Transferring electric energy to a vehicle using consecutive segments

摘要

Electric energy is transferred to a vehicle such as a light rail vehicle or tram using an alternating electromagnetic field produced by conductors 135 arranged in consecutive segments (fig 1) along the vehicle path, that are supplied with alternating current, via inverters 301, from direct current (DC) lines 141. A modulator 37 produces an alternating frequency overlaid on the DC which flows through the primary of a transformer 39 whose secondary connects provides energy to operate an inverter controller 53 from a power supply 51. Transformer 39 can be a reactor for damping frequencies produced by inverter 301. The segments (138, fig 1) can be alternating current lines, separated from each other, each carrying a phase of a three phase current produced by inverter 301 using phase switches 147, 148 which alternately connect the lines to DC supply lines 141.