Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Daniel W Stahura

William J Vukovich

Donald L Cummins

Gerald T Fattic

Daniel D Richey

Verl V Smith, Jr

Robert R Lown

A hybrid electric vehicle includes an internal combustion engine, a multi-speed automatic transmission, and an electric machine operable in a motoring mode and a generating mode. A compound planetary gear set operatively couples the engine, transmission and electric machine. The electric machine is operable during periods of vehicle launch to provide a reaction torque for the planetary gearset such that torque is supplied to the input of the transmission and the reaction torque energy is converted to electrical energy for storage in a vehicle battery pack battery. The method employs a combination of open loop torque control and closed loop speed controls responsive to rotational parameters of the vehicle drivetrain including engine speed, electric machine rotor speed and transmission input speed to control the generator torque of the electric machine to thereby produce the reaction torque for accelerating the vehicle and for producing electrical power during the vehicle launch.

Regenerative vehicle launch

A ring magnet for creating a desired magnetic field within the bore of the ring is formed from a plurality of magnetized, magnetically isotropic magnets comprised of RE.sub.2 TM.sub.14 B.sub.1 alloy. The invention has particular application to ring magnets for magnetic resonance imaging devices.

Isotropic rare earth-iron field magnets for magnetic resonance imaging

A battery separator including a plurality of superposed, generally concave ribs each extending from one lateral edge of the separator to the other to reduce electrolyte stratification within the battery.

Anti-stratification battery separator

An electric starting system for cranking an internal combustion engine that utilizes a starter having a solenoid that is provided with pull-in and hold-in coils. The solenoid includes a plunger which when shifted operates solenoid switch contacts and shifts a pinion into mesh with the ring gear of the engine to be cranked. The electric starting motor has series and shunt field coils and during cranking operation the shunt field is energized through the hold-in coil of the solenoid and the series field is energized through the pull-in coil of the solenoid. This mode of energization produces a small indexing torque that slowly rotates the pinion when end tooth abutment occurs between the pinion and the ring gear.

Electric starting system

The alternating current output potential of an alternator is rectified by a main rectifier circuit to provide a first charging potential and by an auxiliary rectifier circuit arrangement of the type that is enabled only in response to the presence of electrical enabling signals to provide a second charging potential. The first charging potential is applied across two series connected storage batteries and the second charging potential is applied across only a selected one of batteries. The enabling signals for the auxiliary rectifier circuit arrangement are initiated by a free-running oscillator circuit and circuitry responsive to the potential across the two batteries in series and to the potential across the selected battery is arranged to disable the oscillator circuit when the potential across the selected battery is of magnitude greater than one-half that of the potential across the two series connected batteries.

Growing community of inventors

Anderson, IN, United States of America

Daniel W Stahura