High speed traction motor for a vehicle also having an auxiliary open Brayton cycle power assist and range extender

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9505298-B2
Application number	US-201514645907-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 12, 2015
Priority date	Mar 12, 2015
Publication date	Nov 29, 2016
Grant date	Nov 29, 2016

Abstract

A drive system ( 1 ) for a vehicle includes an electric motor ( 12 ) and a gas turbine assembly ( 28 ). The electric motor ( 12 ) includes a rotor ( 16 ) coupled to a drive shaft ( 14 ). The gas turbine assembly ( 28 ) includes a turbine ( 30 ) including a turbine wheel ( 34 ) mounted on the drive shaft ( 14 ), a burner ( 70 ) that burns fuel and provides exhaust gas to drive the turbine wheel ( 34 ), and a compressor ( 50 ) that provides compressed air to the burner ( 70 ). The gas turbine assembly ( 28 ) is coupled to the drive shaft ( 14 ) of the electric motor ( 12 ). The drive system ( 1 ) also includes gear train unit ( 90 ) that has the drive shaft ( 14 ) as an input shaft, has an output shaft ( 94 ) connected to vehicle wheels ( 100 ), and transmits power from one of the electric motor ( 12 ) or gas turbine assembly ( 28 ) to the wheels ( 100 ).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle drive system ( 1 ) for driving a wheel ( 100 ) of a vehicle, the system ( 1 ) comprising:
an electric drive portion ( 2 ) including as high-speed electric motor ( 12 ) including a shaft ( 14 ) for driving the wheel ( 100 );
a gas turbine drive portion ( 4 ) including a gas turbine assembly ( 28 ) comprising a turbine wheel ( 30 ) mounted on the shaft ( 14 ), a burner ( 70 ) for providing a stream of gas for driving the turbine wheel ( 30 ) and including an inlet for receiving compressed air, a compressor wheel ( 50 ) mounted on the shaft ( 14 ) and having an outlet for supplying compressed air to the burner ( 70 ), and a recuperator ( 80 ) disposed in the fluid path between the outlet of the compressor ( 50 ) and the inlet of the burner ( 70 ), the recuperator ( 80 ) configured to scavenge heat from the exhaust gas that is discharged from the turbine ( 30 ) to heat the compressed air being supplied to the burner ( 70 ), the gas turbine assembly ( 28 ) being directly coupled to the shaft ( 14 ) for driving the wheel ( 100 ) independent of the electric motor ( 12 ), wherein the gas turbine drive portion is operatively coupled in tandem with the electric drive portion ( 2 ) to assist the electric drive portion ( 2 ); and
a gear train unit ( 90 ) operatively coupled between the shaft ( 14 ) and the wheel ( 100 ) of the vehicle for transmitting power from one of the electric motor ( 12 ) or gas turbine assembly ( 28 ) or both to the wheel ( 100 ); and
a controller ( 66 ) connected to the electric motor ( 12 ) and the gas turbine assembly ( 28 ), the controller ( 66 ) configured to control the electric motor ( 12 ) and the gas turbine assembly ( 28 ) to provide power to the wheel ( 100 ) in
a first mode, in which the electric motor ( 12 ) is operated during normal driving operation and the gas turbine assembly ( 28 ) is not operated;
a second mode, in which higher power is required, and in which the electric motor ( 12 ) is operated to propel the vehicle and the gas turbine assembly ( 28 ) is operated to provide propulsion power in addition to that provided by the electric motor ( 12 ); and
a third mode, in which the gas turbine assembly ( 28 ) propels the vehicle and the electric motor ( 12 ) does not contribute to vehicle propulsion but operates as a generator to charge a battery.

2. A vehicle drive system ( 1 ) for driving a wheel ( 100 ) of a vehicle, the system ( 1 ) comprising:
a drive shaft ( 14 );
a high-speed electric motor ( 12 ) including
a rotor ( 16 ) coupled to the drive shaft ( 14 ), and
a stator ( 18 ) that receives the rotor ( 16 );

a gas turbine assembly ( 28 ) including
a turbine ( 30 ) including a turbine wheel ( 34 ) mounted on the drive shaft ( 14 ),
a burner ( 70 ) that burns fuel and provides exhaust gas to drive the turbine wheel ( 34 ), and
a compressor ( 50 ) that provides compressed air to the burner ( 70 ), the compressor ( 50 ) including a compressor wheel ( 54 ) mounted on the drive shaft ( 14 ), whereby the gas turbine assembly ( 28 ) is coupled to the drive shaft ( 14 ) independent of the electric motor ( 12 );

a gear train unit ( 90 ) that has the drive shaft ( 14 ) as an input shaft, and includes an output shaft ( 94 ) connected to the wheel ( 100 ), the gear train unit ( 90 ) transmitting power from one of the electric motor ( 12 ) or gas turbine assembly ( 28 ) to the wheel ( 100 ); and
a controller ( 66 ) connected to the electric motor ( 12 ) and the gas turbine assembly ( 28 ), the controller ( 66 ) configured to control the electric motor ( 12 ) and the gas turbine assembly ( 28 ) to provide power to the wheel ( 100 ) in
a first mode, in which the electric motor ( 12 ) is operated during normal driving operation and the gas turbine assembly ( 28 ) is not operated;
a second mode, in which higher power is required, and in which the electric motor ( 12 ) is operated to propel the vehicle and the gas turbine assembly ( 28 ) is operated to provide propulsion power in addition to that provided by the electric motor ( 12 ); and
a third mode, in which the gas turbine assembly ( 28 ) propels the vehicle and the electric motor ( 12 ) does not contribute to vehicle propulsion but operates as a generator to charge a battery.

3. The vehicle drive system ( 1 ) of claim 2 , wherein the high speed electric motor ( 12 ) is able to operate at speeds in a range of 50,000 rpm to 150,000 rpm.

4. The vehicle drive system ( 1 ) of claim 2 , wherein the gas turbine assembly ( 28 ) further comprises a recuperator ( 80 ) disposed in the fluid path between an outlet of the compressor ( 50 ) and an inlet of the burner ( 70 ), the recuperator ( 80 ) configured to use the exhaust gas that is discharged from the turbine ( 30 ) to heat the compressed air.

5. The vehicle drive system ( 1 ) of claim 2 , wherein the gear train unit ( 90 ) is configured to provide an output shaft ( 94 ) rotational speed that is less than that of the drive shaft ( 14 ).

6. The vehicle drive system ( 1 ) of claim 2 , wherein the gear train unit ( 90 ) provides a rotational speed reduction between the drive shaft ( 14 ) and the output shaft ( 94 ) in a range of 30:1 to 100:1.

7. The vehicle drive system ( 1 ) of claim 2 , wherein the gear train unit ( 90 ) is a fixed ratio speed transmission device.

8. The vehicle drive system ( 1 ) of claim 2 , wherein the gear train unit ( 90 ) includes a planetary gear set.

9. The vehicle drive system ( 1 ) of claim 2 , further comprising a battery ( 62 ) connected to the electric motor ( 12 ) via an inverter ( 65 ).

10. The vehicle drive system ( 1 ) of claim 2 , further comprising a bi-directional controller ( 66 ) configured to permit conversion of direct current to alternating current and conversion of alternating current to direct current via an inverter ( 65 ).

11. The vehicle drive system ( 1 ) of claim 2 , wherein when the vehicle drive system ( 1 ) is operated in the third mode, the electric motor ( 12 ) operates as a generator and supplies power to a battery ( 62 ).

12. The vehicle drive system ( 1 ) of claim 2 , wherein the rotor ( 16 ) is disposed on the drive shaft ( 14 ) between the turbine wheel ( 34 ) and the compressor wheel ( 54 ).

13. The vehicle drive system ( 1 ) of claim 2 , wherein the compressor wheel ( 54 ) is disposed on the drive shaft ( 14 ) between the turbine wheel ( 34 ) and the rotor ( 16 ).

14. The vehicle drive system ( 1 ) of claim 2 , wherein during operation of the gas turbine assembly ( 28 ), the gas turbine assembly ( 28 ) undergoes open Brayton thermodynamic cycles in which the expansion of heated gas from the burner ( 70 ) within the turbine ( 30 ) results in rotation of the drive shaft ( 14 ), which in turn results in rotation of the wheel ( 100 ).

Assignees

• Borgwarner Inc
• Borgwarner Inc

Inventors

• Fraser Brock
• Mott Philip J

Classifications

• B60L50/60

  using power supplied by batteries (in combination with fuel cells B60L50/75) · CPC title

• B60K5/04

  with the engine main axis, e.g. crankshaft axis, transversely to the longitudinal centre line of the vehicle · CPC title

• B60K7/0007

  the motor being electric · CPC title

• B60L15/20

  for control of the vehicle or its driving motor to achieve a desired performance, e.g. speed, torque, programmed variation of speed · CPC title

• B60K6/24 Primary

  characterised by the combustion engines · CPC title