Electric vehicle with circuit breakers

Details Electric vehicle with circuit breakers Electric vehicle with circuit breakers

1996-01-11

1998-10-06

Johnson, Brian L.

Motor vehicles

With means for promoting safety of vehicle, its occupant or...

Responsive to engagement of portion of perimeter of vehicle...

180282, 180 658, 307 101, B60K 2814, B60L 300

Patent

active

058163581

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a vehicle with at least one electric motor and, more particularly, to an electrically powered vehicle having at least one electric motor for driving a respective wheel of the vehicle, the at least one electric motor being supplied with a driving current by a power source. The amount of current supplied is controlled by a power electronic device and a superordinated electronic controller based upon control signals received from a driver of the vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Among vehicles with an electric drive train, a distinction is made between purely electric vehicles (electric battery vehicles) and electric hybrid vehicles. The latter, in turn, are subdivided into different types according to the relationship between the electric drive train and the drive train of the internal combustion engine: serial, parallel and split-hybrid. There are also vehicles with electric drive motors that draw their electric drive power from a mechanically-connected internal combustion engine/generator unit. Such vehicles, when equipped with suitable storage devices (e.g., electric accumulators, flywheel storage devices with generator coupling), can also be operated as purely electric vehicles, at least for a certain time, using the electric drive alone without the simultaneous use of the internal combustion engine. Fuel cells can also serve as the electric power source for electrically driven vehicles. Not included in the framework of the present invention are vehicles that draw their electric drive power continually from an external power network, i.e., a network not carried within the vehicle itself.
A vehicle is known from German Patent Application No. DE 41 33 014 A1 in which each of the four wheels is driven by its own respective electric motor. The power for all of the electric motors is supplied via a power distributor, which is designed as a power electronics system and is controlled by an electronic controller. The power distributor is connected to an electric generator, which is driven by an internal combustion engine. The electric power produced by the generator can be supplied directly to the electric motors; however, it is also possible to feed some or all of the electric energy into an accumulator attached to the current distributor for temporary storage. In certain operational phases (e.g., when driving in emission-protected urban areas), the electric driving power can be supplied by the accumulator alone.
In order to make an electric vehicle sufficiently attractive, it is necessary to improve its driving performance to at least approach the range of conventionally powered vehicles. This means that motors having a very high power capacity, relative to the structural volume tolerable in electric motors, are required. In view of the required output (e.g., at least 20 or 30 kW) this demand can be met, practically speaking, only when the power is supplied at high voltage. What is meant here by high voltage is a voltage substantially higher than the operating voltage of an on-board vehicle service network, which is usually only 12 or 24 V. As a rule, the voltage is markedly higher than 100 V, for example, 650 V, and may be even higher for some applications.
From DE-A-31 16 867 it is known that the acceleration switch for the airbag also serves to switch, for example, the fuel pump, the central locking and the emergency flasher system.
Furthermore, it is known from FR-A-23 40 219 to interrupt the electric circuit for the generator and the battery during an accident by means of mechanical rods.
However, this becomes problematic in the case of the aforementioned high voltages.
Needless to say, this high voltage is accompanied by a certain potential danger in the event of malfunction because it is applied over a relatively long period of time and results in consistently high electric outputs. In contrast, the potential danger associated with the ignition coil of an internal combustion engine is significantly lower, even though

REFERENCES:
patent: 5238083 (1993-08-01), Horie et al.
patent: 5389824 (1995-02-01), Moroto et al.
patent: 5483447 (1996-01-01), Jeenicke et al.
patent: 5510658 (1996-04-01), Nakayama
patent: 5565711 (1996-10-01), Hagiwara
patent: 5577569 (1996-11-01), Nakashima

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