DE202020100047U1 - Drive system for a vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

A drive system for a vehicle, comprising
- a drive unit comprising at least one electric motor (2) and at least one free-piston linear generator (1),
- At least one energy storage device (3) and
- At least one fuel tank (4), characterized in that the drive system is designed for operation with hydrogen, the at least one energy storage device (3) comprising at least one supercapacitor (3) and the at least one fuel tank (4) a hydrogen tank (4) includes.

Description

TECHNICAL AREA

The present invention relates to a drive system for a vehicle driven with at least one electric motor, the electrical energy for the electric motor being obtained by means of a free-piston linear generator. As vehicles in the sense of the present invention, all vehicles driven by an electric motor, such as Cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles, trains, ships and other comparable vehicles.

STATE OF THE ART

Through the use of fossil fuels, deforestation and cattle breeding, the climate and temperature of the earth are increasingly changing by mankind. The amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere increases, which increases the greenhouse effect and global warming. Greenhouse gases are those gases that allow the sun's heat to affect the earth, but hinder its radiation back into the interplanetary space. Carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) is the greenhouse gas that is most commonly generated by human activities and to which anthropogenic global warming is largely attributed. Carbon dioxide is generated in particular when coal, oil and natural gas are burned.

Since human activity is highly likely to be the main cause of global warming for the world's leading climate researchers, the international community is taking numerous measures to keep global warming below 2 ° C compared to pre-industrial times, with an average temperature increase of 2 ° C as the threshold is considered, when exceeded the risk of dangerous and potentially catastrophic changes in the global environment increases massively. The main aim of the measures is to reduce CO ₂ emissions.

Both the EU and Germany have set ambitious climate targets, according to which the annual greenhouse gas emissions should decrease by 80 to 95% by 2050 compared to 1990. It is foreseeable that Germany will not achieve its interim goal of a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 with a probable reduction of only approx. 32%. The situation looks even more critical in other countries. In order to achieve the climate targets, a levy on fuels such as coal, gas and oil is being discussed in Germany, whereby the federal government's climate package provides for a CO ₂ price of initially € 10 per tonne of CO ₂ from 2021. Other countries are significantly further in this regard. For example, consumers in Switzerland currently have to pay CHF 96 per tonne of greenhouse gas, and in Sweden as much as $ 139 per tonne of CO ₂ .

One of the measures to curb global warming that is being pushed by the international community is to switch traffic to electromobility. At the moment, one thinks primarily of battery-powered vehicles. However, battery operation has some disadvantages. The range of the battery-powered vehicles is at least currently limited. In addition, the supply of rare cell materials such as cobalt and lithium often involves problematic sources. Almost two-thirds of the global demand for cobalt today comes from the mines of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where a significant proportion of the ore is mined in illegal mines under the most difficult conditions. Gigantic amounts of groundwater are required to extract the lithium from the salt lakes in the Andes in the triangle triangle Argentina, Chile, Bolivia. It is feared that irreversible environmental damage will be caused to the ecosystem in these areas and thus to the people living there. Quite apart from the fact that the raw material reserves of both lithium and cobalt are limited and some experts fear a shortage of raw materials, which should at least lead to a significant increase in the cost of battery production. Another disadvantage of the battery-powered vehicle is that the refueling or charging of the battery takes a relatively long time. In addition to the disadvantages described above, a large part of the electricity is generated today and probably in the future by burning fossil fuels, whereby huge amounts of CO ₂ are released.

As an alternative to the purely electric car that runs on batteries, fuel cell vehicles in particular are being discussed. The energy generated in the fuel cell by burning hydrogen is transferred to an electric motor. With the goal of reducing CO ₂ emissions, this only makes sense, of course, if the refueled hydrogen for the fuel cell is produced from renewable energies. The range of the fuel cell vehicle exceeds that of the pure electric car, but the production of the fuel cells is currently still associated with high costs, which prevents the rapid introduction of this technology.

In addition to the electric cars powered by a battery or fuel cell, the use of has repeatedly been used in the past Hydrogen as a fuel for conventional vehicles equipped with a conventional internal combustion engine is discussed. So describes the DE 10 2015 120 545 A1 a method for operating an internal combustion engine with a gas mixture additionally supplied to the fossil fuel in the engine combustion chamber and generated by electrolysis of water. The gas mixture should only be supplied as an additive without intermediate storage of the combustion air.

In the DE 200 20 836 U1 describes a device for generating hydrogen in motor vehicles, the device comprising an electrolysis reactor which is driven by the internal combustion engine, the hydrogen produced in the electrolysis being fed to the fossil fuel as an additional fuel.

In the US 4,085,709 A describes a hydrogen fuel system that is primarily intended to generate and store hydrogen gas, the hydrogen gas to be used as fuel for an internal combustion engine. Although the US scripture indicates that the system is installed in the car, there is no indication of where and how the system is integrated in the vehicle. The system is therefore not a suitable quick solution for a globally effective reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and averting the associated climate change.

Subject of DE 10 2018 101 684 A1 is a hydrogen-powered vehicle with an electrolysis device for decomposing water into hydrogen and oxygen, a battery, a hydrogen-powered energy source for providing the driving force for the vehicle, and a controller for supplying excess energy to the electrolysis device.

In the DE 20 2019 102 910 U1 An arrangement for generating, storing and providing hydrogen is described, the hydrogen being used in particular as a fuel for operating internal combustion engines. The arrangement is designed to supply conventional internal combustion engines with hydrogen as an alternative fuel with little effort and at low cost. For this purpose, it is provided to additionally equip a conventional vehicle with an internal combustion engine with a hydrogen generator, a compressor, a hydrogen tank and a control unit, the above-mentioned components being to be integrated in or on the vehicle as a compact unit similar to a luggage rack. The disadvantage of this approach is that the absorption capacity of the hydrogen tank is limited due to the structural conditions and that it may be difficult for the users of vehicles, which for the most part are not guided by practical and economic aspects or considerations when choosing the vehicle to get to accept an additional conversion and construction on the vehicle that changes the appearance and also the performance of the vehicle.

The number of new registrations for electric cars is currently around 1 million per year. In contrast, there are 70 million new registrations worldwide, with a stock of approximately 1.5 billion combustion-powered passenger vehicles. If one wanted to have any chance of reaching the ambitious climate targets, from now on only electric cars would be allowed, which would then be filled with emission-free energy, which is unrealistic. If one takes into account that for most consumers, the purchase of a new car means a large financial burden that one will not or will not easily take on, it can easily be estimated that a timely switch to electric cars to avert climate change and to achieve the climate goals that are not possible at today's approval and production rates.

All of the aforementioned solutions, but in particular the battery-operated electric car, have the problem that often only short ranges are achieved, which is due to the insufficient capacity of the battery or insufficient tank volume. The use of fuel cells has the additional disadvantage that they are very expensive and require complex technology. This means that fuel cells cannot cope with load fluctuations, which is why a large and therefore heavy battery is always required as a buffer, the movement of which in itself requires a lot of energy.

There is therefore still a need for a solution to the problems described above, with the aid of which the high CO ₂ emissions, which are caused by internal combustion engines and are considered to be a reason for the climate change taking place, can be reduced effectively, cost-effectively and quickly. The short range of the respective tank or battery fillings of the current environmentally friendly motor vehicles makes a sensible technical solution to the problem even more difficult.

In the search for a solution to the problem, the inventor came up with free-piston linear generators, which are known for their good energy conversion. This technology combines an internal combustion engine with a generator, resulting in a so-called free-piston linear generator that is compact and small and is light and much more energy efficient than a conventional generator.

In the DE 34 34 532 C1 describes a power supply system for a motor vehicle with an internal combustion engine, the vehicle engine being associated with a free-piston Stirling engine with a linear generator, the electrical energy generated by the linear generator being supplied to the battery and the electrical system.

The DE 10 2016 003 349 A1 discloses a battery-operated motor vehicle electric motor which is additionally equipped with a linear multiple series generator for the purpose of recharging the battery, which is connected to the electric motor via a cardan shaft equipped with an electro-magnetic coupling. In addition, the system has a small diesel or gasoline charging motor for the battery, so that the battery can also be charged while it is stationary.

In the DE 602 05 279 T2 describes a drive system for a motor vehicle which has one or more cold flame linear current generators which are suitable for generating a fraction of the total power required for the motor vehicle in the form of electrical energy, this fraction of the energy simultaneously being the electrical Corresponds to the energy requirement of the motor vehicle and the remaining energy is supplied to one or more electric motors that are used for driving purposes.

The US 5 172 784 A describes a drive system for an electric hybrid vehicle with a free-piston internal combustion engine, which is provided with an integrated linear electric current generator and a pulse frequency control. The free-piston internal combustion engine is intended to burn pollutant-free fuel, such as alcohol, gas or propane gas.

Subject of the DE 10 2010 026 886 A1 is a hybrid powertrain system that includes reciprocating piston engines with free pistons, each having a linear generator device for generating electrical energy. At least one torque machine and the reciprocating piston internal combustion engines are operated via a control module, the mechanical and electrical performance requirements being determined as a function of the charge state of an energy storage device.

Although the latter documents disclose drive systems for motor vehicles in which a free-piston linear generator is integrated, but none of the systems is designed in such a way that the problem of range mentioned above is solved together with the problem of environmental pollution.

PRESENTATION OF THE INVENTION

The problem is solved by a drive system for a vehicle, which comprises a drive unit comprising at least one electric motor and at least one free-piston linear generator, at least one energy storage device and at least one fuel tank, the drive system being designed for operation with hydrogen. The at least one energy storage device comprises at least one supercapacitor and the at least one fuel tank comprises at least one central hydrogen tank.

The advantage of a drive by burning hydrogen over a pure battery drive becomes particularly clear when you look at the weight ratios. A car can drive about 100 km with one kg of hydrogen. For the same route, a battery-powered vehicle requires a battery with a weight of approx. 200 kg. For longer ranges, correspondingly heavier batteries are required. If you wanted to reach a range of 1,000 miles = 1,609 km with a battery-powered vehicle, the battery of the vehicle alone would weigh about 3 tons. A hydrogen-powered vehicle only requires 16 kg of hydrogen for 1,600 km. Including the tank, the weight is approx. 300 kg.

When operating vehicles with hydrogen, experts are currently thinking primarily of fuel cells, in which hydrogen reacts with oxygen and generates electrical energy that is used to operate an electric motor. Although the range of a fuel cell vehicle exceeds that of a purely electric vehicle, fuel cells have the disadvantage that they are based on complicated technology and are relatively expensive. For example, fuel cells are sensitive to load fluctuations and therefore require a large buffer battery (traction battery) as an intermediate store for recuperation (energy recovery) and to relieve the load on the fuel cells.

Compared to the fuel cell, free-piston linear generators are by the factor 20th Cost-effective and at the same time insensitive to load fluctuations, since they work according to the internal combustion piston principle. Free-piston linear generators already achieve efficiencies of over 60% and are therefore on a par with fuel cells.

The solution therefore provides for a drive system with a drive unit to be used in which a free-piston linear generator is combined with an electric motor. Depending on the desired performance, several free piston Linear generators are installed modularly in order to increase vehicle performance in this way. According to the invention, the free-piston linear generators are to be operated with hydrogen, so that there is no CO ₂ emission and the climate goals described at the outset can be achieved.

Although in the DE 10 2010 026 886 A1 In addition to gasoline mixtures, numerous alcohols, alcohol mixtures, hydrocarbons, mixtures of hydrocarbons and alcohols, alternative liquid and gaseous fuels, biogases, reformates and synthesis gases, hydrogen is also listed as a possible fuel for operating a linear generator device, but the application lacks any specific information such as one such arrangement can be operated. In contrast, the following describes in detail how a combination of free piston linear generator and electric motor works as a drive system and can be implemented in practice.

The drive system according to the invention thus comprises at least one supercapacitor in order to buffer power peaks, the supercapacitor being used at the same time for recuperation of the braking energy. The advantage of a supercapacitor compared to conventional batteries or accumulators is its high power density, which enables the supercapacitor to be charged and discharged much faster than conventional batteries and at the same time lasts much more switching cycles. Since the electrical energy is obtained directly from the linear generator and the supercapacitor is only used as a traction battery, only small amounts of energy have to be stored, so that the weight of the supercapacitors can be kept low.

An aim of the present application is to provide an environmentally friendly vehicle with a long range. The weight of hydrogen is low, but a large tank volume is required to store the hydrogen. For the above-mentioned 1,000 miles, for example, a cylindrical hydrogen tank with a length of approx. 4.66 m and a diameter of approx. 50 cm would be required for a car, which can hold approx. 24 kg of hydrogen at 700 bar, which means that the desired 1,000 miles should be easily reached. How the tank is actually dimensioned depends on the design and the space available in the respective motor vehicle, however, with the desired mileage, the hydrogen tank is always so large that in a preferred embodiment of the drive system according to the invention the hydrogen tank is mounted in a central tubular frame, the central tubular frame is designed so that you can open the tubular frame from the rear and, if necessary, replace the specified tank with tanks with newer technology. This is an important aspect in the design of the vehicle, as great efforts are currently being made in the development of tanks for storing hydrogen, given the current environmental discussions, in which hydrogen is increasingly becoming the focus of interest as an environmentally friendly fuel Solve the problem of large tank volumes.

Since there is little or no space for a conventional drive train with a corresponding transmission due to the large central tank, according to a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention it is provided to use wheel hub electric motors which already have an efficiency of 93% and, for example, already for buses be produced in series. Experts also estimate that this drive concept should be 30% to 40% cheaper than a centrally installed electric motor. In addition, this technology can be used to achieve extremely good road holding if, for example, all four wheels of a car are each driven by a wheel hub electric motor and are individually controlled with appropriate control electronics. Another advantage of the wheel hub electric motors is that, unlike many conventional electric motors, there is no need to use permanent magnets that are manufactured using rare metals that have to be obtained under difficult ecological conditions. A preferred embodiment of the present invention thus provides that the at least one electric motor, which is provided according to the invention and combined with the free piston linear generator, is a wheel hub electric motor, wherein of course several modularly arranged free piston linear generators can also be used together with several wheel hub electric motors to implement the present drive concept.

A particular challenge in the drive system according to the invention is the correct preparation of the hydrogen for combustion in the free-piston linear generator. It was found that the hydrogen should advantageously be enriched with a water mist before combustion, since pure hydrogen no longer expands too much during combustion and the energy gain during combustion in the free-piston linear generator is therefore not optimal. By adding water mist, the burning properties of hydrogen take on the characteristics of natural gas. At the same time, the water particles suddenly evaporate with an increase in volume when the hydrogen is burned and thus increase the expansion of the mixture during the combustion, which leads to an improvement in the use of the energy of hydrogen and thus increases the efficiency. Further advantageous side effects of admixing the water mist are an improvement in the lubrication of the piston and a reduction in nitrogen oxide emissions due to the low combustion temperature made possible by the water mist. Thus, the drive system according to the invention advantageously comprises a so-called converter as a device for enriching the hydrogen with a water mist, the device for enriching the hydrogen with a water mist or the converter being arranged between the hydrogen tank and the at least one free-piston linear generator and in operative connection with them stands. The number of converters can vary depending on the size and displacement of the free-piston linear generator, whereby it only has to be guaranteed that a sufficient amount of water mist is available to achieve optimal combustion.

In a particularly advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the device for enriching the hydrogen with a water mist is a hollow cylinder which is partially filled with water and has an ultrasonic atomizer and through which the hydrogen is guided on the way from the hydrogen tank to the at least one free-piston linear generator. the hydrogen being enriched with a water mist.

Another preferred embodiment relates to a converter as a device for enriching the hydrogen with a water mist, the converter comprising a venturi nozzle, via which the hydrogen is enriched with a water mist on the way from the hydrogen tank to the at least one free-piston linear generator.

The drive system according to the invention preferably further comprises a cooler for the at least one free-piston linear generator, the cooling system being operated with water according to an advantageous embodiment.

A particular advantage of the drive system is the simple construction of the drive unit, the at least one free-piston linear generator being operatively connected to the at least one electric motor via the at least one supercapacitor. Of course, several components can also be used in each case, two free-piston linear generators with two supercapacitors for example for a rear-wheel drive, which in turn each supply a wheel hub electric motor with energy. For example, four-wheel drive electric motors are used in all-wheel drive, which can be electronically controlled and operated via four free-piston linear generators and four supercapacitors.

For safety reasons, flame check devices and safety valves are arranged between the central hydrogen tank and the at least one free-piston linear generator, the flame check devices being used to prevent an uncontrolled fire from spreading in the direction of the hydrogen tank.

An advantageous embodiment of the present invention provides that the free-piston linear generators are designed as modules, so that they can be exchanged or combined with one another without great technical effort. The modular design also makes it easier to install several free-piston linear generators in one vehicle in order to increase the peak performance. When peak performance is not needed, such as When driving empty or at low speed in city operation, individual free-piston linear generators can be switched on or off depending on the power requirement with the help of buffering by the supercapacitor.

Since the present development is primarily concerned with reducing CO ₂ emissions, the free-piston linear generator is primarily designed and intended for operation with hydrogen. However, hydrogen technology is still in its infancy with regard to the operation of vehicles and there is currently a lack of hydrogen filling stations, so that an embodiment of the present invention that is particularly advantageous for the transitional period provides that the drive system has at least one reserve tank for gasoline, diesel or gas. For this purpose, the at least one free-piston linear generator is electronically controlled, so that the free-piston linear generator can be operated in addition to hydrogen with diesel, gasoline or natural gas.

The drive system described above is primarily intended for cars, but the system can also be used for buses, trucks, motorcycles, ships and even for railways without problems, with only the tank volume, the number of free-piston linear generators and the size and if necessary, the design of the electric motors must be adapted. For example, trains powered by hydrogen, which are currently being tested with 200 KW fuel cells, can be easily converted to the drive technology according to the invention with the aid of several free-piston linear generators.

Figure list

• 1 eine schematische Darstellung für eine Anordnung der Komponenten des erfindungsgemäßen Antriebssystems und
• 2 eine schematische Darstellung eines Konverters für die Vermischung von Wasserstoff und Wassernebel.

In the following, the present invention is explained in detail on the basis of selected examples with the aid of drawings. It goes without saying that these examples are by no means to be regarded as limitations, but merely serve to explain the basic principle of the present invention. Show

• 1 a schematic representation of an arrangement of the components of the drive system according to the invention and
• 2 a schematic representation of a converter for mixing hydrogen and water mist.

The 1 shows a schematic representation of the structure of a drive system according to the invention for a motor vehicle. The motor vehicle has a central tubular frame in which a large central tank 4 for storing hydrogen. The central tubular frame is in the 1 only indicated by a dashed line. A detailed drawing of the central tubular frame was omitted in the present case, since it can be assumed that the person skilled in the art knows how such a construction has to be constructed. In the 1 the most important individual components for the drive system according to the invention are summarized, their interaction resulting from the active connections shown. The size of the central tank 4 depends of course on the desired range of the vehicle and the amount of hydrogen required for it. The aim of the present invention was also to achieve a range of approximately 1,000 miles, for which a tank quantity of 24 kg of hydrogen was planned. The tank volume required for this is relatively large at approx. 0.5 m ³ , so that the entire drive system is constructed essentially from the central tank 4 is shaped. Even if the range were halved, which would give a “conventional” range of approx. 800 km, nothing would change in this design principle, since the tank size in this area is still such that there is no more space for a central drive train and is a central transmission. When designing the central tubular frame, it is provided that it is accessible from the rear, so that there is the possibility of the current tank 4 replace with a newer tank generation if necessary. This aspect could become important since a lot of research and development is currently being carried out in the field of hydrogen storage for motor vehicles.

The energy for the drive is generated using two free-piston linear generators 1 delivered, which are arranged in the present example in the rear of the motor vehicle and operated with hydrogen, via the hydrogen line 10 to the free piston linear generator 1 is transported. For safety reasons, the hydrogen line is 10 with a flame arrester 11 equipped that an uncontrolled spread of fire towards the hydrogen tank 4 should prevent. In the area of hydrogen piping 10 is also the filler neck 12 provided, which means for this example that the vehicle can be refueled from the rear. According to an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the hydrogen is burned in the free-piston linear generator 1 enriched with a water mist to optimize combustion. To do this is between the hydrogen tank 4 and the free piston linear generator is a converter 5 arranged, which is provided as a device for the enrichment of water mist in hydrogen. An advantageous construction of the converter 5 provides for a hollow cylinder partially filled with distilled water, in which an ultrasonic atomizer is installed. This particular converter 5 will be done later with the help of 2 explained in more detail. The distilled water required for this process comes from the water tank 6 over the water pipe 16 to the converter 5 passed and mixed there with the hydrogen, and then in the free-piston linear generator 1 to be burned, generating electrical energy through the power line 13 to the supercapacitor 3 is forwarded. The super capacitor 3 can withstand up to a million charging cycles and is primarily used to buffer power peaks and to recover braking energy. Via the power line 14 the energy from the supercapacitor 3 continue to the wheel hub electric motor 2 transported in the wheel hub of the wheel 8th is installed. With the wheel hub electric motor 2 the vehicle is driven, a rear-wheel drive being shown in the present example. It is of course also possible to implement all-wheel drive with the drive system according to the invention, which is the case with the wheel hub electric motors 2 offers, because with it all four wheels without great technical effort 8th can be driven separately, which then only needs to be controlled electronically. With this concept, additional free-piston linear generators could possibly also be used 1 in combination with other supercapacitors 3 be used.

An alternative form of converter 5 the device for enriching the hydrogen with a water mist comprises a venturi nozzle, with the help of which then in the so-called converter 5 the hydrogen stream is mixed with a water mist.

In addition to the main components described above, the drive system according to the invention advantageously also includes a cooler 7 , of the Cooling water via the cooling water pipe 17 to the free piston linear generator 1 is pumped. During the development work, it was found that the optimal operating temperature of the free-piston linear generator 1 can be better adhered to, so that the free piston linear generator is cooled, especially in continuous vehicle operation 1 makes sense.

Furthermore, in the 1 two small reserve tanks 9 for petrol, diesel or gas, which can be used in the transition period when there is still a shortage of hydrogen filling stations. However, it is questionable whether this variant will actually come into play, because it has recently been noticed that the concepts that build on hydrogen are gaining momentum and that today an intensified expansion of the filling station network for hydrogen can be observed. It is envisaged that the free piston linear generator 1 is electronically controlled so that it can be operated in addition to hydrogen with diesel, gasoline or natural gas, the conventional fuels directly via the fuel line 18th the free piston linear generator 1 be fed.

The 2 shows an enlarged section of a particularly advantageous embodiment of the converter 5 , the free piston linear generator 1 is connected upstream and is intended for the mixing of hydrogen with water mist. The converter 5 in this case is a partially distilled water 20th filled hollow cylinder into which the hydrogen via the hydrogen line 10 is initiated. In the hollow cylinder is at the end of the hydrogen line 10 a perforated manifold 19 educated about the hydrogen in the distilled water 10 is distributed. The hydrogen flows through the hollow cylinder and passes through the ultrasonic atomizer 21 using a hollow bar 22 is fixed in the center of the hollow cylinder. The ultrasonic atomizer is powered by a cable 23 that in the hollow rod 22 is arranged. The ultrasound is transmitted via the membrane 24 , The mixture 25th Hydrogen and water mist flow on to the free-piston linear generator 1 , the flow direction by the direction arrow 26 is reproduced.

The 1 and 2 are exemplary highly simplified schematic representations for the drive system according to the invention or a component of the drive system according to the invention. The illustrations are primarily intended to explain the principle and are therefore in no way to be seen as limitations. It goes without saying that comparable devices with different spatial arrangements of the individual components are covered by the protection claim. In principle, other electric motors can also be used if there is sufficient space available, which ultimately depends on the tank size. Of course, it is also possible to use conventional electric motors 2 in combination with free piston linear generators 1 to use.

Reference list

1

Free piston linear generator

2

Electric motor (wheel hub electric motor)

3

Supercapacitor (energy storage device)

4

Hydrogen tank (fuel tank)

5

converter

6

Tank (distilled water)

7

cooler

8th

wheel

9

Replacement tank (diesel, gasoline, gas)

10

Hydrogen pipe

11

Flame arrester

12th

Filler neck

13

Cable (linear generator, super capacitor)

14

Cable (super capacitor, electric motor)

15

axis

16

Pipe (distilled water)

17

Pipe (cooling water)

18th

Line (fuel)

19

Manifold

20th

Distilled water

21

Ultrasonic atomizer

22

Hollow bar

23

Cable line

24

membrane

25

Hydrogen / water mist mixture

QUOTES INCLUDE IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of documents listed by the applicant has been generated automatically and is only included for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Patent literature cited

• DE 102015120545 A1 [0007]
• DE 20020836 U1 [0008]
• US 4085709 A [0009]
• DE 102018101684 A1 [0010]
• DE 202019102910 U1 [0011]
• DE 3434532 C1 [0016]
• DE 102016003349 A1 [0017]
• DE 60205279 T2 [0018]
• US 5172784 A [0019]
• DE 102010026886 A1 [0020, 0027]

Claims (10)

Drive system for a vehicle, comprising - a drive unit comprising at least one electric motor (2) and at least one free-piston linear generator (1), - at least one energy storage device (3) and - at least one fuel tank (4), characterized in that the drive system for the Operation with hydrogen is designed, the at least one energy storage device (3) comprising at least one supercapacitor (3) and the at least one fuel tank (4) comprising a hydrogen tank (4). Drive system after Claim 1 , characterized in that the at least one electric motor (2) is a wheel hub electric motor (2). Drive system after Claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that the drive system comprises a converter (5) as a device for enriching the hydrogen with a water mist, the converter (5) being arranged between the hydrogen tank (4) and the at least one free-piston linear generator (1) and with these is in operative connection. Drive system according to one of the Claims 1 to 3 , characterized in that the converter (5) is a hollow cylinder partially filled with distilled water (20) and has an ultrasonic atomizer (21), through which the hydrogen on the way from the hydrogen tank (4) to the at least one free-piston linear generator (1) is passed, the hydrogen being enriched with a water mist. Drive system according to one of the Claims 1 to 3 , characterized in that the converter (5) comprises a venturi nozzle, via which the hydrogen is enriched with a water mist on the way from the hydrogen tank (4) to the at least one free-piston linear generator (1). Drive system according to one of the Claims 1 to 5 , characterized in that the drive system comprises a cooler (7) for the at least one free-piston linear generator. Drive system according to one of the Claims 1 to 6 , characterized in that the at least one free-piston linear generator (1) is operatively connected to the at least one electric motor (2) via the at least one supercapacitor (3). Drive system according to one of the Claims 1 to 7 , characterized in that flame check devices (11) and safety valves are installed between the hydrogen tank (4) and the at least one free piston linear generator (1), the flame check devices (11) for preventing the spread of uncontrolled fire in the direction of the hydrogen tank (4) are provided. Drive system according to one of the Claims 1 to 8th , characterized in that the drive system has at least one reserve tank (9) for gasoline, diesel or gas. Drive system according to one of the Claims 1 to 9 , characterized in that the at least one free-piston linear generator (1) is electronically controlled and, in addition to hydrogen, can also be operated with diesel, gasoline or natural gas.

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