US 10,501,095 B2Granted

Power system for a locomotive

AssigneeProgress Rail Locomotive Inc.

InventorMadan M. Jalla

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Abstract

A power system for a locomotive includes a dynamic brake (DB) grid, at least one chopper circuit, and a controller. The locomotive includes at least one traction motor to power one or more loads during a braking of the locomotive. The DB grid includes at least one resistor bank and is configured to dissipate at least a portion of the power generated by the traction motor. The chopper circuit includes a three-phase inverter module, and selectively disables an electrical communication between the resistor bank and the traction motor. The controller is coupled to the chopper circuit and the loads. The controller determines a magnitude of the loads, and controls the chopper circuit to disable an electrical communication between the resistor bank and the traction motor for a predetermined duration to control a portion of the power dissipated by the DB grid to meet the magnitude of the loads.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A power system for a locomotive, the locomotive including at least one traction motor configured to power one or more loads during a braking of the locomotive, the power system comprising:

a dynamic brake (DB) grid including at least one resistor bank and configured to dissipate at least a portion of the power generated by the at least one traction motor;
at least one chopper circuit including a three-phase inverter module, the at least one chopper circuit configured to selectively disable an electrical communication between the at least one resistor bank and the at least one traction motor, wherein the at least one chopper circuit includes a plurality of insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs), wherein the plurality of IGBTs are controlled by the controller to disable the electrical communication between the at least one resistor bank and the at least one traction motor;
and
a controller coupled to the at least one chopper circuit and the one or more loads, the controller configured to:
determine a magnitude of the one or more loads;
and
control the at least one chopper circuit to disable the electrical communication between the at least one resistor bank and the at least one traction motor for a predetermined duration to control the portion of the power dissipated by the DB grid to meet the magnitude of the one or more loads.

4 more elements

A locomotive comprising:

at least one traction motor configured to power one or more loads during a braking of the locomotive;
a dynamic brake (DB) grid including at least one resistor bank and configured to dissipate at least a portion of the power generated by the at least one traction motor;
at least one chopper circuit including a three-phase inverter module, the at least one chopper circuit configured to selectively disable an electrical communication between the at least one resistor bank of the DB grid and the at least one traction motor, wherein the at least one chopper circuit includes a plurality of insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs), wherein the plurality of IGBTs are controlled by the controller to disable the electrical communication between the at least one resistor bank of the DB grid and the at least one traction motor;
and
a controller coupled to the at least one chopper circuit and the one or more loads, the controller configured to:
determine a magnitude of the one or more loads;
and
control the at least one chopper circuit to disable the electrical communication between the at least one resistor bank of the DB grid and the at least one traction motor for a predetermined duration to control the portion of the power dissipated by the DB grid to meet the magnitude of the one or more loads.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/584,319Filed 2 May 2017
Published: US 2018/0319409 A18 Nov 2018
Granted: 10 Dec 2019
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification14 codes

B61C 17/12
Arrangement or disposition of parts; Details or accessories not otherwise provided for; Use of control gear and control systems: control gear;…
B60L 1/003
Supplying electric power to auxiliary equipment of vehicles: to auxiliary motors, e.g. for pumps, compressors
B60L 50/10
Electric propulsion with power supplied within the vehicle: using propulsion power supplied by engine-driven generators, e.g. generators driven by…
H02P 3/12
For stopping or slowing a DC motor: by short-circuit or resistive braking

Family

US 2018/0319409 A1Pre-grant publication · published 8 Nov 2018
US 10,501,095 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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