This patent disclosure relates generally to retarding systems and methods for electric drives and more particularly, to retarding systems and methods that dissipate retard energy in the form of heat.
Electric drive systems for machines typically include a power circuit that selectively activates a motor at a desired torque. The motor is typically connected to a wheel or other traction device that operates to propel the machine. A hybrid drive system includes a prime mover, for example, an internal combustion engine, that drives a generator. The generator produces electrical power that is used to drive the motor. When the machine is propelled, mechanical power produced by the engine is converted to electrical power at the generator. This electrical power is often processed and/or conditioned before being supplied to the motor. The motor transforms the electrical power back into mechanical power to drive the wheels and propel the vehicle.
The machine is retarded in a mode of operation during which the operator desires to decelerate the machine. To retard the machine in this mode, the power from the engine is reduced. Typical machines also include brakes and some type of retarding mechanism to decelerate and/or stop the machine. As the machine decelerates, the momentum of the machine is transferred to the motor via rotation of the wheels. The motor acts as a generator to convert the kinetic energy of the machine to electrical power that is supplied to the drive system. This electrical energy can be dissipated through wasting, storage, or other consumption by the system in order to absorb the machine's kinetic energy.
A typical electrical retarding system includes a series of resistors or other impedance devices, through which thermal energy is dissipated when electrical current passes therethrough. Due to the size of the machine components and the magnitude of the momentum retarded, large amounts of thermal energy may be dissipated through these impedance devices, which would greatly elevate their temperature. Accordingly, various solutions in the past have involved utilizing active cooling systems to reduce the temperature of these devices. Forced convection by use of a fan or blower provides one form of active cooling for impedance devices used in electric retarding systems.
Known systems using fans or blowers include an electrically driven fan that creates an airflow passing over the impendence devices to cool them by forced convection. Such motors are typically DC motors that operate at a certain DC voltage, which is supplied from the drive system. To regulate this voltage, past systems have included transformers with taps in the generator of the system, high voltage isolators, and so forth. These systems, however, are somewhat costly and deprive the drive system of useful electrical power during operation. They also tend to reduce the overall efficiency of the machine.
The disclosure describes, in one aspect, a cooling system for a retarding system of an electric drive machine. The cooling system includes a direct current (DC) link having first and second rails. A first resistor grid is selectively placed in circuit between the rails by an automatic switch in response to a switch signal. A second resistor grid is selectively placed in circuit between the rails by a chopper circuit connected in series with the second resistor grid. The chopper modulates a current passing therethrough based on a duty cycle. A motor is in parallel electrical connection across a portion of the first resistor grid and operates in response to a motor signal. An electronic controller calculates a net energy during operation and adjusts the switch signal, the duty cycle, and the motor signal to close the automatic electrical switch and operate the motor when the net energy exceeds a threshold value.
In another aspect, the disclosure describes a machine having a hybrid-electric drive system, which includes an engine connected to a generator, a rectifier connected to the generator and to a direct current (DC) link, and an inverter connected to the DC link and to at least one drive motor. The machine further includes a first resistor grid connected in series with two automatic switches, each automatic switch being disposed between the first resistor grid and the DC link and responsive to a switch control signal. A second resistor grid is connected in series with a chopper across the DC link. The chopper is connected between the second resistor grid and the DC link responsive to a duty cycle command. A motor operating a blower is connected across a portion of the first resistor grid via a motor inverter and is responsive to an activation command. An electronic controller is disposed to generate the switch control signal, the duty cycle command, and the activation command when a net energy input into at least one of the first resistor grid and the second resistor grid exceeds a threshold value.
In yet another aspect, the disclosure describes a method for controlling the temperature of one or more resistor grids used to retard an electric drive machine. The method includes evaluating a total power input to the one or more resistor grids, evaluating a total power output from the one or more resistor grids, and calculating a net power difference for power in the one or more resistor grids by subtracting the total power output from the total power input. The net power difference is integrated over time and a cooling sub-routine is activated when the integral of the net power difference exceeds a threshold.
This disclosure relates to systems and methods for retarding an electric drive machine or vehicle. The disclosure that follows uses an example of a direct series electric drive vehicle having an engine connected to a generator for producing electrical power that drives the vehicle. In the exemplary embodiments presented, excess electrical energy produced when the machine is retarded is dissipated in the form of heat. The systems and methods disclosed herein have applicability to other electric drive vehicles. For example, a machine or vehicle may include an electric drive with power stored in one or more batteries or other storage devices, instead of being generated by an engine-driven generator. This embodiment may store excess power produced during retarding in the batteries or other mechanical energy storage devices and arrangements rather than dissipating it in the form of heat.
A front view of the off-highway truck 101 is shown in FIG. IA, and a side view is shown in
The off-highway truck 101 is a direct series electric drive machine, which in this instance refers to the use of more than one source or form of power to drive the drive wheels 108. A block diagram for the direct series electric drive system of the machine 100, for example, the off-highway truck 101, is shown in
When the off-highway truck 101 is propelled, the engine 202 generates mechanical power that is transformed into electrical power, which is conditioned by various electrical components. In an illustrated embodiment, such components are housed within a cabinet 114 (FIG. IA). The cabinet 114 is disposed on a platform that is adjacent to the operator cab 104 and may include the rectifier 206 (
Specifically, when the machine 100 is retarding, the kinetic energy of the machine 100 is transferred into rotational power of the drive wheels that rotates the motors 210, which act as electrical generators. The electrical power generated by the motors 210 has an AC waveform. Because the inverter circuit 208 is a bridge inverter, power supplied by the motors 210 is rectified by the inverter circuit 208 into DC power. Dissipation of the DC power generated by the motors 210 produces a counter-rotational torque at the drive wheels 108 to decelerate the machine. Dissipation of this DC power may be accomplished by passing the generated current rectified by the inverter circuit 208 through a resistance. To accomplish this, a retarder arrangement 213 may include a first resistor grid 214, described in greater detail below, that is arranged to receive current from the inverter circuit 208 via a switch 216. When the switch 216 is closed, the electrical power corresponding to the current generated by the motors 210 may pass through the first resistor grid 214 and be dissipated as heat. Additionally, excess electrical power is also dissipated as heat as it passes through a second resistor grid 218, which is arranged to receive electrical power via a chopper circuit 220. The chopper circuit 220 operates to selectively route a portion of the developed electrical power through the second resistor grid 218. One embodiment for the drive and retarding system is described in more detail below.
A block diagram of the direct series electric drive system of the off-highway truck 101, as one example for the machine 100, is shown in
In one embodiment, the generator 204 is a three-phase alternating current (AC) synchronous generator having a brushless, wound rotor. The generator 204 has an output 301 for each of three phases of alternating current being generated, with each output having a respective current transducer 306 connected thereto. The rotor of the generator 204 (shown in
In the illustrated embodiment, the rotating rectifier 302 includes a rotating exciter armature 302A that is connected to a series of rotating diodes 302B. The three current outputs of the generator 204, which are collectively considered the output of the generator 204, are connected to a rectifier 206. Other generator arrangements may alternatively be used.
The rectifier 206 converts the AC power supplied by the generator 204 into DC power. Any type of rectifier 206 may be used. In the example shown, the rectifier 206 includes six power diodes 310 (best shown in
During operation, a voltage is supplied across the first and second rails of the DC link 312 by the rectifier 206 and/or an inverter circuit 208. One or more capacitors 320 may be connected in parallel with one or more resistors 321 across the DC link 312 to smooth the voltage V across the first and second rails of the DC link 312. The DC link 312 exhibits a DC link voltage, V, which can be measured by a voltage transducer 314, and a current, A, which can be measured by a current transducer 316, as shown in
The inverter circuit 208 is connected in parallel with the rectifier 206 and operates to transform the DC voltage V into variable frequency sinusoidal or non-sinusoidal AC power that powers, in this example, two drive motors 210 (
The inverter circuit 208 can control the speed of the motors 210 by controlling the frequency and/or the pulse-width of the AC output. The drive motors 210 may be directly connected to the drive wheels 108 or, as in the example shown in
In alternative embodiments, the engine 202 and generator 204 are not required to supply the power necessary to drive the drive motors 210. Instead, such alternative embodiments use another source of power, such as a battery or contact with an electrified rail or cable. In some embodiments, one drive motor 210 may be used to power all drive wheels of the machine, while in other embodiments, any number of drive motors may be used to power any number of drive wheels, including all wheels connected to the machine.
Returning now to the block diagrams of
The generated AC electrical power can be converted into DC electrical power through the inverter circuit 208 for eventual consumption or disposition, for example, in the form of heat. In an illustrated embodiment, a retarder arrangement 213 consumes such electrical power generated during retarding. The retarder arrangement 213 can include any suitable arrangement that will operate to dissipate electrical power during retarding of the machine. In the exemplary embodiments shown in
When the machine 100 is to operate in a retarding mode, the first resistor grid 214 is connected between the first and second rails of the DC link 312 so that current may be passed therethrough. When the machine 100 is being propelled, however, the first resistor grid 214 is electrically isolated from the DC link 312 by two contactors or bipolar automatic switches (BAS) 216. Each BAS 216 may include a pair of electrical contacts that are closed by an actuating mechanism, for example, a solenoid (not shown) or a coil creating a magnetic force that attracts the electric contacts to a closed position. The BAS 216 may include appropriate electrical shielding and anti-spark features that can allow these items to operate repeatedly in a high voltage environment.
When the machine 100 initiates retarding, it is desirable to close both BAS 216 within a relatively short time period such that the first resistor grid 214 is placed in circuit between the first and second DC rails to begin energy dissipation rapidly. Simultaneous actuation or actuation at about the same time, such as, within a few milliseconds, of the pair of BAS 216 may also advantageously avoid charging the first resistor grid 214 and other circuit elements to the voltage present at the rails of the DC link 312. The pair of BAS 216 also prevents exposure of each of the BAS 216 or other components in the system to a large voltage difference (the voltage difference across the DC link 312) for a prolonged period. A diode 334 may be disposed in parallel to the first resistor grid 214 to reduce arcing across the BAS 216, which also electrically isolates the first resistor grid 214 from the DC link 312 during a propel mode of operation.
When the machine 100 is retarding, a large amount of heat can be produced by the first resistor grid 214. Such energy, when converted to heat, must be removed from the first resistor grid 214 to avoid an overheating condition. For this reason, a blower 338, driven by a motor 336, operates to convectively cool the first resistor grid 214. There are a number of different alternatives available for generating the power to drive the motor 336. In this embodiment, a DC/AC inverter 340 is arranged to draw power from voltage-regulated locations across a portion of the first resistor grid 214. The DC/AC inverter 340 may advantageously convert DC power from the DC link 312 to 3-phase AC power that drives the motor 336 when voltage is applied to the first resistor grid 214 during retarding.
In the illustrated embodiment, the BAS 216 are not arranged to modulate the amount of energy that is dissipated through the first resistor grid 214. During retarding, however, the machine 100 may have different energy dissipation requirements. This is because, among other things, the voltage V in the DC link 312 should be controlled, for example, to be within a predetermined range. To meet such dissipation requirements, the second resistor grid 218 can be exposed to a controlled current during retarding through action of the chopper circuit 220. The chopper circuit 220 may have any appropriate configuration that will allow modulation of the current supplied to the second resistor grid 218. In this embodiment, the chopper circuit 220 includes an arrangement of transistors 342 that can, when actuated according to a desired frequency and/or duration, modulate the current passed to the second resistor grid 218. This controls the amount of energy dissipated by the second resistor grid 218 during retarding. The chopper circuit 220 may additionally include a capacitor 344 that is disposed between the first and second rails of the DC link 312 and that regulates the voltage input to the chopper circuit 220. A switched diode 346 may be connected between the second resistor grid 218 and the DC link 312 to protect against short circuit conditions in the DC link 312.
The passage of current through the second resistor grid 218 will also generate heat, necessitating cooling of the second resistor grid 218. In this embodiment, the first and second resistor grids 214 and 218 may both be located within the blower housing 116 (also shown in
The embodiment for a drive system shown in
A block diagram representation of an electronic controller used in the drive system is shown in
In
During operation of the machine 100, the electronic controller 400 may receive a retarding command from an input node 402. The retarding command provided at the input node 402 may be generated in response to displacement of a manual control by the operator (not shown). It may alternatively be a command signal generated by the electronic controller 400, or another controller of the machine that monitors or governs the speed of the machine, for example, a speed governor or a speed limiter. The electronic controller 400 may receive and interpret the retarding command according to a control system or algorithm operating therein. The control system may calculate a magnitude of the retarding being commanded, for example, in units of energy or power. Based on these data, the control system may determine whether the first, second, or both resistor grids 214 and 218 should provide a contribution to retarding energy dissipation.
This determination or calculation may be based on various machine operating parameters. Such parameters may include the machine's current speed, payload, rate of acceleration, the desired speed of the machine including a command to stop the machine, the rate of change of the command to retard, and so forth, which may be input to the controller 400 via one or more additional input nodes 404. Such variables are appropriately processed by the control system to determine the optimum mode of activation of the first and/or second resistor grids 214 and 218, as described below.
The electronic controller 400 may, at certain times, provide command signals to activate the chopper circuit 220 to “throttle” power through the second resistor grid 218 by placing the second resistor grid 218 in circuit between the first and second rails of the DC link. This may occur when the retarding command is relatively low. Stated differently, the second resistor grid 218 may be activated without activation of the first resistor grid 214 when the heat dissipation required to achieve the commanded retarding command is below the maximum permissible heat dissipation rating of the second resistor grid 218. Similarly, the electronic controller 400 may command the BAS 216 to close, thus placing the first resistor grid 214 in circuit between the first and second rails of the DC link. In addition, the controller 400 may provide command signals to activate the chopper circuit 220 to selectively place the second resistor grid 218 in circuit between the first and second rails of the DC link, particularly upon receipt of retarding commands that are large or that need to be completed in relatively short time periods.
In the illustrated embodiment, activation of the chopper circuit 220 to modulate the power dissipated by the second resistor grid 218 may be expected to occur on a fairly regular basis when the machine is being retarded. Placement of the first resistor grid 214 in circuit between the first and second rails of the DC link may occur less frequently. Even though such operation is effective and economical for fuel conservation of the machine, the motor 336 and blower 338 may not be activated as no power is applied to the circuit including the first resistor grid 214 for an extended time period. Accordingly, the heat dissipated by the second resistor grid 218 may elevate the temperature of the grid and other surrounding components without cooling by the blower 338.
To address such conditions, an energy calculation may be used to estimate the temperature of the first and second resistor grids 214 and 218. Based on the energy calculation, the controller 400 may provide appropriate command signals to selectively activate the BAS 216 to apply power to the circuit including the first resistor grid 214. Such power activates the blower 338 when cooling is required. Such application of power to the first resistor grid 214 may occur under conditions that would otherwise require no power dissipation through the resistor grids or activation of only the chopper circuit 220. Because power dissipation through the first resistor grid 214 will result when the first resistor grid 214 is placed in circuit to provide power to the blower 338, the controller 400 may compensate for this power loss in the system. In an embodiment, the controller 400 may command the engine and/or the generator to increase their power output to maintain the voltage developed at the first and second rails of the DC link. This may reduce the effect of the power drain through the first resistor grid 214 with respect to machine operation to reduce operator perception of such effect.
The power dissipation in the first resistor grid 214 only occurs when the BAS 216 (
The actual power dissipation of the first resistor grid at 508 and of the second resistor grid at 510 may be summed at 512 to yield the total power dissipation for the retarding system at 513. This total power represents the power input to the retarding system, which the retarding system is required to dissipate into the environment. For example, in the retarder arrangement 213 (
First, the algorithm may calculate a power consumption of the blower at 514 (
Third, the algorithm may calculate the power dissipation from the retarding system due to free convection at 518 by, for example, estimating a heat transfer based on the temperature of the resistor grids and their surrounding components as well as the geometry of the surrounding components. Free convection of heat from the resistor grids occurs when the blower is not active. Alternatively, the heat loss due to free convection may simply be approximated. Last, the algorithm may calculate the power dissipation due to forced convection or cooling by the blower at 520 by, for example, estimating a heat transfer based on the temperature of the resistor grids, the surrounding geometry, and the shaft speed of the blower fan. Forced convection of heat from the resistor grids occurs when the blower is active.
The algorithm may sum, at 521, the power consumed by the blower fan, which was calculated at 514, with the heat transfer from the resistor grids due to the various heat transfer modes, which was calculated at 516, 518, and 520. This summation yields a total power outflow from the retarding system at 522. The algorithm may then compare the total power input to the retarding system, which is calculated at 513, with the total power outflow from the system, which is calculated at 522. Specifically, the algorithm subtracts the total power outflow from the total power input at 523 to yield a total energy difference at 524.
The total energy difference calculated at 524 may be input to an integrator or another monitor device at 526. This device monitors the retarding system for energy accumulation. Such energy accumulation, when positive, may mean that a greater amount of energy is input to the retarding system than the system is able to dissipate. Such a condition may occur, for instance, at times when the machine retards often and by small amounts. In this case, the machine may repeatedly use the chopper circuits 220 (
The energy being monitored at 526 is aggregated and compared to a threshold at 528. When the total energy accumulation of the retarding system exceeds the threshold, the algorithm may activate a cooling subroutine at 530. Such activation may, in turn, activate the first resistor grid 214 by closing the BAS 216. The subroutine 530 may further activate the blower 338 by starting the motor 336. The subroutine 530 may also begin controlling the engine and/or generator of the machine to maintain the power in the DC link 312 at an appropriate operating level. As a result of these adjustments, the power outflow of the retarding system should increase. This will decrease the accumulated energy and, thus, the temperature of the retarding system to a value below the threshold at 528. The algorithm may further have a hysteresis function that will avoid a premature deactivation of the subroutine 530.
The industrial applicably of the methods and systems for braking machines described herein will be readily appreciated from the foregoing discussion. The present disclosure is applicable to many machines and many environments. One exemplary machine suited to use of the disclosed principles is a large off-highway truck, such as a dump truck. Exemplary off-highway trucks are commonly used in mines, construction sites and quarries. The off-highway trucks may have payload capabilities of 100 tons or more and travel at speeds of 40 miles per hour or more when fully loaded. The trucks operate in a variety of environments and must be able to negotiate steep inclines in dry or wet conditions.
Similarly, the methods and systems described above can be adapted to a large variety of machines and tasks. For example, backhoe loaders, compactors, feller bunchers, forest machines, industrial loaders, skid steer loaders, wheel loaders and many other machines can benefit from the methods and systems described.
It will be appreciated that the foregoing description provides examples of the disclosed system and technique. However, it is contemplated that other implementations of the disclosure may differ in detail from the foregoing examples. All references to the disclosure or examples thereof are intended to reference the particular example being discussed at that point and are not intended to imply any limitation as to the scope of the disclosure more generally. All language of distinction and disparagement with respect to certain features is intended to indicate a lack of preference for those features, but not to exclude such from the scope of the disclosure entirely unless otherwise indicated.
Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.
Accordingly, this disclosure includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the disclosure unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.
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