Power system for a machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12006658-B2
Application number	US-202117301651-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 9, 2021
Priority date	Apr 9, 2021
Publication date	Jun 11, 2024
Grant date	Jun 11, 2024

Abstract

A power system may include a high-speed flywheel connected to an engine of a machine; a battery; a motor-generator unit (MGU) connected to the engine and the battery; and a turbocharger connected to the engine. One or more of the high-speed flywheel, the battery and the MGU, or the turbocharger may be configured to provide supplemental power to power provided by the engine to operate the machine, or provide replacement power when no power is provided by the engine to operate the machine.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A power system, comprising:
a high-speed flywheel connected to an engine of a machine;
a battery;
a motor-generator unit (MGU) connected to the engine and the battery; and
a turbocharger connected to the engine,
wherein one or more of the high-speed flywheel, the battery and the MGU, or the turbocharger is configured to provide:
supplemental power to power provided by the engine to operate the machine, or
replacement power when no power is provided by the engine to operate the machine, and

wherein one or more of:
the power system further comprises a flywheel MGU, or
the high-speed flywheel requires at least 20,000 revolutions per minute (RPM).

2. The power system of claim 1 , wherein the high-speed flywheel is connected to a hybrid front-end accessory drive (FEAD) of the engine; and
wherein the MGU is connected to the FEAD of the engine.

3. The power system of claim 1 ,
wherein the MGU is a battery MGU;
wherein the engine is connected to an engine MGU; and
wherein the high-speed flywheel is connected to the flywheel MGU.

4. The power system of claim 1 ,
wherein the MGU is a first MGU that is connected to a first inverter;
wherein the engine is connected to a second MGU that is connected to a second inverter;
wherein the flywheel MGU is connected to a third inverter; and
wherein the second inverter is connected to the third inverter.

5. The power system of claim 1 , wherein the high-speed flywheel is connected to a gear ratio device; and
wherein the gear ratio device is connected to the flywheel MGU.

6. The power system of claim 1 , wherein the turbocharger is connected to a gear train of the engine; or
wherein the turbocharger is connected to the engine via another MGU.

7. The power system of claim 1 , further comprising a controller configured to:
receive a request to provide the supplemental power or the replacement power;
determine that the one or more of the high-speed flywheel, the battery and the MGU, or the turbocharger are to provide the supplemental power or the replacement power; and
cause, based on the request, the one or more of the high-speed flywheel, the battery and the MGU, or the turbocharger to provide the supplemental power or the replacement power.

8. The power system of claim 1 , further comprising a controller configured to:
determine that the engine is shut down;
receive a request to provide power to one or more components of the machine when the engine is shut down; and
cause, based on the request, one or more of the high-speed flywheel or the battery and the MGU to provide the replacement power to the one or more components of the machine.

9. A work machine, comprising:
an engine;
a high-speed flywheel configured to recover or store at least a portion of energy generated during a braking operation of the engine,
wherein the high-speed flywheel requires at least 20,000 revolutions per minute (RPM);

a battery;
a motor-generator unit (MGU) connected to the engine and the battery;
a flywheel MGU; and
a turbocharger connected to the engine,
wherein one or more of the high-speed flywheel, the battery and the MGU, or the turbocharger is configured to provide:
supplemental power to power provided by the engine to operate the work machine, or
replacement power when no power is provided by the engine to operate the work machine.

10. The work machine of claim 9 , wherein the turbocharger is configured to recover energy, from the engine, via turbo-compounding; and
wherein the supplemental power is provided based on a portion of the energy recovered by the turbocharger.

11. The work machine of claim 9 ,
wherein the high-speed flywheel is configured to store the portion of the energy generated during the braking operation of the engine;
wherein the battery is configured to store a different portion of the energy generated during the braking operation of the engine; and
wherein the replacement power is provided based on at least one of:
the portion of the energy stored by the high-speed flywheel, or
the different portion of the energy stored by the battery.

12. The work machine of claim 9 , wherein the high-speed flywheel is connected to a hybrid front-end accessory drive (FEAD) of the engine; and
wherein the MGU is connected to the FEAR of the engine.

13. The work machine of claim 12 ,
wherein the high-speed flywheel is connected to the FEAD via the flywheel MGU and a first inverter; and
wherein the battery is connected to the MGU via a second inverter.

14. The work machine of claim 9 , further comprising a controller configured to:
detect an operation, of the work machine, associated with a transient load of the work machine;
receive a request to provide the supplemental power as a response to the transient load; and
cause the one or more of the high-speed flywheel, the battery and the MGU, or the turbocharger to provide the supplemental power as the response to the transient load.

15. The work machine of claim 9 , wherein one or more of the high-speed flywheel or the battery and the MGU is configured to provide the replacement power to operate one or more components of the work machine;
wherein the work machine is an off-road machine; and
wherein the engine is a diesel engine.

16. A method, comprising:
receiving, by a controller of a power system, a request to provide power to operate a machine,
wherein the power system comprises a high-speed flywheel, a battery, a flywheel motor-generator unit (MGU), and a turbocharger, and
wherein a first rotational speed range of the flywheel MGU is less than a second rotational speed range of the high-speed flywheel;

determining, by the controller and based on the request, that one or more of the high-speed flywheel, the battery and the flywheel MGU, or the turbocharger are to provide the power; and
causing, by the controller, the one or more of the high-speed flywheel, the battery and the flywheel MGU, or the turbocharger to provide the power as:
supplemental power to power provided by an engine of the machine to operate the machine, or
replacement power when no power is provided by the engine to operate the machine.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
detecting an operation, of the machine, associated with a transient load of the machine, wherein the supplemental power is provided as a response to the transient load.

18. The method of claim 16 ,
wherein the flywheel MGU is a first flywheel MGU;
wherein the method further comprises:
detecting a braking operation of the engine;
transmitting a signal to the first flywheel MGU, connected to the battery, to cause the battery to store a first portion of energy generated during the braking operation; and
transmitting a signal to a second flywheel MGU, connected to the high-speed flywheel, to cause the high-speed flywheel to store a second portion of the energy generated during the braking operation; and

wherein the supplemental power or the replacement power is provided based on at least one of:
the first portion of the energy stored by the battery, or
the second portion of the energy stored by the high-speed flywheel.

19. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
determining that the engine is shut down,
wherein receiving the request comprises:
receiving the request when the engine is shut down; and

wherein, when causing the one or more of the high-speed flywheel, the battery and the flywheel MGU, or the turbocharger to provide the power, comprises:
causing, based o

Assignees

• Caterpillar Inc

Inventors

• Koci Chad
• Steffen Jay R
• Guo Fang
• Kruiswyk Richard W
• Vasudeva Gaurav
• Mcdavid Robert Michael
• Bazyn Timothy Adam

Classifications

• E02F9/2095

  Control of electric, electro-mechanical or mechanical equipment not otherwise provided for, e.g. ventilators, electro-driven fans (control of hydraulic driven equipment E02F9/22) · CPC title

• E02F9/2091

  Control of energy storage means for electrical energy, e.g. battery or capacitors (energy recovery arrangements in hydraulic or pneumatic drives E02F9/2217) · CPC title

• E02F9/202

  Mechanical transmission, e.g. clutches, gears (clutches per se F16D, gears per se F16H) · CPC title

• E02F3/435

  for dipper-arms, backhoes or the like · CPC title

• E02F9/2075 Primary

  of the hybrid type (for vehicles in general B60W20/00) · CPC title