WO2003074315A1

WO2003074315A1 - Automobiles using both wind power and electric power

Info

Publication number: WO2003074315A1
Application number: PCT/KR2003/000402
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ju Cheol Park
Original assignee: Ju Cheol Park
Priority date: 2002-03-04
Filing date: 2003-03-03
Publication date: 2003-09-12
Also published as: KR20040104473A; AU2003208641A1

Abstract

Disclosed is an automobile using both wind power and electric power. The automobile includes : an electric power unit having a motor for receiving electric power from a chargeable battery ; a main power unit having a channel pipe for inducing inflow of air from the front portion of the automobile, a hydraulic pump driven by a turbine driving shaft when a turbine mounted on the channel pipe is rotated, and a hydraulic motor for receiving high-pressure fluid from the hydraulic pump and generating driving power, the turbine driving shaft being mechanically connected to a driving shaft of the motor through a mechanical route ; a power transmitting unit connected to the electric power unit and the main power unit through a mechanical route for receiving driving force from one of the power units and transmitting the driving force to a transmission through a clutch unit ; a generator for generating electricity through turning force of the turbine, the generator supplying the electricity to the chargeable battery to store the electricity in the battery ; and an Electric Control Unit (ECU) for controlling operations of the electric power unit and the main power unit and connection conditions of the mechanical routes according to driving conditions of the automobile.

Description

AUTOMOBILES USING BOTH WIND POWER AND ELECTRIC POWER

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an automobile using both wind power and electric power, and more particularly, to an automobile capable of providing environmentally friendly and future-directed traveling conditions by using electric power as basic power source and wind power as supplementary power source .

Background Art

In general, conventional automobiles driven by turning force of gasoline or diesel engines have been developed to automobiles of various types according to the demands of the times to prevent exhaustion of petroleum resources and environmental pollution. However, the development of the automobiles has limitations in that efficiency is reduced during converting combustion energy into mechanical and electric energy necessary for travel of the automobiles and operation of accessory equipments and in that financial and environmental burdens are hardly reduced.

The rapid progress of chargeable batteries allows commercial use of the electric automobiles. However, it is difficult to travel at a high speed as weight of the automobile is greater than volume of the battery, and the chargeable batteries are not popularized, as it is restricted to special purposes due to frequent recharging for a long distance traveling.

To solve the above problems, a hybrid engine combining the diesel engine and the chargeable battery has been disclosed to provide convenience in traveling and to reduce environmental burdens. However, it is difficult to put the hybrid engine to practical use as its mechanical structure is complicated and manufacturing cost is too high.

Disclosure of Invention

Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art .

An object of the present invention is to provide an automobile, which can travel using electric power as basic power source and wind power as subsidiary power source, thereby providing environmentally friendly and future- directed effects without discharge of exhaust gas and securing excellent driving performance and convenience. To achieve the above object, according to a primary aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automobile using both wind power and electric power includes : an electric power unit having a motor for receiving electric power from a chargeable battery; a main power unit having a channel pipe for inducing inflow of air from the front portion of the automobile, a hydraulic pump driven by a turbine driving shaft when a turbine mounted on the channel pipe is rotated, and a hydraulic motor for receiving high- pressure fluid from the hydraulic pump and generating driving power, the turbine driving shaft being mechanically connected to a driving shaft of the motor through a mechanical route; a power transmitting unit connected to the electric power unit and the main power unit through a mechanical route for receiving driving force from one of the power units and transmitting the driving force to a transmission through a clutch unit; a generator for generating electricity through turning force of the turbine, the generator supplying the electricity to the chargeable battery to store the electricity in the battery; and an Electric Control Unit (ECU) for controlling operations of the electric power unit and the main power unit and connection conditions of the mechanical routes according to driving conditions of the automobile .

The electric power unit means a unit for providing driving force for traveling of the automobile using electric power received from the chargeable battery.

The main power unit means a unit for providing driving force for traveling of the automobile using wind power of air induced from the front portion of the automobile.

Such a main power unit includes a turbine rotated by wind power, and a hydraulic circuit connected to the turbine and having the hydraulic pump and the hydraulic motor, and it is constructed to be linked with the electric power unit.

The power transmitting unit means a unit for providing driving force for traveling by connecting the electric power unit and/or the main power unit to a transmission through mechanical routes .

Furthermore, the auxiliary power unit means a unit for additionally generating electricity to provide driving force to the automobile by wind power of the induced air, and it is mounted on the outside of the automobile. Through the above structure, the automobile according to the present invention obtains driving force from both the electric power unit and the main power unit when the automobile starts to travel or travels up the road or hill, but obtains driving force only from the main power unit when it accelerates at a predetermined speed or travels down the downhi11 road .

Brief Description of the Drawings

Further objects and advantages of the invention can be more fully understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a brief structural view of an automobile according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a structural view of essential parts of the automobile according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a structural view of an auxiliary power unit according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an electric circuit of the automobile according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a structural view of essential parts of the automobile according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a structural view of essential parts of the automobile according to a further preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

The present invention will now be described in detail in connection with preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. For reference, like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout several views .

FIG. 1 is a brief structural view of an automobile according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a structural view of essential parts of the automobile, and FIG. 3 is a structural view of an auxiliary power unit according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the automobile according to the present invention, an electric power unit 100 and a power transmitting unit 10 are mechanically connected to each other through a route of a motor driving shaft 110a, an electric clutch 7 and a clutch unit 14.

Furthermore, a main power unit 20 and the power transmitting unit 10 are mechanically connected to each other through a route of a turbine driving shaft 24a, a hydraulic pump 28, an oil-pressure transmitting part 28a, a hydraulic motor 16, turning force transmitting parts 52 and 54 and the clutch unit 1 .

A channel pipe 22 of the main power unit 20 inevitably has a straight or curved section as it is induced from the front surface of the automobile to the side surface, the rear surface or the bottom surface. Therefore, a part of the channel pipe 22 is straightened, and an axial-flow or round- driving type turbine 24 is mounted inside the straightened part of the channel pipe 22.

One channel pipe 22 may be mounted in the center of an engine room of the automobile, or two channel pipes 22 may be independently mounted at right and left sides of the engine room. The channel pipe 22 can be mounted horizontally or vertically, or mounted at the rear portion of the automobile. In this embodiment of the present invention, two channel pipes 22 are mounted at the right and left sides of the engine room.

Rotating shafts of each component, the turning force transmitting parts, and the oil-pressure transmitting part of a hydraulic circuit form the above mechanical connection routes . That is, the turning force transmitting parts 52 and 54 are realized by belt-pulleys or chain-sprockets, and the oil- pressure transmitting part 28a is realized by a hose pipe for transferring operating fluid.

Moreover, the clutch unit 14 for transmitting driving force to a transmission 12 is realized by a torque converter (for AT) or a speed-change clutch (for MT) .

The clutch unit 14 transmits turning force, which is transmitted from each power unit, to the transmission 12.

It is preferable that the hydraulic circuit having the hydraulic pump 28 and the hydraulic motor 16 includes a cooling unit 5 for cooling the operating fluid under increased temperature .

The hydraulic motor 16 rotates by receiving the operating fluid pressurized by the hydraulic pump 28, and transmits its turning force to the transmission 12.

The transmission 12 can be selectively adopted in a manual or automatic manner according to a speed-change method applied to the automobile, but it is preferable to select the automatic transmission linked with the torque converter in terms of simplicity and stability of an automobile system. The clutch unit 14 may have separate hydraulic clutch mounted on an input shaft thereof to reduce shock due to sudden power transmission.

As shown in FIG. 2, a generator 26 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a rotor 26a mounted on the outer circumference side of a turbine 24 having a number of blades and a round type stator 26b fixedly mounted on the outside of the rotor 26a, and therefore, supplies to and stores in electric power, which is generated when the rotor 26a rotates, a battery 15. The rotor and the stator may be mounted to the contrary, if necessary. That is, the rotor may be mounted on the inner circumference side of the turbine 24 and the stator can be fixedly mounted on the inside of the rotor.

The generator 26 includes a means (not shown) for converting AC power source generated into DC power source necessary for charging the battery 15.

Alternatively, the generator 26 may be operated as the motor when it is supplied with electric power from the battery 15, and so, it may be served as a motor/generator. In this case, the generator 26 may be used as an auxiliary motor by applying electric current to the generator 26 when a great deal of driving power for traveling is needed, and at this time, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 40 is set to control the current application to the generator 26.

As shown in FIG. 1, an auxiliary power unit 30 is mounted on the outside of the automobile. Referring to FIG. 3, the auxiliary power unit 30 will be described in detail.

The auxiliary power unit 30 includes a number of impellers 34 mounted on a channel plate 32 having an air channel 32a, and an auxiliary generator 36 driven by rotation of the impellers 34. The air channel 32a of the channel plate 32 has a wide opening formed at the front portion.

The impellers 34 are divided into a horizontal-current driving type (rotary wing) and a vertical-current driving type (rotary wing) . In this embodiment, when the impellers 34 are mounted on the upper surface of the automobile, it is preferable that the horizontal-current driving type impellers are mounted in consideration of the installation size.

Through the above structure, the auxiliary generator 36 supplies electricity to a chargeable battery 15 to store the electricity in the battery 15, and can directly supply the electricity to a motor 110 if necessary.

The auxiliary power unit 30 can be selectively mounted on the engine room, the bottom, the roof, or the rear of the automobile. For this purpose, it is preferable that the impellers 34 are manufactured to be thin and to be hidden inside the channel plate 32. Furthermore, the auxiliary power unit 30 can be manufactured in the form of a unit cell including all the channel plate 32, the impellers 34 and the auxiliary generator 36. Through the above independent structure, the auxiliary power unit 30 can be additionally mounted on the side or the rear of the automobile as well as the roof of the automobile excepting the door so as to increase volume of the automobile. Particularly, it is preferable that detachable mounting members, such as bolts, and circuit connection members, such as connectors are used for convenience of installation.

The ECU 40, which carries out electric control in relation to traveling of the automobile, performs common control functions, and controls operation of the electric power unit 100 and the main power unit 20 and connection conditions of the mechanical routes according to traveling states of the automobile (i.e., speed change conditions, positions of an accelerator pedal, positions of a brake pedal of the automobile, and so on) . Meanwhile, the unexplained reference symbol designates wheels of the automobile, and reference numeral 6 designates a hydraulic tank.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an electric circuit of the automobile according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Electric power generated from the generator 26 is consumed by the power transmitting unit 10, the motor 110 and convenience devices 48, and the remaining electric power is charged into the battery 15. The unexplained reference numeral 44 designates a fuse, and 46 a start switch. The ECU 40 processes a control signal from a driver through an operation panel 42, and controls the electric clutch 7 of the power transmitting unit 10, the motor 110 and the convenience devices 48 through the processing of the control signal. For example, the convenience devices 48 may include an air conditioner, an acoustic system, a heater, etc.

The ECU 40 according to the present invention has an algorism for driving the electric power unit 100 by applying power source of the battery 15 when output from the main power unit 20 of the power transmitting unit 10 cannot supply sufficient power source.

For reference, generally, as the length of the turbine 24 and that of wings of the impellers 34 are increased double, driving power is increased four times and wind power is increased at a triple ratio of the wind velocity. When the automobile moves slowly at a predetermined speed or less, the wind velocity is sharply reduced and the turning force of the turbine 24 of the main power unit 20 is decreased. As a result, power transmission by the auxiliary power unit 30 and the electric power unit 100 can be made. For this purpose, the ECU 40 receives signal according to changes of car speed and position of the accelerator pedal, determines output decrease of the main power unit 20, and controls the operation of the electric power unit 100. At this time, the changes of the car speed are inputted through a speed sensor (not shown) , and the position of the accelerator pedal is inputted through a separate detection sensor (not shown) mounted on an operation link.

In more detail, the ECU 40 receives a signal indicating the speed change conditions, and controls the power transmitting unit 10 to receive driving power from both the electric power unit 100 and the main power unit 20 when the car speed is below a predetermined set value, and controls the power transmitting unit 10 to receive driving power only from the main power unit 20 when the car speed exceeds the predetermined set value . Additionally, the ECU 40 receives a signal indicating the position conditions of the accelerator pedal, and controls the power transmitting unit 10 to receive driving power from both the electric power unit 100 and the main power unit 20 when the accelerator pedal is located at the acceleration position, and controls the power transmitting unit 10 to receive driving power only from the main power unit 20 when the accelerator pedal is located at other positions excepting the acceleration position.

Hereinafter, the operation state of the automobile according to the present invention will be described.

When the driver turns on the start switch 46, power source is applied to the ECU 40 and the motor 110 is operated. At the same time, a rotational shaft of the turbine 24 is synchronously rotated through the pulley-belts, which are the turning force transmitting parts 52 and 54, and the automobile is in the condition of standing by travelling.

At this time, the turbine 24 continuously rotates regardless of whether or not the automobile travels when the engine is started. As a result, the automobile can obtain still smoother and more stable traveling conditions than a structure for directly transmitting only driving force of the motor 110 to the clutch unit 14 as the turbine 24 has uniform rotational inertia force.

When the driver steps on the accelerator pedal, the electric power unit 100 and the power transmitting unit 10 are mechanically connected to each other through the route of the motor driving shaft 110a, the electric clutch 7 and the clutch unit 14.

Moreover, the main power unit 20 and the power transmitting unit 10 are mechanically connected to each other through the route of the turbine driving shaft 24a, the hydraulic pump 28, the oil-pressure transmitting part 28a, the hydraulic motor 16, the turning force transmitting parts 52 and 54 and the clutch unit 14. Therefore, driving power is transmitted through both the main power unit 20 and the electric power unit 100, and the automobile starts to travel. If it is judged that the car speed exceeds the predetermined set value (for example, 50km/h on the ECU) or the driver does not step on the accelerator pedal of the automobile during traveling on the downhill road, the ECU 40 turns off a relay (not shown) of the motor 110 to cut off the power source of the motor 110.

At the same time, the ECU 40 operates the hydraulic pump 28 only with turning force of the turbine 24 rotated by wind power, operates the hydraulic motor 16 with the hydraulic force of the hydraulic pump 28, and indirectly transmits driving power to the transmission 12 through the torque converter or the clutch unit 14 such as the variable speed clutch to allow the traveling of the automobile.

Meanwhile, if the driver steps on the brake pedal, the ECU 40 releases the connection of the electric clutch 7 to cut off the power transmission.

To the contrary, if it is judged that the driver steps on the accelerator pedal deeply or the car speed is lowered below the predetermined set value, the ECU 40 applies the power source of the battery 15 to the motor 110 and allows the electric clutch 7 to be in a connection state to enable sudden acceleration or grade traveling of the automobile. When the driver reduces tread power applied to the accelerator pedal, the automobile can travel only by the power of the main power unit 20 again. The battery 15 must always keep a good charged state. For this purpose, the generator 26 of the main power unit 20 carries out a function for charging the battery 15 when the operation of the electric power unit 100 is stopped, and the generator 36 of the auxiliary power unit 30 aids the charging function of the generator 26. Next, the automobile according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described hereinbelow. FIG. 5 is a structural view of essential parts of the automobile according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention. When the driver steps on the accelerator pedal, the electric power unit 100 and the power transmitting unit 10 are mechanically connected to each other through the route of the motor driving shaft 110a, the turning force transmitting parts 52 and 54, the turbine driving shaft 24a, other turning force transmitting parts 52 and 54 and the clutch unit 14.

Furthermore, the main power unit 20 and the power transmitting unit 10 are mechanically connected to each other through the route of the turbine driving shaft 24a, the hydraulic pump 28, the oil-pressure transmitting part 28a, the hydraulic motor 16, the electric clutch 7 and the clutch unit 14. As a result, driving power is transmitted through both the main power unit 20 and the electric power unit 100, so that the automobile starts to travel .

If it is judged that the car speed exceeds the predetermined set value or the driver does not step on the accelerator pedal of the automobile during traveling of the downhill road, the ECU 40 turns off the relay (not shown) of the motor 110 to cut off the power source of the motor 110. At the same time, the ECU 40 transmits driving power to the transmission 12 only with the turning force of the turbine 24 rotated by wind power to allow the traveling of the automobile .

The automobile according to a further preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described hereinbelow. FIG. 6 is a structural view of essential parts of the automobile according to a further preferred embodiment of the present invention.

When the driver steps on the accelerator pedal, the electric power unit 100 and the power transmitting unit 10 are mechanically connected to each other through the route of the motor driving shaft 110a, the turning force transmitting parts 52 and 54, the turbine driving shaft 24a, the electric clutch 7 and the clutch unit 14.

Moreover, the main power unit 20 and the power transmitting unit 10 are mechanically connected to each other through the route of the turbine driving shaft 24a, the turning force transmitting parts 52 and 54, the hydraulic pump 28, the oil-pressure transmitting part 28a, the hydraulic motor 16, other turning force transmitting parts 52 and 54 and the clutch unit 14. As a result, driving power is transmitted through both the main power unit 20 and the electric power unit 100, so that the automobile starts to travel .

If it is judged that the car speed exceeds the predetermined set value or the driver does not step on the accelerator pedal of the automobile during traveling of the downhill road, the ECU 40 turns off the relay (not shown) of the motor 110 to cut off the power source of the motor 110. At the same time, the ECU 40 transmits driving power to the transmission 12 only with the turning force of the turbine 24 to allow the traveling of the automobile. For example, the turbine 24 and the impellers 34 described herein may have screw-type rotary wing or rotary wing having inertia force, and the type of the rotary wings for the turbine 24 and the impellers 34 can be selected in consideration of installation position and space. Additionally, the main power unit 20 can have a pneumatic system in place of the hydraulic system, and this structure is suitable for small-sized automobiles of small load factor.

Industrial Applicability

As described above, the automobile according to the present invention uses electricity as basic power source and wind power as supplementary power source so as to obtain traveling of high-energy efficiency, thereby solving the greatest problem of electric automobiles, i.e., frequent re- charge due to long-distance traveling.

Furthermore, the automobile according to the present invention can solve the problem of low output as driving power is transmitted through rotational inertia of the turbine of the main power unit .

Moreover, the automobile according to the present invention provides environmentally friendly and future- directed traveling conditions as well as excellent and stable traveling performance. While the present invention has been described with reference to the particular illustrative embodiments, it is not to be restricted by the embodiments but only by the appended claims. It is to be appreciated that those skilled in the art can change or modify the embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

Claims

What Is Claimed Is;

1. An automobile using both wind power and electric power comprising: an electric power unit having a motor for receiving electric power from a chargeable battery; a main power unit having a channel pipe for inducing inflow of air from the front portion of the automobile, a hydraulic pump driven by a turbine driving shaft when a turbine mounted on the channel pipe is rotated, and a hydraulic motor for receiving high-pressure fluid from the hydraulic pump and generating driving power, the turbine driving shaft being mechanically connected to a driving shaft of the motor through a mechanical route; a power transmitting unit connected to the electric power unit and the main power unit through a mechanical route for receiving driving force from one of the power units and transmitting the driving force to a transmission through a clutch unit ; a generator for generating electricity through turning force of the turbine, the generator supplying the electricity to the chargeable battery to store the electricity in the battery; and an Electric Control Unit (ECU) for controlling operations of the electric power unit and the main power unit and connection conditions of the mechanical routes according to driving conditions of the automobile.

2. The automobile according to claim 1, wherein the electric power unit and the power transmitting unit are mechanically connected to each other through a route of the motor driving shaft, the electric clutch and the clutch unit, and wherein the main power unit and the power transmitting unit are mechanically connected to each other through a route of the turbine driving shaft, the hydraulic pump, an oil- pressure transmitting part, the hydraulic motor, turning force transmitting parts and the clutch unit.

3. The automobile according to claim 1, wherein the electric power unit and the power transmitting unit are mechanically connected to each other through a route of the motor driving shaft, the turning force transmitting parts, the turbine driving shaft, other turning force transmitting parts and the clutch unit, and wherein the main power unit and the power transmitting unit are mechanically connected to each other through a route of the turbine driving shaft, the hydraulic pump, an oil- pressure transmitting part, the hydraulic motor, the electric clutch and the clutch unit.

4. The automobile according to claim 1, wherein the electric power unit and the power transmitting unit are mechanically connected to each other through a route of the motor driving shaft, the turning force transmitting parts, the turbine driving shaft, the electric clutch and the clutch unit, and wherein the main power unit and the power transmitting unit are mechanically connected to each other through a route of the turbine driving shaft, the turning force transmitting parts, the hydraulic pump, an oil-pressure transmitting part, the hydraulic motor, other turning force transmitting parts and the clutch unit .

5. The automobile according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the generator includes a rotor mounted on the turbine side and a stator fixedly mounted on the inside or outside of the rotor.

6. The automobile according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein an auxiliary power unit is installed on the outside of the automobile, and wherein the auxiliary power unit includes a plurality of impellers mounted on a channel plate having an air channel and an auxiliary generator driven by rotation of the impellers, and the auxiliary generator supplies electricity to the chargeable battery to store the electricity in the battery.

7. The automobile according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the ECU receives a signal indicative of the speed change state of the automobile, controls the power transmitting unit to receive driving power from both the electric power unit and the main power unit when the speed is below a predetermined set value, and controls the power transmitting unit to receive driving power only from the main power unit when the speed exceeds the predetermined set value .

8. The automobile according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the ECU receives a signal indicative of the position state of an accelerator pedal, controls the power transmitting unit to receive driving power from both the electric power unit and the main power unit when the accelerator pedal is located at an acceleration position, and controls the power transmitting unit to receive driving power only from the main power unit when the accelerator pedal is located at other positions excepting the acceleration position.

9. The automobile according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein a hydraulic circuit including the hydraulic pump and the hydraulic motor has a cooling unit for cooling operating fluid under increased temperature .

10. The automobile according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the clutch unit has one of a torque converter and a variable-speed clutch.

11. The automobile according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the turning force transmitting part is one of a belt-pulley and a chain-sprocket , and the oil-pressure transmitting part is a hose pipe through which the operating fluid is transported.