Auxiliary drive apparatus and method of manufacturing same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9061595-B2
Application number	US-201213568251-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 7, 2012
Priority date	Dec 2, 2008
Publication date	Jun 23, 2015
Grant date	Jun 23, 2015

Abstract

An auxiliary drive circuit includes a first energy storage device coupled to a first DC bus and configured to output electrical power to the first DC bus, a first switch-mode power supply coupled to the first DC bus and to a second DC bus, the first switch-mode power supply configured to convert the electrical power to a first voltage and to output the first voltage to the second DC bus, and a second switch-mode power supply coupled to the second DC bus and coupled to an auxiliary bus, the second switch-mode power supply configured to convert the first voltage to a second voltage and to provide the second voltage to the auxiliary bus, the auxiliary bus configured to provide an auxiliary voltage to an auxiliary drive system, wherein the second voltage is different from the first voltage.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An auxiliary drive circuit comprising:
a first energy storage device electrically coupled to a first DC bus;
a first switch-mode power supply coupled between the first DC bus and a second DC bus, the first switch-mode power supply configured to step up a voltage of the first energy storage device to a first voltage and provide the first voltage to the second DC bus, where the first voltage is higher than the voltage of the first energy storage device;
a second switch-mode power supply coupled between the second DC bus and an auxiliary bus, the second switch-mode power supply configured to step down the first voltage to a second voltage and provide the second voltage to the auxiliary bus, where the second voltage is lower than the first voltage;
a voltage converter coupled between the auxiliary bus and an auxiliary load, the voltage converter configured to receive the stepped down second voltage and adjust the second voltage so as to provide a controlled voltage input to the auxiliary load, and
a controller in operable communication with the first and second switch-mode power supplies and with the voltage converter, the controller being configured to:
receive an input comprising a measured value of one or more parameters associated with operation of a vehicle in which the auxiliary drive circuit is incorporated;
provide a command to the voltage converter regarding the controlled voltage at which to operate the auxiliary load; and
based on the measured value of the one or more parameters, selectively control the first and second switch-mode power supplies to control the second voltage provided to the voltage converter.

2. The auxiliary drive circuit of claim 1 wherein the auxiliary load comprises a DC motor; and
wherein the voltage converter comprises a DC-to-DC converter.

3. The auxiliary drive circuit of claim 1 further comprising a second energy storage device coupled to the auxiliary bus and to the second switch-mode power supply; and
wherein the second switch-mode power supply is further configured to convert a voltage of the second energy storage device to a third voltage and to provide the third voltage to the second DC bus, the third voltage different from the voltage of the second energy storage device.

4. The auxiliary drive circuit of claim 3 further comprising a coupling device coupled between the second energy storage device and the second switch-mode power supply.

5. The auxiliary drive circuit of claim 1 further comprising a coupling device coupled between the first energy storage device and the first switch-mode power supply, wherein the coupling device comprises one of a contactor, a semiconductor switch, and a diode.

6. The auxiliary drive circuit of claim 5 wherein the coupling device comprises a set of contactors configured to de-couple positive and negative terminals of the first energy storage device from the remainder of the auxiliary drive circuit.

7. The auxiliary drive circuit of claim 1 wherein the second switch-mode power supply comprises a buck converter.

8. The auxiliary drive circuit of claim 1 wherein the first switch-mode power supply comprises a first bi-directional buck/boost converter.

9. The auxiliary drive circuit of claim 8 further comprising a coupling device coupled between the auxiliary bus and the first DC bus; and
wherein the second switch-mode power supply comprises a second bi-directional buck/boost converter.

10. The auxiliary drive circuit of claim 9 further comprising:
a second energy storage device; and
a third bi-directional buck/boost converter coupled between the second DC bus and the second energy storage device.

11. The auxiliary drive circuit of claim 10 wherein the second energy storage device comprises one of a battery and an ultracapacitor.

12. The auxiliary drive circuit of claim 1 further comprising a second energy storage device coupled to the second DC bus and configured to store energy from, and supply energy to, the first and second switch-mode power supplies; and
wherein the second energy storage device comprises one of a battery and an ultracapacitor.

13. The auxiliary drive circuit of claim 1 wherein the controller is further configured to control an output voltage of at least one of the first and the second switch-mode power supplies to the auxiliary load using pulse-width-modulation to optimize an operating efficiency of the auxiliary load.

14. The auxiliary drive circuit of claim 1 wherein the one or more parameters associated with operation of a vehicle in which the auxiliary drive circuit is incorporated comprise at least one of ambient temperature, coolant temperature, traction drive power and torque levels, vehicle speed, vehicle acceleration/deceleration rate, vehicle operating mode, and road gradient.

15. A method of manufacturing comprising:
coupling a first energy storage device to a first DC link;
coupling a first switch-mode power supply to the first DC link and to a second DC link, the first switch-mode power configured to convert a voltage output by the first energy storage device to the first DC link into a first voltage, and output the first voltage to the second DC link;
coupling a second switch-mode power supply to the second DC link and to an auxiliary bus, the second switch-mode power supply configured to convert the first voltage to a second voltage, different from the first voltage and to supply the second voltage to the auxiliary bus;
providing one of a DC-to-DC converter and an DC-to-AC inverter between the auxiliary bus and each of one or more auxiliary loads coupled to the auxiliary bus, the one of the DC-to-DC converter and the DC-to-AC inverter independently adjusting the second voltage received from the auxiliary bus to a level suitable for its respective auxiliary load, and
coupling a controller to the first and second switch-mode power supplies and to each of the DC-to-DC converter and the DC-to-AC inverter provided between the auxiliary bus and a respective auxiliary load of the one or more auxiliary loads, the controller configured to dynamically set the second voltage on the auxiliary bus based on one or more parameters associated with operation of a vehicle on which the one or more auxiliary loads are incorporated.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the controller is further configured to:
receive an input comprising a measured value of the one or more parameters associated with operation of the vehicle on which the one or more auxiliary loads are incorporated; and
generate and transmit a command to the respective one of the DC-to-DC converter and the DC-to-AC inverter regarding the controlled voltage at which to operate each of the one or more auxiliary loads.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising:
providing a second energy storage device, the second energy device comprising one of a battery and a fuel cell;
coupling the second energy storage device to the auxiliary bus; and
coupling the second energy storage device to the second DC link via the second switch-mode power supply.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising coupling a first coupling device between the second energy storage device and the second switch-mode power supply.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising coupling a second coupling device between the first DC link and the auxiliary bus; and
wherein the first and second coupling devices comprise one of semiconductor switches, diodes, and contactors.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein the first switch-mode power

Assignees

• King Robert Dean
• Kilinski Gary
• Gen Electric

Inventors

• King Robert Dean
• Kilinski Gary

Classifications

• Y02T10/725

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• B60L2210/20

  AC to AC converters · CPC title

• B60L1/003 Primary

  to auxiliary motors, e.g. for pumps, compressors · CPC title

• B60L11/1803 Primary

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• Y02T10/7005

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic