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EP-3866332-B1 - REDUNDANT ELECTRIC MOTOR DRIVE

EP3866332B1EP 3866332 B1EP3866332 B1EP 3866332B1EP-3866332-B1

Inventors

  • CAIAFA, ANTONIO
  • PAN, Di

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20210115

Claims (7)

  1. A system comprising: an integrated motor drive configured to couple to a motor comprising: a first converter (302A, 710A) configured to electrically couple with a first portion of a winding assembly (720) of the motor, the first converter (302A) comprising: at least first conversion circuitry (303A) configured to form a first electrical excitation waveform, with a first phase, and second conversion circuitry (303A) coupled in parallel to the first conversion circuitry and configured to form a second electrical excitation waveform, with a second, different phase; wherein the first conversion circuitry (303A) includes a first input bridge (304A) and a first output bridge (308A) electrically coupled to a first transformer (306A); wherein the first transformer (306A) is configured to form a first summation electrical excitation waveform from the first electrical excitation waveform and the second electrical excitation waveform, and wherein the first summation electrical excitation waveform drives the first portion of the winding assembly (720) via the first output bridge (308A); a second converter (302B, 710B) configured to electrically couple with a second portion of the winding assembly (720) of the motor, the second converter (302B) comprising: at least first conversion circuitry (303B) configured to form a first electrical excitation waveform of the second converter (302B), with a first phase, and second conversion circuitry (303B) coupled in parallel to the first conversion circuitry and configured to form a second electrical excitation waveform of the second converter (302B), with a second, different phase; wherein the first conversion circuitry (303B) includes a first input bridge (304B) and a first output bridge (308B) electrically coupled to a first transformer (306B); wherein the first transformer (306B) is configured to form a second summation electrical excitation waveform from the first electrical excitation waveform of the second converter (302B) and the second electrical excitation waveform of the second converter (302B), and wherein the second summation electrical excitation waveform drives the second portion of the winding assembly (720) via the first output bridge (308B); and a controller (220) configured to to detect a malfunction of a converter (302A, 302B) and to cause other converters to vary their electrical excitation input to the motor to compensate for the malfunctioning converter.
  2. The system of claim 1, wherein the second converter is configured to form the second summation electrical excitation waveform independently from the first summation electrical excitation waveform.
  3. The system of any preceding claim, wherein the first conversion circuitry is configured to offset the phase of the first electrical excitation waveform compared to the phase of the second electrical excitation waveform.
  4. The system of any preceding claim, wherein the integrated motor drive is coupled to a non-drive end of the motor.
  5. The system of any preceding claim, wherein the winding assembly includes a negative terminal, a positive terminal, and at least one pole coupled to the negative terminal and positive terminal.
  6. The system of claim 5, wherein the at least one pole includes two poles coupled in series.
  7. A method of driving a motor, the method comprising: using a first converter (302A, 710A) configured to electrically couple with a first portion of a winding assembly (720) of the motor, the first converter (302A) comprising: at least first conversion circuitry (303A) configured to form a first electrical excitation waveform, with a first phase, and second conversion circuitry coupled in parallel to the first conversion circuitry and configured to form a second electrical excitation waveform, with a second, different phase; and a first transformer (306A) configured to form a first summation electrical excitation waveform from the first electrical excitation waveform and the second electrical excitation waveform, wherein the first summation electrical excitation drives the motor; using a second converter (302B, 710B) configured to electrically couple with a second portion of the winding assembly (720) of the motor, the second converter (302B) comprising: at least first conversion circuitry (303B) configured to form a first electrical excitation waveform of the second converter, with a first phase, and second conversion circuitry coupled in parallel to the first conversion circuitry and configured to form a second electrical excitation waveform of the second converter, with second, different phase; and a first transformer (306B) configured to form a second summation electrical excitation waveform from the first electrical excitation waveform of the second converter and the second electrical excitation waveform of the second converter; and using a controller (220) to detect a malfunction of a converter (210, 306A, 306B) and to cause other converters to vary their electrical excitation input to the motor to compensate for the malfunctioning converter; wherein the first conversion circuitry (303A) of the first converter includes a first input bridge (304A) and a first output bridge (308A) electrically coupled to the first transformer (306A); wherein the first conversion circuitry (303B) of the second converter includes a first input bridge (304B) and a first output bridge (308B) electrically coupled to the first transformer (306B); wherein the first summation electrical excitation waveform drives the first portion of the winding assembly (720) via the first output bridge (308A); and wherein the second summation electrical excitation waveform drives the second portion of the winding assembly (720) via the first output bridge (308B).

Description

FIELD The subject matter described herein relates to a redundant integrated motor drive. BACKGROUND Electric motor/generators for vehicles such as aircraft typically operate at high voltages that have a pulse width modulation (PWM) voltage waveforms that can generate significant ripple voltage. As a result of the high voltage overshoot, significant amounts of insulation are often utilized to provide protection and absorb heat generated from the electric motor/generator. When the vehicle operates as high altitudes, such as when the vehicle is an aircraft, these concerns are even more pronounced. Additionally, low reliability of electric motor/generators may be problematic for some vehicles, such as aircraft, because a fault in one portion of the circuitry of a motor/generator drive can result in the failure of the entire motor/generator. While back-up motors can be provided, motors that can still operate, even with faults is more desirable for these types of applications. EP 2913905 A1 discloses a DC power system and a method of assembling the same. US 5,657,214 A relates to an inverter having first and second subinverters; first and second sets of pulse-width modulated subinverter waveforms are summed by a summing transformer to produce AC power in a secondary winding. US 2008103632 A1 relates to a system which includes a generating stage, a power processing stage, and a motoring stage; the power processing stage includes generator side rectifier bridges, capacitors, and motor side inverters; the motoring stage includes four sets of windings, each of them can receive AC power from the corresponding inverters, and a motor which can receive electrical power from the windings and output mechanical power. BRIEF DESCRIPTION The invention is defined in the system of independent claim 1 and in the method of independent claim 7, with preferred embodiments disclosed in the dependent claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present inventive subject matter will be better understood from reading the following description of non-limiting embodiments, with reference to the attached drawings, wherein below: Figure 1 is a schematic view of an electric motor/generator assembly in accordance with one embodiment;Figure 2 is a schematic view of a drive for an electric motor/generator assembly in accordance with one embodiment;Figure 3 is a schematic view of a drive for an electric motor/generator in accordance with one embodiment;Figure 4 is a perspective view of a drive for an electric motor/generator in accordance with one embodiment;Figure 5A is a perspective view of a front side of a converter in accordance with one embodiment;Figure 5B is a perspective view of a back side of a converter in accordance with one embodiment;Figure 6A is a schematic view of a portion of a converter in accordance with one embodiment;Figure 6B is a schematic view of a portion of a converter in accordance with one embodiment;Figure 6C is a schematic view of a portion of a converter in accordance with one embodiment;Figure 7 is a schematic view of an electric motor/generator assembly in accordance with one embodiment;Figure 8 is a schematic view of a winding assembly in accordance with one embodiment;Figure 9 is a schematic view of an electric motor/generator assembly in accordance with one embodiment; andFigure 10 is a flow block diagram of a method of driving an electric motor in accordance with one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Provided is an integrated motor drive for a hybrid electric propulsion motor/generator. The drive may be coupled to the electric propulsion motor/generator and include numerous converters for providing an input voltage to the motor. In particular, each converter is coupled to the winding assembly of the electrical motor to provide an electrical excitation input. When used herein, electrical excitation input, output, signals, etc. may include voltage based input, output, signals, etc., or current based input, output, signals, etc. that may allow the sensor to detect the applied current of the battery. Additionally, when a voltage input, output, signal, etc. is discussed, a current input, output, signal, etc. is contemplated and disclosed. Each converter comprises conversion circuits that receive an input electrical excitation signal such as current or voltage from a direct electrical excitation signal source and provide an output electrical excitation for the motor accordingly. Each converter outputs an electrical excitation independent of the other converters. In this manner, the drive has redundancy such that if one converter malfunctions, the other converters may provide input voltage to compensate the loss of the damaged converter and continue to drive the motor until the vehicle reaches a point where maintenance may occur. To this end, voltage from the functioning converters may be increased to prevent or reduce loss of voltage to drive the motor. In some embodiments, each converter may include plural sets o