The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 24, 2001
Filed:
Jun. 12, 2000
Richard M. Brien, Methuen, MA (US);
Mitchell Weiss, Carlisle, MA (US);
PRI Automation, Inc., Billerica, MA (US);
Abstract
An ultracapacitor power supply for an electric vehicle is provided which employs an ultracapacitor as the primary power source and a battery as a supplemental power source. This vehicle is particularly effective in power-rail system having gaps in the power-rail or in non-power rail systems having recharging stations positioned along the track The ultracapacitor recharges quickly upon vehicle passage over a live power rail or entry into a recharging station. Optimum performance is achieved when the capacitor is allowed to fully recharge. The battery need only provide power when the ultracapacitor has been discharged or during acceleration or other periods of peak power consumption, thereby reducing the number of battery recharges required during any given operational period.