Electric power supply system, control device, vehicle, and engine generator unit for driving vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10434858-B2
Application number	US-201715587537-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 5, 2017
Priority date	Nov 25, 2014
Publication date	Oct 8, 2019
Grant date	Oct 8, 2019

Abstract

An electric power supply system configured to supply electric power to an electrical load device in accordance with a current requirement. The electric power supply system includes an engine configured to output rotational power, a generator configured to receive the rotational power and to supply a current to the electrical load device. The generator includes a rotor, and a stator including a winding and a stator core with the winding wound thereon, a magnetic circuit for the winding passing through the stator core, and a supply current adjustment device configured to adjust magnetic resistance of the magnetic circuit for the winding, to thereby change an inductance of the winding to adjust the supplied current. The electric power supply system further includes a control device configured to control the engine to adjust the output rotational power and to control the supply current adjustment device to adjust the inductance of the winding.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electric power supply system configured to supply electric power to an electrical load device in accordance with a current requirement, 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 including a stator core with a winding wound thereon, the rotational power causing the rotor and the stator to generate a current, and
a supply current adjustment device configured to move at least a portion of the stator core relative to the winding, so as to adjust magnetic resistance of a magnetic circuit for the winding, wherein the magnetic circuit passes through the stator core, to thereby switch between a low-resistance state and a high-resistance state, and to thereby change an inductance of the winding to adjust the current; and

a control device configured to control the engine to adjust the output rotational power and to control the supply current adjustment device to adjust the inductance of the winding, wherein
the magnetic circuit for the winding is a circuit in which a magnetic flux occurs from flowing of electric current in the winding,
for each rotation speed of the rotational power, the current generated by the stator is of a first amount and a second amount when the supply current adjustment device is in the low-resistance state and the high-resistance state, respectively, the first amount being larger than the second amount when said each rotation speed is lower than a threshold, and smaller than the second amount when said each rotation speed is higher than the threshold,
the control device is configured to control the current adjustment device to, responsive to receipt of the current requirement,
switch from the low-resistance state to the high-resistance state when a rotation speed of the received rotational power is higher than the threshold, and
switch from the high-resistance state to the low-resistance state when the rotation speed of the received rotational power is lower than the threshold.

2. The electric power supply system according to claim 1 , wherein
the magnetic circuit for the winding includes a non-magnetic gap between the winding and the rotor, and
the supply current adjustment device changes magnetic resistance of the non-magnetic gap between the winding and the rotor, so as to change the inductance of the winding.

3. The electric power supply system according to claim 1 , wherein
the magnetic circuit for the winding includes a plurality of non-magnetic gaps, and
the supply current adjustment unit changes magnetic resistance of one of the plurality of non-magnetic gaps, the magnetic resistance of the one non-magnetic gap being highest when the inductance of the winding is set to a highest settable value.

4. The electric power supply system according to claim 3 , wherein a magnetic flux forms in the rotor and is linked with the winding, the magnetic flux changing, at a first change rate, as the rotor rotates, and the supply current adjustment device adjusts a supply current by changing the inductance of the winding at a second change rate that is higher than the first change rate.

5. The electric power supply system according to claim 4 , wherein the supply current adjustment device is controlled by the control device to move the at least a portion of the stator core relative to the winding.

6. The electric power supply system according to claim 3 , wherein the supply current adjustment device is controlled by the control device to move the at least a portion of the stator core relative to the winding.

7. The electric power supply system according to claim 2 , wherein a magnetic flux forms in the rotor and is linked with the winding, the magnetic flux changing, at a first change rate, as the rotor rotates, and the supply current adjustment device adjusts a supply current by changing the inductance of the winding at a second change rate that is higher than the first change rate.

8. The electric power supply system according to claim 7 , wherein the supply current adjustment device is controlled by the control device to move the at least a portion of the stator core relative to the winding.

9. The electric power supply system according to claim 2 , wherein the supply current adjustment device is controlled by the control device to move the at least a portion of the stator core relative to the winding.

10. The electric power supply system according to claim 1 , wherein a magnetic flux forms in the rotor and is linked with the winding, the magnetic flux changing, at a first change rate, as the rotor rotates, and the supply current adjustment device adjusts a supply current by changing the inductance of the winding at a second change rate that is higher than the first change rate.

11. The electric power supply system according to claim 10 , wherein the supply current adjustment device is controlled by the control device to move the at least a portion of the stator core relative to the winding.

12. The electric power supply system according to claim 1 , wherein the supply current adjustment device is controlled by the control device to move the at least a portion of the stator core relative to the winding.

13. The electric power supply system according to claim 12 , wherein the supply current adjustment device is controlled by the control device to cause the portion of the stator core to move relative to the winding while maintaining a position of the stator core relative to the rotor.

14. The electric power supply system according to claim 1 , wherein
a linkage flux flows from the permanent magnet of the rotor and is linked with the winding; and
the generator further includes a supply voltage adjustment device configured to change the linkage flux to thereby change an induced voltage of the winding, so as to adjust a voltage to be supplied to the electrical load device.

15. The electric power supply system according to 14 , wherein the supply voltage adjustment device includes a voltage supply adjustment mechanism configured to change the linkage flux flowing from the permanent magnet of the rotor and linked with the winding by moving the rotor, to thereby change the induced voltage of the winding to adjust the supply voltage.

16. The electric power supply system according to claim 15 , wherein the supply voltage adjustment device further includes a voltage adjustment control device, which is one of
a circuit, and
a processor executing program instructions, configured to control the voltage supply adjustment mechanism to move the rotor in accordance with the current requirement.

17. The electric power supply system according to claim 1 , wherein
the stator core includes a plurality of first stator core parts, each having a facing portion that is placed opposite to the rotor with a non-magnetic gap therebetween, and a second stator core part, and
the supply current adjustment device changes the magnetic resistance of the magnetic circuit for the winding by causing the plurality of first stator core parts and the second stator core part to move relative to each other in accordance with the current requirement.

18. The electric power supply system according to claim 17 , wherein the moving of the plurality of first stator core parts and the second stator core part relative to the other causes a state of the stator to shift from
a first state in which a width of a non-magnetic gap between each of the plurality of first stator core parts and the second st

Assignees

• Yamaha Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hino Haruyoshi

Classifications

• H02P2101/25

  for combustion engines · CPC title

• H02P27/06

  using DC to AC converters or inverters (H02P27/05 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G07C5/006

  Indicating maintenance · CPC title

• B60L50/61

  by batteries charged by engine-driven generators, e.g. series hybrid electric vehicles · CPC title

• B60K6/34

  characterised by the absence of energy storing means · CPC title