Electrical powerplant for vehicles

• US 5,294,853 A
• Filed: 06/10/1992
• Issued: 03/15/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Norman Schlomka
• Original Assignee: Gerd Knippschild, Gerd Schluter, Hans-Jurgen Lipski, Norman Schlomka
• Inventors: Schluter, Gerd, Knippschild, Gerd, Lipski, Hans-Jurgen
• Primary Examiner(s): Stephan, Steven L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, MATTHEW VAN
• Application Number:
  US07/896,001
• Time in Patent Office: 643 Days
• Field of Search: 310/40 MM, 310/67 R, 310/68 D, 310/68 R, 310/156, 310/261, 310/268, 318/138, 318/139, 318/722, 318/723, 307/10.1
• US Class Current: 310/68.00R
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/20 AC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/51 characterised by AC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 21/24 with magnets axially facing the armatures, e.g. hub-type cycle dynamos
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 21/26 with rotating armatures and stationary magnets
• 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 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility

Abstract

An electric power plant comprising a battery and a DC-three-phase AC inverter, for a vehicle, in particular an automobile. The powerplant comprises at least one three-phase disk-rotor motor (6) assigned to one vehicle wheel, the supply voltage for said motor being adjustable in amplitude and frequency.

Claims

1. An electrical power plant for a vehicle, particularly an automobile, comprising

a battery (1);

at least one 12- or 24-pole three-phase disk-rotor motor (6) with a shaft operatively coupled to a wheel, said motor comprising

a disk-rotor with conducting strips mounted on the motor shaft, and

circularly arrayed magnets of alternating polarities on either side of the rotor equipped with iron returns outside the rotor periphery; and

means for controlling said motor including a power supply having variable amplitude and frequency, said power supply comprising

a three-phase DC-AC inverter (16) connected to receive DC voltage from said battery and to generate a high-amplitude three phase voltage;

an AC-DC rectifier (17) and a smoothing circuit (18) connected to the output of said inverter to receive and rectify said three-phase voltage into DC voltage;

a pulse-width control (19) connected to receive the output of said smoothing circuit and having an output variable in pulse width and pulse repetition rate; and

circuit means connecting said output of said pulse width control to a three-phase winding of said disk-rotor motor.

2. A power plant according to claim 1 wherein one three-phase disk-rotor motor (6) is provided at two mutually opposite wheels of the vehicle and wherein motor torque and/or frequency is controlled by a steering angle set by a vehicle driver.

3. A power plant according to claim 1 wherein said pulse-width control includes a plurality of thyristors (20-22) in said circuit means connecting said output of said pulse width control to said motor, said thyristors being ignited by magnetically controlled resistors (28-30) while being voltage-isolated, said thyristors being controlled by pulse generators adjustable in frequency.

4. A power plant according to claim 1 wherein the magnets are made of rare earths.

5. A power plant according to claim 1 wherein said motor further comprises wiper contact means for supplying power to said motor, said wiper means being mounted radially adjacent said motor shaft.