Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation

Renato Amorim Torres

Suresh Gopalakrishnan

Chandra S Namuduri

Muhammad Hussain Alvi

Bulent Sarlioglu

Thomas Merlin Jahns

Hang Dai

Lei Hao

Peng Peng

Chunhao J Lee

Thomas W Nehl

Dongxu Li

Alireza Fatemi

Rashmi Prasad

Yilun Luo

Junghoon Kim

Woongkul Lee

An electric drive system includes an electric machine having a stator assembly and a rotor assembly. The stator assembly has a plurality of multi-phase stator windings, including a first stator winding and a second stator winding. A first inverter is adapted to feed the first stator winding. A second inverter is adapted to feed the second stator winding. The rotor assembly includes rotor windings having a single phase. A controller is configured to selectively command excitation of the rotor windings with a pulsed field current such that a direct-axis (d-axis) stator flux linkage is generated. A d-axis stator voltage is induced in the first stator winding and the second stator winding by the d-axis stator flux linkage. Pulsed power transfer is enabled through interaction of the d-axis stator voltage and respective d-axis winding currents in the first stator winding and the second stator winding.

Electric drive system with static pulsed power transfer

A motor system includes a rechargeable energy storage system, an alternating current motor, and a power inverter. Multiple efficiency maps may be provided, each representing a specific combination of control parameters and associated settings. The maps relate the motor's operating space (torque and speed) to corresponding efficiency solutions. The combination of control parameters and settings that yields the highest motor system efficiency at an operating point may be determined from the multiple efficiency maps and used in controlling the motor.

Motor system control

Embodiments include an electric motor having asymmetric-turn windings and a vehicle including the same. The electric motor includes a rotor and a stator having a first set of windings having a first number of turns and a second set of windings having a second number of turns that is different than the first number of turns. The first set of windings are galvanically isolated from the second set of windings.

Electric motor with asymmetric-turn windings and a vehicle having the same

An electric motor control system includes an alternating current (AC) electric motor having a first phase input, a second phase input, and a third phase input, and an AC electrical energy source having a first phase output, a second phase output and a third phase output. The system also includes conductors coupled between the phase outputs of the AC electrical energy source and the phase inputs of the AC electric motor. The electric motor control system also has circuitry that further includes a rectifier with phase inputs coupled to the conductors. The rectifier produces a rectified voltage between a positive rectifier output and a negative rectifier output. The system additionally includes an energy storage element coupled across the positive rectifier output and the negative rectifier output and a voltage limiting diode coupled to the positive rectifier output to limit a voltage of the positive rectifier output.

Overvoltage mitigation system

A switching circuit includes a reverse-voltage-blocking (RB) commutation switch, a first inverter leg, and a second inverter leg. The first inverter leg includes a first dual-gate bidirectional (DGBD) and a second DGBD switch connected in series. The second inverter leg includes a third and a fourth DGBD switch connected in series. A pair of the first DGBD switch, the second DGBD switch, the third DGBD switch, and the fourth DGBD switch that are in different inverter legs of the first inverter leg and the second inverter leg are configured to switch between a first DGBD on-state and a second DGBD on-state when in an inverting operating mode. A current with a positive or a negative polarity is conducted when in the first DGBD on-state. When in the second DGBD on-state, a reverse voltage is blocked by and a current with a positive polarity is conducted through the respective DGBD switch.

Current source inverter using bidirectional switches with bidirectional power flow capability

A detection system for a capacitor of a power inverter of an electric vehicle includes a protection circuit including a current sensor and a power switch having a first terminal in communication with a battery system of the electric vehicle. The protection circuit is configured to selectively generate a pulse and to sense a measured current flowing through the power switch. A voltage sensor configured to sense a measured voltage across the capacitor. A controller in communication with the voltage sensor and the protection circuit is configured to estimate a capacitance value of the capacitor based on the measured current and the measured voltage.

Detection system for detecting capacitance degradation in inverters

A power control system includes a power inverter comprising a first side, a second side, and a plurality of power switches. The second side is configured to connect to an electric machine. A solid state fuse includes a power switch including a first terminal in communication with the first terminal of a rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) of the electric vehicle and a second terminal in communication with the first side of the power inverter. A DC-DC converter is configured to convert a first voltage output by the RESS of the electric vehicle to a second voltage. One or more sensors configured to sense one or more operating parameters of the RESS. A fuse controller is configured to receive power from the DC-DC converter, to communicate with the one or more sensors and to cause the power switch to selectively change state in response to changes in the one or more operating parameters.

High voltage powered solid state fuse with battery power control

A switching circuit for a current source inverter includes a first inverter leg, a second inverter leg, and a controller. The first inverter leg includes a first reverse-voltage-blocking (RB) switch, a second RB switch, and a third RB switch that are connected in series between a first bus line and a second bus line. The second inverter leg includes a fourth RB switch, a fifth RB switch, and a sixth RB switch are connected in series between the first bus line and the second bus line. The controller is configured to control a switch between an on-state and an off-state for each RB switch. When in the on-state, a reverse voltage is blocked by a respective RB switch, and a current with a positive polarity is conducted through the respective RB switch. When in the off-state, a voltage and the current are blocked by the respective RB switch.

Balanced current-source inverter

A switching circuit includes a diode, a semiconductor switch, and a first bidirectional switch. The semiconductor switch is configured to conduct a first current from a second terminal to a third terminal of the semiconductor switch when a first on-state signal is sent to a first terminal of the semiconductor switch. An anode of the diode is connected to the second terminal of the semiconductor switch, and a cathode of the diode is connected to the third terminal of the semiconductor switch. The first bidirectional switch includes a first terminal, a second terminal connected to the anode of the diode, and a third terminal and is configured to conduct a second current from the second terminal to the third terminal or from the third terminal to the second terminal when a second on-state signal is sent to the first terminal of the first bidirectional switch.

Growing community of inventors

Madison, WI, United States of America

Renato Amorim Torres