes one or more of a peak amount of the electric energy that is available, or the mechanical energy that is available.

11. The controller of claim 7, further comprising one or more modules that store at least a portion of the electrical energy, wherein the one or more modules include one or more of a battery or a battery array.

12. The controller of claim 7, wherein the expected usage of the machine is based on one or more of a user, previous machine usage by the user of the machine, a community of users, previous usage of one or more other machines having the same type, one or more permissions for the user, a physical environment of the machine, a geo-location of the machine, the type of the machine, a maximum amount of power requirement, a particular application of the machine, or a contract to use one or more of the platform or the machine.

13. The controller of claim 7, further comprising determining a schedule for maintaining the machine, wherein the schedule is based on one or more of the expected usage of the machine, previous machine usage by the user, one or more permissions for the user, a physical environment of the machine, a geo-location of the machine, or the type of the machine.

14. A method for managing operation of a machine, wherein the method employs one or more processors to execute instructions that perform actions, comprising:

providing a machine type of the machine based on one or more of an amount of, or a component type of, one or more components that are coupled to the machine;

providing one or more ranges for an amount of energy provided to the machine, wherein the one or more ranges are based on one or more of the machine type, or an expected usage of the machine; and

providing the energy to operate the machine, wherein the energy includes one or more of electrical energy or mechanical energy.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising employing one or more engines to generate the mechanical energy, or one or more devices to convert the mechanical energy into the electrical energy.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more ranges are further based on an amount of currently available energy, and wherein the available energy includes one or more of a peak amount of the electric energy that is available, or the mechanical energy that is available.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising one or more modules that store at least a portion of the electrical energy, wherein the one or more modules include one or more of a battery or a battery array.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the expected usage of the machine is based on one or more of a user, previous machine usage by the user of the machine, a community of users, previous usage of one or more other machines having the same type, one or more permissions for the user, a physical environment of the machine, a geo-location of the machine, the type of the machine, a maximum amount of power requirement, a particular application of the machine, or a contract to use one or more of the platform or the machine.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising determining a schedule for maintaining the machine, wherein the schedule is based on one or more of the expected usage of the machine, previous machine usage by the user, one or more permissions for the user, a physical environment of the machine, a geo-location of the machine, or the type of the machine.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising optimizing operation of one or more engines so that a constant amount of the mechanical energy is efficiently provided.