Inertial energy interchange system with energy makeup by combustion engine on demand

• US 4,495,451 A
• Filed: 06/07/1982
• Issued: 01/22/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/1981
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Maxwell K. Barnard
• Original Assignee: Maxwell K. Barnard
• Inventors: Barnard, Maxwell K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Truhe, J. V.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ro, Bentsu
• Application Number:
  US06/385,301
• Time in Patent Office: 960 Days
• Field of Search: 180/65 A, 180/65 C, 180/65 F, 180/165, 180/65.1, 180/65.2, 180/65.3, 180/65.6, 318/150, 318/161, 280/217
• US Class Current: 318/150
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/30 characterised by chargeable mechanical accumulators, e.g. flywheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/12 Induction machines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/30 using propulsion power stored mechanically, e.g. in fly-wheels
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

Vehicle propulsion system or the like characterized by energy interchange between a plurality of flywheel assemblies each including a driving/driven induction motor/generator, and a plurality of vehicle drive wheel assemblies including drive wheels each directly driving/driven by an induction motor/generator, with energy makeup provided by a heat engine driven generator means, operated on demand, such energy interchange being by means of a multi-directional bus to which the flywheel and drive wheel motor/generators are selectively connected by variable frequency switch means and to which the engine driven generator is connected when operating, the switching being under control of a digital computer type controller, the controller receiving as inputs various vehicle operating conditions including flywheel, drive wheel, brake, steering angle and speed control positions, and bus voltage and heat engine driven generator operating condition, and the controller generating switch means controlling outputs causing energy transfer from or to the bus and to or from the drive wheel motor/generators to accelerate or decelerate the vehicle responsive to operator inputs, and causing energy transfer from or to the bus and to or from the flywheel motor/generators when the bus voltage is greater than or less than a predetermined value and to maintain the flywheels at substantially equal rotational speeds, and operating the heat engine and cause electrical energy transfer from the engine driven generator means to the bus whenever the total energy available from the motion of the vehicle and the kinetic energy of the flywheels is less than a predetermined value.

Claims

1. A vehicle propulsion system having a fuel consuming heat engine and a plurality of ground-engaging drive wheels, each such drive wheel being directly and separately driven by an induction motor/generator, and means supplying alternating current electrical energy to the motor/generators to meet the energy needs of the drive wheels, such electrical energy supply means including flywheel driven induction motor/generator means and, as needed, DC generator means driven by said fuel consuming heat engine, with only energy contribution of such heat engine to the system being the electrical output of the DC generator means driven by the heat engine, transmitted through a DC bus and bi-directional, computer controlled switch means to said induction motor/generators.

2. An electrical energy interchange system for wheeled vehicle propulsion, comprising induction motor/generator driven/driving drive wheels, induction motor/generator driven/driving flywheel means, and fuel engine driven DC generator means, and system including:

(a) a plurality of flywheels each drives by a separate induction motor/generator;

(b) a plurality of drive wheels each directly and separately driven by a separate induction motor/generator;

(c) an electrical bus maintained at a DC voltage which is responsive to the operational conditions and the operational needs of the vehicle;

(d) bidirectional, variable frequency switching means between each of the induction motor/generators and the bus; and

(e) digital computer type controller means monitoring the DC voltage on the electrical bus and, responsive thereto, controlling the frequency and duty cycle of each of said switching means, and controlling the operation of said fuel engine driven DC generator means to deliver electrical energy to said DC bus as needed.

3. A system according to claim 2, including two oppositely rotating flywheels.

4. A system according to claim 2, including four drive wheels.

5. A system according to claim 2, wherein the voltage on the electrical bus is maintained at at least 200 volts DC.

6. An apparatus for providing motive energy for a self-propelled vehicle, comprising:

(a) electrical bus means;

(b) a plurality of oppositely rotating, flywheel driving/driven induction motor/generators each connectible by variable frequency switch means to said bus;

(c) a plurality of vehicle drive wheel driving/driven induction motor/generators operable to convert electrical energy into motion of the vehicle and motion of the vehicle into electrical energy and each connectible by variable frequency switch means to said bus;

(d) heat engine driven electrical energy generator means operable to supply electrical energy losses in the motor/generators, and including switch means for connecting said generator means to said bus on demand; and

(e) digital computer type controller means monitoring vehicle component operation and operational demands, and controlling said switch means to cause electrical energy interchange through the said switch means and to and from the electrical bus so that the voltage on the bus is maintained substantially at a predetermined level, with excess energy being stored as kinetic energy in the flywheels and with the total energy available from the motion of the vehicle and the kinetic energy of the flywheels being made up by operation of said heat engine driven electrical generator means whenever the total energy available from motion of the vehicle and the kinetic energy of the flywheels is less than a predetermined value.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, comprising means sensing bus voltage and providing an input thereof to said controller means, the said controller means in turn providing an output causing said variable frequency switching means to drive the flywheel motor/generators to accelerate the flywheels whenever the bus voltage exceeds a predetermined value and causing the flywheel motor/generators to decelerate the flywheels and deliver a portion of the kinetic energy thereof to the bus in the form of electrical energy whenever the bus voltage is less than a predetermined value.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 or claim 7, further comprising flywheel position sensing means and an input thereof to said controller means, the said controller means in turn providing an output to the flywheel motor/ generator switching means maintaining said flywheels at substantially equal rotational speeds.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said apparatus further comprises vehicle component position and operation sensors of flywheel, drive wheel, vehicular brake, steering angle, and speed control positions, bus voltage, and heat engine driven generator means operating condition, the said controller means receiving as inputs the various component position and operator sensor outputs, and the said controller means calculating and providing outputs to control the various switch means to respond to the operational demands indicated by the speed control and steering angle sensors and operational needs of the various motor/generators, and also operating the heat engine and electrical energy generator means driven thereby only when required to maintain the total energy available from the motion of the vehicle and the kinetic energy of the flywheels at a predetermined value.

10. An apparatus according to claim 7, including two oppositely rotating flywheels.

11. An apparatus according to claim 6 or 9, including four drive wheels.

12. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the voltage on the electrical bus is maintained at at least 200 volts DC.

13. A vehicular propulsion system comprising:

(1) kinetic energy source/storage means comprising oppositely rotating flywheel assemblies each including a driving/driven induction motor/generator;

(2) a plurality of vehicle drive wheel assemblies each including a ground engaging drive wheel directly driving/driven by an induction motor/generator;

(3) a fuel consuming energy source including a heat engine and an electrical energy generator means driven thereby;

(4) electrical bus means;

(5) torque regulators including bidirectional, variable frequency switch means each interconnecting each of the flywheel assembly motor/generators with said bus means;

(6) bidirectional, variable frequency switch means each interconnecting each of the drive wheel assembly motor/generators with said bus means;

(7) switch means interconnecting the heat engine driven generator means with said bus means;

(8) vehicle component position and operation sensors sensing flywheel and drive wheel positions, vehicular brake, steering angle, and speed control positions, bus voltage, and heat engine driven generator operating condition;

(9) controller means including a digital computer receiving as inputs the various component position and operation sensor outputs and providing outputs to control the various switch means so that the following vehicular operating conditions occur;

(a) the drive wheel motor/generators are individually conductively connected to the bus, in a manner to receive electrical energy therefrom when the respective drive wheel is to be driven and to deliver electrical energy thereto when the vehicle is decelerating,

(b) the flywheel motor/generators are each conductively connected to the bus in a manner to accelerate the associated flywheel when the bus voltage exceeds a predetermined value and are each conductively connected to the bus in a manner to decelerate the associated flywheel and deliver a portion of its kinetic energy to the bus when the bus voltage is below a predetermined value,

(c) the flywheels are maintained at substantially equal rotational speeds, and

(d) the heat engine is operated and the generator driven thereby is conductively connected to the bus in a manner to deliver heat engine kinetic energy thereto in the form of electrical energy when the total energy available from the motion of the vehicle and the kinetic energy of the flywheels is below a predetermined value, and to disconnect the generator from the bus and stop the operation of the heat engine when such total energy exceeds a predetermined value.

14. A system according to claim 13, comprising two flywheel assemblies and four drive wheel assemblies.

15. A system according to claim 13 or claim 14, wherein the normal operating condition of the system is with the voltage on the electrical bus means at at least 200 volts DC.

16. A vehicle propulsion system or the like characterized by energy interchange between a plurality of flywheel assemblies each including a driving/driven induction motor/generator, and a plurality of vehicle drive wheel assemblies including drive wheels each directly driving/driven by an induction motor/generator, with energy makeup being provided by a heat engine driven generator means, operated on demand, such energy interchange being by means of a multi-directional bus at a DC voltage, to which bus the flywheel and drive wheel motor/generators are selectively connected by variable frequency switch means and to which the engine driven generator means is connected when operating, such switching being under control of a digital computer type controller and means inputting to the controller various vehicle operating conditions including flywheel, drive wheel, brake, steering angle and speed control positions, and bus voltage and heat engine driven generator operating condition, the said controller producing outputs controlling the said switch means to transfer energy from or to the bus and to or from the drive wheel motor/generators to accelerate or decelerate the vehicle, and to transfer energy from or to the bus and to or from the flywheel motor/generators when the bus voltage is less than or greater than a predetermined value, and the said controller generating a further output causing the heat engine to operate and energy transfer from the engine driven generator means to the bus whenever the total energy available from the motion of the vehicle and from the kinetic energy of the flywheels is less than a predetermined value.

17. A vehicle propulsion system or the like characterized by energy interchange between a flywheel assembly including a driving/driven induction motor/generator, and a vehicle drive wheel assembly including a drive wheel directly driving/driven by an induction motor/generator, with energy makeup being provided by a heat engine driven DC generator, operated on demand, such energy interchange being by means of a multi-directional bus at a DC voltage, to which bus the flywheel and drive wheel motor/generators are selectively connected by variable frequency switch means and to which the engine driven DC generator is connected when operating, such switching being under control of a digital computer type controller and means inputting to the controller various vehicle operating conditions including flywheel, drive wheel, brake, and speed control positions, and bus voltage and heat engine driven DC generator operating conditions, the said controller producing outputs controlling the said switch means to transfer energy from or to the bus and to or from the drive wheel motor/generators to accelerate or decelerate the vehicle, and to transfer energy from or to the bus and to or from the flywheel motor/generator when the bus voltage is less than or greater than a predetermined value, and the said controller generating a further output causing the heat engine to operate and energy transfer from the engine driven DC generator to the bus whenever the total energy available from the motion of the vehicle and from the kinetic energy of the flywheel assembly is less than a predetermined value.