Power supply system of an electronic switching electric motor for air-conditioning devices to be installed inside the motor vehicles

• US 6,426,601 B1
• Filed: 06/09/2000
• Issued: 07/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bitron SPA (Bitron Industrie SPA)
• Original Assignee: Biton, LLC
• Inventors: De Filippis, Pietro, Del Favero, Angelo
• Primary Examiner(s): Dang, Khanh
• Application Number:
  US09/581,354
• Time in Patent Office: 781 Days
• Field of Search: 318/139, 318/106-109, 318/442, 180/65.2, 180/65.3, 180/65.8, 320/138, 307/48, 307/80, 307/84, 307/87, 307/130
• US Class Current: 318/139
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00428 electric
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/46 for ICE-powered road vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/35 with light sensitive cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/88 Optimized components or subsystems, e.g. lighting, actively controlled glasses

Abstract

A power supply system of an electronic switching electric motor for air-conditioning devices is described, said power supply system is intended to be installed in the motor vehicles and comprises a solar panel (13), which is an integral part of the vehicle and supplies electric energy to the motor (4, 52). The electric motor (4, 52) can be further powered by the vehicle battery (54), in a way that no specific equipment is needed to convert the energy, nor converting devices are needed between the motor (4, 52) and the solar panel (13). Solar panels (13) can be used with a higher voltage output than that of the vehicle battery, in such a way as to draw the available electric energy at a voltage and current level suitable to achieve a significant decrease of the dissipation of energy in the system, with the same sections of wiring or in accordance with the known techniques of the low voltage solar panels.

Claims

1. A power supply system of an electronically commutated DC permanent magnets electric motor (4, 52) suitable for installation inside air-conditioning devices for motor vehicles, the power supply system including at least one solar panel (13) electrically wired to said electric motor (4, 52) and in turn to a plurality of series cells wired in such a way to collect available electrical energy at a substantially high voltage value and at a low current intensity value to allow a lower energy dissipation inside the power supply system, the electric motor (4, 52) comprising:

a switch device (K1) that switches between at least two different positions corresponding to two operating modes of the power system by means of a control provided by at least one control unit (12) to connect alternatively the electric motor with an energy storage battery (54) or with the solar panel (13);

a first capacitor (C2) connected between the switch device (K1) and ground;

a first coil (L1) connected on one end to the switch device (K1) and on the other end to a first transistor (TR1) which is connected to ground via a shunt (SH1);

a second coil (L3) connected on one end to the switch device (K1) and on the other end to a second transistor (TR3) which is connected to ground via said shunt (SH1);

a first diode (D4) whose anode is connected between the first coil (L1) and the first transistor (TR1);

a second diode (D3) whose anode is connected between the second coil (L3) and the second transistor (TR3) and whose cathode is connected to the cathode of said first diode (D4);

a second capacitor (C1) connected between the cathodes of said first and second diodes (D4, D3) and the ground via the shunt (SH1);

a third coil (L2) and a third transistor (TR2) connected in series across the capacitor (C1);

a fourth coil (L4) and a fourth transistor (TR4) connected in series across the second capacitor (C1);

said first and second coils (L1, L3), said first and second transistors (TR1, TR3), said first and second diodes (D4, D3) and said second capacitor (C1) forming a power source in the form of a step-up converter; and

said third and fourth coils (L2, L4) and said third and fourth transistors (TR2, TR4) forming a first part (22) of a high voltage electronic circuit powered by said power source;

the electric motor (4, 52) being powered, alternatively, through an existing traditional vehicle electric system or through the solar panel (13), and the switching between said power sources being automatically managed by the control unit (12) by commanding the switching element (K1) without any additional components interposed between any of said power sources and said motor in order to match different energetic characteristics of any power source to the motor;

the first part (22) of the high voltage electronic circuit having, as its power source in a first system working mode a current generator which comprises said storage battery (54), a plurality of coils (L1, L3) in switching mode, and a plurality of diodes (D3, D4), and in a second system working mode said solar panel connected through at least one coil (L1, L3) and at least one capacitor (C1), in such a way to power the first part (22).

2. The power supply system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said electronic control unit (12) comprises at least one microprocessor which controls the operations of said first part (22) of the electronic circuit by driving with pulse-width modulation (PWM) said transistors (TR3, TR4), thus stabilising voltage in said second capacitor (C1) to a maximum efficiency value for the solar panel (13).

3. The power supply system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said microprocessor uses an application program which periodically executes small changes of a “

duty cycle”

around a working point (G, H) of said solar panel (13) and verifies how such changes impact a rotation speed of said motor (4), in order to take into account efficiency changes of said solar panel (13) due to temperature and or conditions of irradiation changes.

4. The power supply system as claimed in claim 3, wherein said switch K1) is used to protect said solar panel (13) from inverse voltage of said battery (54) when the system works in one of said two working modes.

5. The power supply system as claimed in claim 3, wherein said diodes (D3, D4) are used to protect the solar panel (13) from inverse voltage caused by said motor (4) rotation because of aerodynamic or inertial effects when the system works in one of said two working.

6. The power supply system as claimed in claim 5, wherein said microprocessor controls a rotational positioning operation by activating a plurality of transistors (TR1, TR3) of a second part (111, 112) of the electronic circuit of said power supply system if said motor (4) does not move because it is positioned on a working point which has a static torque equal to zero.

7. The power supply system as claimed in claim 6, wherein said first part (22) of the electronic circuit is disabled while said transistors of said second part (111, 112) of the electronic circuit are driven in parallel through a pulse-width modulation control (PWM) by said electronic control unit (12).

8. The power supply system as claimed in claim 7, wherein said electronic control unit (12) and said power supply source (14), together with the first and second coils, the first and second diodes, and the first and second capacitors in said motor (4, 52) work as a “

step-up”

power supply system capable to power at least one external load (60), through an electromechanical or electronic switch device (1), controlled by said microprocessor of the electronic control unit (12).

9. The power supply system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said external load (60) comprises said motor vehicle storage battery (54).

10. The power supply system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said microprocesser optimises energy conversion by measuring a voltage value at terminals of at least one capacitor (C2) in the electronic circuit, putting said solar panel (13) to work at a maximum efficiency.

11. The power supply system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said motor (4, 52) supplies stabilies voltage to other external loads (60) by working as a parallel “

shunt”

linear regulator, said stabilised voltage being drained from at least one capacitor (Cl) of the electronic power supply circuit of said motor (4, 52).

12. The power supply system as claimed in claim 6, wherein said second part (111, 112) of the electrontic circuit comprises a plurality of electronic components (C1, C2, L1, L3) used for protection of the motor vehicle electric system from problems caused by operation of the electric motor.