Electric drive train for a vehicle

Prime-mover dynamo plants – Traction

Patent

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Details

290 4R, 290 50, 180 654, 310261, 318696, B60L 1114, H02K 2360, H02K 1724

Patent

active

044840837

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates relates to a drive train particularly for use in a vehicle.


BRIEF DISCUSSION OF THE PRIOR ART

Traditionally the main contender for an alternative to the heat engine has been electrical traction. However the prohibitive inadequacy of electrical traction has been the low on-board energy storage capacity. Thus chemical fuel on-board storage of energy is considered the only practical source of power for the majority of road vehicles.
It is known that a heat engine such as a diesel engine, a spark ignition petrol engine or gas turbine produces maximum power over a relatively narrow range of rotational speeds. Similarly the efficiency of such an engine reaches its maximum value at a particular speed.
Also of particular importance is the control of pollutant engine emissions to the atmosphere. Since the composition of the engine exhaust varies with engine speed the design of an efficient pollution free engine or the design of a catalytic exhaust treatment device becomes considerably more difficult if the engine is to be run at widely varying speeds.


SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

According to the present invention a drive train comprises a primary drive, a rotatable shaft driven by said primary drive, a flywheel rotatable with the shaft for the storage of inertial energy thereby being operable to absorb or rapidly give up angular kinetic energy as required, clutch means between the primary drive and the flywheel, an electrically operated transmission comprising an electrical machine having a magnetic field structure and an independently rotatable armature, one of the field structure and armature being connected to the driven shaft and the other being connected to a rotatable drive shaft, for rotation about a common axis, an electrical storage cell, and electrical control means connected with the electrical machine and with the electrical storage cell, for regulating current and thereby controlling the power transmitted to the drive shaft such that when it is desired to rotate the drive shaft at a speed of rotation less than the speed of rotation of the driven shaft then the electrical control means is operated so as to cause excess power to be tapped to the electrical storage cell to be stored thereby whereas, when it is desired to rotate the drive shaft at a speed of rotation greater than the speed of rotation of the driven shaft, the electrical control means is operated so as to cause the power required in excess of the power provided by the primary drive to be tapped from the electrical storage cell.
The drive train of the invention when in a vehicle enables power to be shared between the wheels and the batteries during use; in other words, power not required is stored by the batteries for later use.
Thus, although torque generated by the primary drive unit is transmitted to the wheels, the power is varied by the electric transmission to permit regulation of speed.
The regulation of the power is effected by an electrical control means regulating the armature current which determines the generator torque and hence the torque applied to the wheels.
The drive train includes a clutch between the primary drive and the flywheel so that an internal combustion primary drive may be started by disengaging the clutch and passing current to the armature to cause rotation of the flywheel. The clutch is then engaged, and the inertia of the flywheel is sufficient to turn over the primary drive unit. The field structure is now driven by the primary drive unit and rotates relative to the armature causing the generation of electrical current. Thus with the wheels braked the relative velocity of the field structure and the armature is at its maximum and the electrically operated transmission is generating at maximum capacity.
As soon as the armature is released the generator reaction torque causes rotation of the armature in the same direction as the field structure. The speed of rotation of the armature is then controlled by the electrical control device which is used to ta

REFERENCES:
patent: 3030517 (1962-04-01), Gibbons
patent: 3789281 (1974-01-01), Shibata
patent: 3904883 (1975-09-01), Horwinski
patent: 4309620 (1982-01-01), Bock
G. Thomas, "Some Hybrid Propulsion Systems for Road Vehicles", Electronics and Power, Feb. 1977, pp. 125-128.

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