Diesel electric traction system

Claim 1

A DIESEL-ELECTRIC POWER SYSTEM FOR VEHICLE TRACTION, COMPRISING A SEPARATELY EXCITED, DIESEL-DRIVEN D.C. GENERATOR ADAPTED TO SUPPLY CURRENT TO THE ARMATURE WINDINGS OF A PLURALITY OF SEPARATELY EXCITED D.C. TRACTION MOTORS HAVING THEIR ARMATURE WINDINGS DISPOSED IN AT LEAST TWO BRANCHES CONNECTED IN PARALLEL TO SAID GENERATOR, AN A.C. SOURCE CONNECTED RESPECTIVELY BY MEANS OF CONTROLLED RECTIFIERS TO THE FIELD WINDINGS OF SAID GENERATOR AND OF THE MOTORD IN EACH OF SAID BRANCHES, POWER ERROR SIGNAL GENERATING MEANS ADAPTED TO CONTINUOUSLY DELIVER A SIGNAL PROPORTIONAL TO A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE PREDETERMINE VALUE OF THE DIESEL ENGINE POWER CORRESPONDING TO THE MEASURED SPEED OF SAID ENGINE AND THE ELECTRIC POWER DELIVERED BY THE GENERATOR, CONTROL SIGNAL GENERATING MEANS FOR PRODUCING SIGNALS, CONTROLLING THE CURRENT DELIVERED BY EACH OF SAID RRECTIFIERS, SAID MEANS COMPRISING A FIRST FUNCTION GENERATOR DELIVERING A FIRST CONTROL SIGNAL FOR THE RECTIFIER SUPPLYING THE GENERATOR FIELD WINDING, AND SAID FIRST CONTROL SIGNAL BEING SUBSTANTIALLY PROPORTIONAL TO SAID ERROR SIGNAL UP TO PREDETERMINED VALUE THEREOF AND REMAINING CONSTANT AT FURTHER HIGHER VALUES OF SAID ERROR SIGNAL, SAID MEANS FURTHER COMPRISING A SECOND FUNCTION GENERATOR DELIVERING A SECOND CONTROL SIGNAL FOR THE RECTIFIERS SUPPLYING THE FIELD WINDINGS OF THE MOTORS OF SAID BRANCHES, SAID SECOND CONTROL SIGNAL BEING AT A CONSTANT VALUE THEREOF UNTIL SAID FIRST CONTROL SIGNAL ATTAINS SAID PREDETERMINED VALUE AND THEREAFTER DECREASING LINEARLY WITH INCREASE IN SAID ERROR SIGNAL, AND SAID SYSTEM FURTHER COMPRISING MEANS FOR MAINTAINING THE CURRENTS PASSING THROUGH SAID PARALLEL BRANCHES AT VALUES SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO ONE ANOTHER.