System and method for the improved recovery of kinetic energy

Abstract

A system for the recovery of kinetic energy, such as the energy from a rotating wheel of a vehicle, comprises a first electric motor/generator rotationally connected to at least one kinetic energy input; a battery; an electric/hydraulic regen system comprising a second electric motor/generator; and an electrical drive regen controller. The controller is configured to proportion electrical energy, generated from rotation of the first electric motor/generator, between the battery and the second electric motor/generator, based in part on the rate of charging capability of the battery. In this way, energy that would normally be lost as dissipated heat is directed to an electric/hydraulic regen system and stored. A method for the recovery of kinetic energy, utilizing such a system comprising: rotating a first electric motor/generator via one or more kinetic energy input to generate an electric current; transmitting the electric current to an electrical drive regen controller; and splitting the electric current between a battery and a second electric motor/generator via the electrical drive regen controller.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.