Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Matthew Penne

Jonathan Hair

Brendan F Diamond

Keith Weston

Mohammad Sameer Khan

John Robert Van Wiemeersch

Michael Alan Mcnees

Yang Xu

Adeeb Ahmed

Victor Martinez

Yingfeng Ji

Eliza Rose Bifano

A vehicle including a detection unit and a processor is disclosed. The detection unit may be configured to capture inputs associated with a road in proximity to the vehicle. The processor may be configured to detect a presence of a fluid on the road and a presence of an object in proximity to the fluid based on the inputs captured by the detection unit. The processor may further determine at least one of an object height or an object distance from the vehicle based on the inputs, and calculate a fluid depth on the road based on the object height and/or the object distance. The processor may further perform a predefined action responsive to determining that the fluid depth may be greater than a predefined depth threshold.

Systems and methods for performing remedial actions when a road is flooded

Directional audio is provided to positions around the vehicle. A position mapping is stored defining information indicative of how each of a plurality of closures of a vehicle, in a plurality of positions, affects sound emanating from a plurality of speakers of the vehicle at different positions around the exterior of the vehicle. Respective locations of at least one user outside the vehicle are tracked. The position mapping is utilized to apply power levels to the plurality of speakers and positioning to the plurality of the closures to direct sound output from the speakers to the respective locations of the at least one user at a desired volume level.

Vehicle exterior closure sound amplification and directional speaker system

An electrified vehicle includes a wound rotor synchronous electric machine configured to provide propulsive torque to wheels of the electrified vehicle and having a rotor with rotor windings and a stator with stator windings, a battery electrically coupled to the electric machine, a cooling system arranged to circulate a cooling fluid that transfers heat from the electric machine to the battery, and a controller programmed to, for a specified electric machine torque, control rotor current to the rotor windings and control stator current to the stator windings to operate the machine at an inefficient operating point that increases stator power losses to generate heat transferred to the cooling fluid to heat the battery, cabin, and/or other components. The controller performs closed-loop feedback control of stator winding current and rotor winding current based on a target machine output torque and target stator power loss to control the amount of heat generated.

Electrified vehicle with wound rotor synchronous electric machine controlled to heat battery

A system for an electrified vehicle, such as a battery electric vehicle (BEV), includes an inverter and a controller. The inverter is configured to drive a traction motor with electrical power from a traction battery, such as a lithium ion phosphate (LFP) traction battery, according to a configuration of a power switch (e.g., IBGT or MOSFET) of the inverter. The system further includes a controller configured to control a variable gate driver resistance for the power switch in a closed loop fashion to achieve a target temperature of the inverter. The system may further include a heating coolant loop for transferring heat generated by the inverter to the traction battery to warm the traction battery. The controller may be further configured to further control a switching frequency of the power switch in the closed loop fashion to achieve the target temperature of the inverter.

Electrified vehicle with inverter controlled to heat traction battery

A vehicle includes an electric machine including a rotor. The vehicle further includes a traction battery configured to supply electric power to the electric machine. The vehicle further includes a wheel mechanically coupled to the electric machine. The vehicle further includes one or more controllers programmed to, responsive to detecting a battery temperature below a threshold and the vehicle being parked, rotate the rotor to a preset position such that the wheel rotates.

Zero speed vehicle battery heating

Responsive to a temperature of a battery being less than a threshold temperature, a controller directs coolant from hollow wires wound within slots of a stator to a coolant circuit for the battery. Responsive to the temperature being greater than the threshold temperature, the controller directs the coolant from the hollow wires back to the hollow wires while bypassing the coolant circuit.

Battery heating via heat collected from coolant passing through hollow windings of electric machine

A vehicle includes an inverter, a pump, a buck converter, and a controller. The inverter has an input connected to a battery and an output connected to an electric machine. The inverter is configured to convert power between DC electrical power at the input and AC electrical power at the output. The pump is configured to circulate lubricating fluid within a transmission. The buck converter is configured to deliver DC electrical power from the inverter to the pump. The controller is programmed to, in response to the electric machine delivering AC electrical power to the inverter during a towing condition of the vehicle while the vehicle is shutdown, operate the buck converter to power the pump.

Hybrid or electric vehicle transmission lubrication arrangement

A controller detects a rotor magnet temperature based on an actively detected back electromotive force (BEMF) voltage of the motor. The controller detects the BEMF voltage by commanding the injection of a direct-axis (d-axis) current into the motor while the motor is spinning but otherwise commanding no torque. The controller actively detects the BEMF voltage in that the controller purposely injects a known quantity of d-axis current at a chosen time during which the controller detects or is aware that the motor is commanding no torque. Using a quadrature-axis (q-axis) voltage equation, which describes the relationship between a voltage command, the current, the BEMF voltage, and reactance in the q-axis, the controller solves for the BEMF voltage with the voltage command, the current, and the q-axis reactance being known to the controller. The controller detects the rotor magnet temperature based on the BEMF voltage.

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Hadar, NE, United States of America

Matthew Penne