Electric vehicle

• US 8,838,312 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2012
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LRS Innovations Incorporated
• Original Assignee: LRS Innovations Incorporated
• Inventors: Sadler, Lawrence R.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US13/532,737
• Publication Number:
  US 20120330488A1
• Time in Patent Office: 813 Days
• Field of Search: 701/22, 701/1, 701/36, 320/119, 180/65.245, 307/46, 307/82
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/28 Arrangements for balancing of the load in a network by storage of energy
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0024 Parallel/serial switching of connection of batteries to charge or load circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/345 using capacitors as storage or buffering devices
• 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

Abstract

An electric vehicle that includes a hydrocarbon engine coupled with a generator, the generator comprising a positive source connection and a neutral source connection. The electric vehicle further includes a plurality of interconnected electrical energy storage devices, each electrical energy storage device comprising a positive terminal and a neutral terminal. Also included is a switching subsystem configured to successively electrically connect each electrical energy storage device to the generator for a selected time interval in a repeating cycle by electrically connecting the positive source connection of the generator to the positive terminal of an electrical energy storage device and electrically connecting the neutral source connection of the generator to the neutral terminal of the electrical energy storage device. The electric vehicle also includes a motor for propelling the vehicle.

Claims

1. An electric vehicle comprising:

a hydrocarbon engine coupled with a generator, the generator comprising a positive source connection and a neutral source connection;

a plurality of interconnected electrical energy storage devices, each electrical energy storage device comprising a positive terminal and a neutral terminal;

a switching subsystem configured to successively electrically connect each electrical energy storage device to the generator for a selected time interval in a repeating cycle by electrically connecting the positive source connection of the generator to the positive terminal of an electrical energy storage device and electrically connecting the neutral source connection of the generator to the neutral terminal of the electrical energy storage device; and

a motor for propelling the vehicle, the motor connected to and drawing power from the plurality of interconnected electrical energy storage devices.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the motor is connected to and draws power solely from the plurality of interconnected electrical energy storage devices.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the generator is an alternating current generator comprising a rectifier for converting the alternating current waveform into a substantially direct current waveform, wherein the positive source connection and the neutral source connection are components of the rectifier.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the electrical energy storage devices are interconnected in series.

5. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the electrical energy storage devices are interconnected in parallel.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the switching subsystem comprises a processor and electronic switching devices, wherein the processor controls the opening and closing of the electronic switching devices.

7. The vehicle of claim 6, wherein the electronic switching devices are electromechanical relays.

8. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the number of electrical energy storage devices is three.

9. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the time interval is in the range of between about 0.0001 seconds and 1.0 second.

10. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the time interval is in the range of between about 0.001 seconds and 0.5 seconds.

11. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the time interval is in about 0.003 seconds.

12. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a control device for a user to control the power delivered from the plurality of interconnected electrical energy storage devices to the motor.

13. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the hydrocarbon engine coupled with the generator further comprises a load-sensing device for automatically adjusting the power generation according to the sensed-load.

14. The vehicle of claim 13, wherein the load-sensing device senses the charge level of the electrical energy storage devices.

15. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the electrical energy storage devices comprise electro-chemical batteries.

16. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the electrical energy storage devices comprise capacitors.

17. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the electrical energy storage devices comprise electrical energy storage packs comprising multiple battery cells.

18. The vehicle of claim 17, wherein each electrical energy storage pack comprises three battery cells connected in series.

19. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising an auxiliary power source electrically connected to the switching subsystem.

20. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the neutral source connection of the generator is not directly connected to a system ground.

21. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the electrical energy storage devices retain a charge level of at least about 75% during the majority of operation.

22. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the electrical energy storage devices retain a charge of at least about 90% during the majority of operation.

23. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the generator comprises a three-phase AC generator in a delta configuration, and wherein the generator is not connected to a chassis ground.

24. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the interconnected electrical energy storage devices all discharge to the motor at the same time and only one of the electrical energy storage devices receives charge from the generator at the same time.

25. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the power generated by the engine coupled with the generator is less than the maximum power output of the interconnected electrical energy storage devices.

26. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein a first voltage and a first current leave the generator to charge the electrical energy storage devices and a second voltage and a second current leave the electrical energy storage devices to power the motor, wherein the first voltage is different than the second voltage and the first current is different than the second current.

27. An electric vehicle comprising:

a hydrocarbon engine coupled with a generator, the generator comprising a positive source connection and a neutral source connection;

a plurality of interconnected electro-chemical batteries, each electro-chemical battery comprising a positive terminal and a neutral terminal;

a switching subsystem configured to successively electrically connect each electro-chemical battery to the generator for 0.003 seconds in a repeating cycle, the switching subsystem comprising a micro-processor for controlling a positive and a neutral electromechanical relay for each electro-chemical battery, wherein the positive source connection of the generator is connected to one side of a positive electromechanical relay and the other side of the positive electromechanical relay is connected to the positive terminal of one of the electro-chemical batteries and the neutral source connection of the generator is connected to one side of a neutral electromechanical relay and the other side of the neutral electromechanical relay is connected to the neutral terminal of the same electro-chemical battery; and

a motor for propelling the vehicle, the motor connected to and drawing power from the plurality of interconnected electro-chemical batteries.

28. A method for powering an electric vehicle comprising:

providing a hydrocarbon engine coupled with a generator;

providing a plurality of electrical energy storage devices;

providing a motor to power the vehicle;

selecting an individual electrical energy storage device from the plurality of electrical energy storage devices;

connecting the individual electrical energy storage device to the hydrocarbon engine coupled with the generator to charge the individual electrical energy storage device;

continuously cycling through charging the plurality of electrical energy storage devices by successively selecting individual electrical energy storage devices from the plurality of electrical energy storage devices and successively connecting the individual electrical energy storage devices to the hydrocarbon engine coupled with the generator to charge the individual electrical energy storage devices; and

discharging the plurality of electrical energy storage devices to power the motor.