NL2035359B1

NL2035359B1 - Management of Electrical Power Using a Vehicle Battery

Info

Publication number: NL2035359B1
Application number: NL2035359A
Authority: NL
Inventors: Alexander Remie Mark
Original assignee: Ffwd Rail B V
Priority date: 2023-07-12
Filing date: 2023-07-12
Publication date: 2025-01-27
Also published as: WO2025014372A1

Abstract

There is disclosed an apparatus for controlling the transfer of electric power. The apparatus is configured to be mounted on a vehicle (e.g. locomotive, train and/or wagon thereof). The vehicle includes a rechargeable battery, a drive system and a regenerative braking system and configured to receive electrical power from an external electricity network. The apparatus comprises: a power routing module coupled, in use, to the battery, drive system, regenerative braking system, and external electricity network; and a controller configured to control the power routing module to dynamically route electrical power between the battery, drive system, regenerative braking system, and external electricity network, based on one or more criteria. The criteria comprise one or more 10 of: a current and/or predicted charge state of the battery; a current and/or predicted power consumption of the vehicle; a current and/or predicted state of motion of the vehicle; a current and/or predicted location of the vehicle; a current and/or predicted price of electricity in the electricity network; and whether a current time falls within a predetermined time period.

Description

Management of Electrical Power Using a Vehicle Battery

BACKGROUND Field

Certain examples of the present disclosure provide one or more techniques for managing electrical power using a battery of a vehicle, for example a locomotive, train, Electric Multiple Unit (EMU), and the like.

Description of the Related Art

A locomotive is a form of rail transport vehicle which has been used for many years. Nowadays, hundreds or even thousands of locomotives operate on many rail networks around the world. At first, locomotives were steam powered and later many were diesel powered. More recently, electrically powered locomotives, and hybrid electric-diesel locomotives, have become more common. To support electrical power, an electric or hybrid locomotive typically includes a rechargeable battery that can supply locomotive power as well as receive electrical power for charging from an external power line. Due to the relatively high power demands of a locomotive, the typical battery capacity of a locomotive battery is relatively high. In view of the relatively high number of locomotives in operation, and the relatively high capacity of a locomotive battery, the total available battery capacity of a fleet of locomotives may be very high.

At the same time, the demand for electrical power in society in general has increased rapidly over recent years, for example due to the rapid increase in popularity of electric powered cars. To satisfy this demand, the amount of electrical power generation, from both renewable and non-renewable sources, has also increased rapidly. Due to fluctuations in both demand and supply, load balancing techniques are required to manage electrical power in an electricity grid. In particular, it is desirable to be able to store excess power when demand is low and/or when energy generation is high, and to release the stored power when demand is high and/or when energy generation is low. One problem with load balancing techniques is that the amount of electrical power storage capacity required may be very high. The cost of providing such storage capacity may be high.

What is desired is one or more techniques for managing electrical power, for example for performing load balancing.

The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the present disclosure.

SUMMARY

It is an aim of certain examples of the present disclosure to address, solve, mitigate or obviate, at least partly, at least one of the problems and/or disadvantages associated with the related art, for example at least one of the problems and/or disadvantages mentioned herein. Certain examples of the present disclosure aim to provide at least one advantage over the related art, for example at least one of the advantages mentioned herein.

The present invention is defined in the independent claims. Advantageous features are defined in the dependent claims.

Certain examples of the present disclosure provide an apparatus for controlling the transfer of electric power, wherein the apparatus is configured to be mounted on a vehicle (e.g. locomotive, train and/or wagon thereof), the vehicle including a rechargeable battery, a drive system and a regenerative braking system and configured to receive electrical power from an external electricity network, the apparatus comprising: a power routing module coupled, in use, to the battery, drive system, regenerative braking system, and external electricity network; and a controller configured to control the power routing module to dynamically route electrical power between the battery, drive system, regenerative braking system, and external electricity network, based on one or more of the following criteria: a current and/or predicted state of the battery (e.g. a charge state, battery temperature and/or operational state); a current and/or predicted power consumption of the vehicle; a current and/or predicted state of motion of the vehicle; a current and/or predicted location of the vehicle; a current and/or predicted price of electricity in the electricity network; and whether a current time falls within a predetermined time period.

In certain examples, the apparatus may further comprise a monitoring module for monitoring one or more of: the state of the battery; a condition of the battery; the power consumption of the vehicle; the state of motion of the vehicle; the location of the vehicle; and the price of electricity in the electricity network.

In certain examples, the controller may be configured to: adjust (e.g. increase or decrease) an amount of electrical power drawn from the electricity network to charge the battery and/or power the drive system based on the current and/or predicted price of electricity (e.g. when the price of electricity changes (e.g. decreases or increases) and/or is predicted to change).

In certain examples, the controller may be configured to adjust (e.g. increase or decrease) a supply of excess power from the battery and/or the braking system to the electricity network based on the current and/or predicted price of electricity (e.g. when the price of electricity changes (e.g. increases or decreases) and/or is predicted to change).

In certain examples, the controller may be configured to: supply excess power from the battery and/or regenerative braking system to the electricity network when the price of electricity increases; and supply excess power from the regenerative braking system and/or power from the electricity network to the battery when the price of electricity decreases.

In certain examples, the controller may be configured to selectively route power between the battery and the electricity network for performing grid balancing.

In certain examples, the controller may be configured to selectively route power between the battery and the electricity network when the vehicle is in a stationary state for more than a threshold period of time (e.g. a parked state).

Incertain examples, the state of motion of the vehicle may comprise one or more of: a moving state; a stationary state; travelling uphill, and travelling downhill.

In certain examples, the controller may be configured to predict the power consumption of the vehicle and/or the state of motion of the vehicle based on a known or forecast route of the vehicle.

In certain examples, the controller may comprise an Artificial Intelligence (Al) engine configured for determining one or more of: energy consumption; and trading options.

In certain examples, the apparatus may comprise a transceiver for transmitting status information to a server, and receiving control information from the server, wherein the selective routing is performed based on the received control information.

In certain examples, the status information may comprise information relating to one or more of: a current and/or predicted state of the battery (e.g. a charge state, battery temperature and/or operational state); a current and/or predicted power consumption of the vehicle; a current and/or predicted state of motion of the vehicle; and a current and/or predicted location of the vehicle.

In certain examples, the apparatus may be configured to be connected independently of one or more safety components and/or safety critical components of the vehicle. In certain examples, a (Can) Bus connection to a power convertor may be provided such that there is a controlled connection between the apparatus and the converter, that routes electricity to or from the battery while avoiding routing of power to the engines, which may causing the train to move, or any other unintended components.

In certain examples the controller may be configured to control the power routing module to dynamically route electrical power between the battery, drive system, regenerative braking system, and external electricity network, based on one or more commands received from one or more external entities.

Certain examples of the present disclosure provide a vehicle (e.g. locomotive, train or wagon thereof) comprising an apparatus according to any example, aspect, embodiment and/or claim disclosed herein.

Certain examples of the present disclosure provide a method for controlling the transfer of electric power of a vehicle (e.g. locomotive, train and/or wagon thereof) including a rechargeable battery, a drive system and a regenerative braking system and configured to receive electrical power from an external electricity network, the method comprising: dynamically routing electrical power between the battery, drive system, regenerative braking system, and external electricity network, based on one or more of the following criteria: a current and/or predicted state of the battery (e.g. a charge state, battery temperature and/or operational state); a current and/or predicted power consumption of the vehicle; a current and/or predicted state of motion of the vehicle; a current and/or predicted location of the vehicle; a current and/or predicted price of electricity in the electricity network; and whether a current time falls within a predetermined time period.

Certain examples of the present disclosure provide a server comprising: a transceiver for receiving status information from one or more vehicles {e.g. locomotives, trains and/or wagons thereof) and for transmitting control information to the one or more vehicles; and a processor for generating the control information based on the received status information, wherein each vehicle includes a rechargeable battery, a drive system and a regenerative braking system and is configured to receive electrical power from an external electricity network, wherein the control information comprises information for controlling dynamic routing of electrical power in a vehicle between the battery, drive system, regenerative braking system, and external electricity network, and wherein the status information comprises information related to one or more of the following: a current and/or predicted state of the battery (e.g. a charge state, battery temperature and/or operational state); a current and/or predicted power consumption of the vehicle; a current and/or predicted state of motion of the vehicle; a current and/or predicted location of the vehicle; a current and/or predicted price of electricity in the electricity network; and whether a current time falls within a predetermined time period.

Embodiments, aspects or examples disclosed in the description and/or figures falling outside the scope of the claims are to be understood as examples useful for understanding the present invention.

Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, disclose examples of the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a locomotive that may be used in various examples of the present disclosure;

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus for controlling the transfer of electric power, for 5 example that may be used in the locomotive illustrated in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating a technique for predicting and/or forecasting the power demands of a locomotive, for example the locomotive illustrated in Figure 1;

Figure 4 illustrates an example of a compound vehicle comprising a locomotive and one or more wagons;

Figure 5 is a diagram of a server, for example that may be used to coordinate management of electric power by a group of locomotives; and

Figure 6 is a method for controlling the transfer of electric power in a locomotive, for example the locomotive illustrated in Figure 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description of examples of the present disclosure, with reference to the accompanying drawings, is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of the present invention, as defined by the claims. The description includes various specific details to assist in that understanding but these are to be regarded as merely exemplary. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of the examples described herein can be made. The skilled person will appreciate that the various techniques described herein may be applied to any suitable type of vehicle, including, but not limited to, a locomotive, train, EMU, and the like

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a locomotive that may be used in various examples of the present disclosure.

The locomotive 100 comprises a locomotive body 101 with wheels configured to move along a fixed track, for example a pair of rails, on the ground. The locomotive may pull of push one or more wagons. The locomotive body 101 contains a drive system 103 for driving the locomotive 100 (forwards and/or backwards), a braking system 105 for slowing the locomotive 100, one or more rechargeable batteries 107 for supplying electric power to the drive system 103, and a feeder 109 for collecting electric power from an external power source. For example, power from the external power source may be provided via a conductor, such as an overhead power line or third rail, that runs along the track. The feeder 109 may be electrically connected to the conductor, either continuously or intermittently, to receive the electric power. In the case of a hybrid locomotive, the locomotive body 101 may also comprise an engine 111, such as a diesel engine. In certain examples, the braking system 105 may be a regenerative braking system configured to convert kinetic energy captured from the braking into electric energy. In certain examples, the feeder 109 may be configured for returning electric power to the external power source.

In the configuration described above there are one or more power sources that provide electric power and one or more power sinks that consume electric power. For example, the power sources comprise the one or more batteries 107, the external power source and the regenerative braking system 105, and the power sinks comprise the drive system 103, the one or more batteries 107 (during recharging) and the external power source (when power is returned to the external power source). In various examples of the present disclosure, electric power may be dynamically routed from one or more of the power sources to one or more of the power sinks. The following description refers to a single battery 107, although the skilled person will appreciate that two or more batteries 107 may be provided, which may be treated as a single overall power source/sink (e.g. as a single battery bank), or as two or more independent power sources/sinks, for the purpose of power routing.

An external power source/sink is not limited to the above examples. Any suitable external power souce/sink may be used in various examples, including a centralised power source/sink and a non- centralised power source/sink. In certain examples, an electricity network may provide an external power source/sink. In certain examples, an industrial plant, for example a steel works, may provide an external power source/sink. In certain examples, an external power source/sink may be provided by a charging station and/or docking station, which may provide facilities for charging, decharging and/or bi-directional charging/de-charging.

The dynamic routng of electric power may be performed based on any suitable set of one or more criteria and/or conditions, for example one or more of: a current and/or predicted state of the battery 107 (e.g. a charge state, battery temperature and/or operational state); a current and/or predicted power consumption of the locomotive 100; a current and/or predicted state of motion of the locomotive 100; a current and/or predicted location of the locomotive 100; a current and/or predicted price and/or availability of electric power in the external power source (e.g. an electricity network); and whether a current time falls within a predetermined time period. Various examples will be described in more detail further below.

In order to perform dynamic routing of electric power between the power sources and the power sinks, the locomotive body further comprises a routing apparatus 113. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an example of a routing apparatus 200 for controlling the transfer or routing of electric power. The routing apparatus 200 of Figure 2 may be used in the locomotive 100 illustrated in

Figure 1.

The routing apparatus 200 is configured to be connected to, and receive electric power from, the power sources (e.g. battery, external power source, and regenerative braking system). The routing apparatus 200 is also configured to be connected to, and supply electrical power to, the power sinks (e.g. drive system, battery, and external power source). The routing apparatus 200 comprises a power routing module 201 and a controller 203.

The routing module 201 is configured to selectively route electrical power from one or more of the power sources to one or more of the power sinks. For example, the routing module 201 may comprise a circuit including one or more switches and/or other power routing components.

The controller 203 is configured to control the power routing module 201, for example to control the states of the switches and/or other routing components. The controller 203 controls the power routing configuration (e.g. the states of the switches and/or other routing components) of the power routing module 201 based on one or more criteria, for example as described above.

The routing apparatus 200 may also include a monitoring module 205 for monitoring one or more parameters. For example, the parameters may comprise one or more of: the state of the battery (e.g. a charge state, battery temperature and/or operational state); a condition of the battery; the power consumption of the locomotive; the state of motion of the locomotive; the location of the locomotive; the price of electricity in the electricity network; and a current time. The controller 203 may use these parameters to determine the power routing configuration of the power routing module 201.

The location of the locomotive may be determined using an on-board position measuring module (e.g. part of the routing apparatus 200), for example based on Global Positioning System (GPS) or any other suitable global navigation satellite system. The state of motion of the locomotive may be determined based on one or more of: data obtained through the pasitiong measuring module, data received from on-board sensors (e.g. part of the routing apparatus 200) such as accelerometers, and data received from the drive system 103.

The routing apparatus 200 may also receive information from an external source, for example a server, the Internet, or any other suitable source. The controller 203 may determine the power routing configuration of the power routing module 201 at least partly based on the received information.

The controller 203 may determine the power routing configuration of the power routing module 201 partly or fully based on one or more commands received from one or more external entities, for example a server or control hub. The server or control hub may determine the appropriate power routing configuration based on information received from any suitable source(s), for example from the locomotive, from one or more other locomotives and/or from any other suitable source(s).

The routing apparatus 200 may receive the information and commands through a receiver module, which may operate according to any suitable communications system or standard, for example 4G or 5G. The received information and commands may be encrypted using any suitable encryption scheme to provide increased security and/or privacy. This allows the power routing configuration to be controlled remotely.

The routing apparatus 200 may be configured to be installed into a conventional locomotive or a wagon thereof. In certain examples, the routing apparatus 200 may be configured to be installed so as to not affect any safety-related components (e.g. safety components and/or safety critical components) of the locomotive.

In certain examples, the operational components of a locomotive may be provided in separate “layers”, representing logical separation of functions of the locomotive. For example, certain components for receiving power from an overhead line and transferring the received power may be provided in a first layer. Control components of the locomotive (including safety components and safety critical components) may be provided in a second layer. Drive components may be provided in a third layer. In this case, the routing apparatus 200 may be installed in a layer not including the safety components and safety critical components. For example, the routing apparatus 200 may be installed in the first layer in the above example. Accordingly, the routing apparatus 200 does not influence the safety components or safety critical components.

The routing apparatus 200 may be configured to operate automatically, for example without requiring any intervention from the locomotive driver. In this case the operation of the routing apparatus 200 may be completely invisible to the driver.

In certain example, the routing apparatus 200 may be configured to provide certain information to the locomotive driver in any suitable form. For example, a display may be provided which displays status information of the routing apparatus 200. The status information may include an indication of how power is being routed between the one or more power sources and the one or more power sinks. For example, a graphical representation may be provided with icons representing the power sources and power sinks, and arrows representing the flow of power therebetween.

In certain examples, the routing apparatus 200 may be configured to provide suggestions or advice to the driver. For example, the suggestions or advice may be based on the current and/or predicted status of the power sources and/or power sinks, a current and/or predicted state of motion of the locomotive, and/or any other suitable conditions and/or criteria.

For example, if the cost of electric power is (currently or predicted to be) relatively low and/or the availability of electric power is (currently or predicted to be) relatively high, a suggestion may be provided to switch (either immediately or at a specified time point in the future based on the prediction) the source of power driving the locomotive from the engine 111 to the battery 107 or external power supply.

In another example, if the locomotive is (currently or predicted to be) travelling downhill, a suggestion may be provided to control (either immediately or at a specified time point in the future based on the prediction) routing of power to draw power from the regenertative braking system and provide the power to the battery and/or external power source.

In certain examples, the driver may be able to make a choice to follow the suggestion or not. In other examples, the above-described routing control may be performed automatically. In some cases the driver may be informed of the routing and in other cases the routing may be performed without the driver being informed.

In certain examples, the driver may be provided with information relating to some aspects of the locomotive operation but not others. For example, the driver may be provided with information related to driving style, but may not be provided with information related to battery status.

Various examples of criteria and/or conditions for selectively routing power between the power sources and the power sinks will now be described. The skilled person will appreciate that the present disclosure is not limited to these specific examples and that other criteria and/or conditions are possible.

In certain examples, power routing may be performed based on the cost and/or availability of electric power. For example, electric power may be drawn from the external power supply to one or more of the power sinks, or power may be routed from one or more of the power sources to the external power supply, according to the cost and/or availability of electricity in the external power supply.

For example, when the cost of electricity from the external power supply is low, the routing apparatus may be configured to route power from the external power source to the battery so as to charge the battery. Accordingly, an increased store of electrical power may be obtained at relatively cheap cost. This process may be performed either when the locomotive is in motion or when the locomotive is stationary (e.g. when the locomotive is not in use or in a parked state). When the locomotive is in motion and at least some of the power for driving the locomotive is taken from the external power supply, then more power than is required to drive the locomotive maybe drawn from the external power supply and the excess power may be used to charge the battery.

On the other hand, when the cost of electricity is relatively high or the availability of electricity is relatively low, the routing apparatus may be configured to to route power from the battery to the external power supply, thus increasing the supply of electric power in the external power supply.

This process may be performed either when the locomotive is in motion or when the locomotive is stationary (e.g. when the locomotive is not in use or in a parked state). For example, when the locomotive is in a parked state (e.g. during a period in which the locomotive is not in operation), some or all of the power remaining in the battery may be transferred to the external power supply.

Alternatively or additionally, some or all of the power remaining in the battery may be reserved for future use.

In certain examples, when the locomotive is in a stationary state (e.g. a parked state), the controller may be configured to restrict the rate of power transfer between the external power supply and the feeder to below a certain (first) threshold. For example, when the locomotive is in a stationary state, transferring power at too high a rate may cause overheating of the connection between the external power supply and the feeder. On the other hand, when the locomotive is in a moving state, a higher rate of power transfer between the external power supply and the feeder may be possible. Inthis case, the controller may still restrict the rate of power transfer between the external power supply and the feeder to below a certain (second) threshold, but the second threshold may be higher than the first threshold.

In one exemplary scenario, during operation of the locomotive (e.g. during the day), the battery may be charged to full capacity by drawing excess power from the external power supply, for example when the cost of electricity is relatively low and/or the availability of electric power is relatively high.

Then, when the locomotive is not in operation (e.g. at night), the charged battery may be used as a quasi battery bank to supply electric power back to the external power supply, for example when the cost of electricity is relatively expensive and/or the availability of electric power is relatively low.

Accordingly, the existing battery resource of the locomotive may be used to support grid balancing without any additional costs of providing battery capacity. When a fleet of locomotives operate according to this technique then a high level of battery capacity to support grid balancing becomes readily available.

A decision that the cost of electricity is low and/or the availability of electric power is high may be made based on any suitable criteria and/or conditions. For example, it may be decided when the cost of electricity falls below a predetermined threshold, or a variable threshold, for example based on an average cost of electricity over a certain time window (e.g. the last week, month or year).

The cost and/or availability of electricity may be determined for example directly based on a current market value and/or availability. In certain examples, the future cost and/or availability of electricity may be predicted using any suitable prediction model (e.g. using Al and/or manual energy prediction or planning), and the routing apparatus may be configured to route power as described above based on predicted cost and/or availability. In certain examples, the cost and/or availability of electricity may be determined based on one or more correlating factors, for example the day, time of day, time of year, weather conditions. The above criteria may then be determined based on one or more of the correlating factors. For example, the cost of electricity is typically cheaper in the evening and at weekends. In another example, the cost of electricity may be cheaper when supply is higher, for example when the weather is sunny and/or windy resulting in higher supply from renewable sources.

In certain examples, electric power may be selectively routed between the battery, external power supply and regenerative braking system based on a state of motion of the locomotive. The state of motion may include, for example, a moving state, a stationary state, a braking state, an accelerating state, an uphill state and a downhill state.

In certain examples, when a locomotive is travelling in a relatively steady state on relatively flat ground then a certain amount of power is required to drive the locomotive. This power may be supplied by one or more of the power sources, for example the battery, the external power supply and/or an engine. On the other hand, when the locomotive travels uphill, more traction, and hence a greater amount of power, is required to drive the locomotive at the same speed. In this case, more power may be drawn from the one or more power sources, for example the battery. Furthermore, when the locomotive travels downhill, less power is required to drive the locomotive at the same speed. In this case, the regenerative braking system may recuperate some energy from the motion, which may then be supplied to one or more of the energy sinks, for example the battery. This scenario is illustrated in Figure 3.

The above process of drawing additional energy from the battery (and/or one or more other energy sources) during uphill motion, and recuperating energy and using the recuperated energy to charge the battery (and/or supply one or more other enery sinks) may be performed continuously during operation of the locomotive. In this way, the charge state of the battery may be increased through the recuperation and charging process.

The increased charge state of the battery achieved using the above technique may then be used to assist load balancing of the external power supply, for example in the manner described further above. For example, excess power from the battery may be provided to the external power supply, for example at times when the cost of electricity is relatively high and/or the availability of electric power is relatively low.

It may be the case that even when energy is recuperated by the regenerative braking system to charge the battery, the charge state of the battery is relatively low at the end of a journey. For example, if the journey includes long periods of uphill travel and the battery is used to supplement the driving power during these periods then the charge state of the battery could decrease substantially. In this case, the battery may still be used to assist load balancing of the external power supply, for example in the manner described further above. For example, power from the external power supply may be used to recharge the battery, for example when the cost of electricity is relatively low and/or the availability of electric power is relatively high.

The skilled person will appreciate that the technique described above may be applied based on other states of motion, for example when the locomotive is accelerating and decelerating, as well as movement uphill and downhill.

In certain examples, the controller may be configured to predict and/or forecast periods of traction (e.g. periods of uphill and/or accelerated motion) and periods of energy recuperation (e.g. periods of downhill and/or decelerated motion) and control the routing of electric power based on the prediction and/or forecast. For example, the prediction and/or forecast may be based on a known, scheduled and/or predicted route of the locomotive. The prediction and/or forecast may be based on a known geography of a route, for example elevation information along the route.

As an example, the power consumption of the locomotive may be predicted based on a known or forecast route. A surplus of energy may be expected at a certain point in the route, for example because it is expected that the locomotive will be driving down-hill and will be able to recuperate energy. In this case, the routing of electric power may be controlled accordingly in advance. For example, the routing may be performed in advance so that at the time when there is a surplus of energy, the battery has sufficient spare capacity to receive the surplus energy through charging.

In certain examples, the prediction and/or forecast may be performed using an Artificial Intelligence (Al) model, or any other suitable type of prediction engine. The controller may comprise one or more Al engines for performing any necessary Al processes, for example the above predicting and/or forecasting. The Al engine(s) may also perform any other suitable Al processes, for example prediction and/or forecasting of energy consumption and/or trading options (e.g. determing whether a certain transaction is possible and/or desirable).

In a further example, the power routing module may be configured to selectively route electric power based on a condition of the battery. For example the condition may comprise a charge condition and/or an operating condition. For example, when the battery is fully charged or when the battery is in a defective or inoperative state, the controller may control the power routing module such that electrical power is not routed to the battery. In this case, any excess electric power may be diverted instead to one or more other power sinks, for example the external power supply.

Herein, a “compound vehicle” may refer to a vehicle formed from two or more parts, for example a locomotive and one or more wagons, or a lorry and one or more trailers. Figure 4 illustrates an example of a compound vehicle comprising a locomotive 401 and one or more wagons 403. Herein, the term “vehicle” may be used to refer to one specific part of a compound vehicle (e.g. a locomotive alone 401, or a wagon alone 403), several (or all) parts of a compound vehicle (e.g. a locomotive and one or more wagons 401, 403, or two or more wagons 403), or a vehicle that is not a compound vehicle.

In certain examples, a vehicle, or one part of a compound vehicle, may carry various vehicle components as described above (e.g. one or more rechargeable batteries, drive system, regenerative braking system, etc.). In certain examples, vehicle components may be distributed over several parts of a compound vehicle. For example, a locomotive 401 may be provided with a drive system and a regenerative braking system, while a wagon 403 of the locomotive 401 may be provided with a rechargeable battery. In certain examples, different parts of a compound vehicle may each be provided with the same type of vehicle component. For example, a wagon 403 of a locomotive 401 may be provided with a rechargeable battery and/or a regenerative braking system as well as the locomotive 401 itself. The skilled person will appreciate that the present disclosure may apply to any suitable configuration and distribution of vehicle components.

In certain examples, different parts of a compound vehicle may each be provided with a separate routing apparatus (e.g. if two or more parts are each provided with its own battery and/or regenerative braking system). In this case, the routing apparatuses may be configured to cooperate with each other when determining overall power routing, or may operate independently, for example to determine power routing with respect to components provided on a certain part of a compound vehicle. In certain examples, a vehicle, or one part of a compound vehicle may be provided with two or more routing apparatus {e.g. if that part is provided with two or more batteries). In certain examples, the components of a single routing apparatus may be distributed over two or more parts of a compound vehicle. The skilled person will appreciate that the present disclosure may apply to any suitable configuration and distribution of components of a routing apparatus.

In certain examples, some or all of the operations of the controller may be performed instead by a remote server. In this case, the apparatus may comprise a transceiver for transmitting information to the server and for receiving information from the server. For example, the transceiver may be configured to transmit, to the server, under control of the controller, information including one or more parameters used to determine a power routing configuration of the power routing module.

The parameters may comprise one or more of: the charge state of the battery; a condition of the battery; the power consumption of the locomotive; the state of motion of the locomotive; the location of the locomotive; the price of electricity in the electricity network; and a current time. The parameters may be based on information collected by the monitoring module and/or received from an external source. In addition, the transceiver may be configured to receive, from the server, under control of the controller, control information for setting a power routing configuration of the power routing module. Upon receiving the control information, the controller is configured to set the power routing configuration of the power routing module according to the control information.

The transceiver (e.g. part of the routing apparatus 200) may operate according to any suitable communications system or standard, for example 4G or 5G. The transmitted and/or received information may be encrypted using any suitable encryption scheme to provide increased security and/or privacy.

Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary server 500. The server 500 comprises a controller 501 and a transceiver 503. The transceiver 503 is configured to receive, from a routing apparatus of a locomotive, under control of the controller 501, information as described above, for example one or more parameters. The transceiver 503 is also configured to transmit, to the routing apparatus of the locomotive, under control of the controller 501, control information as described above. The controller 501 is configured for generating the control information based on the received information, for example using any of the techniques described above.

In certain examples, the server 500 may receive information from a group of two or more routing apparatus of respective locomotives, and may generate respective control information for transmission to the respective locomotives. In this case, the server 500 may be configured to jointly generate the control information for the group of locomotives. For example, the control information may be generated such that when the routing apparatus of respective locomotives are configured according to the control information, the overall effect of the resulting load balancing is optimised taking into account the joint battery capacity of the locomotives and the current states (e.g. operational state, movement, etc.) of the locomotives. According to this technique, the batteries of a group of locomotives may be used as a virtual battery bank for coordinated load balancing.

Figure 6 illustrates an exemplary method 600 for controlling the transfer of electric power in a locomotive. For example, the method may be carried out by a routing apparatus as described above.

In a first operation 601, one or more parameters are determined. For example, the one or more parameters may include one or more of: a current and/or predicted charge state of the battery; a current and/or predicted power consumption of the locomotive; a current and/or predicted state of motion of the locomotive; a current and/or predicted location of the locomotive; a current and/or predicted price of electricity in the electricity network; and whether a current time falls within a predetermined time period.

In a second operation 603, control information is determined based on the one or more parameters.

The control information may be determined according to any of the techniques described above. In certain examples, the control information may be determined based on the one or more parameters locally, for example in a routing apparatus on board the locomotive or a wagon thereof. In other examples, the one or more parameters may be determined remotely, for example by a remote server. In the latter case, operation 603 may comprise transmitting the one or more parameters to a remote device and receiving control information from the remote device in response to the transmitting.

In a third operation 605, electrical power is selectively routed from one or more of the power sources to one or more of the power sinks based on the control information.

In certain examples, an amount of electrical power drawn from the electricity network to charge the battery and/or power the drive system may be adjusted (e.g. increased or decreased) based on the current and/or predicted price of electricity (e.g. when the price of electricity changes (e.g. decreases or increases) and/or is predicted to change).

In certain examples, a supply of excess power from the battery and/or the braking system to the electricity network adjust may be adjusted (e.g. increased or decreased) based on the current and/or predicted price of electricity (e.g. when the price of electricity changes (e.g. increases or decreases) and/or is predicted to change).

When routing of power is performed based on a potential or actual transaction (e.g. to buy or sell electricity), such as in the above examples, a decision may first be made (e.g. by Al) to perform the transaction. In certain examples, the routing of power may be performed after the decision to perform the transaction has been made. In certain examples, the routing of power may be performed once confirmation that the transaction is successful has been received (e.g. from a trading exchange entity). In certain examples, a request to perform the transaction may be made, and the transaction may be performed when the request is approved (e.g. by the trading exchange entity).

In certain examples, excess power from the battery and/or regenerative braking system may be supplied to the electricity network when the price of electricity changes (e.g. increases). In certain examples, excess power from the regenerative braking system and/or power from the electricity network may be supplied to the battery when the price of electricity changes (e.g. decreases).

In certain examples, when there is a potential transaction, then a prediction may be made whether the transaction is possible. For example, a potential transaction may involve recuperated energy, for example supplying excess power from the regenerative braking system to the electricity network.

However, in some situations recuperation of energy may be relatively unstable and/or unpredictable, meaning that the amount of excess energy available may be relatively unstable and/or unpredictable. On the other hand, the amount of excess energy available in the battery may be more stable and/or predictable. Therefore, if it is predicted that there may be excess energy available through recuperation at a time when it is possible or desirable to sell energy, then it may be determined whether there is also excess energy available through the battery. In this case, the excess energy available through the battery may be able to balance the instability and/or randomness of the excess recuperated energy. Under these circumstances, it may be determined that the transaction is possible. If it is determined that the excess energy available through recuperation will be relatively stable and/or predictable then it may be determined that the transactionis possible without consideration of excess energy available through the battery.

The terms and words used in this specification are not limited to the bibliographical meanings, but are merely used to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the present disclosure.

The same or similar components may be designated by the same or similar reference numerals, although they may be illustrated in different drawings.

Detailed descriptions of elements, features, components, structures, constructions, functions, operations, processes, characteristics, properties, integers and steps known in the art may be omitted for clarity and conciseness, and to avoid obscuring the subject matter of the present disclosure.

Throughout this specification, the words “comprises”, “includes”, “contains” and “has”, and variations of these words, for example “comprise” and “comprising”, means “including but not limited to”, and is not intended to (and does not) exclude other elements, features, components, structures, constructions, functions, operations, processes, characteristics, properties, integers, steps and/or groups thereof.

Throughout this specification, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” include plural referents unless the context dictates otherwise. For example, reference to “an object” includes reference to one or more of such objects.

By the term “substantially” it is meant that the recited characteristic, parameter or value need not be achieved exactly, but that deviations or variations, including for example, tolerances, measurement errors, measurement accuracy limitations and other factors known to those of skill in the art, may occur in amounts that do not preclude the effect the characteristic, parameter or value was intended to provide.

Throughout this specification, language in the general form of “X for Y” (where Y is some action, process, function, activity, operation or step and X is some means for carrying out that action, process, function, activity, operation or step) encompasses means X adapted, configured or arranged specifically, but not exclusively, to do Y.

Elements, features, components, structures, constructions, functions, operations, processes, characteristics, properties, integers, steps and/or groups thereof described herein in conjunction with a particular aspect, embodiment, example or claim are to be understood to be applicable to any other aspect, embodiment, example or claim disclosed herein unless incompatible therewith.

Itwill be appreciated that examples of the present disclosure can be realized in the form of hardware, software or any combination of hardware and software. Any such software may be stored in any suitable form of volatile or non-volatile storage device or medium, for example a ROM, RAM, memory chip, integrated circuit, or an optically or magnetically readable medium (e.g. CD, DVD,

magnetic disk or magnetic tape).

Certain embodiments of the present disclosure may provide a computer program comprising instructions or code which, when executed, implement a method, system and/or apparatus in accordance with any aspect, claim, example and/or embodiment disclosed herein. Certain embodiments of the present disclosure provide a machine-readable storage storing such a program.

The techniques described herein may be implemented using any suitably configured apparatus and/or system. Such an apparatus and/or system may be configured to perform a method according to any aspect, embodiment, example or claim disclosed herein. Such an apparatus may comprise one or more elements, for example one or more of receivers, transmitters, transceivers, processors, controllers, modules, units, and the like, each element configured to perform one or more corresponding processes, operations and/or method steps for implementing the techniques described herein. For example, an operation/function of X may be performed by a module configured to perform X (or an X-module). The one or more elements may be implemented in the form of hardware, software, or any combination of hardware and software.

While the invention has been shown and described with reference to certain examples, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

Conclusions

1. An apparatus for controlling the transfer of electrical power, the apparatus being configured to be mounted on a vehicle (e.g., on a locomotive, on a train and/or on a wagon thereof), the vehicle comprising a rechargeable battery, a propulsion system, and a regenerative braking system, configured to receive electrical power from an external electrical network, the apparatus comprising: a routing module for routing power, said module being, during use, connected to the battery, to the propulsion system, to the regenerative braking system, and to the external electrical network; and a control unit configured to monitor and control the power routing module to dynamically route electrical power between the battery, the propulsion system, the regenerative braking system, and the external electrical network, based on one or more of the following criteria: an actual and/or a predicted state of the battery (e.g., a state of charge, a temperature of the battery and/or an operating state thereof); an actual and/or a predicted power consumption of the vehicle; a current and/or predicted state of motion of the vehicle; a current and/or predicted location of the vehicle; a current and/or predicted price of the electricity supplied through the electricity grid, and whether or not a current time falls within a predetermined time period.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a monitoring module for monitoring one or more of: the state of the battery (e.g., a state of charge, a temperature of the battery, and/or an operating state thereof); a condition of the battery; the power consumption of the vehicle; the motion state of the vehicle; the location of the vehicle;

the price of electricity supplied through the electricity grid.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit is configured to: adjust (e.g. increase or decrease) an amount of electrical power drawn from the electricity grid to charge the battery and/or power the propulsion system based on the current and/or predicted price of electricity (e.g. when the electricity price changes (e.g. falls or increases) and/or is predicted to change).

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the control unit is configured to adjust a supply of excess power from the battery and/or from the braking system to the electricity grid based on the current and/or predicted electricity price (e.g. when the electricity price changes (e.g. falls or increases) and/or when it is predicted to change).

5. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the control unit is configured to: supply excess power from the battery and/or from the regenerative braking system to the electricity grid when the electricity price increases; and supply excess power from the regenerative braking system and/or power from the electricity grid to the battery when the electricity price decreases.

6. The apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the control unit is configured to selectively route power between the battery and the electricity grid for the purpose of balancing or balancing the grid.

7. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the control unit is configured to selectively route power between the battery and the electrical grid when the vehicle is in a stationary state for a period of time greater than a threshold duration (e.g. when the vehicle is parked).

8. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the vehicle's state of motion comprises one or more of: a moving state; a stationary state; an upward motion; and a downward motion.

9. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the control unit is configured to predict the power usage of the vehicle and/or the state of motion of the vehicle based on a known or planned route of the vehicle.

10. The apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the control unit comprises an artificial intelligence (AI) engine configured to determine one or more of: energy consumption; and trading options.

11. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the apparatus comprises a transceiver for sending status information to a server and for receiving control information from the server, the selective routing being performed based on the received control information.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the status information comprises information relating to one or more of: a current and/or predicted battery condition (e.g., a charge state, a battery temperature, and/or an operating state); a current and/or predicted vehicle power consumption; a current and/or predicted vehicle motion state; and a current and/or predicted vehicle location.

13. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the apparatus is configured to be connected independently of one or more safety components and/or safety-critical components of the vehicle.

14. The apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the control unit is configured to control the power routing module to dynamically route electrical power between the battery, the drive system, the regenerative braking system, and the external electrical grid based on one or more commands received from one or more external entities.

15. Vehicle (e.g. locomotive, train and/or wagon thereof), comprising an apparatus according to any of the preceding claims.

16. A method for controlling and monitoring the transfer of electrical power from a vehicle (e.g., locomotive, train, and/or carriage thereof) comprising a rechargeable battery, a propulsion system, and a regenerative braking system, and configured to receive electrical power from an external electrical grid, the method comprising: dynamically routing electrical power between the battery, the propulsion system, the regenerative braking system, and the external electrical grid based on one or more of the following criteria: an actual and/or predicted state of the battery (e.g., a state of charge, a temperature of the battery, and/or an operating state thereof); an actual and/or predicted power consumption of the vehicle; an actual and/or predicted state of motion of the vehicle; an actual and/or predicted location of the vehicle; an actual and/or predicted price of electricity supplied through the electrical grid, and whether or not an actual time falls within a predetermined time period.