System, vehicle and related method

• US 8,013,548 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2008
• Issued: 09/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: King, Robert Dean, Kilinski, Gary Raymond
• Primary Examiner(s): Ip; Paul
• Application Number:
  US12/250,582
• Publication Number:
  US 20100090525A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,057 Days
• Field of Search: 318/139, 318/254, 318/439, 318/106, 318/140, 307/9.1, 307/10.1, 180/65, 180/265
• US Class Current: 318/139
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/14 Boost converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/20 having different nominal voltages
• 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

A system includes a first energy storage system electrically coupled to a DC-link, and the first energy storage system comprises a first energy source that can exchange electrical power with an electric motor through the DC-link; a boost converter coupled to the DC-link; a second energy storage system that can be reversibly electrically coupled to the boost converter through a contactor, and wherein an operating voltage of the second energy storage system is less than an operating voltage of the first energy source; and the second energy storage system comprises both an energy battery and a second energy source, and the second energy source has an operating voltage that is higher than the energy battery and is lower than the first energy source operating voltage. A vehicle incorporating the system and a related method are provided.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a first energy storage system electrically coupled to a DC-link, and the first energy storage system comprises a first energy source that can exchange electrical power with an electric motor through the DC-link;

a boost converter coupled to the DC-link;

a second energy storage system that can be reversibly electrically coupled to the boost converter through a contactor, and wherein an operating voltage of the second energy storage system is less than an operating voltage of the first energy source; and

the second energy storage system comprises both an energy battery and a second energy source, and the second energy source has an operating voltage that is higher than the energy battery and is lower than the first energy source operating voltage.

2. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the second energy source has a voltage rating that is in a range of from about 1.2 to about 2 times greater than a nominal voltage rating of the energy battery.

3. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the second energy source has a voltage rating that is in a range of from about 2 to about 3 times greater than a nominal voltage rating of the energy battery.

4. The system as defined in claim 1, further comprising a second contactor that is poled to conduct current from the energy battery to the second energy storage system, and the second energy storage system comprising a second energy source coupled on the boost converter low voltage side.

5. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the first energy source has a voltage rating that is in a range of from about two to about six times greater than the maximum voltage rating of the second energy source.

6. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein further comprising a pre-charge circuit configured to at least partially charge the first energy source.

7. The system as defined in claim 6, wherein a second contactor is poled between the pre-charge circuit and the first energy source.

8. The system as defined in claim 6, wherein the energy battery and the pre-charge circuit cooperate with each other to charge the first energy source.

9. The system as defined in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of sensors that can monitor the first energy storage system operating voltage and the second energy storage system operating voltage, and control the contactor to close based on a voltage differential being within a threshold amount.

10. The system as defined in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of sensors that can monitor one or more external factors selected from the group consisting of motor speed and motor power, and control the contactor to close based on a motor speed or motor power value differential being within a determined amount.

11. The system as defined in claim 1, further comprising the electric motor, and wherein two channels of the electric motor are controllable to operate in a parallel arrangement, and a controller that can interleave chopping of the two channels.

12. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the boost converter is bi-directional and has at least two channels, and the channels are controllable to operate in a parallel arrangement, and a controller that can interleave chopping of the at least two channels.

13. The system as defined in claim 1, further comprising the electric motor and means for reducing current ripple in electric current supplied to the electric motor or from the energy battery.

14. The system as defined in claim 1, further comprising a dc/dc converter that has a power rating at least 25 percent less than a total power level that is transferable from the low voltage side to the high voltage side of the boost converter.

15. A vehicle propulsion system, comprising:

an alternating current (AC) electric motor;

a first energy storage system electrically coupled to the electric motor through a direct current (DC) link and that comprises a first energy source;

a second energy storage system electrically coupled to the electric motor such that a voltage output from the second energy storage system is decoupled from the DC link using a boost converter, and the second energy storage system includes a second energy source and an energy battery; and

a contactor that is poled to conduct current from a low voltage side of the boost converter to a high voltage side of the boost converter, and the contactor is controlled to operate based on an external factor communicated to the controller.

16. The vehicle as defined in claim 15, wherein the external factor is a voltage differential of the low voltage side of the boost converter relative to the high voltage side of the boost converter being within a determined threshold amount.

17. The vehicle as defined in claim 15, wherein the external factor includes one or both of an acceleration signal, torque requirement signal, braking signal, motor speed, and motor power being in a determined range.

18. The vehicle as defined in claim 15, wherein the vehicle is a parallel hybrid vehicle.

19. The vehicle as defined in claim 15, wherein the vehicle is an all-electric vehicle.

20. The vehicle as defined in claim 15, wherein the second energy source has a voltage rating that is in a range of from about 1.2 to about 3 times greater than a nominal voltage rating of the energy battery.

21. The system as defined in claim 15, further comprising a second contactor that is poled to conduct current from the energy battery to the second energy storage system, and the second energy storage system comprising a second energy source coupled on the booster converter low voltage side.

22. The system as defined in claim 15, wherein the first energy source has a voltage rating that is in a range of from about 2 to about 6 times greater than the maximum voltage rating of the second energy source.

23. The system as defined in claim 15, further comprising a pre-charge circuit configured to at least partially charge the first energy source.

24. The system as defined in claim 23, wherein a second contactor is poled between the pre-charge circuit and the first energy source, and the energy battery and the pre-charge circuit cooperate with each other to charge the first energy source.

25. The system as defined in claim 15, further comprising a plurality of sensors that can monitor the first energy storage system operating voltage and the second energy storage system operating voltage, and control the contactor to operate based on a voltage differential being within a determined threshold amount.

26. The system as defined in claim 15, further comprising the electric motor, and wherein two channels of the electric motor are controllable to operate in a parallel arrangement, and further comprising a controller that can interleave chopping of the two channels.

27. The system as defined in claim 15, wherein boost converter is a multi-channel bi-directional boost converter, and at least two channels of the boost converter are controllable to operate in a parallel arrangement mode of operation, and further comprising a controller that can interleave chopping of the two channels.

28. A method, comprising:

exchanging electrical power from a first energy source of a first energy storage system with an electric motor through a DC-link and further to a boost converter; and

reversibly electrically coupling a second energy storage system to the boost converter through a contactor in response to an operating voltage measurement of the second energy storage system being less than an operating voltage of the first energy source, wherein the second energy storage system comprises both an energy battery and a second energy source, and the second energy source has an operating voltage that is higher than the energy battery but is lower than the first energy source operating voltage.