Dynamic reconfiguration-switching of windings in an electric motor used as a generator in an electric vehicle

• US 9,024,550 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2013
• Issued: 05/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Globalfoundries US Incorporated (GlobalFoundries, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Astigarraga, Tara, Bates, Allen K., Bui, Nhan X., Dickens, Louie A., Hancock, Reed A., Schwartz, Stephen L., Starling, Michael E., Winarski, Daniel J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Kawing
• Assistant Examiner(s): Carrasquillo, Jorge L
• Application Number:
  US13/782,467
• Publication Number:
  US 20130175954A1
• Time in Patent Office: 795 Days
• Field of Search: 348/497, 348/795, 348/400.41, 348/376, 348/400.09, 348/379, 348/612, 348/877, 348/759, 348/362
• US Class Current: 318/376
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 1/04 Means for controlling progress of starting sequence in dependence upon time or upon current, speed, or other motor parameter
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 25/184 wherein the motor speed is changed by switching from a delta to a star, e.g. wye, connection of its windings, or vice versa
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 25/188 wherein the motor windings are switched from series to parallel or vice versa to control speed or torque
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 3/12 by short-circuit or resistive braking
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 3/14 by regenerative braking

Abstract

For an electric motor used as a generator in an electric vehicle for dynamic braking, employing a dynamic reconfiguration-switching of motor windings upon the generator exceeding one of a maximum usable constraint of a first rechargeable battery in order to reduce a voltage constant of the electric motor thereby limiting one of a produced voltage and a produced power.

Claims

1. A method for switching motor windings of an electric motor used as a generator in an electric vehicle for dynamic braking using a processor device, the method comprising:

employing a dynamic reconfiguration-switching of a plurality of motor windings upon the generator exceeding one of a maximum usable constraint of a first rechargeable battery in order to reduce a voltage constant of the electric motor thereby limiting one of a produced voltage and a produced power;

defining a maximum usable constraint to be at least one of a maximum usable voltage and a maximum usable power;

for a parallel configuration of the plurality of motor windings, employing the dynamic reconfiguration-switching of the plurality of motor windings upon the generator exceeding the maximum usable voltage of the first rechargeable battery in order to reduce the voltage constant of the electric motor thereby limiting the produced voltage; and

for the serial configuration of the plurality of motor windings, employing the dynamic reconfiguration-switching of the plurality of motor windings upon the generator exceeding one of the maximum usable voltage and the maximum usable power of the first rechargeable battery and the second rechargeable battery in order to reduce the voltage constant of the electric motor thereby limiting one of the produced voltage and the produced power.

2. The method of claim 1, further including performing one of:

dynamically splitting the plurality of motor windings, and

dynamically connecting a second rechargeable battery to the plurality of motor windings upon splitting the plurality of motor windings if the plurality of motor windings are in a serial configuration.

3. The method of claim 1, further including performing the dynamic reconfiguration-switching between the plurality of motor windings using one of a wye connection and a delta connection system for the electric motor.

4. The method of claim 1, further including reducing a torque constant and the voltage constant by the dynamic reconfiguration-switching of the plurality of motor windings.

5. A system for switching motor windings of an electric motor used as a generator in an electric vehicle for dynamic braking, the system comprising:

the electric vehicle;

the electric motor in the electric vehicle, having a plurality of motor windings;

a first rechargeable battery connected to the electric motor;

a plurality of switches for controlling a current through the plurality of motor windings of the electric motor in the electric vehicle; and

a processor device in communication with the plurality of switches, wherein the processor device;

employs a dynamic reconfiguration-switching of the plurality of motor windings upon the generator exceeding one of a maximum usable constraint of the first rechargeable battery in order to reduce a voltage constant of the electric motor thereby limiting one of a produced voltage and a produced power;

defines a maximum usable constraint to be at least one of a maximum usable voltage and a maximum usable power;

for a parallel configuration of the plurality of motor windings, employs the dynamic reconfiguration-switching of the plurality of motor windings upon the generator exceeding the maximum usable voltage of the first rechargeable battery in order to reduce the voltage constant of the electric motor thereby limiting the produced voltage; and

for the serial configuration of the plurality of motor windings, employs the dynamic reconfiguration-switching of the plurality of motor windings upon the generator exceeding one of the maximum usable voltage and the maximum usable power of the first rechargeable battery and the second rechargeable battery in order to reduce the voltage constant of the electric motor thereby limiting one of the produced voltage and the produced power.

6. The system of claim 5, further including a second rechargeable battery, wherein the processor device performs one of:

dynamically splitting the plurality of motor windings, and

dynamically connecting the second rechargeable battery to the plurality of motor windings upon splitting the plurality of motor windings if the plurality of motor windings are in a serial configuration.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the processor device performs the dynamic reconfiguration-switching between the plurality of motor windings using one of a wye connection and a delta connection system for the electric motor.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the processor device reduces a torque constant and the voltage constant by the dynamic reconfiguration-switching of the plurality of motor windings.

9. A computer program product switching motor windings of an electric motor used as a generator in an electric vehicle for dynamic braking using a processor device, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:

a first executable portion that employs a dynamic reconfiguration-switching of a plurality of motor windings upon the generator exceeding one of a maximum usable constraint of a first rechargeable battery in order to reduce a voltage constant of the electric motor thereby limiting one of a produced voltage and a produced power;

a second executable portion that defines a maximum usable constraint to be at least one of a maximum usable voltage and a maximum usable power;

a third executable portion that, for a parallel configuration of the plurality of motor windings, employs the dynamic reconfiguration-switching of the plurality of motor windings upon the generator exceeding the maximum usable voltage of the first rechargeable battery in order to reduce the voltage constant of the electric motor thereby limiting the produced voltage; and

a fourth executable portion that, for the serial configuration of the plurality of motor windings, employs the dynamic reconfiguration-switching of the plurality of motor windings upon the generator exceeding one of the maximum usable voltage and the maximum usable power of the first rechargeable battery and the second rechargeable battery in order to reduce the voltage constant of the electric motor thereby limiting one of the produced voltage and the produced power.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, further including a fifth executable portion that performs one of:

dynamically splitting the plurality of motor windings, and

dynamically connecting a second rechargeable battery to the plurality of motor windings upon splitting the plurality of motor windings if the plurality of motor windings are in a serial configuration.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, further including a fifth second executable portion that performs the dynamic reconfiguration-switching between the plurality of motor windings using one of a wye connection and a delta connection system for the electric motor.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, further including a fifth second executable portion that reduces a torque constant and the voltage constant by the dynamic reconfiguration-switching of the plurality of motor windings.