Tesla Motors, Inc.

Tesla, Inc.

Andrew David Baglino

Scott Ira Kohn

Vineet Haresh Mehta

Vincent George Johnston

Craig Bruce Carlson

Curt Raymond O'Donnell

Greg Grant Solberg

Konstantinos Laskaris

Christopher David Gadda

Jeffrey Brian Straubel

Anil Paryani

Brandon Pierquet

Heath Fred Hofmann

Troy Adam Nergaard

Philip David Cole

Keijiro Ikebe

Brennan Boblett

Kevin Hsieh

Thorsten Hayer

Mehmet Ozbek

Matthew Fox

Weston Arthur Hermann

Nicholas Robert Kalayjian

Yifan Tang

Joshua Willard Ferguson

Paul Bryan Kreiner

David Fred Nelson

Brian Stuart Boggs

Christoph Eisenbarth

Wulfer Adrijan De Bruijn

Donald Paul Yuhasz

Jacob Edward Oberlin

Stefan Forrest Campbell

Chad Furey

Wulfer Adrijn De Bruijn

Heath F Hofmann

Curt Raymond O'donnell

Wulfur Adrijan De Bruijn

Troy A Nergaard

Heath Hofmann

A method includes: determining, based, at least in part, on a predicted driver characteristic, a first energy-versus-distance measure for a planned driving route of a vehicle, the first energy-versus-distance measure determined using an energy model; presenting the first energy-versus-distance measure on a user interface associated with the vehicle; identifying an already-driven part of the planned driving route; determining, based on information associated with the already-driven part of the planned driving route, a model error associated with the energy model; determining a second energy-versus-distance measure by modifying the first energy-versus-distance measure to account for the model error; and presenting the second energy-versus-distance measure on the user interface associated with the vehicle.

Trip planning with energy constraint

An electric motor includes: a stator; a shaft; a rotor mounted on the shaft, the rotor having an end ring that is concentric with the shaft; and a flux shield around the shaft inside the end ring.

Flux shield for electric motor

A method of making an AC induction motor includes: providing a rotor and a stator for the AC induction motor; determining, for different geometries of an end ring of the rotor, a location of a first centroid of current density in the end ring; determining, for end turns of the stator, a location of a second centroid of current density in the end turns; selecting a geometry for at least the endring of the rotor so that an axial distance between the first centroid of current density and the second centroid of current density is minimized; and assembling the AC induction motor, wherein the end turns and the end ring have the selected geometries.

Geometry of rotor end ring and stator end turns

A method of regulating thermal dissipation from a vehicle battery pack is provided in which a by-pass valve is used to control the amount of battery pack coolant either passing through, or by-passing, a heat exchanger, where the coolant passing through the heat exchanger is cooled by a refrigeration system. The vehicle's HVAC system is controlled to insure that HVAC operation does not compromise maintaining the battery pack within an acceptable range of temperatures.

Battery centric thermal management system utilizing a heat exchanger blending valve

An energy storage system includes: a grid tie unit comprising at least one DC/AC converter; and multiple pods connected to the grid tie unit, each pod including: a number of cells; and a power electronics unit, wherein the cells are floating relative to the system and are galvanically isolated therefrom. The multiple pods may be organized into packs, with a pack including a thermal management system.

Scalable and flexible cell-based energy storage system

A method includes: receiving information corresponding at least to (i) a state of charge of an energy storage of a vehicle, (ii) route information corresponding to a planned driving route for the vehicle, and (iii) a predicted driver characteristic; determining using the received information, and presenting to a driver of the vehicle, a first energy-versus-distance measure for the planned driving route; receiving a user input indicating a proposed change in at least the driver characteristics, and determining using the received information and the user input, and presenting to the driver, a second energy-versus-distance measure for the planned driving route that takes into account the proposed change.

An energy storage device includes: a number of cells; and a dual-active-bridge converter connected to the cells, wherein the cells are floating relative to the system and are galvanically isolated therefrom. The energy storage device can be included in an energy storage system that includes: a grid tie unit comprising at least one DC/AC converter; and multiple pods connected to the grid tie unit, each pod including: a number of cells; and a power electronics unit, wherein the cells are floating relative to the system and are galvanically isolated therefrom.

Energy storage system with dual-active-bridge converter

An apparatus in an electric vehicle including a propulsion electric motor powered by energy from an energy storage system, including a field oriented motor controller generating motor control signals for the electric motor, the motor control signals responsive to a flux command signal and a torque command signal; a torque command calculator, coupled to the motor controller, generating the torque command signal to command a desired torque; an optimal efficiency controller, coupled to the torque command calculator, generating an operating efficiency flux to operate the electric motor at a first determinable efficiency using a first power from the energy storage system while providing the desired torque; an excess dissipation controller generating an inefficient flux to operate the electric motor at a second determinable efficiency using a second power from the energy storage system independent of the desired torque wherein the second power is greater than the first power; and a mode controller setting the flux command signal using one of the optimal efficiency flux and the inefficient flux.

Traction motor controller with dissipation mode

A system and method including a runtime thermal model that estimates individual component temperatures, permitting the system to only limit power when necessary or desirable. A power-limiting system for a vector-controlled AC induction motor includes a torque command system for generating a torque command; a thermal protection system determining a runtime estimate for a temperature of a component of a rotational electro-magnetic component of the vector-controlled AC induction motor; and a controller configured to generate a motor control signal for the vector-controlled AC induction motor responsive to the torque command, wherein the thermal protection system determines the runtime estimate responsive to a multi-node thermal model of the vector-controlled AC induction motor, and wherein the controller limits a power of the vector-controlled AC induction motor to maintain a component temperature below its critical temperature.

Rotor temperature estimation and motor control torque limiting for vector-controlled AC induction motors

An apparatus and method for these embodiments of the present invention, useful in manufacturing for example, includes a plurality of battery modules serially intercoupled together, each module including a housing with an anode connector and a cathode connector, each housing including a memory for storing a module identifier and wherein an anode connector of a first module is coupled to a cathode connector of a second module; and a processing system, coupled to each the module, for determining a plurality of positional attributes of each the module, one positional attribute associated with each the module of the plurality of modules, the processing system writing an ID into the memory of each particular module responsive to the associated positional attribute for the particular module.

Common mode voltage enumeration in a battery pack

A charge connector latching mechanism integrated into a vehicle's charge inlet is provided, where the latching mechanism includes a retractable latching pawl. The retractable pawl is configured to be positioned in at least a first, default position where the pawl extends through an inlet surface of the charge inlet, and a second position where the pawl is retracted and does not extend through the inlet surface. In the first position the retractable pawl prevents insertion of a charge connector into the charge inlet if the charge connector is uncoupled from the inlet, and prevents removal of the charge connector if the charge connector is coupled to the inlet. In the second position the retractable pawl allows insertion/withdrawal of the charge connector into/from the charge inlet. The front surface of the retractable pawl may include a nub configured to fit within a recess within the front face of the charge connector.

Electromechanical pawl for controlling vehicle charge inlet access

A charging system and method that improves utilization of available AC power during onboard charging of energy storage systems of electric vehicles. An onboard charging method for an energy storage system of an electric vehicle, the method using an AC power source, includes a) establishing a maximum DC charging current for the energy storage system responsive to a control signal indicating real-time available current/power from the AC source; and b) controlling a charging system to provide an actual DC charging current, up to the maximum DC charging current, to the energy storage system.

AC current control of mobile battery chargers

A dual mode, thermal management system for use in a vehicle is provided. At a minimum, the system includes a first coolant loop in thermal communication with a battery system, a second coolant loop in thermal communication with at least one drive train component (e.g., electric motor, power electronics, inverter), a dual mode valve system that provides means for selecting between a first mode where the two coolant loops operate in parallel and a second mode where the two coolant loops operate in series, and a coolant reservoir that is coupled to both coolant loops when the two coolant loops are operating in series and only coupled to the drive train coolant loop when the two coolant loops are operating in parallel.

Thermal management system with dual mode coolant loops

A dual mode, thermal management system for use in a vehicle is provided. At a minimum, the system includes a first coolant loop in thermal communication with a battery system, a second coolant loop in thermal communication with at least one drive train component (e.g., electric motor, power electronics, inverter), and a dual mode valve system that provides means for selecting between a first mode where the two coolant loops operate in parallel, and a second mode where the two coolant loops operate in series.

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San Francisco, CA, United States of America

Andrew David Baglino