Motor vehicle accessory to increase power supply and reduce fuel requirements
AssigneeHyliion Inc.
InventorThomas Joseph Healy
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A power control system may include at least one of batteries, a motor, and a data logic analyzer that can interpret certain variable conditions of a transport, such as a tractor trailer, moving along a road or highway. The data can be used to determine when to apply supplemental power to the wheels of a trailer to reduce fuel usage. One example device may include at least one of: a power creation module that generates electrical power, a battery which store the electrical power, a motor affixed to a trailer axle of a trailer which provides a turning force to the trailer axle when enabled to operate from the stored electrical power of the battery, and a motor controller configured to initiate the motor to operate according to a predefined sensor condition.
Claims20
An apparatus for use in a tractor-trailer vehicle configuration as a hybridizing suspension assembly, the apparatus comprising:
- a suspension assembly including a frame, suspension, and one or more drive axles, the suspension assembly suitable for attachment beneath a trailer of the tractor-trailer vehicle;
- the suspension assembly including at least one electric motor-generator coupled to at least one of the one or more drive axles to provide, in a first mode of operation, a motive rotational force and to provide, in a second mode of operation, a regenerative braking force;
- a battery array from which stored energy is supplied to power the motor-generator in the first mode of operation and to which regenerated braking energy is supplied in the second mode of operation, the battery array further configured to receive regenerated suspension energy;
- and
- a controller operatively coupled between the motor-generator and one or more sensor inputs to transition between the first, the second and at least a third mode of operation, during motion of the tractor-trailer vehicle over the roadway, using the one or more sensor inputs.
A method comprising:
- replacing an existing suspension assembly of a trailer with a hybridizing suspension assembly, wherein the hybridizing suspension assembly includes a frame, suspension, one or more drive axles, and at least one electric motor-generator coupled to at least one of the one or more drive axles to provide, in a first mode of operation, an assistive motive force and, in a second mode of operation, a regenerative braking force, the hybridizing suspension assembly configurable with wheels and tires to allow the trailer to roll along a roadway when motivated by a fuel consuming engine of a tractor to which the trailer is mechanically coupled in a tractor-trailer vehicle configuration;
- coupling a controller to the at least one electric motor generator;
- and
- coupling a battery array to store energy regenerated by either or both of the at least one electric motor-generator and one or more shocks of the suspension.
A method comprising:
- operating a tractor-trailer vehicle including a hybridizing suspension assembly, wherein the hybridizing suspension assembly includes a frame, suspension, one or more drive axles, and at least one electric motor-generator coupled to at least one of the one or more drive axles to provide, in a first mode of operation, an assistive motive force and, in a second mode of operation, a regenerative braking force;
- while operating the tractor-trailer vehicle, monitoring a temperature of one or more components of the hybridizing suspension assembly;
- based on detecting that the temperature of the one or more components has exceeded a threshold value, allowing the one or more components to cool;
- and
- upon detecting that the temperature of the one or more components has cooled, reinitializing the one or more components.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.