阅读说明：本技术 再生制动能量耗散器和系统及其使用方法 (Regenerative braking energy dissipater and system and method of using the same ) 是由 尼尔·齐木 于 2019-12-22 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种再生制动能量耗散器系统,其适于在电池不能接受更多能量的情况下从再生制动器耗散能量。当电池达到高充电水平时,系统可以将能量流从电池切换到耗散器。耗散器可以包括负载电阻器。该系统可以被设计成使得围绕耗散器的气流在耗散板上方和下方流动。(A regenerative braking energy dissipater system adapted to dissipate energy from a regenerative brake in the event that the battery is unable to accept more energy. When the battery reaches a high charge level, the system may switch the energy flow from the battery to the dissipater. The dissipater may comprise a load resistor. The system may be designed such that the airflow around the dissipater flows above and below the dissipation plate.)

1. A regenerative braking energy dissipater system for a light electric vehicle, the system comprising:

a light electric vehicle comprising:

a mounting surface; and

a regenerative braking system; and

a dissipater coupled to the mounting surface, the dissipater comprising:

a dissipater plate including a first side and a second side;

a resistor assembly coupled to a first side of the dissipater plate,

wherein the dissipater is coupled to the mounting surface such that an airflow channel exists between the first side of the dissipater plate and the mounting surface.

2. The regenerative braking energy dissipater system of claim 1, further comprising:

a battery case containing one or more batteries, said battery case mounted to said lightweight electric vehicle, wherein said battery case comprises said mounting surface.

3. The regenerative braking energy dissipater system of claim 2, comprising a switch controller comprising a power input, the switch controller being electrically coupled to the one or more batteries and the resistor assembly, the switch controller being adapted to switch input power between the one or more batteries and the dissipater based on a state of charge of the one or more batteries.

4. The regenerative braking energy dissipater system of claim 1, wherein the dissipater plate has fins on the second side.

5. The regenerative braking energy dissipater system of claim 1, wherein the resistor assembly comprises a circuit board and one or more resistors mounted to the circuit board.

6. The regenerative braking energy dissipater system of claim 5, wherein the resistor is a surface mount resistor.

7. The regenerative braking energy dissipater system of claim 6, wherein the resistor is a thin film resistor or a thick film resistor.

8. The regenerative braking energy dissipater system of claim 1, wherein the dissipater plate is mounted with thermally insulating mounting pads.

9. The regenerative braking energy dissipater system of claim 2, wherein the dissipater plate is mounted with thermally insulating mounting pads.

10. The regenerative braking energy dissipater system of claim 5, wherein the dissipater plate is mounted with thermally insulating mounting pads.

11. The regenerative braking energy dissipater system of claim 8, wherein the mounting surface on the light electric vehicle is temperature sensitive.

12. The regenerative braking energy dissipater of claim 11, wherein the mounting surface on the light electric vehicle is a composite or plastic.

13. The regenerative braking energy dissipater of claim 13, wherein the thermal insulation mounting mat is made of rubber, foam, or plastic.

14. A regenerative braking energy dissipater system for a bicycle, the system comprising:

a bicycle, the bicycle comprising:

a bicycle frame; and

a regenerative braking system; and

a dissipater coupled to the bicycle frame, the dissipater comprising:

a dissipater plate including a first side and a second side; and

a resistor assembly coupled to a first side of the dissipater plate;

wherein the dissipater is connected to the bicycle frame such that there is an airflow channel between the first side of the dissipater plate and a surface to which the dissipater plate is mounted.

15. The regenerative braking energy dissipater system of claim 14, further comprising:

a battery case including one or more batteries, the battery case being mounted to the bicycle frame, wherein the dissipater is mounted to the battery case.

16. The regenerative braking energy dissipater system of claim 15, comprising a switch controller comprising an electrical power input, the switch controller coupled to the one or more batteries and the resistor assembly, the switch controller adapted to switch input power between the one or more batteries and the dissipater based on a state of charge of the one or more batteries.

17. The regenerative braking energy dissipater system of claim 14, wherein the dissipater plate has fins on the second side.

18. The regenerative braking energy dissipater system of claim 16, wherein the dissipater plate has fins on the second side.

19. The regenerative braking energy dissipater system of claim 14, wherein the resistor assembly comprises a surface mounted resistor.

20. The regenerative braking energy dissipater system of claim 18, wherein the resistor assembly comprises a surface mounted resistor.

21. The regenerative braking energy dissipater system of claim 19, wherein the resistor is mounted to a printed circuit board coupled to the dissipater plate.

22. The regenerative braking energy dissipater system of claim 14, wherein the dissipater plate is mounted with thermally insulating mounting pads.

23. The regenerative braking energy dissipater system of claim 15, wherein the dissipater plate is mounted with thermally insulating mounting pads.

24. The regenerative braking energy dissipater system of claim 18, wherein the dissipater plate is mounted with thermally insulating mounting pads.

25. A method for dissipating heat generated during bicycle braking, the method comprising the steps of:

braking with a regenerative braking system, thereby generating electrical power;

delivering electrical power generated by the regenerative braking system to an energy dissipater system; and

dissipating said energy in said energy dissipator system.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the step of dissipating the energy comprises delivering the energy to one or more load resistors.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the regenerative braking system includes a battery, and wherein the step of delivering electrical power generated by the regenerative braking system to an energy dissipation system includes delivering electrical power to a switch controller that directs the electrical power to the energy dissipation system when the battery is at or above a pre-charge state.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the load resistor is mounted to a dissipater plate.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the step of dissipating the energy comprises the step of flowing air along the dissipater plate.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the dissipater plate is mounted to a battery enclosure.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the air flows above and below the dissipater plate.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the gas stream flows over the dissipater plate and through a gas flow channel between the dissipater plate bottom and a surface of the battery enclosure.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to electric vehicles, and more particularly to a regenerative braking energy dissipater system.

Description of the Related Art

Researchers, governments, and the whole society are always looking for viable alternatives driven by the environmental, public health, ecological, and carbon footprint issues associated with gasoline powered vehicles. Electric bicycles (e-bikes), driven by a combination of pedal and battery powered electric motors, are a promising alternative to automotive transportation. Their main advantages include lower purchase and operating costs compared to cars, the ability to travel longer distances and less physical effort compared to conventional bicycles, and zero emissions during operation.

Regenerative braking is a unique technique used in EVs for capturing the energy generated by the vehicle as it moves, or in other words, capturing the kinetic energy that is wasted when the vehicle decelerates while braking. By measuring the initial vehicle speed and the final vehicle speed, the amount of kinetic energy lost to braking can be calculated.

City driving cycles have a considerable acceleration time and deceleration time due to traffic control systems around towns, and thus, a large amount of energy is lost when decelerating. However, through regenerative braking, such energy may be harvested, and "waste" energy may be utilized and used for vehicle propulsion. Also, off-road bicycles have considerable acceleration and deceleration requirements due to climbing and descending slopes.

One drawback of regenerative braking is that the battery may not accept more energy under certain operating scenarios. For example, if the battery is fully charged and the user still desires further braking, the system may not be able to meet this demand. One option is to switch to the mechanical brake when the battery can no longer accept energy. This is not a good solution as it is important to maintain consistent braking. Furthermore, it may be very difficult to implement such a handover.

In some systems, a regenerative braking system may completely replace a conventional mechanical braking system. An exemplary system can be seen in U.S. patent application No. 16/541,130 to Saiki. Such systems do not provide the possibility to switch back to the mechanical brake if the situation requires. Therefore, an alternative is needed if the battery in the regenerative braking system cannot accept more energy.

What is needed is a system that receives energy from regenerative braking without recharging the battery. There is also a need for a system that can dissipate the energy generated by a regenerative braking system.

Background

Disclosure of Invention

A regenerative braking energy dissipater system adapted to dissipate energy from a regenerative brake in the event that the battery is unable to accept more energy. When the battery reaches a high charge level, the system may switch the energy flow from the battery to the dissipater. The dissipater may comprise a load resistor. The system may be designed such that the airflow around the dissipater flows above and below the dissipation plate.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a regenerative braking energy dissipation system according to some embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear view of a regenerative braking energy dissipation system according to some embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a regenerative braking energy dissipation system according to some embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of airflow through an energy dissipater of a regenerative braking energy dissipation system, according to some embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a view of a regenerative braking energy dissipation system mounted to a bicycle frame according to some embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram of an energy dissipater of a regenerative braking energy dissipation system, according to some embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a front view of an energy dissipater of a regenerative braking energy dissipation system, according to some embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a view of the regenerative braking system on a bicycle.

FIG. 9 is a system diagram of a regenerative braking energy system according to some embodiments of the present invention.

Detailed Description

In some embodiments of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, a regenerative braking energy dissipater system 100 has a battery housing 102 and a dissipater 101. The energy dissipater system may have electronics within the battery case 102 that may direct input energy to the battery or dissipater 101. The battery case 102 may have an upper case portion 103 and a lower case portion 104. The battery enclosure 102 may have a charging interface socket 105, the charging interface socket 105 being adapted to receive power for charging one or more batteries. The airflow channel 106 allows airflow below the dissipater 101.

As shown in fig. 2, the dissipater 101 may include a base plate 115 and have fins 107 adapted for convective cooling of the dissipater. The bottom plate 115 of the dissipator 101 may be electrically coupled to the battery case 102 by a coupling pin 116. The bottom plate 115 is also fixed to the battery case 102 by the adhesive portion 111. In some aspects, the bonding portion 111 may be a bonding compound such as a silicone underfill. The adhesive portion 111 may also be a heat insulating material such as silicone foam, foamed rubber, or plastic. In some aspects, the bottom plate 115 is mounted in an offset position relative to the top of the battery case 102. The offset mounting position defines an airflow channel 106 that allows airflow under the mounting plate and through the fins 107. The bottom of the battery enclosure may include a mounting interface 108, the mounting interface 108 being shaped to conform to a mating piece, such as a bicycle frame tube. The coupler 109 may allow the battery case 102 to be secured to a mating piece. In some aspects, the battery case may have a material that is not suitable for exposure to temperatures that the dissipater plate may reach during use. Bonding portion 111 may comprise a thermally insulating mounting mat that reduces or eliminates conductive heat flow between the dissipater and the mounting surface of the battery case.

FIG. 3 illustrates a cut-away view of a regenerative braking energy dissipater system according to some embodiments of the present invention. A battery housing 102 is seen, containing a plurality of battery cells 110 therein. The upper case part 103 and the lower case part 104 are adapted to form the battery case 102. The dissipater 101 is fixed to the top of the battery case 102. The base plate 115 of the dissipater 101 has fins 107 extending from its top surface. The dissipater 101 may act as a heat exchanger, such that the energy load dissipated from the dissipater is removed as heat via convective cooling. Figure 6 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the dissipater in a transverse axis.

Fig. 4 illustrates an embodiment of airflow paths that may be part of the convective cooling of the dissipater. The first airflow paths 118 between the fins 107 and along the fins 107 allow convective cooling of the dissipator 101. The second air flow path 119 can also flow in the air flow channel 106 below the bottom plate 115 of the dissipator 101 and above the top surface of the upper housing part 103 of the battery case 102, also allowing convective cooling of the dissipator 101. The dissipater with its airflow channels 106 may be well suited for applications where the dissipater is mounted to a surface that cannot withstand high heat, such as a battery enclosure or a carbon bicycle frame.

In an exemplary embodiment, the dissipater 101 may be 90mm wide and 100mm long. The fins may be 1.2 mm thick and the taper of the base and outer end may be up to 0.8 mm. The total height of the dissipator 101 may be 20 mm. In some aspects, the battery housing 102 is wider than the width of the dissipater 101 in order to minimize the chance that a user will brush the dissipater while riding, as the dissipater can sometimes be hot. In some aspects, the dissipater 101 is not as wide as the frame portion of the bicycle to which it is mounted, again minimizing the chance that the user will brush on the dissipater while riding.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary bicycle frame 120 with the regenerative braking energy dissipater system 100 installed therein. Battery housing 102 may abut down tube 122 with dissipater 101 adjacent to seat tube 121. The system 100 may be located in or near an aperture 123, the aperture 123 being adjacent to the bottom bracket 124 and between the down tube 122 and the seat tube 121. The dissipater 101 may have a finned central portion 125 and a shaped or recessed bottom plate 115 to avoid interference with the seat tube of the bicycle. FIG. 8 illustrates a bicycle with a rear drive system having regenerative braking without mechanical brakes. In such systems, no mechanical brake can be switched to when the battery reaches its charge capacity and cannot accept further charging. In such systems, it is necessary to provide a load for the voltage from further regenerative braking.

The control portion may also be located within the battery case 102. The control may receive power from the regenerative braking system and transmit it to the battery in order to recharge the battery. The control may transfer power to the batteries until the batteries reach a charge level represented by their voltage, and then the control may transfer power to the dissipater. The voltage that triggers the switch from charging the battery to dissipating power may be set to a voltage higher than the charging voltage from the regenerative braking system so that the dissipater does not activate while the battery is charging. An exemplary battery voltage is 48 volts. In some aspects, the battery voltage may be 52 volts.

In some embodiments of the invention, as shown in fig. 6, the dissipator 101 has a resistor assembly 112, which resistor assembly 112 may comprise a plurality of resistors adapted to provide a load for the voltage generated by the regenerative braking system in the event that the control has delivered power to the dissipator. The resistors of the resistor assembly 112 may be mounted to a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) 126. The PCB and its mounted components may be mounted into a cavity on the underside of the dissipator chassis 115. The PCB and its mounted components may be covered with a high temperature potting compound. An exemplary dissipation may last for a few seconds in the range of 500-. In some aspects, the dissipation wattage is in the range of 500-. The dissipator 101 may be fixed to the battery case 102 by an adhesive part 111.

In some aspects, a method for dissipating regenerative braking energy may be used with a bicycle, tricycle, or other similar vehicle. Methods for dissipating heat generated by a load resistor used to load a regenerative braking system may be used with a regenerative braking system. The regenerative braking system may be part of an electric drive system, for example for use with an electric motor driven bicycle. In some aspects, an electric motor may be used to provide power to propel the bicycle. In certain aspects, the electric motor may also be used as a brake for a bicycle. This regenerative braking aspect may provide power to charge one or more batteries that power the engine. In some aspects, a wheel driven by a bicycle may not have a mechanical brake, such that the regenerative brake is the only brake for that wheel.

Using only regenerative brakes and not backup mechanical brakes, it may be important to maintain braking capability even if the battery is charged and is no longer able to receive more power. In some aspects, the method may include the step of generating electricity while braking with the regenerative braking system. The generated power may be used to recharge the battery or batteries until the battery or batteries reach a charge limit. The system may then transition from charging the one or more batteries to transferring power to a load resistor that acts as a virtual load for power from the regenerative braking system. The load resistor may be mounted on a dissipator plate of the dissipator, the dissipator plate being adapted to have an airflow around it to cool the dissipator. The dissipater may be mounted to a mounting surface with one or more airflow paths between the bottom of the dissipater plate and the mounting surface. The dissipator may also have a top surface adapted to flow air in and around its interior to cool the dissipator. The top surface may have fins that maximize the area that can be convectively cooled by airflow. When the brake is used and then power is transferred to the load resistor, air flowing along a first airflow path between and along the fins cools the dissipater, and air flowing along a second airflow path below the dissipater and above the mounting surface also cools the dissipater. As the engine is more used to power the bicycle, the charge level of the battery may again decrease so that the energy from regenerative braking can again be used to charge the battery or batteries.

FIG. 9 illustrates a system view of a regenerative braking energy dissipater system 200 according to some embodiments of the present invention. In an exemplary configuration, the engine 203 is also used as a regenerative brake on a bicycle or other light vehicle. Since the engine is used in a braking system, for example, to decelerate the vehicle, electrical power is generated. The motor 203 is coupled to the switch controller 202. The motor may deliver 207 to the switch controller 202. The switch controller 202 is electrically coupled to the battery 201 and the dissipater 208. When the battery is in a low state of charge, the switch controller 202 may deliver 206 electrical power to the battery 201 to resume charging the battery 201. However, the battery 201 may reach a state of charge where it cannot or should not receive further charging. However, the vehicle may still require braking, and therefore alternative delivery of power generated by regenerative braking is required to effect such braking. The electrical power generated by regenerative braking may be delivered 204 to a dissipater 208 adapted to dissipate the electrical energy. The switch controller 202 may sense the state of charge of the battery 201 and deliver 206 energy to the battery 201 when the battery is below a threshold state of charge and deliver 204 energy to the dissipater 208 when the battery 201 is above the threshold state of charge. In this way, the regenerative braking system 200 may continue to act as a brake even when the battery is unable to or should not receive further charging.

In some aspects, the regenerative braking energy dissipater system may be used with light electric vehicles. For example, the light electric vehicle may be, for example, a vehicle of less than about 50 kg. Light electric vehicles typically do not have a large number of metal structures available for conducting heat and dissipating braking energy. In some aspects, the light electric vehicle may be a scooter or tricycle. In some aspects, the dissipater may be mounted to portions of the vehicle that are not suitable for exposure to high temperatures. For example, the dissipater may be mounted on a composite plate and the heat seen on the dissipater plate when loading the resistor assembly may exceed the allowable exposure temperature range of the mounting area. In such cases, the radiator can be mounted using an insulating mounting mat between the mounting surface of the radiator panel and the mounting surface of the vehicle.

It is apparent from the above description that various embodiments may be configured in accordance with the description given herein, and additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art. The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of the applicant's general invention.