Multimode hybrid energy railway vehicle system and method

In a computerized system for controlling the operation of a hybrid energy railway vehicle, said railway vehicle comprising:

• a hybrid energy railway vehicle;
• an electrical energy source for supplying charging electrical energy;
• an electrical energy storage system for storing the charging electrical energy supplied by the energy source;
• a converter electrically coupled to the energy storage system, said energy storage system selectively transferring stored electrical energy to the converter and said converter being responsive to the transferred stored electrical energy to provide hybrid energy railway vehicle drive energy;
• a traction motor, said traction motor being electrically coupled to the converter and adapted to propel the hybrid energy railway vehicle in response to the railway vehicle drive energy;
• a resistive grid electrically connected to the energy storage system, said resistive grid dissipating electrical energy selectively supplied thereto by the energy source;
• and
• said computerized system comprising a processor executing computer executable instructions, the improvement comprising computer executable instructions including:
• defining instructions for defining a plurality of hybrid energy railway vehicle operating modes, each of said operating modes defining a set of operational parameters;
• and
• operating instructions for controlling the operation of the hybrid energy railway vehicle as a function of at least one of the operating modes.

In a computerized system for controlling the operation of a hybrid energy railway vehicle system comprising:

• a hybrid energy railway vehicle having a plurality of wheels;
• a traction motor having a motoring mode of operation for driving one of the wheels in response to electrical input energy, said traction motor also having a dynamic braking mode of operation for dynamically braking the traction motor, said traction motor generating dynamic braking electrical energy when operating in the dynamic braking mode;
• an electrical energy storage system in electrical communication with the traction motor for selectively storing dynamic braking electrical energy generated by the traction motor during braking;
• a converter selectively providing stored electrical energy from the energy storage system to the traction motor as electrical input energy for driving one or more of the wheels;
• and
• said computerized system comprising a processor executing computer executable instructions, the improvement comprising executing computer executable instructions including:
• defining instructions for defining a plurality of hybrid energy railway vehicle operating modes, each of said operating modes defining a set of operational parameters;
• and
• operating instructions for controlling the operation of the hybrid energy railway vehicle as a function of at least one of the operating modes.

In a computerized system for controlling the operation of a hybrid energy off-highway vehicle, said off-highway vehicle comprising:

• a hybrid energy off-highway (OHV) vehicle having a plurality of wheels;
• a traction motor coupled to at least one of the wheels, said traction motor having a motoring mode of operation for driving the coupled wheel and a dynamic braking mode of operation for braking the coupled wheel, and said traction motor generating dynamic braking electrical energy when operating in the dynamic braking mode;
• an electrical energy source for supplying charging electrical energy;
• and
• an electrical energy storage system in electrical communication with the energy source and the traction motor for storing electrical energy, said energy storage system storing charging electrical energy supplied by the energy source to the energy storage system and storing dynamic braking electrical energy generated by the traction motor during braking, said energy storage system selectively supplying stored electrical energy to the traction motor for driving the coupled wheel, and
• said computerized system comprising a processor executing computer executable instructions, the improvement comprising computer executable instructions including:
• defining instructions for defining a plurality of OHV operating modes, each of said operating modes defining a set of operational parameters;
• and
• operating instructions for controlling the operation of the OHV as a function of at least one of the operating modes.