ELECTRICALLY POWERED VEHICLE

Abstract

The invention relates to a vehicle (1) with at least two wheels (2, 3) for rolling on a surface, which vehicle has an electric drive unit for driving at least one of the wheels (2). The electric drive unit has at least one electric motor (4) which is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to the at least one wheel (2) via drive means (25), and an electric accumulator (5) which is electrically connected to the electric motor (4). To generate a driving movement, the electric motor (4) can be supplied with electrical energy from the accumulator (5). In order to increase the range of such a vehicle (1), the invention proposes that the vehicle (1) have an electric generator (12) and a transmission (13), and that the generator (12) is coupled to a wheel (3) by means of the transmission (13) to transmit the rotation of the wheels (2, 3) of the vehicle (1) to the generator (12).The generator (12) is also electrically connected to the accumulator (5) in order to feed the electrical energy generated in the generator (12) into the accumulator (5).

Description

Field of the invention

[0001] The invention relates to an electrically powered vehicle according to the preamble of claim 1. State of the art

[0002] Electric vehicles are becoming increasingly popular as an alternative to vehicles with combustion engines. This is due, among other things, to their comparatively higher efficiency of over 90% and lower emissions, which meets the ever-increasing demands for environmental compatibility.

[0003] The essential components of electrically powered vehicles are an electric motor and a rechargeable battery. The motor draws the energy required to drive the vehicle from the battery. An inverter converts the direct current provided by the battery into alternating current, as the motor is usually designed as a synchronous AC motor. Power electronics controls the energy flow from the battery to the motor according to specific requirements at every point during the journey.

[0004] The range of an electric vehicle is determined by the capacity of the battery. The size and weight of a battery currently limit the range to a few hundred kilometers, which is significantly less than the range possible with combustion engines. In addition, the charging process takes a relatively long time, even with modern charging technology, which severely compromises the suitability of electric vehicles for long-distance travel. As a result, the acceptance of electric vehicles among potential drivers is rather muted. Summary of the invention

[0005] Against this background, the object of the invention is to improve electrically powered vehicles with regard to their range and operating costs.

[0006] This object is achieved by a vehicle having the features of claim 1.

[0007] Advantageous embodiments emerge from the subclaims.

[0008] The invention is based on the fundamental idea of converting the kinetic energy inherent in the vehicle during travel into electrical energy and feeding it into the accumulator. The kinetic energy available for this process can, for example, be derived from excess speed, which is converted into electrical energy, or from the reduction of potential energy in favor of kinetic energy. The electrical energy recovered in this way can be used by the electric motor and converted into additional distance. The range of a vehicle according to the invention is thus significantly increased without increasing the vehicle's operating costs.

[0009] Without being limited thereto, the invention is explained in more detail below with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawing, wherein further features and advantages of the invention become apparent. Short description of the drawing

[0010] The only figure of the embodiment shows a schematic representation of a vehicle according to the invention with its components essential to the invention in a plan view. Description of an embodiment

[0011] The vehicle 1 with chassis and superstructure or self-supporting body has two front, driven wheels 2 in the direction of travel and two rear, non-driven wheels 3 in the direction of travel, with which it stands on a surface not shown in detail, such as a roadway. Between the front wheels 2, the vehicle 1 accommodates an electric motor 4, which is connected to each of the front wheels 2 via a drive shaft 25 and drives them to generate a driving motion. The electric motor 4 is a three-phase motor, for example, a permanently excited or separately excited synchronous motor.

[0012] Arranged centrally in vehicle 1 is an accumulator 5, which is charged with direct current from an external energy source (not shown in detail), for example, a charging station. The accumulator 5 can be, for example, a lithium-ion battery, a lithium iron phosphate battery, or a solid-state storage device. The output voltage in the present embodiment is 150 V, 400 V, or 800 V, but can also be between these values. The electric motor 4 is supplied with electrical energy from the accumulator 5 via electrical direct current lines 6, 7, which lead to a first power converter 8 in the form of an inverter.

[0013] The inverter converts the direct current into a three-phase alternating current, which is fed to the electric motor 4 via the electrical lines 9, 10, 11. Power electronics (not shown) regulate the frequency and amplitude of the alternating current depending on the energy requirement, which depends on the current driving condition.

[0014] An electric generator 12 is permanently installed in the vehicle 1 in the area of a rear wheel 3. The generator 12 is coupled to one of the rear wheels 3 via a belt drive 13. For this purpose, a first pulley 15 is located on the end of the generator shaft 14 and a second pulley 16 is located on the rear wheel 3, which lie in a common plane and are connected to one another via a drive belt 17. When the rear wheel 3 rotates, for example while driving, the electric generator 12 is also set in rotation via the second pulley 16, the drive belt 17 and the first pulley 15, which in the process generates a three-phase alternating current. A three-phase alternating voltage of a maximum of 800 V is available at the output of the generator 12. The rated power of the generator 12 is between 10 kVA and 30 kVA, preferably between 15 kVA and 25 kVA.In the present embodiment, the electric generator 12 consists of a permanent magnet synchronous generator with permanent magnets arranged in the rotor.

[0015] The alternating current generated by generator 12 is fed via electrical lines 18, 19, 20 to a second power converter 21, permanently installed in vehicle 1, in the form of a frequency converter with a variable DC link, and converted into direct current. The electrical voltage at the output of the frequency converter is a maximum of 800 V, in particular a maximum of 400 V.

[0016] The frequency converter is connected to the accumulator 5 via electrical DC lines 22, 23, so that the electrical energy generated by the generator 12 is available to charge the accumulator 5. If the voltage levels between the output of the frequency converter and the accumulator 5 differ significantly, a DC voltage converter 26 can be interposed, as shown in the figure, which adapts the higher voltage of the frequency converter to the voltage level of the accumulator 5.

[0017] In order to be able to use the electrical energy generated by the generator 12 directly to drive the vehicle 1, a junction box 24 is arranged between the inverter, the frequency converter, and the accumulator 5, which connects the same-polarity lines 6 and 22, or 7 and 23, to each other. The electrical energy coming from the frequency converter can thus be used to charge the accumulator 5 and / or to drive the electric motor 4. List of reference symbols: 1 vehicle 2 front wheels 3 rear wheels 4 electric motor 5 Accumulator 6 DC line 7 DC line 8 First power converter (inverter) 9 AC line 10 AC line 11 AC line 12 Generator 13 Belt drives 14 Generator shaft 15 First pulley 16 Second pulley 17 drive belts 18 AC line 19 AC line 20 AC line 21 Second power converter (frequency converter) 22 DC line 23 DC line 24 junction boxes 25 Drive shaft 26 DC-DC converters

Claims

[1] Vehicle with at least two wheels (2, 3) for rolling on a surface and with an electric drive unit for driving at least one of the wheels (2), wherein the electric drive unit has an electric motor (4) which is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to the at least one wheel (2) via drive means (25), and an electric accumulator (5) which is electrically connected to the electric motor (4) and from which the electric motor (4) can be supplied with electrical energy to generate a driving movement, characterized by that the vehicle (1) has an electric generator (12) and a transmission (13), wherein the generator (12) is coupled to a wheel (3) of the vehicle (1) by means of the transmission (13) for transmitting the rotation of the wheels (2, 3) to the generator (12), and wherein the generator (12) is electrically connected to the accumulator (5) so that the electrical energy generated in the generator (12) can be fed into the accumulator (5). [2] Vehicle according to claim 1, characterized by that the electric motor (4) is an alternating current motor and the accumulator (5) is a direct current storage device, wherein a first converter (8) for converting direct current into alternating current is arranged between the accumulator (5) and the electric motor (4). [3] Vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by that the generator (12) is an alternating current generator and the accumulator (5) is a direct current storage device, wherein a second converter (21) for converting alternating current into direct current is arranged between the generator (12) and the accumulator (5). [4] Vehicle according to claim 3, characterized by that the accumulator (5), the first converter (8) and the second converter (21) are part of a direct current intermediate circuit. [5] Vehicle according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized bythat the first power converter (8) is an inverter and / or the second power converter (21) is a frequency converter with a variable DC link. [6] Vehicle according to claim 5, characterized by that the second power converter (21) has an output voltage of maximum 800 V or maximum 400 V. [7] Vehicle according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized by that a DC voltage converter (26) is arranged between the second power converter (89) and the accumulator (5). [8] Vehicle according to claim 7, characterized by that the DC voltage converter (26) has a voltage of 150 V to 800 V at the output, preferably 150 V to 400 V. [9] Vehicle according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized by that the generator (12) is a permanent magnet synchronous generator, in particular with the permanent magnets arranged in the rotor of the generator (12). [10] Vehicle according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized bythat the generator (12) has a rated power between 10 kVA and 30 kVA, preferably between 15 kVA and 25 kVA. [11] Vehicle according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized by that the accumulator (5) has a nominal voltage of 100 V to 900 V, preferably 300 V to 800 V. [12] Vehicle according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized by that the transmission (13) is a traction transmission, preferably a chain transmission or belt transmission (15, 16, 17).

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