Inductively transferring electric energy to a vehicle using consecutive segments which are operated at the same time

• US 9,327,602 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2012
• Issued: 05/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bombardier Transportation GmbH (Bombardier Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Bombardier Transportation GmbH (Bombardier Incorporated)
• Inventors: Woronowicz, Konrad, Czainski, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Jason C
• Application Number:
  US14/357,455
• Publication Number:
  US 20140318913A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,271 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 5/005 without mechanical contact between the collector and the power supply line
• CPC Class Codes: B60M 1/10 Arrangements for energising and de-energising power line sections using magnetic actuation by the passing vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60M 7/003 for vehicles using stored power (e.g. charging stations)

Abstract

A system for transferring electric energy to a vehicle, including an electric conductor arrangement for producing an alternating electromagnetic field and for thereby transferring electric energy to a vehicle. The conductor arrangement includes a plurality of consecutive segments. Each segment is combined with an assigned controller adapted to control the operation of the segment independently of the other segments. The controllers of at least two consecutive segments are connected to each other and/or to a central controlling device so that the at least two consecutive segments can operate at the same time. Each segment includes at least three alternating current lines for carrying phases of a multi-phase alternating current. The consecutive segments are electrically connected in parallel to each other to a current supply. The alternating current lines of each segment include a plurality of sections which extend transversely to the direction of travel of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A system for transferring electric energy to a vehicle, comprising:

an electric conductor arrangement for producing an alternating electromagnetic field and for thereby transferring electric energy to a vehicle,

wherein the conductor arrangement comprises;

a plurality of consecutive segments electrically connected in parallel to each other and to a current supply, wherein the segments extend in a direction of travel of the vehicle,

a transition zone between two of the consecutive segments, wherein the two of the consecutive segments follow each other in the direction of travel of the vehicle or follow each other opposite to the direction of travel,

at least three alternating current lines per segment for carrying phases of a multi-phase alternating current in order to produce the alternating electromagnetic field,

a plurality of line sections, wherein the alternating current lines of each segment comprise the plurality of line sections and wherein the line sections extend transversely to the direction of travel of the vehicle,

a plurality of controllers, with a controller for each segment being adapted to control operation of the segment independently of the other segments, wherein the controllers for the two of the consecutive segments, in order to operate the two of the consecutive segments simultaneously, are connected to each other, to a central controlling device, or to each other and the central controlling device,

wherein, the line sections, when the segment is controlled by the controller, form, if viewed in the direction of travel, a repeating sequence of phases of the alternating current in each of the consecutive segments and the order of the repeating sequence of phases is the same in each of the consecutive segments, and wherein,

the controllers for the two of the consecutive segments, the central controlling device, or the controllers for the two of the consecutive segments and the central controlling device are/is configured so that the repeating sequence of phases continues from one segment of the two of the consecutive segments to the consecutive segment of the two of the consecutive segments across the transition zone.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is adapted to synchronize the assigned controllers for the two of the consecutive segments in a manner so that an electromagnetic field produced by the two of the consecutive segments forms a magnetic wave which moves in or opposite to the direction of travel of the vehicle, the wave being continuous in the transition zone.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein, if viewed in the direction of travel from a first of the two consecutive segments to a second of the two consecutive segments, a line section of the first consecutive segment follows a line section of the second consecutive segment in the repeating sequence of phases of the alternating current.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the line sections are connected to each other via connecting sections, which at least partly extend in the direction of travel, so that each of the alternating current lines follow a meandering path in the direction of travel in which the connecting sections are located alternating on opposite sides of the conductor arrangement, and wherein the line sections of the phases of the repeating sequence are formed by the meandering paths of the alternating current lines in the following manner:

the line section of a first phase of the alternating current extends from a first side of the conductor arrangement towards a second side of the conductor arrangement, which is the side opposite to the first side of the conductor arrangement,

the line section of a second phase of the alternating current, which follows the first phase in the order of phases, extends from the second side of the conductor arrangement towards the first side of the conductor arrangement,

the line section of a third phase of the alternating current, which follows the second phase in the order of phases, extends from the first side of the conductor arrangement towards the second side of the conductor arrangement,

if there are more than three phases, the line section(s) of the next phase or next phases in the order of phases extend(s) in the opposite direction between the first and second side of the conductor arrangement compared to the line section of the preceding phase, until the last phase is reached.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a track bound vehicle or a road automobile.

6. A method of operating a system for transferring electric energy to a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

electrically connecting a plurality of consecutive segments of an electric conductor arrangement in parallel to each other and to a current supply, each segment having a transition zone between adjacent segments,

generating an alternating electromagnetic field with a plurality of line sections comprised of at least three alternating current lines per segment for carrying phases of a multi-phase alternating current, which line sections extend transversely to the direction of travel of the vehicle,

electrically connecting a controller for each segment adapted to control the operation of the segment independently of the other segments with a controller for a consecutive segment adapted to control the operation of the consecutive segment independently of the other segments and/or with a central controlling device adapted to simultaneously control the operation of consecutive segments,

controlling, with the controllers for each segment and the central controlling device, a repeating sequence of phases of the alternating current, generated by the line sections, such that the order of the phases is the same in each line section and the repeating sequence of phases continues from one segment to the consecutive segment, wherein the order of the phases is the same in at least two consecutive segments and in each transition zone.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of synchronizing the assigned controllers for two of the consecutive segments so that the electromagnetic field produced by the two of the consecutive segments forms a magnetic wave which moves in or opposite to the direction of travel of the vehicle, the wave being continuous in the transition zone of the consecutive segments.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the vehicle is a track bound vehicle or a road automobile.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of connecting the line sections to each other via connecting sections, which at least partly extend in the direction of travel, so that each of the alternating current lines follows a meandering path in the direction of travel in which the connecting sections are located alternating on opposite sides of the conductor arrangement, and wherein the line sections of the phases of the repeating sequence are formed by the meandering paths of the alternating current lines in the following manner:

extending the line section of a first phase of the alternating current from a first side of the conductor arrangement towards a second side of the conductor arrangement, which is the side opposite to the first side of the conductor arrangement,

extending the line section of a second phase of the alternating current, which follows the first phase in the order of phases, from the second side of the conductor arrangement towards the first side of the conductor arrangement,

extending the line section of a third phase of the alternating current, which follows the second phase in the order of phases, from the first side of the conductor arrangement towards the second side of the conductor arrangement,

extending, if there are more than three phases, the line section(s) of the next phase or next phases in the order of phases in the opposite direction between the first and second side of the conductor arrangement compared to the line section of the preceding phase, until the last phase is reached.

10. A method of manufacturing a system for transferring electric energy to a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

providing an electric conductor arrangement comprised of a plurality of consecutive segments, each segment having a plurality of line sections comprised of at least three alternating current lines per segment for carrying phases of a multi-phase alternating current, which line sections extend transversely to the direction of travel of the vehicle,

electrically connecting consecutive segments of the electric conductor arrangement in parallel to each other and to a current supply, each segment having a transition zone between adjacent segments,

combining each segment with an assigned controller adapted to control the operation of the segment independently of the other segments,

connecting the controllers of at least two consecutive segments, which follow each other in the direction of travel of the vehicle, or which follow each other opposite to the direction of travel, to each other, to a central controlling device, or to each other and a central controlling device so that the at least two consecutive segments can be operated at the same time, wherein the sections form, when the segment is controlled by the controller, if viewed in the direction of travel, a repeating sequence of phases of the alternating current and the order of the repeating sequence of phases is the same in each line section, and wherein, the controllers of at least two consecutive segments and the central controlling device are configured so that the repeating sequence of phases continues from one segment to the consecutive segment, wherein the order of the phases is the same in at least two consecutive segments and in each transition zone.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of synchronizing the assigned controllers of the at least two consecutive segments so that the electromagnetic field produced by the at least two consecutive segments forms a magnetic wave which moves in or opposite to the direction of travel of the vehicle, the wave being continuous in the transition zone of the consecutive segments.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of laying the alternating current lines of the at least two consecutive segments so that, if viewed in the direction of travel from a first of the two consecutive segments to a second of the two consecutive segments, a transversely extending section of the first consecutive segment follows a transversely extending section of the second consecutive segment in the repeating sequence of phases of the alternating current.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of connecting the line sections to each other via connecting sections, which at least partly extend in the direction of travel, so that each of the alternating current lines follows a meandering path in the direction of travel in which the connecting sections are located alternating on opposite sides of the conductor arrangement, and wherein the line sections of the phases of the repeating sequence are formed by the meandering paths of the alternating current lines in the following manner:

extending the line section of a first phase of the alternating current from a first side of the conductor arrangement towards a second side of the conductor arrangement, which is the side opposite to the first side of the conductor arrangement,

extending the line section of a second phase of the alternating current, which follows the first phase in the order of phases, from the second side of the conductor arrangement towards the first side of the conductor arrangement,

extending the line section of a third phase of the alternating current, which follows the second phase in the order of phases, from the first side of the conductor arrangement towards the second side of the conductor arrangement,

extending, if there are more than three phases, the line section(s) of the next phase or next phases in the order of phases in the opposite direction between the first and second side of the conductor arrangement compared to the line section of the preceding phase, until the last phase is reached.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the vehicle is a track bound vehicle or a road automobile.