Patent ID: 8720626

Claim:
A drive system for a blower motor of a vehicle, the vehicle having at least one traction motor configured to move at least a portion of the vehicle, the blower motor being configured to cool the at least one traction motor, the drive system comprising: a blower drive circuit configured to receive power from an alternator and use the power from the alternator to drive the blower motor, wherein the blower drive circuit is further configured to receive power from the at least one traction motor during a retarding operation of the vehicle and use the power from the at least one traction motor to drive the blower motor; and a bypass circuit configured to electrically isolate the blower motor from the blower drive circuit when a fault is detected in the blower drive circuit and to provide power from the alternator to the blower motor such that the blower motor remains operable without use of the blower drive circuit; wherein the blower drive circuit comprises a rectifier and an inverter, wherein the rectifier is configured to convert AC power from the alternator into DC power, wherein the blower drive circuit is configured to receive DC power from the at least one traction motor at a position in the blower drive circuit between the rectifier and the inverter, and wherein the inverter is configured to convert DC power from at least one of the rectifier and the at least one traction motor into AC power to drive the blower motor.