Coupling multi driving system

• US 4,562,894 A
• Filed: 09/06/1984
• Issued: 01/07/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/1982
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tai-Her Yang
• Original Assignee: Tai-Her Yang
• Inventors: Yang, Tai-Her
• Primary Examiner(s): Peters, Jr., Joseph F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rice, Kenneth R.
• Application Number:
  US06/648,346
• Time in Patent Office: 488 Days
• Field of Search: 180/65 A, 180/65 B, 180/65 C, 180/65.1, 180/65.2, 180/65.3, 180/65.4, 180/65.8
• US Class Current: 180/65.24
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 29/007 for tyres with segmental sections or for multi-chamber tyres
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 11/00 Removable external protective coverings specially adapted for vehicles or parts of vehicles, e.g. parking covers covering of load on vehicles B60P7/00; guard strips for body finishing, identifying or decorating B60R13/04; tents for use as garages E04H15/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 17/356 having fluid or electric motor, for driving one or more wheels disposition of motor in, or adjacent to, traction wheel B60K7/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2006/262 the motor or generator are used as clutch, e.g. between engine and driveshaft
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/448 Electrical distribution type
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/52 Driving a plurality of drive axles, e.g. four-wheel drive
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/52 Clutch motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/10 using propulsion power supplied by engine-driven generators, e.g. generators driven by combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 1/062 acting on transmission parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/08 including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/00 Control systems specially adapted for hybrid vehicles hybrid vehicle design, B60K6/00; electric vehicles B60L
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/10 Controlling the power contribution of each of the prime movers to meet required power demand
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/916 with plurality of drive axles

Abstract

A coupling multi-driving system for producing rotational energy comprises an internal combustion engine, an output shaft and a unitary rotary drive mechanism. The rotary drive mechanism includes stator excitation windings and an armature. An electronic controller controls the rotary drive mechanism 4. The rotary drive mechanism may be operated in a number of modes, including a mode which couples rotational energy produced by the engine to the output shaft, a mode which couples the output of the rotary drive mechanism operated as an electric motor to the output shaft, a mode which couples the rotational outputs of both the rotary drive mechanism and the internal combustion engine to the output shaft, a mode in which the rotational output of the rotary drive mechanism is coupled to the output shaft of the internal combustion engine to start the engine, a mode in which the output of the internal combustion engine is used to drive the rotary drive mechanism so that it acts as a generator to produce electrical power, and a mode in which the rotary drive mechanism may be used as a regenerative braking device to control the angular velocity of the output shaft as driven by the internal combustion engine. In another embodiment, a differential coupling device is used to couple an electric motor and an internal combustion engine to the same output shaft.

Claims

1. An apparatus for producing rotational energy, including:

engine means for producing rotational energy;

power storage means for storing electrical power; and

a unitary rotary drive mechanism, operatively coupled to said power storage means and mechanically coupled to said engine means and to a load, for coupling the rotational energy produced by said engine means to said load and for converting power stored in said power storing means to rotational energy, said mechanism selectively increasing the angular velocity of rotational energy applied to said load to greater than the angular velocity of the rotational energy produced by said engine means.

2. An apparatus for producing rotational energy, said apparatus including:

engine means for producing rotational energy;

power storage means for storing electrical power; and

a unitary rotary drive mechanism, operatively coupled to said power storage means and said engine means, for performing any selected one of a plurality of functions, said plurality of functions including;

(1) coupling the rotational energy produced by said engine means to a load;

(2) converting the rotational energy produced by said engine means to electrical power for storage in said power storage means;

(3) converting electrical power stored in said power storage means into rotational energy and coupling said rotational energy so produced to said load;

(4) converting electrical power stored in said power storage means into rotational energy and coupling said rotational energy to said engine means to cause said engine means to begin producing rotational energy; and

(5) coupling the rotational energy produced by said engine means to said load and converting electrical power stored in said power storage means into torque to increase the angular velocity of the rotational energy coupled to said load to greater than the angular velocity of the rotational energy produced by said engine means,

said drive mechanism including;

a housing coupled to said engine means,

a shaft, a first end thereof rotatably disposed in said housing, a second end thereof coupled to said load, and

single armature means, disposed on said shaft, for magnetically coupling said housing to said shaft and for selectively rotating said shaft with respect to said housing to cause said shaft to rotate at an angular velocity greater than that of said housing.

3. An apparatus for producing rotational energy, including:

engine means for producing rotational energy;

power storage means for storing electrical power;

rotary drive mechanism means, operatively coupled to said power storage means, said engine means and to a load, for performing any selected one of plurality of functions, said plurality of functions including;

(1) coupling the rotational energy produced by said engine means to said load;

(2) converting the rotational energy produced by said engine means to electrical power for storage in said power storage means;

(3) converting electrical power stored in said power storage means into rotational energy of a first direction and coupling said rotational energy so produced to said load;

(4) converting electrical power stored in said power storage means into rotational energy of a second direction opposite to said first direction and coupling said rotational energy so produced to said load;

(5) converting electrical power stored in said power storage means into rotational energy and coupling said rotational energy to said engine means to cause said engine means to begin producing rotational energy; and

(6) coupling the rotational energy produced by said engine means to said load and converting electrical power stored in said power storage means into torque so as to regulate the angular velocity of the rotational energy transmitted to said load, said mechanism means comprising;

a housing coupled to said engine means,

a rotatable shaft disposed in said housing, said shaft coupled to said load,

armature means, fixed to said shaft within said housing, for selectively producing a magnetic field,

magnetic field producing means, disposed in said housing and magnetically coupled to said armature means, for producing a substantially constant magnetic field,

brush means for conducting electrical current to said armature means,

engine braking means, coupled to said engine means, for selectively producing friction resisting the rotational energy produced by said engine means in response to a first electrical braking signal,

shaft braking means, coupled to said first end of said shaft, for selectively producing friction resisting rotation of said drive shaft in response to a second electrical braking signal,

generating means, coupled to said engine means, for converting the rotational energy produced by said engine means to electrical energy,

voltage regulating means for regulating the potential of the electrical energy produced by said generating means,

shaft speed sensing means, coupled to said shaft, for producing a first speed signal indicative of the angular velocity of said output shaft,

engine speed sensing means, coupled to said engine means for producing a second speed signal indicative of the angular velocity of the rotational energy produced by said engine means, and

accelerator control means, manipulatable by a user, for controlling the angular velocity of the rotational energy produced by the said engine means,

said apparatus further including;

electronic controlling means, powered by the power stored by said power storage means and responsive to said first and second speed signals, for selectively producing said first and second braking signals and for selectively applying electrical current through said brush means to said armature means to cause said armature means to produce a magnetic field of a selected strength and polarity, said controlling means including selecting means, manipulatable by a user, for selecting any one of said plurality of functions, the level of said first and second braking signals and the amplitude and polarity of the current applied to said armature means being selected according to said selected functions,

said controlling means selectively applying current to said armature means of a magnitude sufficient to increase the angular velocity of said shaft to greater than the angular velocity said shaft rotates at when perfect coupling exists between said housing and said armature.

4. An apparatus as in claim 3 wherein said engine means includes an internal combustion engine.

5. An apparatus as in claim 3 wherein said electronic controlling means further includes program matrix means, responsive to said function selected by said selecting means, for defining each of the plurality of functions and for controlling said armature means, shaft braking means and engine braking means in accordance with said selection.

6. An apparatus as in claim 3 wherein said electronic controlling means further comprises:

means for producing at least a first control signal; and

silicon controlled rectifier means, connected between said voltage regulating means and said brush means, for controlling the current applied to said armature means in response to said first control signal.

7. An apparatus as in claim 6 wherein said controlling means includes:

a first transistor QA the collector of which is connected to said voltage regulating means;

a silicon controlled rectifier SCRA the anode of which is connected to said collector of said first transistor, the cathode of which is connected to the emitter of said first transistor;

a second transistor QB;

a first diode, the anode of which is connected to collector of said first transistor, the cathode of which is connected to the collector of said second transistor;

a zener diode, the anode of which is connected to the gate of said silicon controlled rectifier, the cathode of which is connected to the emitter of said second transistor, said zener diode having a predetermined triggering voltage;

a second diode DA the anode of which is connected to the emitter of said first transistor;

a third transistor QC the collector of which is connected to the cathode of said second diode, the emitter of which is connected to ground;

a first resistor RA connected between the cathode of said second diode and said brush means;

a second resistor R1 connected between the emitters of said first and second transistors; and

means for selectively independently applying control signals to the bases of said first, second, and third transistors.

8. An apparatus as in claim 3 further including:

third braking means, coupled to said second end of said shaft, for selectively producing friction in response to a third electrical braking signal; and

means, electrically connected to said third braking means, for applying said third electrical braking signal to said third braking means whenever an armature voltage produced by said armature means is greater than the voltage produced by said power storing means.

9. An apparatus as in claim 3 wherein said controlling means further includes electronic switching element means, operated in a clipper mode, for controlling the current applied to said armature means.