Caterpillar Inc.

Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation

Mustafa Guven

Brian Dean Kuras

Metin Aydin

Michael E Vanderham

Thomas Merlin Jahns

Michael G Cronin

Michael John Barngrover

Seok-hee Han

Frank A DeMarco

Charles Earl Rose

Ayman Mohamed Fawzi EL-Refaie

Tom Sopko

Thomas Michael Sopko Jr

Seok Hee Han

Jeihoon Baek

A hydraulic motor system for improved frequency response includes a hydraulic variator having a pump and a motor, wherein the pump includes a variable angle swash plate, and the system further includes an electric actuator for controlling an angle or torque of the swash plate, thereby controlling the motor output characteristics. The electric actuator for controlling the variable angle swash plate may comprise a linear electric motor, ball screw drive or a rotary electric motor. In an example, the rotary electric motor tilts the swash plate by applying a torque to the swash plate at a point away from its tilt axis. In a further example, the rotary electric motor tilts the swash plate via a worm drive or ball screw drive.

Electric motor actuation of a hydrostatic pump

An electric machine includes a rotor having at least one pole pair, the at least one pole pair including a first magnetic pole and a second magnetic pole having opposite polarities. The first magnetic pole may include a first inner radial permanent-magnet layer and a first outer radial permanent-magnet layer. The second magnetic pole may include a second inner radial permanent-magnet layer and a second outer radial permanent-magnet layer. An outer end of the first inner radial permanent-magnet layer and an outer end of the second inner radial permanent-magnet layer may be separated by an angle of between about 27 and about 55 electrical degrees. The electric machine may also include a stator having a stator core with an odd number of stator slots per pole pair of the rotor.

Electric machine

An axial-flux electric machine includes a stator and a rotor. The rotor may be rotatable about a rotor rotation axis, and at least a portion of the stator may face at least a portion of the rotor at an axial interface between the stator and the rotor. The rotor may include a rotor body and a permanent-magnet cluster that includes a plurality of permanent magnets mounted to the rotor body. The permanent-magnet cluster may cause magnetic flux to flow across the axial interface between the permanent-magnet cluster and the stator. The plurality of permanent magnets of the permanent-magnet cluster may include one or more permanent magnets forming a first axial permanent-magnet layer and one or more permanent magnets forming a second axial permanent-magnet layer disposed between the first axial permanent-magnet layer and the axial interface.

Axial-flux electric machine

A rotor for an electric machine includes a rotor core constructed of magnetically-permeable material. The rotor core may include a first cavity having a first curved end portion and a second cavity having a first curved end portion disposed adjacent the first curved end portion of the first cavity. The rotor may also include a permanent-magnet cluster. The permanent-magnet cluster may include a permanent-magnet layer that substantially magnetically isolates a portion of the rotor core disposed inside the permanent-magnet cluster from portions of the rotor core disposed outside the permanent-magnet cluster. The permanent-magnet layer may include one or more permanent-magnet pieces disposed in the first cavity and one or more permanent-magnet pieces disposed in the second cavity.

Rotor having multiple permanent-magnet pieces in a cavity

A rotor for an electric machine includes a rotor core constructed of magnetically-permeable material and a permanent-magnet cluster that creates a magnetic pole of the rotor. The permanent-magnet cluster may be composed of permanent magnets mounted to the rotor core, including a first permanent magnet, a second permanent magnet, a third permanent magnet, and a fourth permanent magnet. The second permanent magnet may have a first end disposed adjacent a first end of the first permanent magnet, with a first portion of the rotor core disposed therebetween. Additionally, the third permanent magnet may have a first end disposed adjacent a second end of the first permanent magnet, with a second portion of the rotor core disposed therebetween. The fourth permanent magnet may form at least a portion of an outer perimeter of the rotor core and may be disposed radially outward of at least a portion of at least one of the first permanent magnet, the second permanent magnet, and the third permanent magnet.

Rotary electric machine

An electric machine includes a stator and a rotor disposed adjacent the stator. The rotor may be rotatable around a rotor rotation axis. The rotor may include a rotor core and a plurality of permanent magnets. The plurality of permanent magnets may include a permanent-magnet cluster disposed at least partially within the rotor core. The permanent-magnet cluster may be configured to create a magnetic pole of the rotor. Additionally, the permanent-magnet cluster may include multiple radial permanent-magnet layers. The rotor may also include one or more axially-extending channels located in a portion of the rotor core disposed between adjacent radial permanent-magnet layers.

Rotor having permanent magnets and axialy-extending channels

An electric drive system has a power source and a generator operatively connected to the power source. The electric drive system also has at least one energy storage device such as a capacitor configured to store a supply of power. The electric drive system further has a common bus configured to direct the power output to the capacitor. The electric drive system also has at least one motor configured to receive power from the common bus. A controller for the electric drive system is provided, having an article therewith having a computer readable medium with a control algorithm recorded thereon. The control algorithm includes means for compensating for a change in power demand on a DC bus of the electric drive system.

Electric drive system having DC bus voltage control

A predictive load management system is provided. A power source is operable to generate a power output and has a desired operating range. A transmission has a drive member operably engaged with the power source and a driven member. A control system is operable to receive at least one input indicative of a load on the transmission and to identify a desired load of the transmission based on the at least one input. The control system is also operable to receive at least one input indicative of current power output of the power source. The control system limits the desired transmission load applied to the driven member of the transmission based on the current power output of the power source to thereby prevent the power source from operating outside of the desired operating range.

Predictive load management system

A predictive load management system includes a power source operable to generate power output, the power source having a desired operating range. A transmission having a drive member is operably engaged with the power source. A control system is in communication with the power source and the transmission. The control system receives at least one input indicative of a load on the transmission and identifies a change in the load on the transmission based on the at least one input. The control system is further operable to determine a desired power output of the power source to account for the change in the load on the transmission. The control system modifies a performance characteristic of the power source to cause the power source to generate the desired power output when the change in the load on the transmission will result in the power source operating outside of the desired operating range.

Growing community of inventors

Dunlap, IL, United States of America

Mustafa Guven