Flywheel assisted electro-mechanical drive system
US4423794A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 12, 1981 |
| Grant date | Jan 3, 1984 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 12, 2001 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02T10/62
- WIPO fieldTransport
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A vehicle propulsion system combines an electric motor-generator and battery with a flywheel as regenerative power sources. A planetary differential gear train couples together the shafts from the flywheel and the motor-generator. A controller connected between the battery and the motor-generator serves to maintain the current level to or from the battery with a range which develops optimum efficiency of battery energy utilization while causing the flywheel to absorb the relatively large peaks in battery power requirements. In one embodiment, the controller is made up of a transistorized chopper, a free-wheeling diode, a regenerative diode, a current sensor, and a switch to change the controller between the motor and generator modes of operation. The motor-generator is a separately excited, DC machine.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.