Charging a battery of an electric mine vehicle
By combining a charging controller and a controllable rectifier, the battery charging problem of electric mining vehicles during mining operations is solved, enabling independent control of battery charging and operation. This ensures that the power system is designed solely for mining operation power, thereby improving the efficiency and reliability of the power system.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2023-09-05
- Publication Date
- 2026-04-03
AI Technical Summary
In the existing technology, it is difficult to meet the charging and battery power needs of electric mining vehicles at the same time when they are carrying out mining operations. This results in the power system having to supply high power at the same time, and it is impossible to independently determine the power requirements for battery charging and mining operations.
By employing a charging controller and a controllable rectifier, the current supply circuit is controlled to supply power to the battery only when the motor power consumption is below a predefined threshold, thus preventing battery charging from occurring simultaneously with mining operations. Furthermore, the external power supply is limited during periods of high power consumption, ensuring that the power system is designed only for the maximum power required for mining operations.
It enables efficient charging of electric mining vehicle batteries without affecting mining operations, avoids power system overload, and reduces the design complexity and cost of the power system.
Smart Images
Figure CN121794147A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This disclosure generally relates to the charging of batteries in electric mining vehicles, including batteries and one or more motors. The disclosed apparatus and methods can be applied, for example, to rock drills. Background Technology
[0002] Electric mining vehicles are typically equipped with batteries to allow for energy supply even when the vehicle is not connected to an external power source. This is essential for enabling the electric mining vehicle to move between different work sites and operate in work sites without external power. When the electric mining vehicle is connected to an external power source, the battery can be charged.
[0003] If the battery is being charged simultaneously with mining operations performed by the electric mining vehicle, the power system must be sized to simultaneously supply the power required for battery charging and the power required for mining operations performed by the electric mining vehicle.
[0004] Therefore, there is a need for improved devices and methods for charging batteries in electric mining vehicles. Summary of the Invention
[0005] The aforementioned problem is addressed by the apparatus and method claimed for charging the battery of an electric mining vehicle, which includes a battery and one or more motors.
[0006] The device preferably includes: a current supply circuit arranged to supply current to a battery for charging, and to supply current to one or more motors; and a charging controller. The charging controller is preferably arranged to control the current supply circuit to charge only when the power consumption in one or more motors is below a predefined charging threshold T. c Current is supplied to the battery at certain times. This allows the charging controller to prevent battery charging from occurring simultaneously with mining operations performed by the electric mining vehicle, and instead charges the battery only when there is sufficient unused power.
[0007] The method preferably includes: supplying current to a battery using a current supply circuit to charge it, and supplying current to one or more motors; determining the power consumption in the one or more motors; and controlling the current supply circuit using a charging controller to charge only when the determined power consumption in the one or more motors is below a predefined charging threshold T. c Current is supplied to the battery at certain times. This allows the charging controller to prevent battery charging from occurring simultaneously with mining operations performed by the electric mining vehicle, and instead charges the battery only when there is sufficient unused power.
[0008] The apparatus and methods that are to be protected enable the power supply system, and in particular the current supply circuit, to be sized only for the maximum power required for mining operations carried out by electric mining vehicles.
[0009] In one implementation, the current supply circuit includes a controllable rectifier, which is arranged to control whether the battery is charging or discharging based on the output voltage from the controllable rectifier.
[0010] In this implementation, the power consumption in one or more motors is determined based on the rotational speed of the one or more motors. Rotational speed can be easily monitored using sensors in the one or more motors, and a significant increase in rotational speed can be used to indicate a significant increase in power consumption in the one or more motors.
[0011] In this implementation, the power consumption in one or more motors is determined based on the overall power consumption of the electric mining vehicle—the power consumption in other parts of the electric mining vehicle is typically much lower than the power consumption in one or more motors. The power consumption in one or more motors can be defined, for example, as the power delivered by the controlled rectifier minus the power used to charge the battery (when the battery is discharging rather than charging, this means that the power discharged from the battery is added to, rather than subtracted from, the power delivered by the controlled rectifier). A significant increase in the overall power consumption of the electric mining vehicle can be used to indicate a significant increase in the power consumption in one or more motors.
[0012] In this implementation, the charging controller is arranged to control the current supply circuit when the power consumption in one or more motors exceeds a predefined peak threshold T. p At this time, current is supplied from the battery to one or more motors. This limits the maximum power supplied from the external power source by using the battery as support when power consumption is high, and thus prevents overload in the current supply circuit.
[0013] The aforementioned problem is further addressed by the use of the claimed device for charging the battery of an electric mining vehicle, such as a rock drill, which includes a battery and one or more motors.
[0014] The aforementioned problems are also solved by the rock drills that are required to be protected, including the aforementioned devices.
[0015] The battery may include any number of battery modules, as well as one or more battery management systems and / or one or more cooling systems.
[0016] The scope of this invention is defined by the claims, which are incorporated herein by reference. A more complete understanding of embodiments of the invention, as well as its additional advantages, will be gained by those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of one or more embodiments. Reference will be made to the accompanying drawings, which will first be briefly described. Attached Figure Description
[0017] Figure 1 This is an illustrative illustration of an apparatus for charging the battery of an electric mining vehicle according to one or more embodiments described herein, the electric mining vehicle including a battery and one or more motors.
[0018] Figure 2 The schematic illustration shows an electric mining vehicle according to one or more embodiments described herein.
[0019] Figure 3 The schematic illustration shows a method for charging a battery of an electric mining vehicle according to one or more embodiments described herein, the electric mining vehicle including a battery and one or more motors.
[0020] The embodiments of this disclosure and their advantages can be best understood by referring to the following detailed description. It should be recognized that the same reference numerals are used to identify the same elements illustrated in one or more figures. Detailed Implementation
[0021] Electric mining vehicles are typically equipped with batteries to allow for energy supply even when not connected to an external power source. If the battery is being charged while the electric mining vehicle is performing mining operations, the power system must be sized to simultaneously supply the power required for both battery charging and mining operations. Therefore, it is advantageous to ensure that the battery is not being charged while the electric mining vehicle is performing mining operations.
[0022] This disclosure generally relates to apparatus and methods for charging the battery of an electric mining vehicle, such as a rock drill, which includes a battery and one or more motors. Embodiments of the disclosed solutions are presented in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0023] Figure 1This is a schematic illustration of an apparatus 100 for charging the battery 120 of an electric mining vehicle, which includes a battery 120 and two motors 210 and 220. The apparatus 100 includes a current supply circuit 110 and a charging controller 150. The current supply circuit 110 is arranged to receive power from an external power source 180, for example, a cable providing 1000V AC, and to supply current to the battery 120 for charging, and to supply current to the motors 210 and 220. The charging controller 150 is arranged to control the current supply circuit 110 to charge only when the power consumption in the motors 210 and 220 is below a predefined charging threshold T. c Current is supplied to battery 120 at any time. This enables charging controller 150 to prevent charging of battery 120 from occurring simultaneously with mining operations performed by electric mining vehicle 200.
[0024] Figure 1 The schematically illustrated device 100 also includes a controllable rectifier 160 as part of a current supply circuit 110, which converts alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC). The controllable rectifier 160 is arranged to supply power from an external power source 180 to motors 210 and 220 and to control whether battery 120 is charging or discharging. The controllable rectifier 160 can, for example, be arranged to control the charging of battery 120 based on the output voltage from the controllable rectifier 160, i.e., the voltage at connection point 130. If the voltage at connection point 130 is higher than the battery voltage, battery 120 will be charged, and if the voltage at connection point 130 is lower than the battery voltage, battery 120 will be discharged (this principle is described in WO2023091059). The controllable rectifier 160 can, for example, be a line converter or an inverter. A charging controller 150 can control the controllable rectifier 160 to control battery 120 only when the power consumption in motors 210 and 220 is below a predefined charging threshold T. c The current is received at that time. Once the power consumption in motors 210 and 220 reaches the predefined charging threshold T, the current is received. c Preferably, the current supply to the battery 120 is stopped in order to prevent the charging of the battery 120 from occurring simultaneously with the mining operation carried out by the electric mining vehicle 200.
[0025] The controllable rectifier 160 can also be arranged such that if the power consumption in the motors 210 and 220 reaches a predefined peak threshold T... p Then, the battery 120 is controlled to supply current to the motors 210 and 220. This limits the maximum power supplied from the external power source 180 by using the battery 120 as support when power consumption is high, and thus prevents overload in the current supply circuit 110.
[0026] In an embodiment, the current supply circuit 110 may be arranged to use means other than one or more controllable rectifiers 160 to control the current supplied to and from the battery 120. The current supply circuit 110 may further include a number of other components, such as one or more transformers and / or one or more filters.
[0027] Battery 120 may include any number of battery modules, as well as one or more battery management systems and / or one or more cooling systems.
[0028] Figure 2 The diagram schematically illustrates an electric mining vehicle 200 in the form of a rock drill. The schematically illustrated electric mining vehicle 200 is supplied with power from an external power source 180 and includes a current supply circuit 110 controlled by a charging controller 150, a battery 120, and two motors 210 and 220 that can drive different aspects of the electric mining vehicle. The first motor 210 can, for example, drive the hydraulic system in the electric mining vehicle 200, and the second motor 220 can, for example, drive the pneumatic system in the electric mining vehicle 200. The hydraulic system typically drives tools used for mining operations, such as a ground engagement member 250 for moving the rock drill 200 and an arm 260 for vertical positioning of the drilling rig. The pneumatic system typically drives a compressor that supplies compressed air, which can be used, for example, to blow away loose material during mining operations. Alternatively, the electric mining vehicle 200 may include only one motor driving both the hydraulic and pneumatic systems. Other motors may also be used in the electric mining vehicle 200, such as small motors that drive the windshield wipers and internal fans.
[0029] To avoid simultaneously supplying the power required for battery charging and the power required for mining operations performed by the electric mining vehicle 200, it is necessary to ensure that the power consumption in motors 210 and 220 exceeds a predefined charging threshold T. c At this time, no current is supplied to battery 120. This prevents the charging of battery 120 from occurring simultaneously with the mining operations performed by the electric mining vehicle 200.
[0030] The hydraulic system in an electric mining vehicle is typically not completely shut down at any point during the workday because starting the hydraulic system usually takes a considerable amount of time. However, to save energy, the hydraulic system is preferably configured to enter an idle mode when it has not been used for a predetermined period of time, such as 30 seconds or one minute. This idle mode can be entered whenever the operator takes a short break during mining operations, such as to answer a phone call. Because the first motor 210 uses very little power during idle mode and operates only at its idle speed (e.g., about 1000 rpm), there is idle capacity in the current supply circuit 110, which can be used to charge the battery 120. Once the operator activates any part of the hydraulic system, the hydraulic system exits the idle mode, and the first motor 210 begins to drive the hydraulic system at a speed higher than the idle speed. The charging controller 150 then senses that the power consumption in the motors 210 and 220 exceeds a predefined charging threshold T. c And the current supply circuit 110 immediately stops supplying current to the battery 120.
[0031] When the first motor 210 is running at idle speed, the second motor 220 can also run at low speed, or even be completely shut off, because typically only the hydraulic system requires a longer start-up time. The power consumption of one or more motors 210, 220 at idle speed is typically less than 10kW (e.g., 5kW), which means that the predefined charging threshold T... c For example, it could be 10kW.
[0032] The operator can disengage the hydraulic system from idle mode by activating any tool used for mining operations, such as the ground engagement member 250 for moving the rock drill 200 or the arm 260 for vertical positioning of the drilling rig. Idle mode can therefore be disengaged by any action initiated by the operator, such as by the operator using a device such as a lever, button, or joystick in the electric mining vehicle 200.
[0033] This allows the battery 120 to be charged during working days without having to determine the size of the power system for both the power required to simultaneously supply battery charging and the power required for mining operations performed by the electric mining vehicle 200. This allows the power system, and especially the components in the current supply circuit 110 (such as the controlled rectifier 160, for example), to be sized only for the maximum power required for mining operations performed by the electric mining vehicle 200.
[0034] In this implementation, the power consumption in one or more motors 210 and 220 is determined based on the rotational speed of one or more motors 210, 220 in order to detect when one or more motors leave their idle speed (e.g., about 1000 rpm), for example, to reach a speed exceeding 1200 rpm. Rotational speed can be easily monitored using sensors in one or more motors 210, 220, and a significant increase in rotational speed can be used to indicate a significant increase in power consumption in one or more motors.
[0035] In this implementation, the power consumption in one or more motors 210, 220 is determined based on the overall power consumption of the electric mining vehicle 200—the power consumption in other parts of the electric mining vehicle 200 is typically much lower than the power consumption of one or more motors 210, 220. The overall power consumption of the electric mining vehicle 200 can be defined, for example, as the power delivered by the controlled rectifier 160 minus the power used to charge the battery 120 (when the battery 120 is discharging rather than charging, this means that the power discharged from the battery 120 is added to, rather than subtracted from, the power delivered by the controlled rectifier 160). A significant increase in the overall power consumption of the electric mining vehicle 200 can be used to indicate a significant increase in the power consumption of one or more motors 210, 220.
[0036] Figure 3 The diagram schematically illustrates a method 300 for charging the battery of an electric mining vehicle, which includes a battery 120 and one or more motors 210, 220. Method 300 may include:
[0037] Step 310: Use the current supply circuit 110 to supply current to the battery 120 to charge it, and to supply current to one or more motors 210, 220.
[0038] Step 320: Determine the power consumption of one or more motors 210, 220.
[0039] Step 330: Use the charging controller 150 to control the current supply circuit 110 only when the determined power consumption of one or more motors 210, 220 is lower than a predefined charging threshold T. c The current is supplied to the 120-cell battery.
[0040] This allows the power system, and especially the components in the current supply circuit 110 (such as the controlled rectifier 160), to be sized only for the maximum power required for the mining operations performed by the electric mining vehicle 200, by preventing the charging of the battery 120 from occurring simultaneously with the mining operations performed by the electric mining vehicle 200.
[0041] In this implementation, the determination 320 of the power consumption of one or more motors 210, 220 is based on the rotational speed of one or more motors 210, 220. The rotational speed can be easily monitored using sensors in one or more motors 210, 220, and a significant increase in rotational speed can be used to indicate a significant increase in power consumption in one or more motors.
[0042] In this implementation, the determination 320 of the power consumption in one or more motors 210, 220 is based on the overall power consumption of the electric mining vehicle 200—the power consumption in other parts of the electric mining vehicle 200 is typically much lower than the power consumption in one or more motors 210 and 220. This can be defined, for example, as the power delivered by the controlled rectifier 160 minus the power used to charge the battery 120 (when the battery 120 is discharging rather than charging, this means that the power discharged from the battery 120 is added to, rather than subtracted from, the power delivered by the controlled rectifier 160). A significant increase in the overall power consumption of the electric mining vehicle 200 can be used to indicate a significant increase in the power consumption in one or more motors 210, 220.
[0043] Method 300 may further include one or more of the following:
[0044] Step 340: Based on the output voltage from the controllable rectifier 160 in the current supply circuit 110, control whether the battery 120 is charging or discharging.
[0045] Step 350: Use the charging controller 150 to control the current supply circuit 110 so that when the determined power consumption of one or more motors 210, 220 exceeds a predefined peak threshold T p At this time, current is supplied from battery 120 to one or more motors 210 and 220. This will limit the maximum power supplied from external power source 180 by using battery 120 as support when power consumption is high, thereby preventing overload in current supply circuit 110.
[0046] The foregoing disclosure is not intended to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed or to any particular field of use. It is conceivable that, in light of this disclosure, various alternative embodiments and / or modifications, whether explicitly described or implied herein, are possible. The steps can be performed in any technically meaningful order, and some steps may be performed simultaneously with each other. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is defined only by the claims.
Claims
1. An apparatus (100) for charging the battery (120) of an electric mining vehicle (200) comprising a battery (120) and one or more motors (210, 220), the apparatus (100) comprising: A current supply circuit (110) is arranged to supply current to the battery (120) for charging, and to supply current to the one or more motors (210, 220); as well as The charging controller (150) is arranged to control the current supply circuit (110) only when the power consumption in the one or more motors (210, 220) is below a predefined charging threshold T. c Current is supplied to the battery (120) at that time.
2. The apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein, The current supply circuit (110) includes a controllable rectifier (160) arranged to control whether the battery (120) is charging or discharging based on the output voltage from the controllable rectifier (160).
3. The apparatus (100) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The power consumption in the one or more motors (210, 220) is determined based on the rotational speed of the one or more motors (210, 220).
4. The apparatus (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The power consumption in the one or more motors (210, 220) is determined based on the power consumption of the electric mining vehicle (200) as a whole.
5. The apparatus (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, The charging controller (150) is arranged to control the current supply circuit (110) when the power consumption in the one or more motors (210, 220) exceeds a predefined peak threshold T. p At that time, current is supplied from the battery (120) to the one or more motors (210, 220).
6. A method (300) for charging the battery (120) of an electric mining vehicle (200) comprising a battery (120) and one or more motors (210, 220), the method (300) comprising: The current supply circuit (110) supplies (310) current to the battery (120) to charge it, and supplies (310) current to the one or more motors (210, 220); Determine (320) the power consumption in the one or more motors (210, 220); as well as The current supply circuit (110) is controlled (330) by the charging controller (150) to operate only when the determined power consumption of one or more motors (210, 220) is below a predefined charging threshold T. c Current is supplied to the battery (120) at that time.
7. The method (300) according to claim 6, further comprising: The battery (120) is controlled (340) to be charged or discharged based on the output voltage from the controllable rectifier (160) included in the current supply circuit (110).
8. The method (300) according to claim 6 or 7, wherein, The determination (320) of the power consumption in the one or more motors (210, 220) is based on the rotational speed of the one or more motors (210, 220).
9. The method (300) according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein, The determination (320) of the power consumption in the one or more motors (210, 220) is based on the power consumption of the electric mining vehicle (200) as a whole.
10. The method (300) according to any one of claims 6 to 9, further comprising: The charging controller (150) controls (350) the current supply circuit (110) to activate when the determined power consumption in one or more motors (210, 220) exceeds a predefined peak threshold T. p At that time, current is supplied from the battery (120) to the one or more motors (210, 220).
11. Use of an apparatus (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 5 for charging a battery of an electric mining vehicle (200) such as a rock drill, the electric mining vehicle (200) comprising the battery (120) and the one or more motors (210, 220).
12. A rock drill (200) comprising a device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
Citation Information
Patent Citations
Energy-efficient electrical power distribution in mains-connected battery machine
WO2023091059A1