Vehicle having a generator with inductance-adjustable windings

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10358022-B2
Application number	US-201715604228-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 24, 2017
Priority date	Nov 25, 2014
Publication date	Jul 23, 2019
Grant date	Jul 23, 2019

Abstract

A vehicle including an engine, a generator, a motor, a driving member and a control device. The generator includes a rotor, a stator having a stator core with a winding wound thereon, and an inductance adjustment device that changes an inductance of the winding by changing magnetic resistance of a magnetic circuit for the winding that passes through the stator core. The current adjustment device adjusts a current outputted from the generator to the motor, which drives the driving member. The control device, upon receiving a request for increasing the current to be supplied to the motor, directs the inductance adjustment device to adjust the generator to operate in a state in which the inductance of the winding is low, directs the engine to increase a rotation speed thereof to increase the rotational power, and directs the current adjustment device to increase the output current of the generator.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle, comprising:
an engine configured to output rotational power;
a generator including
a rotor, including a permanent magnet, configured to receive the rotational power from the engine,
a stator arranged opposite to the rotor, and including a stator core with a winding wound thereon, the rotational power causing the rotor and the stator to generate a current for outputting by the generator, and
an inductance adjustment device configured to change an inductance of the winding by changing magnetic resistance of a magnetic circuit for the winding, which passes through the stator core;

a motor configured to receive the current from the generator, the motor receiving no additional electric power from a battery;
a current adjustment device arranged between the generator and the motor, and configured to adjust the current outputted from the generator to the motor;
a driving member configured to be driven by the motor, to thereby drive the vehicle, the driving member receiving no rotational power from the engine; and
a control device configured to control the engine, the inductance adjustment device and the current adjustment device, by
directing the inductance adjustment device to adjust the generator to operate in either a first state or a second state, the magnetic resistance of the magnetic circuit for the winding being higher in the first state than in the second state, the inductance of the winding being lower in the first state than in the second state, and
upon receiving a request for increasing the current to be supplied to the motor,
directing the inductance adjustment device to adjust the generator to operate in the first state,
directing the engine to increase a rotation speed thereof to increase the rotational power, and
directing the current adjustment device to increase the output current of the generator.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
after receiving the request for increasing the current and increasing the rotation speed of the engine, the control device directs the inductance adjustment device to adjust the generator to operate in the second state.

3. The vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein
the current adjustment device includes a switching element, and adjusts the current flowing from the generator to the motor by on/off operation of the switching element.

4. The vehicle according to claim 3 , wherein
the magnetic circuit for the winding includes at least one non-magnetic gap between the winding and the rotor, and
the inductance adjustment device changes the inductance of the winding by changing magnetic resistance of the non-magnetic gap between the winding and the rotor.

5. The vehicle according to claim 4 , wherein
the magnetic circuit for the winding, which passes through the stator core, includes the at least one non-magnetic gap, and
the inductance adjustment device changes the inductance of the winding, which is implemented by changing magnetic resistance of, among the at least one non-magnetic gap, the non-magnetic gap whose magnetic resistance is highest when the inductance of the winding is set to a highest settable value.

6. The vehicle according to claim 3 , wherein
the magnetic circuit for the winding, which passes through the stator core, includes the at least one non-magnetic gap, and
the inductance adjustment device changes the inductance of the winding, which is implemented by changing magnetic resistance of, among the at least one non-magnetic gap, the non-magnetic gap whose magnetic resistance is highest when the inductance of the winding is set to a highest settable value.

7. The vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein
the magnetic circuit for the winding includes at least one non-magnetic gap between the winding and the rotor, and
the inductance adjustment device changes the inductance of the winding by changing magnetic resistance of the non-magnetic gap between the winding and the rotor.

8. The vehicle according to claim 7 , wherein
the magnetic circuit for the winding, which passes through the stator core, includes the at least one non-magnetic gap, and
the inductance adjustment device changes the inductance of the winding, which is implemented by changing magnetic resistance of, among the at least one non-magnetic gap, the non-magnetic gap whose magnetic resistance is highest when the inductance of the winding is set to a highest settable value.

9. The vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein
the magnetic circuit for the winding, which passes through the stator core, includes at least one non-magnetic gap, and
the inductance adjustment device changes the inductance of the winding, which is implemented by changing magnetic resistance of, among the at least one non-magnetic gap, the non-magnetic gap whose magnetic resistance is highest when the inductance of the winding is set to a highest settable value.

10. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the current adjustment device includes a switching element, and adjusts the current flowing from the generator to the motor by on/off operation of the switching element.

11. The vehicle according to claim 10 , wherein
the magnetic circuit for the winding includes at least one non-magnetic gap between the winding and the rotor, and
the inductance adjustment device changes the inductance of the winding by changing magnetic resistance of the non-magnetic gap between the winding and the rotor.

12. The vehicle according to claim 11 , wherein
the magnetic circuit for the winding, which passes through the stator core, includes the at least one non-magnetic gap, and
the inductance adjustment device changes the inductance of the winding, which is implemented by changing magnetic resistance of, among the at least one non-magnetic gap, the non-magnetic gap whose magnetic resistance is highest when the inductance of the winding is set to a highest settable value.

13. The vehicle according to claim 10 , wherein
the magnetic circuit for the winding, which passes through the stator core, includes at least one non-magnetic gap, and
the inductance adjustment device changes the inductance of the winding, which is implemented by changing magnetic resistance of, among the at least one non-magnetic gap, the non-magnetic gap whose magnetic resistance is highest when the inductance of the winding is set to a highest settable value.

14. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the magnetic circuit for the winding includes at least one non-magnetic gap between the winding and the rotor, and
the inductance adjustment device changes the inductance of the winding by changing magnetic resistance of the non-magnetic gap between the winding and the rotor.

15. The vehicle according to claim 14 , wherein
the magnetic circuit for the winding, which passes through the stator core, includes the at least one non-magnetic gap, and
the inductance adjustment device changes the inductance of the winding, which is implemented by changing magnetic resistance of, among the at least one non-magnetic gap, the non-magnetic gap whose magnetic resistance is highest when the inductance of the winding is set to a highest settable value.

16. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the magnetic circuit for the winding, which passes through the stator core, includes at least one non-magnetic gap, and
the inductance adjustment device changes the inductance of the winding, which is implemented by changing magnetic resistance of, among the at least one non-magnetic gap, the non-magnetic gap whose magnetic resistance is highest when the inductance o

Assignees

• Yamaha Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Masuda Masafumi
• Hino Haruyoshi

Classifications

• H02K21/029

  Vectorial combination of the fluxes generated by a plurality of field sections or of the voltages induced in a plurality of armature sections · CPC title

• H02K21/24

  with magnets axially facing the armatures, e.g. hub-type cycle dynamos · CPC title

• H02K21/026

  Axial air gap machines · CPC title

• B60W2520/105

  Longitudinal acceleration · CPC title

• B60L2220/50

  Structural details of electrical machines · CPC title