Drive system for a rail vehicle, rail vehicle having the drive system and methods for the forward movement of a rail vehicle

Abstract

A drive system for a rail vehicle includes at least one drive motor and at least one cooling apparatus for cooling the at least one drive motor and/or other components of the drive system, in particular a current converter. The drive system is constructed and intended to use kinetic energy of the rail vehicle for operation of the cooling apparatus. A rail vehicle having the drive system and methods for the forward movement of a rail vehicle are also provided.

Claims

1. A drive system for a rail vehicle configured as a car locomotive, the drive system comprising: at least one permanent magnet-excited drive motor without self-ventilation; at least one cooling apparatus for cooling said at least one drive motor; said at least one cooling apparatus configured to be operated exclusively by kinetic energy of the rail vehicle during operation of the rail vehicle as a car locomotive.

2. The drive system according to claim 1, which comprises an energy conversion device which is connected to cooling apparatus, said energy conversion apparatus configured to convert the kinetic energy of the rail vehicle into a form of energy being suitable for operation of said at least one-cooling apparatus.

3. The drive system according to claim 2, wherein said energy conversion apparatus is a generator for generating electrical energy.

4. The drive system according to claim 2, wherein said energy conversion apparatus is a hydraulic pump for generating a hydraulic circuit.

5. The drive system according to claim 2, which further comprises a drive shaft, a gear unit shaft and a wheelset shaft, said energy conversion apparatus being disposed on at least one of said drive shaft or said-gear unit shaft or said wheelset shaft.

6. The drive system according to claim 1, wherein said at least one cooling apparatus includes at least one of a ventilation apparatus or a fluid cooling apparatus.

7. A rail vehicle, comprising a drive system according to claim 1.

8. The rail vehicle according to claim 7, which further comprises a running gear and a vehicle body, said at least one cooling apparatus being disposed on at least one of said running gear or said vehicle body.

9. A method for the forward movement of a first rail vehicle, the method comprising the following steps: providing a first rail vehicle including a drive system according to claim 1; connecting the first rail vehicle to at least one second rail vehicle having a drive system; using a tractive force of the drive system of the second rail vehicle to move the interconnected rail vehicles forward; and using the at least one cooling apparatus to cool the at least one drive motor.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

(1) FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic, plan view of a drive system of a rail vehicle according to the invention with a ventilation apparatus;

(2) FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, side-elevational view of a drive system of a rail vehicle according to the invention with a fluid cooling apparatus; and

(3) FIG. 3 is a reduced, side-elevational view of a configuration of a locomotive as a car locomotive.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(4) Referring now to the figures of the drawings in detail and first, particularly, to FIG. 1 thereof, there is seen a drive system 1 of a rail vehicle 2 according to the invention. The rail vehicle 2 represents a locomotive in this figure. The running gear thereof is represented by way of indicating second solebars 3a, 3b, a center sill 8 and two wheels 4a, 4b. FIG. 1 shows a plan view of the drive system 1 of the rail vehicle 2. Conventionally, a rail vehicle 2 has a plurality of (similar or different) drive systems 1, according to FIG. 1. However, the representation thereof has been dispensed with for the sake of clarity.

(5) The drive system 1 represented in FIG. 1 includes a wheelset shaft 5, a gear unit 6 and a motor 7. The motor 7 drives the wheelset shaft 5 by using the gear unit 6 in a manner which is known per se, and the gear unit 6 in turn sets the wheels 4a, 4b in motion.

(6) The rail vehicle 2 according to the invention additionally includes a hydraulic pump 9, a hydraulic motor 10, a fan 11 and a current converter 12. The hydraulic pump 9 is mechanically connected to the wheelset shaft 5 in such or activate a hydraulic circuit 13. The hydraulic motor 10 is driven by using the hydraulic circuit 13 and in turn is mechanically connected to the fan 11 in such a way that the hydraulic motor 10 causes the fan 11 to rotate.

(7) The fan 11 is disposed within the center sill 8, which forms a housing 8 with interior hollow gaps. The current converter 12 is also disposed within the housing 8. The center sill 8 has a first opening 14, through which air is able to flow from the interior of the housing onto or into the motor 7. Furthermore, the center sill 8 has a second opening 16, through which air is able to be drawn in from the surrounding environment into the interior of the housing 8.

(8) An air flow 15 arises within the center sill by way of a forced movement caused by the fan 11. In this context, air is drawn in through the second opening 16 into the interior of the housing 8 and directed by the fan 11 first onto the current converter 12 and then through the first opening 14 onto the motor 7. Without departing from the framework of the invention, the fan may also be directed into separate flow ducts toward the current converter 12 and motor 7.

(9) Viewed as a whole, the drive system 1 of the rail vehicle 2 converts the motion energy (kinetic energy), which results from the forward movement of the rail vehicle 2, first into hydraulic energy and subsequently into a rotational energy of the fan 11, which is used as a cooling apparatus for cooling the (drive) motor 7. Additionally, the current converter 12 may be cooled by using the fan 11 as a further component of the drive system 1 or of the rail vehicle 2.

(10) In this context, in the present exemplary embodiment, the kinetic energy of the rail vehicle 2 is exclusively used for cooling.

(11) FIG. 2 shows a further drive system 1 of a rail vehicle 2 according to the invention. The rail vehicle 2 represents a locomotive and in FIG. 2 is represented by way of indicating a running gear solebar 3 and an upper structure 17 (locomotive body) as well as two wheels 4a, 4b.

(12) The drive system 1 drives a wheelset shaft 5 by using a drive motor 7, which in particular may be a permanent magnet-excited motor 7, and a non-illustrated gear unit. The drive motor 7 is connected to a fluid cooling apparatus or a fluid cooling system 18.

(13) The fluid cooling system 18 includes a fluid pump 19, which is operated by using a motor 20. The fluid pump 19 guides fluid through the drive motor 7, where a heating of the fluid due to heat losses of the drive motor 7 takes place in a manner which is known per se. The heated fluid is supplied to a heat exchanger or recooler 21. There, the output heat of the fluid is dissipated with the aid of a fan 11. Subsequently, the cooled fluid is supplied to the drive motor 7 again.

(14) The motor 20 of the fluid pump 19 and the fan 11 are supplied with electrical energy by using a non-illustrated generator. The generator in turn uses the rotational energy of the wheelset shaft 5 to generate the electrical energy. It is likewise possible to use a hydraulic circuit 13 which has already been explained above to drive the motor 20 and the fan 11.

(15) FIG. 3 shows an application example for a drive system 1 according to the invention. A locomotive 2, which is shown in FIG. 3, functions as a so-called car locomotive. This involves a locomotive 2, which is completely switched off electrically (there is no connection to a high voltage line 23) and is converted into a train 24 in a manner similar to a railroad car in terms of braking technology. The locomotive 2 is connected to a first railroad car 22a and a second railroad car 22b, which in turn may be part of a larger chain of railroad cars.

(16) If one or more permanent magnet-excited (PM) traction motors, which cannot be uncoupled from the wheelset, are used in the locomotive 2, then the traction motors co-rotate when the locomotive 2 is used as a car locomotive and causes losses inside the motor. These losses are mainly eddy current and hysteresis losses in the stator iron of the traction motor, which occur as a consequence of the rotating magnetic field.

(17) Particularly advantageously, a drive system 1 according to the invention can be employed in this configuration, so that a simple and efficient cooling of the traction motors can be ensured.

(18) Although the invention has been illustrated and described in detail by using the preferred exemplary embodiments, the invention is not restricted by the examples disclosed and other variations can be derived therefrom by a person skilled in the art without departing from the protective scope of the invention.