Caterpillar Inc.

Caterpillar Paving Products Inc.

Krishnakumar Ramamoorthy

Toby Andrew Frelich

Dean R Potts

Jacob Carl Wyss

Osama Mohammad Alkhouli

Stephen Phelps

Vipulkumar Patel

Chen Yuan

An electrical induction motor may include a stator with a plurality of circumferentially spaced slots, and N windings installed in the slots and each configured to be connected between two current inputs from an inverter, with a phase angle difference between the two current inputs equal to H&#xd7;180&#xb0;/N, wherein H=a harmonic of a current drive waveform supplied by the inverter to the windings. Each of the N windings may be installed in the plurality of slots to form a top layer of winding and a bottom layer of winding, with a phase angle of the current flowing through the top layer of winding in each slot being aligned with a phase angle of current flowing through the bottom layer of winding at a first, higher harmonic, and out of alignment at a second, lower harmonic.

Multiphase induction motor with flux weakening

An electrical induction motor includes a plurality of windings, and a plurality of contactors. Each of the plurality of contactors is configured to be selectively opened or closed in a circuit including the plurality of windings to selectively connect the windings together in a star configuration wherein current flowing through the windings results in the generation of 2N magnetic poles, with N equal to the number of phases of the motor. Each of the plurality of contactors is also configured to be selectively opened or closed in the circuit including the plurality of windings to selectively connect the windings together in a mesh configuration wherein current flowing through the windings results in the generation of two magnetic poles.

Multiphase induction motor with configurable windings

A multiphase motor generator system includes a multiphase induction motor having a plurality of separate terminals, a multiphase inverter coupled to a DC link voltage source and the plurality of terminals of the multiphase induction motor, a plurality of current detectors configured to detect a plurality of currents that flow between the multiphase inverter and the plurality of terminals of the multiphase induction motor, and a controller coupled to the current detectors and the multiphase inverter, and configured to receive the detected currents and output a plurality of control voltages to the multiphase inverter. The controller includes a multiphase to direct-quadrature (dq) conversion unit, a dq equivalent unit, a dq to multiphase conversion unit, and a pulse-width-modulator (PWM) converter.

Multiphase motor generator system and control method thereof

A dual rotor switched reluctance machine with a fixed stator and separate input and output rotors on either side of the fixed stator is used to transmit power between a power source such as an gas engine and a mechanical drive unit such as wheels or tracks. A switched reluctance motor configuration, such as a 6/4 motor can be combined with a with a higher pole count switched reluctance generator to allow simultaneous operation of the dual rotor machine as both a generator and a motor. Because the fixed stator has the only set of windings the control electronics are greatly simplified over separate motor-generator configurations.

Dual rotor switched reluctance machine

An electrical induction motor may include nine terminals configured to receive nine current inputs from nine output phases of a nine phase inverter. The motor may include nine windings connected to the nine terminals, and a plurality of contactors, wherein each of the plurality of contactors may be selectively opened or closed in a circuit including the nine windings to selectively connect the windings together in one of a mesh configuration or a star configuration. Each of the windings may be selectively connected between two of the nine current inputs, with a phase angle difference between the two current inputs of 40 degrees. Each of the contactors may be selectively opened or closed to establish a span value for the mesh configuration of two, with two being the number of inverter output phases between a terminal of one of the nine windings and a terminal of another of the nine windings connected to the one of the nine windings. The motor may selectively receive a first one of the harmonics of a drive waveform generated by the nine phase inverter and a second, different one of the harmonics of the drive waveform generated by the nine phase inverter.

Nine phase induction motor starter/alternator

A paving machine having electric powered systems in lieu of hydraulic systems for performing work at a work site may include an integrated generator operatively connected to a power source of the paving machine, such as an engine, to produce AC power. A power converter may receive the AC power and output DC power to electric motors, with each electric motor being operatively connected to a corresponding one of a plurality of mechanical components. The power converter may distribute power from the generator to the plurality of electric motors in response to commands to actuate the plurality of mechanical components input at an operator station. The electric powered systems may include propulsion devices, material conveyors, augers and the like.

Electric powered systems for paving machines

A system is provided for transmitting torque with speed modulation between a motor generator and an engine. The system includes a first shaft, a second shaft, a first reduction gearset, and a second reduction gearset. The first shaft is configured to rotatably connect with the motor generator. The second shaft is configured to rotatably connect with the engine. The first reduction gearset is rotatably supported at least in part on the first shaft. The first reduction gearset is disposed in selective engagement with the first shaft via a first overrunning clutch disposed therebetween. The second reduction gearset is rotatably supported at least in part on the first shaft and at least in part on the second shaft. The second reduction gearset is disposed in selective engagement with the first shaft via a second overrunning clutch disposed therebetween.

System for transmitting torque with speed modulation

The present disclosure relates generally to an energy capture for an electric drive machine, and more particularly to systems and methods for capturing energy during braking of the electric drive machine. In some examples, the disclosure describes an energy capture device including at least two planetary gear assemblies. The first planetary gear assembly can be operatively coupled to an engine, and can engage and disengage, via a first overrunning clutch, a shaft coupled to a generator. The second planetary gear assembly can be at least partially fixed to the first planetary gear assembly, and can engage and disengage, via a second overrunning clutch, the shaft. The first overrunning clutch can disengage the shaft and the second overrunning clutch can engage the shaft during a braking period.

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Peoria, IL, United States of America

Krishnakumar Ramamoorthy