Assembly and method for supplying electrical energy to electrical traction motors in a rail vehicle, in particular in a train set

• US 9,556,789 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2012
• Issued: 01/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bombardier Transportation GmbH (Bombardier Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Bombardier Transportation GmbH (Bombardier Incorporated)
• Inventors: Geradts, Karlheinz, Degenhardt, Andreas
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuevas, Pedro J
• Application Number:
  US14/001,044
• Publication Number:
  US 20130333635A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,811 Days
• Field of Search: 290/4.R, 290/31, 290/40.C, 290/52, 731/120.1, 180/65.1, 180/65.31, 310/171, 701/22
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/003 to auxiliary motors, e.g. for pumps, compressors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/13 using AC generators and AC motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/53 in combination with an external power supply, e.g. from overhead contact lines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/14 for vehicles propelled by ac motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 9/30 fed from different kinds of power-supply lines
• CPC Class Codes: B61C 5/00 Locomotives or motor railcars with IC engines or gas turbines characterised by power transmission B61C9/00; engines F02
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 63/04 for electric generators
• 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: Y02T 30/00 Transportation of goods or passengers via railways, e.g. energy recovery or reducing air resistance

Abstract

An assembly for supplying electrical energy to electrical traction motors in a rail vehicle, wherein the assembly includes at least one internal combustion engine, a generator allocated to the at least one internal combustion engine for generating the electrical energy, wherein the generator is mechanically coupled to the internal combustion engine such that it is driven by the internal combustion engine upon generator operation of the generator, a rectifier for rectifying an electrical alternating current generated by the generator, a direct voltage intermediate circuit that is electrically connected to the generator via the rectifier, a generator inverter that is present in addition to the rectifier or that is the rectifier operated in the inverter mode, wherein the generator inverter connects the direct voltage intermediate circuit to the generator in order to operate the generator in a motor mode as a motor, and a control for controlling the motor mode of the generator.

Claims

1. An assembly for supplying electrical energy to electrical traction motors in a rail vehicle, wherein the assembly comprises:

at least one internal combustion engine,

a generator allocated to the at least one internal combustion engine in order to generate electrical energy, wherein the generator is mechanically coupled to the internal combustion engine such that it is driven by the internal combustion engine upon generator mode of the generator,

a rectifier for rectifying an electrical alternating current generated by the generator,

a direct voltage intermediate circuit, which is electrically connected to the generator via the rectifier,

wherein

the assembly further comprises a generator inverter, which is present in addition to the rectifier or which is the rectifier operated in the inverter mode, wherein the generator inverter connects the direct voltage intermediate circuit to the generator in order to operate the generator in a motor mode as a motor, and

the assembly further comprises a control for controlling the motor mode of the generator,

wherein the control has a signal input for receiving a signal which signals that no drive power is demanded from the internal combustion engine, wherein an idle speed or a range of idle speeds of the internal combustion engine is pre-specified and the control is configured, upon reception of the signal, to control the motor mode of the generator such that the internal combustion engine is driven by the generator at the pre-specified idle speed or at an idle speed in the range of pre-specified idle speeds, wherein electrical energy from the direct voltage intermediate circuit is supplied to the generator via the inverter, wherein the assembly further comprises a plurality of internal combustion engines, wherein an allocated generator is coupled to each of the internal combustion engines, which generator is driven in generator mode by the internal combustion engine in order to generate electrical energy, and which in motor mode of the generator drives the allocated internal combustion engine, wherein the assembly is configured to operate a portion of the generators in the motor mode of the generator if the assembly of several internal combustion engines is operated only in the partial load mode such that only a portion of the internal combustion engines generates mechanical energy and the other internal combustion engines are driven at idle speed by the allocated generator.

2. The assembly as in claim 1, wherein the assembly is configured upon braking the rail vehicle to operate the generators in the motor mode of the generator such that the internal combustion engines are driven at idle speed by the allocated generator.

3. The assembly as in claim 1, wherein said assembly further comprises an electrical consumer connection for supplying electrical consumers that require supplying in addition to the at least one traction motor, wherein the electrical consumer connection is connected to the direct voltage intermediate circuit such that the consumers can be supplied with electrical energy from the direct voltage intermediate circuit.

4. The assembly as in claim 1, wherein the control is configured to operate the generator or one of the generators in the motor mode when electrical energy is supplied to consumers from the direct voltage intermediate circuit and wherein the control is configured to operate at least one traction motor in a generator mode such that the energy needed from the direct voltage intermediate circuit by the consumers is at least partially fed into the direct voltage intermediate circuit by the at least one traction motor if a specified criterion is fulfilled that corresponds to an insufficient state of charge of the direct voltage intermediate circuit with any existing energy storage units connected thereto.

5. The assembly as in claim 4, wherein the control comprises or is connected to a speed regulator, wherein the speed regulator is configured to regulate the vehicle speed corresponding to a speed specification as a function of said speed specification by operating the at least one traction motor as needed in the generator or motor mode, and wherein the speed regulator is configured to permit a decrease of the travel speed according to a specified instruction in spite of a temporally constant speed specification.

6. The assembly as in claim 1, wherein the control or a separate engine control of the internal combustion engine is configured to cut off a fuel supply to fuel combustion chambers of the internal combustion engine when the internal combustion engine is driven by the generator in the motor mode of the generator.

7. The assembly as in claim 6, wherein the control or the separate engine control of the internal combustion engine is configured to resume the fuel supply to the fuel combustion chambers of the internal combustion engine if a second specified speed above the pre-specified idle speed or above the range of pre-specified idle speeds is reached.

8. A method for supplying electrical energy to traction motors in a rail vehicle, comprising the steps of:

using at least one internal combustion engine in generator mode driving a generator allocated to the internal combustion engine, wherein the generator generates electrical energy, the generated electrical energy is rectified and fed into a direct voltage intermediate circuit from which the at least one traction motor is supplied with traction energy,

using the generator in motor mode acquiring electrical energy from the direct voltage intermediate circuit of the generator and driving the internal combustion engine using the generator in motor mode,

in the motor mode of the generator upon reception of a signal which signals that no drive power is demanded from the internal combustion engine, the generator is controlled such that the internal combustion engine is driven by the generator at a pre-specified idle speed or at an idle speed in a pre-specified range of idle speeds, wherein a plurality of internal combustion engines is operated, wherein to each of said engines is coupled an allocated generator, which is driven in generator mode by the internal combustion engine in order to generate electrical energy and which in motor mode of the generator drives the allocated internal combustion engine, wherein a portion of the generators is operated in the motor mode of the generator when the assembly of several internal combustion engines is operated only in the partial load mode such that only a portion of the internal combustion engines generates mechanical energy and the other internal combustion engines are driven at idle speed by the allocated generator.

9. The method as in claim 8, wherein upon braking the rail vehicle, the generators are operated in the motor mode of the generator such that the internal combustion engines are driven at idle speed by the allocated generator.

10. The method as in claim 8, wherein, when electrical consumers that are present in addition to the at least one traction motor are supplied with electrical energy from the direct voltage intermediate circuit via an electrical consumer connection, when the generator or generators is/are operated in the motor mode, and when a specified criterion is fulfilled that corresponds to an insufficient state of charge of the direct voltage intermediate circuit with any existing storage units connected thereto, the at least one traction motor is operated in a generator mode such that the energy from the direct voltage intermediate circuit needed by the consumers is at least partially fed into the direct voltage intermediate circuit by the at least one traction motor.

11. The method as in claim 10, wherein the vehicle travel speed is set by a speed regulator, which regulates the vehicle travel speed corresponding to a speed specification as a function of said speed specification by operating the at least one traction motor as needed in the generator or motor mode, and wherein the speed regulator is configured such that a decrease of the travel speed according to a specified instruction is permitted in spite of a temporally constant speed specification.

12. The method as in claim 8, wherein a fuel supply to fuel combustion chambers of the internal combustion engine is cut off when the internal combustion engine is driven by the generator in the motor mode of the generator.

13. The method as in claim 12, wherein the fuel supply to the fuel combustion chambers is resumed when a second pre-specified speed above the pre-specified idle speed or above the range of pre-specified idle speeds is reached.