# US 11,114,960 B2 · Electric drive train and method for feeding an electric drive train > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,114,960 B2 - Document ID: US11114960B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/605,786 - Filed: 2017-04-18 - Published: 2020-04-23 - Granted: 2021-09-07 - Earliest claimed: 2017-04-18 - Applicants: Pascal Chretien - Inventors: Pascal Chretien - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11114960B2 ## CPC - B60L 3/0092: {with use of redundant elements for safety purposes} - H02P 4/00: Arrangements specially adapted for regulating or controlling the speed or torque of electric motors that can be connected to two or more different electric power supplies (vector control H02P21/00) - B60K 6/46: Series type - B60L 15/007: {Physical arrangements or structures of drive train converters specially adapted for the propulsion motors of electric vehicles} - B60L 15/2036: {Electric differentials, e.g. for supporting steering vehicles} - B60L 50/15: with additional electric power supply (with capacitors charged by engine-driven generators B60L50/40; with batteries charged by engine-driven generators B60L50/61) - H02K 47/20: Motor/generators - H02P 25/22: Multiple windings; Windings for more than three phases - H02P 27/16: using AC to AC converters without intermediate conversion to DC (H02P27/05 takes precedence) - B60L 2200/10: Air crafts - B60L 2220/54: Windings for different functions - Y02T 10/72: Electric energy management in electromobility - Y02T 50/60: Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft - B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES - H02P: CONTROL OR REGULATION OF ELECTRIC MOTORS, ELECTRIC GENERATORS OR DYNAMO-ELECTRIC CONVERTERS; CONTROLLING TRANSFORMERS, REACTORS OR CHOKE COILS - B60K: ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES - H02K: DYNAMO-ELECTRIC MACHINES (dynamo-electric relays H01H53/00; conversion of DC or AC input power into surge output power {H03K3/53}) - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract The present invention discloses an electric drive train comprising:—a rotor or propeller shaft (R),—an electric motor assembly (GEMD) configured to drive the rotor or propeller shaft (R), the electric motor assembly (GEMD) comprising a plurality of stacked electric motor elements (Ee1, Ee2, Ee3, Ee4),—a power branch of a first topology feeding a stacked electric motor element (Ee1) of the electric motor assembly (GEMD), said power branch (b1) comprising a RESS and an electric generator (G) supplying a power signal to said power branch (b1),—a power branch (b3) of a second topology dissimilar from the first topology, said power branch feeding another stacked electric motor element of the electric motor assembly (GEMD), said power branch (b3) comprising: # an electric generator (G) supplying a power signal to said power branch, a matrix converter (Mc3) feeding the another stacked electric motor element (Ee3), # or, an electric generator supplying Direct Current to said power branch and a motor controller feeding the second stacked electric motor element (Ee3). ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electric drive train including: one or more power sources collectively providing at least two power signals; an electric motor assembly including a plurality of separately powered electric motor elements, each motor element including a rotor and a stator; a power distribution system for distributing electric power from the one or more power sources to the electric motor assembly, the power distribution system including a plurality of independent power supply branches with each branch configured to transmit an independent power signal from the one or more power sources to at least one of the separately powered electric motor elements such that each electric motor element is independently supplied by a power supply branch, wherein a first subset of the power supply branches being configured to power a first subset of the electric motor elements with a first subset of the power signals, the first subset of power supply branches including one or more motor controllers for controlling the first subset of electric motor elements and a rechargeable energy storage system configured to store energy of the first subset of power signals as stored energy, and to selectively supply the stored energy to the one or more motor controllers to feed the first subset of electric motor elements; and wherein a second subset of the power supply branches being independent from the first subset of power supply branches and configured to power a second subset of the electric motor elements that are independent from the first subset of the electric motor elements with a second subset of the power signals, the second subset of the power supply branches including one or more matrix converters operating in an AC-AC mode or motor controllers to modify the second subset of the power signals to provide modified power signals to a second subset of the electric motor elements. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) An electric drive train according to claim 1, wherein each electric motor element includes a dedicated power supply branch. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) An electric drive train according to claim 1 wherein the one or more power sources includes a plurality of electric generator elements. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) An electric drive train according to claim 1, wherein a subset of the electric generator elements are Direct Current (DC) power generators. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) An electric drive train according to claim 1 wherein the rechargeable energy storage system is configured to supply power during times of dynamic power demands of a connected load. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) An electric drive train according to claim 1 wherein the rechargeable energy storage system is configured to supply power during times of power supply failure. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) An electric drive train according to claim 1, wherein the one or more matrix converters modify one or more of a frequency, shape, or duty cycle of the second subset of power signals. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) An electric drive train according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the power sources supplies power to at least one power supply branch of both the first and second subsets. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) An electric drive train according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of electric motor elements are stacked together to define a stacked electric motor assembly. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) An electric drive train according to claim 1, wherein the second subset of power branch distributes a majority of power from the one or more power sources to the electric motor elements when power demands fall within a predetermined power range. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) An aircraft having a rotor or propeller shaft and an electric drive train according to claim 1, wherein the rotor or propeller shaft are driven by the plurality of stacked electric motor elements. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) A method of feeding an electric drive train according to claim 1, the method including the steps of: (i) determining power demands of a load connected to the motor assembly; and (ii) selectively adjusting the distribution of power transmitted along first and second subsets of the power supply branches based on the power demands of the load. ### Claim 13 (depends on 3) An electric drive train according to claim 3 wherein each power supply branch is connected to one or more electric generator elements. ### Claim 14 (depends on 3) An electric drive train according to claim 3, wherein a first subset of the plurality of electric generator elements includes a first alternating current (AC) source. ### Claim 15 (depends on 5) An electric drive train according to claim 5 wherein the one or more power sources has a power production capacity and wherein the rechargeable energy storage system is configured to supply additional power during times when the dynamic power demands exceed the power production capacity of the one or more power sources. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) An aircraft according to claim 11 wherein the first subset of power supply branches exclusively distributes power to the electric motor elements during any part of the flight domain and during power source failure of the aircraft. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) An aircraft according to claim 11, wherein a distribution of power carried by each subset of the power supply branches is a function of a flight domain. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) An electric drive train according to claim 14 wherein a subset of the plurality of electric generator elements are stacked together to define a stacked generator assembly and wherein the stacked generator assembly includes a second AC source. ### Claim 19 A method of distributing power from one or more power sources to an electric motor assembly, the electric motor assembly including a plurality of separately powered stacked electric motor elements, each motor element including a rotor and a stator, the method including: (i) defining first and second independent power supply paths for respectively transmitting first and second power signals between the one or more power sources and the electric motor assembly, wherein the first power supply path includes one or more motor controllers feeding a first subset of the electric motor elements and a rechargeable energy storage system configured to store energy of the first power signal as stored energy, and to selectively supply the stored energy to the one or more motor controllers to feed at least one of electric motor elements; and wherein the second power supply path includes at least one matrix converter system operating in an AC-AC mode or motor controller configured to modify the second power signal to provide a modified second power signal to at least one of the electric motor elements; and (ii) selectively distributing electric power from the one or more power sources to the electric motor assembly via the first and second independent power supply paths. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) A method according to claim 19 wherein step (ii) includes selectively adjusting the distribution of power transmitted along each path based on power demands of the electric motor assembly.