Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.

Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation

Chi-Ming Wang

Khai Ngo

Ercan Mehment Dede

Yincan Mao

Zichen Miao

Ercan Mehmet Dede

Debasish Banerjee

Songtao Wu

Khoa Vo

Shailesh N Joshi

Jongwon Shin

Robert Donald Lorenz

Masaki Wasekura

George C Bucsan

Han Cui

Methods, systems, and apparatus for generating and storing electrical energy for a partially or fully electric vehicle having a motor/generator, the system includes an auxiliary power device configured to generate electrical energy by converting non-electrical energy into electrical energy. The system includes a transmitter connected to the auxiliary power device and configured to wirelessly transmit the electrical energy generated by the auxiliary power device. The system includes a battery configured to store electrical energy and power the motor/generator to propel the vehicle. The system includes a receiver connected to the battery and configured to receive electrical energy and charge the battery. The system includes a power bus configured to wirelessly receive the generated electrical energy from the transmitter and transmit the generated electrical energy to the receiver.

Auxiliary wireless power transfer system

Methods, systems, and device for wirelessly charging a device. The inductive charging system includes a power source for providing an electrical charge that is wirelessly transferred or emitted to charge a first device. The inductive charging system includes a configurable grid that is configured to form a first inductive loop and multiple switches. Each switch is configured to open and close to electrically connect different portions of the configurable grid. The inductive charging system includes a processor connected to the multiple switches. The processor is configured to operate the multiple switches to open and close the portions of the configurable grid to form the first inductive loop that wirelessly transfers the electrical charge to the first device.

Configurable grid charging coil with active switch and sensing system

Methods, systems, and devices for an external vehicle charging system. The external vehicle charging system includes a first set of inductive coils. The first set of inductive coils include a first inductive coil and a second inductive coil and are configured to provide an alternating magnetic field to one or more inductive loops of a vehicle. The external vehicle charging system includes a sensor configured to detect a position of the one or more inductive loops and a processor. The processor is configured to determine a first threshold distance between the first inductive coil and the second inductive coil to reduce or eliminate interference. The processor is configured to activate the first inductive coil and the second inductive coil so that the first inductive coil and the second inductive coil align with the one or more inductive loops based on the detected position and the first threshold distance.

Multi-turn configurable grid charging coil

A system for reducing at least one of motor loss or motor drive loss in a vehicle. The system includes a motor designed to convert electrical energy into torque. The system also includes a sensor designed to detect motor data corresponding to at least one of a motor torque or a motor speed of the motor. The system also includes a memory designed to store testing data including optimized current commands for multiple combinations of motor torques that were determined during testing of the motor or a similar motor. The system also includes a speed or torque controller coupled to the motor, the sensor, and the memory and designed to receive a speed or torque command and to determine a current command signal usable to control the motor based on the speed or torque command, the testing data, the detected motor data, and an artificial intelligence algorithm.

Control methodology to reduce motor drive loss

A triboelectric generator includes a resiliently-deformable hexagonal housing including a first housing wall and a second housing wall positioned opposite the first housing wall. A first electrode resides along the first housing wall, and a second electrode resides along the second housing wall. A dielectric contact layer is positioned in intimate contact with the first electrode and between the first electrode and the second electrode. The dielectric contact layer is spaced apart from the second housing wall. The first housing wall is coupled to the second housing wall such that at least one of the first housing wall and the second housing wall is resiliently movable toward the other one of the first housing wall and the second housing wall so as to enable contact between the dielectric contact layer and the second electrode during operation of the triboelectric generator.

Triboelectric generator and network for mechanical energy harvesting

Methods, systems, and devices for inductively charging a vehicle. The inductive charging system includes multiple inductive coils for receiving a wireless transferred power. The inductive charging system includes a power electronics circuit that converts the wireless transferred power to a DC current and one or more power storage devices for storing the electrical energy by charging the one or more power storage devices using the DC current. The inductive charging system includes one or more motors configured to move the vehicle using the electrical energy. The inductive charging system includes an electronic control unit that is configured to control at least one of an amount of the electrical energy that is stored in each of the one or more power storage devices or an amount of the electrical energy that is distributed to the one or more motors to move the vehicle.

Multi-coil charging system for distributed in-wheel motors

An elastomeric triboelectric generator housing structured for incorporation into a wheel for a vehicle is provided. The housing includes a least one cavity having a pair of opposed walls, and a triboelectric generator incorporated into the at least one cavity. The at least one cavity is structured to actuate responsive to application of at least one force to the housing along an axis extending through the at least one cavity and between a central axis of the housing and a circumference of the housing.

Triboelectric generator housing and system for vehicle wheel

Bridge circuits provide a reduced amplitude of gate-source voltage oscillation when the switches switch states during short circuit triggered turnoff for protection. Bridge circuits reduce an amplitude of an oscillation voltage between a gate and a source of a transistor that is utilized as a switch in the bridge circuit. This is beneficial because the reduced amplitude reduces the likelihood of damage to the transistor. A bridge circuit includes a first power rail and a second power rail. The bridge circuit further includes a first circuit having a first switch and a second switch connected in parallel between the first power rail and the second power rail. The bridge circuit further includes at least one passive circuit element connected in parallel with a primary energy flow path of the first circuit to damp oscillation voltage of the first circuit.

Use of additional resistances and capacitances by optimization to solve gate voltage oscillation during short circuit turn-off protection for a semiconductor switch

A power device package includes a dielectric substrate having an upper conductor layer and a lower conductor layer, a semiconductor die coupled to the upper conductor layer of the dielectric substrate via conductive adhesive, a cooler including a protruding hillock having a top surface and outer sides, the lower conductor layer of the dielectric substrate being coupled to the surface of the protruding hillock via an adhesive, and a magnetic material attached mateably around the protruding hillock. The magnetic material includes inner sides abutting the outer sides of the protruding hillock.

Cooler with emi-limiting inductor

A power electronics assembly that includes a first cooling chip fluidly coupled to a second cooling chip. The first cooling chip and the second cooling chip each include a cooling chip fluid inlet, a cooling chip fluid outlet, and one or more cooling chip fluid channels extending between and fluidly coupled to the cooling chip fluid inlet and the cooling chip fluid outlet. The power electronics assembly also includes a semiconductor device positioned between and thermally coupled to the first cooling chip and the second cooling chip and a thermo-electric generator positioned between and thermally coupled to the semiconductor device and one of the first cooling chip or the second cooling chip.

Fluidly cooled power electronics assemblies having a thermo-electric generator

Aspects of the disclosure provide a power circuit that includes a first switch circuit in parallel with a second switch circuit. The first switch circuit and the second switch circuit are coupled to a first control node, a second control node, a first power node and a second power node via interconnections. The power circuit receives a control signal between the first control node and the second control node to control a current flowing from the first power node to the second power node through the first switch circuit and the second switch circuit. At least one of a first source terminal of the first switch circuit and a second source terminal of the second switch circuit is coupled to the second control node with a resistive element having a specific resistance.

Method and apparatus for balancing current and power

A power circuit includes a power source for providing electrical power and two driving transistors being disposed in parallel and receiving electrical power from the power source. Each of the two driving transistors includes a gate terminal, a source connection, and a kelvin source connection. The power circuit also includes a control voltage source having a first terminal and a second terminal. The control voltage source provides a control signal to the two driving transistors for determining driving currents through the two driving transistors. The first terminal is connected to the gate terminals of the two driving transistors, and the second terminal is connected to the kelvin source connections of the two driving transistors. The kelvin source connections of the two driving transistors are inductively coupled.

Parallel devices having balanced switching current and power

A system includes a shell at least partially formed in a shape of a steering wheel and having a first layer and a second layer spaced apart from one another. The system further includes an LED coupled to the shell or the steering wheel. The system also includes a positive triboelectric material coupled to the first layer of the shell and that loses electrons in response to friction. The system further includes a negative triboelectric material coupled to the second layer of the shell and that gains electrons in response to friction. The system further includes an electrical connector coupled to the LED and at least one of the positive triboelectric material or the negative triboelectric material. Current flows through the electrical connector to illuminate the LED when force is being applied to the shell causing the positive triboelectric material to contact the negative triboelectric material.

On touch self-light growth steering wheel

Aspects of the disclosure provide a system having a power circuit. The power circuit includes a first switch circuit having at least a first transistor and a second switch circuit having at least a second transistor. Further, the power circuit includes first interconnections configured to couple the first switch circuit to driving nodes, a source node and a drain node of the power circuit, and second interconnection configured to couple the second switch circuit in parallel to the first switch circuit to the driving nodes, the source node and the drain node of the power circuit. A polarity of unbalance in the first interconnections and the second interconnections dominates a polarity of current unbalance in the first switch circuit and the second switch circuit.

Method and apparatus for current/power balancing

An electronics apparatus including a first substrate having a first surface and a second surface, a first switch connected to a second switch and soldered in series on the first surface of the first substrate creating a connection to allow switching between the first switch and the second switch at high frequency, an insulation having a third surface attached to the second surface of the first substrate, and a second substrate having a pocket of low permittivity located between the first switch and the second switch on a fourth surface of the insulation, the fourth surface being opposite to the third surface where the first switch and the second switch are located.

Growing community of inventors

Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America

Chi-Ming Wang