Electric Hybrid Drive for Retrofitting to Internal Combustion Automobiles

Abstract

The subject invention is directed to a class of electric hybrid drives that can be retrofit easily to cars and trucks to reduce transportation costs. Certain embodiments include mechanisms for attachment to an existing powertrain, regenerative braking, on-the-road optimization of transportation costs depending on road and route conditions, or an operational mode in which motive power for a vehicle is solely derived from electric energy stored in a battery.

1 . An electric hybrid drive for retrofitting to internal combustion automobiles that include an internal combustion engine, a transmission with a transmission case and a transmission output shaft, comprising:
 a) a rotary electric motor/generator comprising a driven rotating shaft pierced coaxially along the axis of rotation of the driven rotating shaft, said pierced shaft having a sufficiently large aperture for the transmission output shaft to pass through, and at least one of a rotary position sensor or a tachometric sensor;   b) means for mounting the motor/generator so that the driven rotating shaft is coaxial with the transmission output shaft, and so that the motor/generator is substantially fixed with respect to the transmission case;   c) means for transferring torque between the driven rotating shaft and the transmission output shaft;   d) a slip yoke bearing;   e) a rechargeable battery pack comprising means to provide battery electric power output, and further comprising means to accept charging electric power input;   f) an electric power converter functionally connected to the rechargeable battery pack and the motor/generator, comprising motor driving circuitry that converts battery electric power output from the rechargeable battery pack into motor electric power input for the rotary electric motor/generator;   g) additional sensors that produce sensor data describing the current operating condition of the drive; and,   h) a drive controller that acquires all sensor data and from that generates and sends control signals to the other components of the electric hybrid drive.   
     
     
         2 . The drive of  claim 1 , wherein the electric power converter further comprises battery charging circuitry that converts generated electric power output from the motor/generator into charging electric power input for the rechargeable battery pack. 
     
     
         3 . The drive of  claim 1 , wherein the means for transferring torque between the driven rotating shaft and the transmission output shaft comprises a set of planetary gears. 
     
     
         4 . The drive of  claim 1 , wherein the means for transferring torque between the driven rotating shaft and the transmission output shaft comprises a direct-drive coupling. 
     
     
         5 . The drive of  claim 1 , wherein the aperture of the driven rotating shaft defines an inner cylindrical surface thereon. 
     
     
         6 . The drive of  claim 5  in the case when the transmission output shaft is a splined transmission output shaft, wherein the inner cylindrical surface of the driven rotating shaft further comprises internal splines disposed thereon so that the internal splines mesh with the splines on the transmission output shaft. 
     
     
         7 . The drive of  claim 1 , wherein the means for transferring torque between the driven rotating shaft and the transmission output shaft comprise a transfer shaft that substantially prevents relative rotation of the driven rotating shaft and the transmission output shaft. 
     
     
         8 . The drive of  claim 5 , wherein the transfer shaft comprises a cylindrical transfer tube having external splines which mesh with the internal splines disposed on the driven rotating shaft. 
     
     
         9 . The drive of  claim 8  in the case when the transmission output shaft is a splined transmission output shaft, wherein the cylindrical transfer tube further comprises internal splines which mesh with the splines on the transmission output shaft. 
     
     
         10 . The drive of  claim 1 , further comprising a cooling system comprising a cooling fluid, wherein the purpose of said system includes the cooling of the rotary electric motor/generator. 
     
     
         11 . The drive of  claim 10 , wherein the cooling fluid comprises at least one fluid selected from the group consisting of water, ethylene glycol, oil, and automatic transmission fluid. 
     
     
         12 . The drive of  claim 10 , wherein the cooling system further includes means to lubricate the slip yoke bearing with the cooling fluid. 
     
     
         13 . The drive of  claim 1 , wherein the means for mounting the motor/generator comprises a motor/generator housing attached to the transmission case. 
     
     
         14 . The drive of  claim 13 , wherein the motor/generator housing comprises an adapter element bolted onto the transmission case. 
     
     
         15 . The drive of  claim 1 , wherein the means for mounting the motor/generator comprises a cross-member mount functionally attached to the motor/generator housing. 
     
     
         16 . The drive of  claim 10 , wherein the means for mounting the motor/generator comprises a motor/generator housing attached to the transmission case. 
     
     
         17 . The drive of  claim 16 , wherein said motor/generator housing comprises said means to lubricate the slip yoke bearing with the cooling fluid. 
     
     
         18 . The drive of  claim 17 , wherein said means to lubricate comprises a buried lubrication channel within the motor/generator housing. 
     
     
         19 . The drive of  claim 1 , wherein the rotary electric motor/generator is a direct current motor. 
     
     
         20 . The drive of  claim 1 , wherein the rotary electric motor/generator is an alternating current motor. 
     
     
         21 . The drive of  claim 1 , wherein the rotary electric motor/generator is selected from the group consisting of permanent magnet motors, induction motors, switched reluctance motors, brushed direct current motors, wound field synchronous motors, and synchronous reluctance motors. 
     
     
         22 . The drive of  claim 1 , wherein the rechargeable battery pack comprises rechargeable batteries. 
     
     
         23 . The drive of  claim 22 , wherein the rechargeable batteries are collected into at least one battery module. 
     
     
         24 . The drive of  claim 1 , wherein the rechargeable battery pack further comprises a battery management system. 
     
     
         25 . The drive of  claim 24 , wherein the battery management system comprises a power conditioning interface. 
     
     
         26 . The drive of  claim 1 , further comprising a line battery charger generating charging electrical power input from an external electrical source. 
     
     
         27 . The drive of  claim 1 , further comprising a site power inverter that converts battery electric power output into mains power. 
     
     
         28 . The drive of  claim 1 , wherein the sensors include at least one sensor chosen from the group consisting of voltage sensors, current sensors, temperature sensors, fuel rate sensors, automobile speed sensors, and operator input sensors. 
     
     
         29 . The drive of  claim 2 , wherein the electric power converter further comprises a regenerative braking mode. 
     
     
         30 . The drive of  claim 29 , wherein the drive controller comprises at least one user control element allowing a user of the drive to control the braking profile of regenerative braking of the retrofitted internal combustion automobile. 
     
     
         31 . The drive of  claim 1 , wherein the drive controller comprises at least one user control element allowing a user of the drive to control the relative proportions of torque transferred to the transmission output shaft from the rotary electric motor/generator and from the internal combustion engine. 
     
     
         32 . The drive of  claim 1  in the case where the transmission is an automatic transmission. 
     
     
         33 . The drive of  claim 1  in the case where the transmission is a manual transmission. 
     
     
         34 . An electric hybrid drive for retrofitting to a motor-powered conveyance, said conveyance comprising a motor output shaft, the claimed invention further comprising:
 a) a rotary electric motor/generator comprising a driven rotating shaft pierced coaxially along the axis of rotation of the driven rotating shaft, said pierced shaft having a sufficiently large aperture for the motor output shaft to pass through, and at least one of a rotary position sensor or a tachometric sensor;   b) means for mounting the motor/generator so that the driven rotating shaft is coaxial with the motor output shaft;   c) means for transferring torque between the driven rotating shaft and the motor output shaft;   d) a rechargeable battery pack comprising means to provide battery electric power output, and further comprising means to accept charging electric power input;   e) an electric power converter functionally connected to the rechargeable battery pack and the motor/generator, comprising motor driving circuitry that converts battery electric power output from the rechargeable battery pack into motor electric power input for the rotary electric motor/generator;   f) additional sensors that produce sensor data describing the current operating condition of the drive; and,   g) a drive controller that acquires all sensor data and from that generates and sends control signals to the other components of the electric hybrid drive.