Caterpillar Inc.

Alexander Cameron Crosman, Iii

Jonathan Matthew Baumann

Dustin Craig Selvey

William James Tate

Jason Lee Miller

Jesse R Gerdes

Suresh Baddam Reddy

Bradley Bailey

Thomas Michael Sopko, Jr

Joshua M Williams

Ernesto Inoa

Jackson Wai

Ahmed Khalil

Matthew L Hendrickson

Eric J Ruth

Baojun Si

Carlos Eduardo Nino Baron

Justin Dale Middleton

Christopher P Braet

Bo Xie

Mary Jill Trumper

Lucas J Peterson

Carlos Eduardo Nino-Baron

Joseph Oluwagbeminiyi Oyekan

Garrett Tyler Nielson

A system for initializing operations of one or more batteries of a lithium-ion battery pack to supply electric power to an electrical load includes a switching device, an output device, and a controller. The switching device is configured to move between a first position to facilitate supply of electric power from the batteries to the electrical load and a second position to restrict supply of electric power from the batteries to the electrical load. The output device is configured to be activated to indicate an availability of the batteries to supply electric power to the electrical load. The controller receives an input, actuates a contactor associated with at least one battery to facilitate electrical connection between the at least one battery and the electrical load, and moves the switching device to the first position to cause an activation of the output device in response to the actuation of the contactor.

System and method for initializing operations of lithium-ion battery packs

A monitor and control system for a hydraulic fracturing pump is described herein to reduce or eliminate harmful oscillations in fluid discharge pressure caused by the pump load dynamics. The monitor and control system receives various sensor data from the operation of the pump, including the pump crank position, and executes a pump control equation or model based on the pump sensor data, pump load data and/or pump speed data. Pump control equations or models are specific to the design and dynamic operation of the pump, incorporating the number of plungers, pump dynamics, motor lag and motor dynamics, etc. Using the pump control equations or models, the monitor and control system determines control commands for the pump motor to reduce or eliminate the oscillatory discharge pressure at the pump.

Hydraulic fracturing pump control system

A method of operating a machine battery system having multiple battery packs connectable in parallel includes bringing a first battery pack with the highest offline pack voltage online for discharging, including a pack controller circuit of the first battery pack bringing one or more individual battery strings of the first battery pack online; bringing a next battery pack with a next highest offline pack voltage online when the next highest offline pack voltage is within a predetermined discharge threshold voltage of a load voltage, including the pack controller circuit bringing one or more individual battery strings of the next battery pack online; and waiting to bring the next battery pack online, when the next highest offline pack voltage is less than a predetermined discharge threshold voltage of the load voltage, until the next highest offline pack voltage is within the predetermined discharge threshold voltage.

Method to control multiple parallel battery packs

A method of monitoring a fuse of a work machine includes sensing a fuse current; detecting when the fuse current exceeds a threshold; quantifying a difference current that is a difference between the fuse current and the threshold current when the fuse current exceeds the threshold current; determining an amount of time that the difference current is greater than zero; and generating an alert related to fuse lifetime according to the difference current and determined time.

Method to determine fuse health

A system for charging a battery unit to power a work machine. The system includes a charger to charge the battery unit, charging receptacles, power supply connectors, and a charging controller. The power supply connectors are configured to be received into the charging receptacles to attain connections between the charger and the battery unit. The charging controller is communicably coupled to the charger and is configured to receive an input corresponding to a net charge capacity of the battery unit; determine a power to be supplied to the battery unit by the charger to charge the battery unit in response to the input; and supply the power to the battery unit from the charger through the connections. The power to be supplied to the battery unit corresponds to a maximum possible power that meets the net charge capacity of the battery unit in the shortest possible time.

System and method for charging battery units of work machines

A machine may a first high voltage interlocking loop (HVIL) system to provide power to one or more components of the machine, the first HVIL system comprising: a plurality of groups of batteries; a plurality of disconnect components connected to the plurality of groups of batteries; a plurality of sets of contactors, a set of contactors, of the plurality of sets of contactors, being connected to a group of batteries of the plurality of groups of batteries. The machine may a second HVIL system to receive power from a power source, the second HVIL system comprising: a port configured to receive a connector of the power source and receive power, from the power source via the connector, to charge the plurality of groups of batteries, wherein the second HVIL system is independent with respect to the first HVIL system.

Independent high voltage interlocking loop systems

The disclosure describes technology that includes a charge-port capture detection mechanism, which has a mounting base and a capture gate. The mounting is connectable to a battery electric vehicle (BEV) at a location adjacent to a high-voltage, direct current (HVDC) charge-port. The capture gate is movably attached to the mounting base, the capture gate being moveable, relative to the mounting base, between a closed position in which the capture gate captures a charge connector of a charging cable engaged in the HVDC charge-port and an open position.

Charge-port capture detection mechanism for battery electric vehicle

A control system for an induction motor executes an on-board, dynamic model to estimate rotor resistance and control the torque output by the induction motor. The model includes equations to calculate stator and rotor temperatures and/or resistances based on combinations of voltage and current data, electrical frequency, rotor speed, switching patterns, and air flow rates during operation of the induction motor. The control system updates the model based on feedback collected during the operation of the induction motor, including the difference between the actual observed stator temperature and the stator temperature predicted by the model. The model is updated to converge the predicted stator temperature on the actual observed stator temperature, and corresponding updates are made to the rotor resistance estimations to provide more accurate estimations of the rotor resistance and improve the accuracy of the induction motor torque output.

Torque control based on rotor resistance modeling in induction motors

A control system for a switched reluctance (SR) motor includes a Direct Current (DC) power source, and an inverter. The control system includes a user interface configured to enable an operator to specify a desired torque output. The control system further includes a controller which converts a DC current from the Alternating Current (AC) supplied to the SR motor by the inverter. The controller estimates an actual power output generated by the SR motor based on a DC voltage supplied by the DC power source to the inverter, and the converted DC current. The controller estimates an actual torque output based on the actual power output and a rotational speed of the SR motor. The controller compares the actual torque output and a desired torque output to calculate a torque error. The controller adjusts a torque output limit and the rotational speed of the SR motor.

Switched reluctance motor power estimation compensation for variable DC-link voltage

A system for managing braking torque in a machine uses a first braking system, a second braking system that is independent of the first braking system and a controller that monitors activity in both braking systems. The controller selectively reduces torque in the first braking system as torque in the second braking system increases to limit undesired effects of possible over-braking.

Braking management in a dual braking system

A technique and system for detecting a location of a ground fault in an electrical system are provided. The technique and system include steps or components for determining a ground fault voltage, receiving a gate control signal associated with an electric load, comparing the ground fault voltage to the gate control signal, and determining whether the ground fault is located at the electric load based on the comparison of the ground fault voltage to the gate control signal.

Detecting ground fault location

Systems and methods are disclosed for reducing engine fuel consumption during regenerative braking. According to certain embodiments, the regenerative braking system has an engine, a generator, a rectifier, a first inverter, a traction motor, and a reverse recovery unit. The generator is configured to be driven by the engine to produce AC electrical power. The rectifier is configured to receive AC electrical power from the generator and convert the AC power to DC power. The first inverter is configured to receive the DC power and convert the DC power to AC power. The traction motor is configured to be driven by the AC power in a traction mode, and to produce regenerated power when rotated in reverse in a regenerative braking mode. The reverse recovery unit has a second inverter and a filter. The second inverter is electrically connected in parallel with the rectifier and configured to communicate at least part of the regenerated power from the traction motor to the generator during the regenerative braking mode. The filter is electrically connected downstream of the second inverter and in parallel with the rectifier. The filter is configured to filter transient voltage generated by the second inverter during the regenerative braking mode.

Regenerative braking system for reducing fuel consumption

A traction motor system calculates motor flux by generating a real time effective resistance of a resistance grid calculated from motor torque and measured voltage on a DC link. Calculating effective resistance avoids solely relying on DC link voltage, which can be influenced by conditions such as wheel slip and drop out of one or more resistance grids. The effective resistance calculation is based on nominal motor values using known power levels and conditions. From these nominal values and the effective resistance, various scaling factors based on actual motor power can be generated and used to adjust a nominal flux reference to more accurately reflect actual motor flux. The scaling factors include power and torque scaling factors and a resistance scaling factor that is active during conditions such as wheel slip.

Traction motor retarding flux reference

A system for a machine having an electric drive configuration is provided. The system includes a first motor associated with a first wheel, which provides torque to drive the first wheel, a second motor associated with a second wheel, which provides torque to drive the second wheel. The system further includes a controller configured to determine a rotational speed of the first wheel, determine a rotational speed of the second wheel, determine a steering angle of the machine, compare the rotational speeds of the first and second wheels, and adjust the torque to the first wheel if the rotational speed of the first wheel is less than the rotational speed of the second wheel.

Growing community of inventors

Dunlap, IL, United States of America

Alexander Cameron Crosman, Iii