Battery charging system and train

• US 9,083,194 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2012
• Issued: 07/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Koga, Takeru, Nogi, Masayuki, Kawai, Hirotoshi, Koizumi, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Kik, Phallaka
• Application Number:
  US13/599,546
• Publication Number:
  US 20130049458A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,048 Days
• Field of Search: 320/103, 320/104, 320/109, 320/135, 320/138, 307/46, 307/64, 307/66, 307/149, 104/34, 191/4, 340/636.2, 340/636.3, 340/636.4
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/00 Supplying electric power to auxiliary equipment of vehicles circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/20 having different nominal voltages
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 9/00 Electric propulsion with power supply external to the vehicle electric propulsion for monorail vehicles, suspension vehicles or rack railways B60L13/00; in combination with batteries or fuel cells within the vehicle B60L50/53
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 9/28 polyphase motors
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/00 Storing articles, individually or in orderly arrangement, in warehouses or magazines conveyor combinations in warehouses, magazines or workshops B65G37/00; stacking of articles B65G57/00; removing articles from stacks B65G59/00; loading machines B65G65/02
• CPC Class Codes: G03C 1/00 Photosensitive materials photosensitive materials for multicolour processes G03C7/00; for diffusion transfer processes G03C8/00; photosensitive glass C03C4/04
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/12 Parallel operation of dc generators with converters, e.g. with mercury-arc rectifier
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/322 the battery being on-board an electric or hybrid vehicle, e.g. vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G], power aggregation, use of the battery for network load balancing, coordinated or cooperative battery charging
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/14 for charging batteries from dynamo-electric generators driven at varying speed, e.g. on vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/342 The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/0034
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/126 the energy generation units being or involving electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV], i.e. power aggregation of EV or HEV, vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G]

Abstract

A battery charging system includes a first battery unit for storing electric power to be supplied to a driving system of a train, and a second battery unit for storing electric power to be supplied to the first battery unit. A control unit calculates electric power consumption from the first battery unit. And a battery charging unit supplies electric power to the first battery unit from the second battery unit based on the electric power consumption calculated by the control unit.

Claims

1. A battery charging system, comprising:

a connector for connecting to an external power source so as to receive electric power;

a first battery unit for storing electric power to be supplied to a driving system of a train;

a second battery unit for storing electric power to be supplied to the first battery unit;

a control unit for calculating electric power consumption from the first battery unit; and

a battery charging unit for supplying electric power to the first battery unit;

wherein the control unit controls the battery charging unit to supply a predetermined amount of electric power from the external power source to the first battery unit when the connector establishes a connection to the external power source; and

wherein the control unit controls the battery charging unit to supply the electric power to the first battery unit from the second battery unit when the control unit determines that the first battery unit has consumed a predetermined amount of electric power.

2. The battery charging system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the battery charging unit to supply electric power regenerated by a motor while slowing down, to the first battery unit.

3. The battery charging system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the second battery unit to supply the electric power stored in the second battery unit to electric equipment installed on the train.

4. The battery charging system according to claim 1, wherein a capacity of the second battery is greater than a capacity of the first battery.

5. A train, comprising:

a motor for driving the train;

a connector for connecting to an external power source so as to receive electric power;

a first battery unit for storing electric power to be supplied to the motor;

a second battery unit for storing electric power to be supplied to the first battery unit;

a control unit for calculating electric power consumption from the first battery unit; and

a battery charging unit for supplying electric power to the first battery unit;

wherein the control unit controls the battery charging unit to supply a predetermined amount of electric power from the external power source to the first battery unit when the connector establishes a connection to the external power source; and

wherein the control unit controls the battery charging unit to supply the electric power to the first battery unit from the second battery unit when the control unit determines that the first battery unit has consumed a predetermined amount of electric power.

6. The train according to claim 5, wherein the control unit controls the battery charging unit to supply electric power regenerated by the motor while slowing down, to the first battery unit.

7. The train according to claim 5, wherein the control unit controls the second battery unit to supply the electric power stored in the second battery unit to electric equipment installed on the train.

8. The train according to claim 5, wherein the train comprises at least a first car and a second car;

and

wherein the first car includes the motor, the first battery unit, the control unit, and the battery charging unit, and the second car includes the second battery unit.

9. The train according to claim 5, wherein a capacity of the second battery is greater than a capacity of the first battery.