POWER BOOST REGULATOR

• US 20180086419A1
• Filed: 11/21/2017
• Published: 03/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Polaris Industries Incorporated (Polaris Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Polaris Industries Incorporated (Polaris Inc.)
• Inventors: Crain, Stephen G., Zimney, Derek D.
• Granted Patent: US 10,870,465 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 15/2045 for optimising the use of energy
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/30 AC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/50 Structural details of electrical machines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/427 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/429 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/441 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/445 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/03 for supply of electrical power to vehicle subsystems or for circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00
• 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: B62M 27/02 power driven
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 1/2788 the rotor consisting of a single magnet or two or more axially juxtaposed single magnets
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/02 Additional mass for increasing inertia, e.g. flywheels
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/085 radially supporting the rotary shaft at only one end of the rotor H02K7/086, H02K7/09 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/1807 Rotary generators H02K7/006 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/1815 structurally associated with reciprocating piston engines general aspects of generating sets, e.g. housing, F02B63/04
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 9/06 with fans or impellers driven by the machine shaft
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/007 Plural converter units in cascade push-pull DC/DC converters with pre-regulator H02M3/3374; DC-AC converters following a DC-DC stage including a high frequency transformer H02M7/4807; DC-AC converters following a DC-DC conversion stage generating periodically varying voltages H02M7/4826
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0085 Partially controlled bridges
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/04 : by static converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/158 : including plural semiconductor devices as final control devices for a single load
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/1586 : switched with a phase shift, i.e. interleaved
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/04 : by static converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/219 : in a bridge configuration
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/16 : Mechanical energy storage, e.g. flywheels or pressurised fluids
• 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

Abstract

A power generation system is provided including a power boost regulator operative to provide load matched voltage operation of an AC power source.

Claims

1. A method of electrical power generation in a vehicle, the method including:

receiving, by a power boost regulator, alternating current (AC) power from an AC generator coupled to an output of an engine of a vehicle, a speed of the engine varying during an operation of the vehicle;

providing, by the power boost regulator, an output direct current (DC) power for use by an electrical system of the vehicle;

monitoring, remote from the power boost regulator, a voltage input to a first electrical load of a plurality of electrical loads of the vehicle;

controlling, by the power boost regulator, the AC generator to generate the AC power at a target current level and a target voltage level based on the monitored voltage input to the first electrical load of the plurality of electrical loads of the electrical system of the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing, by the power boost regulator, the direct current (DC) power for use by the electrical system of the vehicle includes the steps of converting the received alternating current (AC) power to a first direct current (DC) power and boosting the first direct current (DC) power to provide the output direct current (DC) power.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of determining, by an electronic controller of the power boost regulator, a target current level and a target voltage level of the alternating current (AC) power output by the AC generator based on a rotational speed of the engine.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of selectively distributing, by a current steering stage of the power boost regulator, the output direct current (DC) power to the first electrical load and a second electrical load of the plurality of electrical loads of the electrical system of the vehicle based on a priority distribution schedule.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first electrical load of a plurality of electrical loads of the vehicle has a highest priority in the priority distribution schedule.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first electrical load is a fuel injection system controlled by an engine controller and the monitored voltage input is a high side voltage of the injector.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of electrical loads of the electrical system of the vehicle includes an engine controller, at least one pump, and at least one chassis load.

8. The method of claim 7, further including, in response to a startup event of the engine, distributing the output direct current (DC) power to the engine controller prior to distributing power to the at least one pump and the at least one chassis load.

9. The method of claim 8, further including distributing output direct current (DC) power to the at least one pump in response to the power to the engine controller exceeding a power level threshold.

10. The method of claim 8, further including distributing output direct current (DC) power to the at least one chassis load in response to the power to the engine controller exceeding a first power level threshold and the power to the at least one pump exceeding a second power level threshold.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the startup event includes a manual recoil start by an operator.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the engine controller has a higher priority than the at least one pump, and the at least one pump has a higher priority than the at least one chassis load.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the at least one pump includes a fuel pump and an oil pump, and the at least one chassis load includes at least one of a taillight, a handwarmer device, and a power relay for vehicle accessories.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

monitoring an internal voltage of the power boost regulator at an output of the power boost regulator, the output of the power boost regulator being coupled to the electrical system of the vehicle;

controlling, by the power boost regulator, the AC generator to generate the AC power at the target current level and the target voltage level based on the monitored internal voltage of the power boost regulator when the voltage input to the first electrical load of the plurality of electrical loads of the electrical system of the vehicle has a first characteristic.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first characteristic is being below a first threshold value.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

coupling the electrical system of the vehicle to a first connector interface of the power boost regulator, the power boost regulator providing the output direct current (DC) power through the first connector interface; and

coupling a sense line to a second connector interface of the power boost regulator, the monitored voltage input to the first electrical load of the plurality of electrical loads of the vehicle being received by the power boost regulator through the second connector interface, the second connector interface being spaced apart from the first connector interface.

17. A vehicle for riding by a rider, the vehicle including:

a chassis;

a front suspension coupled to the chassis;

a pair of front skis coupled to the front suspension;

an endless track assembly coupled to the chassis including an endless belt;

a straddle seat supported by the chassis for supporting an operator;

an engine supported by the chassis and providing power to the endless track assembly;

an electrical system supported by the chassis and operatively coupled to the engine to control an operation of the engine, the electrical system including a plurality of electrical loads;

an alternating current (AC) generator operatively coupled to the engine to generate alternating current (AC) power; and

a power boost regulator operatively coupled to the alternating current (AC) generator to rectify the alternating current (AC) power and to boost the alternating current (AC) power to provide an output direct current (DC) power, the power boost regulator configured to monitor, remote from the power boost regulator, a voltage input to a first electrical load of the plurality of electrical loads of the electrical system and to control the alternating current (AC) generator to generate the alternating current (AC) power at a target current level and a target voltage level based on the monitored voltage input to the first electrical load of the plurality of electrical loads of the electrical system.