Current Motor Company, Inc.

Other

Thermolift, Inc.

Erik Kauppi

Peter Hofbauer

David Yates

John Harding

Matthew Duthie

Some heat pumps have displacers mechatronically-controlled via springs and coils acting upon a ferromagnetic plate. In some prior art heat pumps, the components are housed in hot parts of the heat pump and in others, the components are housed in a cold part of the heat pump, but the components are offset from a central axis of the heat pump. A heat pump with the mechatronic driver components collinear with a central axis of the heat pump has the components in a cold part of the heat pump.

Mechatronic drivers in the cold end of a heat pump

A braking system for an electric vehicle has a first wheel having a first friction brake and an electric motor and a second having a second friction brake. A first user-actuated brake lever is coupled to the first friction brake. The first brake lever has a first sensor indicating actuation of the first brake lever. A second user-actuated brake lever is coupled to the second friction brake. The second brake lever has a second sensor indicating actuation of the second brake lever. An electronic control unit electronically coupled to the first and second sensors and the electric motor commands the electric motor to operate as a generator when at least one of the brake levers is actuated.

System and method to control regenerative braking

A programmable gauge having a read out (gauge), a microcontroller, an input to microcontroller, and an infrared receiver is disclosed. A handheld infrared transmitter is used to communicate with the programmable gauge. In some embodiments, the programmable gauge further includes an output control signal. In a nonlimiting example, the input to the microcontroller is a temperature sensor and the infrared transmitter is used to select a set point. When the microcontroller senses a temperature above the set point, the microcontroller provides an output signal, for example, to turn on a fan.

Programmable gauge

A permanent-magnet electrical machine is disclosed in which the rotor or stator have at least one movable iron segment. A magnetic field of the electric machine is weakened when the movable iron segment is moved a position away from the rotor or stator, respectively. When the movable iron segment is in a first position, such as in contact with the rotor or stator, the field strength is high. When the movable iron segment is in a second position in which the movable iron segment is displaced away from the rotor or stator, the field strength is low. The ability to weaken the field strength causes the constant-power, speed ratio to be increased and thereby increases the utility of the electric machine for applications in which a wide speed range is desired. The electric machine may be used as both a permanent-magnet motor and generator.

Permanent magnet motor with field weakening

A permanent-magnet electrical machine is disclosed in which the rotor has a fixed back iron and movable back iron segments. When the movable back iron segments are in a first position, such as in contact with the fixed back iron, the field strength is high. When the movable back iron segments are in a second position in which the movable back iron segments are displaced away from the fixed back iron, the field strength is low. The ability to weaken the field strength causes the constant-power, speed ratio to be increased and thereby increases the utility of the motor for applications in which a wide speed range is desired. The disclosure applies to both permanent-magnet motors and generators. In an alternative embodiment, the stator ring is provided with a fixed portion and at least one movable stator segment.

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Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America

Erik Kauppi