Electric System For An Electromechanical Power Transmission Chain

An electromechanical power transmission chain comprising:

• one or more electric machines for receiving mechanical power from one or more combustion engines and for supplying mechanical power to one or more actuators, and
• an electric system for supplying electrical power to each of the one or more electric machines when the electric machine under consideration acts as an electric motor and for receiving electrical power from each of the one or more electric machines when the electric machine under consideration acts as a generator,
• wherein the electric system comprises:
• a first capacitive circuit,
• converter equipment for transferring electric energy between the first capacitive circuit and the one or more electric machines, the converter equipment being configured to convert first direct voltage of the first capacitive circuit into one or more voltages suitable for the one or more electric machines,
• a second capacitive circuit,
• a direct voltage converter for transferring electric energy between the first and second capacitive circuits, and
• a control system for controlling the direct voltage converter in response to changes of the first direct voltage, and for controlling the converter equipment in response to changes of second direct voltage of the second capacitive circuit, the control system being faster to react to the changes of the first direct voltage than to the changes of the second direct voltage so as to keep the first direct voltage on a first predetermined voltage range and to allow the second direct voltage to fluctuate in response to fluctuation of electric power transferred between the first capacitive circuit and the one or more electric machines.

A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with a computer program for controlling an electromechanical power transmission chain that comprises a first capacitive circuit, one or more electric machines, and converter equipment for transferring electric energy between the first capacitive circuit and the one or more electric machines, the converter equipment being configured to convert first direct voltage of the first capacitive circuit into one or more voltages suitable for the one or more electric machines, the computer program comprising computer executable instructions for controlling a programmable processor to:

• control a direct voltage converter to transfer electric energy between the first capacitive circuit and a second capacitive circuit in response to changes of the first direct voltage, and
• control the converter equipment in response to changes of second direct voltage of the second capacitive circuit,
• wherein the control of the direct voltage converter is faster to react to the changes of the first direct voltage than the control of the converter equipment is to react to the changes of the second direct voltage so as to keep the first direct voltage on a predetermined voltage range and to allow the second direct voltage to fluctuate in response to fluctuation of electric power transferred between the first capacitive circuit and the one or more electric machines.