Retarder brake system of a vehicle combination

• US 9,616,756 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2016
• Issued: 04/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deere & Company
• Original Assignee: Deere & Company
• Inventors: Fritz, Norbert, Gugel, Rainer
• Primary Examiner(s): Walters, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRIGGS, JAMES J
• Application Number:
  US15/134,955
• Publication Number:
  US 20160318402A1
• Time in Patent Office: 355 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/10 Dynamic electric regenerative braking B60L7/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/24 with additional mechanical or electromagnetic braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/20 specially for trailers, e.g. in case of uncoupling of or overrunning by trailer inertia-actuated overrun brakes B60T13/08
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 13/04 using engine as brake
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/902 Prime movers comprising electrical and internal combustion motors

Abstract

A retarder brake system of a vehicle combination including an agricultural tractor and an electrically driven trailer includes a drive train with a combustion engine, a vehicle transmission downstream from the combustion engine, a mechanical drive axle of the agricultural tractor connected to a first gear output of the transmission, a first electrical motor generator unit coupled to a second gear output, and an electrical drive axle of the trailer. The electrical drive axle is driven by means of a second electrical motor generator unit. The generator units are electrically connected with one another via a direct current link. In a retarder operation, the second electrical motor unit is operated with a generator and the first electrical generator unit is operated with a motor. At least part of the gross retarder output requested on the electrical drive axle is dissipatively destroyed as a power loss within the drive train.

Claims

1. A retarder brake system of a vehicle combination including an agricultural tractor and an electrically driven trailer, comprising:

a drive train with a combustion engine;

a vehicle transmission coupled to the engine;

a mechanical drive axle of the agricultural tractor coupled to a first gear output of the transmission;

a first electrical motor generator unit coupled to a second gear output; and

an electrical drive axle of the trailer operably driven by a second electrical motor generator unit;

wherein, the two electrical motor generator units are electrically coupled to one another via a direct current link;

wherein, in a retarder operation, the second electrical motor generator unit is operated by a generator, and the first electrical motor generator unit is operated with a motor, where at least a portion of a gross retarder output requested on the electrical drive axle is dissipatively destroyed as a power loss within the drive train.

2. The retarder brake system of claim 1, wherein the combustion engine is operated in a motor brake operation.

3. The retarder brake system of claim 2, wherein the motor brake operation is triggered only if it is detected that the power loss of the drive train has been exhausted during execution of the retarder operation.

4. The retarder brake system of claim 1, wherein additional units operated by means of the combustion engine exhaust at least a part of the gross retarder output.

5. The retarder brake system of claim 1, wherein the second gear output is a front PTO shaft connection detachably coupled to the first electrical motor generator unit.