Deere & Company

Ronald Dean Bremner

Rainer Gugel

David Mueller

Thomas George Ore

Bruce Craig Newendorp

Niels Dybro

Stacy K Worley

Michael A Rehberg

Patricia M D'Alessandro

An electric machine for a work vehicle including a housing, a stator assembly positioned inside the housing, and a rotor assembly rotatably connected to the housing via a bearing. The rotor assembly is positioned to form an air gap between the stator assembly and the rotor assembly. A front air dam is positioned at a first end of the housing and adjacent to the air gap. The front air dam includes an external barrier, an internal barrier, an opening in the internal barrier, and a passageway in the internal barrier. A fan is attached to the rotor assembly and positioned within the housing. The fan generates a first air flow towards the air gap and a second air flow through the passageway.

Cooling arrangement for electric machines

An electric machine includes a housing, a stator assembly within the housing, a rotor assembly within the housing, and a dam assembly including a first dam element. The first dam element is arranged on one end of the electric machine. The first dam element includes an air inlet. The air inlet is configured to receive a supply of pressurized air.

Electric machine with integrated dam assembly

A method of producing a parallel spiral core for casting a housing includes designing a half cylinder body in a model based on a desired shape of the housing, adding parallel spiral features to the body in the model, and producing data of the model based on the desired shape of the housing with the parallel spiral features. The data is then loaded into a machining tool, which then machines a pattern of the parallel spiral core out of material. The method also includes casting the parallel spiral core from the pattern such that the parallel spiral core comprises a core body and a parallel spiral formed on the core body, the parallel spiral winding circumferentially about the core body from a first end to a second end of the core body.

Method of forming parallel spiral channels in housing to be formed by casting or molding process

An end shield for an electric machine is provided. The end shield includes a collar extending between a housing of the electric machine and an end coil. The collar includes one or more spray apertures for directing a fluid onto the end coil.

End shield with spray feature

A transmission includes an input assembly, an electric machine, a variator and a power shift assembly. The input assembly has directional clutches and is configured to receive rotational engine input power. The variator has only a single planetary set configured and combine to receive rotational input power from the electric machine and the input assembly. The power shift assembly is configured to receive rotational power from the variator, and it includes speed gears, range gears and power shift clutches and an output shaft. The power shift clutches are configured to dissipate energy from asynchronous gear meshing. The power shift assembly is configured to effect multiple different rotational power flows through to the output shaft that arise from meshing gears at each shift to effect a unique one of multiple gear ratios.

Electronically-variable power shift transmission for work vehicles

An integrated transmission includes a transmission housing having a first housing face through which the input shaft extends; a CVP housed within the housing; and a transmission assembly. The transmission assembly includes an input arrangement contained within the housing and having at least one input transmission component selectively coupling the engine power and the CVP power; a variator arrangement contained within the housing, configured to receive the engine and CVP power and to selectively transfer the engine power, CVP power, and a summing of engine and CVP power as variator output power; and a transmission gear arrangement contained within the transmission housing engaged with the variator arrangement and configured to provide a selective gear reduction for transmission to an output shaft that extends out of the transmission housing. The integrated transmission includes a power electronics apparatus arranged within or on the transmission housing and electrically coupled to the CVP.

Integrated transmission with CVP and power electronics apparatus

A transmission assembly is provided for a work vehicle powertrain having an engine delivering engine power to an input shaft. The transmission assembly includes a transmission assembly housing having a first housing side through which the input shaft extends and a second housing side; a continuously variable power source (CVP) at least partially contained within the transmission assembly housing; an input arrangement contained within the transmission assembly housing and having at least one input transmission component; a variator contained within the transmission housing with a first variator side oriented toward the first housing side and a second variator side oriented toward the second housing side and configured to receive the engine power and the CVP power through the input arrangement on the second variator side; and a transmission gear arrangement contained within the transmission assembly housing for transmission of output power from the variator to an output shaft.

Transmission assembly with integrated CVP

A computer-implemented shifting method for a vehicle is described. The method is based upon, at least in part, identifying a reference output torque at an output shaft associated with a transmission of the vehicle. The method includes reducing a torque capacity of an off-going output clutch from a starting capacity and determining a torque load for the off-going output clutch. The method includes maintaining a first transition torque capacity during a first transition period after the determining of the torque load, and increasing a torque capacity of the on-coming output clutch to a second transition torque capacity. The method includes maintaining the second transition torque during a second transition period. The method includes reducing the torque capacity of the off-going output clutch to a first final torque capacity and increasing the torque capacity of the on-coming output clutch to a final torque capacity.

Torque-based shifting

The invention relates to an electric synchronous machine. There is a need for a dual rotor electric synchronous machine which has a mechanism for adjusting the rotor relative angular displacement while the machine is running in order to reduce back EMF. There is a need for such an adjusting mechanism which can carry high torque loads. An electric synchronous machine is provided with a housing, first and second shafts rotatably supported in the housing, each with a corresponding rotor fixed thereon, both having permanent magnet field poles. Each rotor is surrounded by a corresponding annular stator, and stator coils are wound through both stators. A planetary transmission is coupled between the first and second shafts and operable during rotation of the first and second shafts to adjust an angular orientation of the second shaft with respect to the first shaft.

Control of a dual rotor electromagnetic machine

The invention relates to an electric synchronous machine. There is a need for a dual rotor electric synchronous machine which has a mechanism for adjusting the rotor relative angular displacement while the machine is running in order to reduce back emf. There is a need for such an adjusting mechanism which can carry high torque loads. An electric synchronous machine is provided with a housing, first and second shafts rotatably supported in the housing, each with a corresponding rotor fixed thereon, both having permanent magnet field poles. Each rotor is surrounded by a corresponding annular stator, and stator coils are wound through both stators. A planetary transmission is coupled between the first and second shafts and operable during rotation of the first and second shafts to adjust an angular orientation of the second shaft with respect to the first shaft.

Dual rotor electromagnetic machine

A suspension system supports a seat with respect to a base mounted on a frame of a vehicle. The system includes a hydraulic actuator coupled between the seat and the base. A single accelerometer is attached to the base and generates a base acceleration signal in response to motion of the base. A control unit actively controls the hydraulic actuator as a function of the base acceleration signal. The control unit generates a base velocity signal by integrating the base acceleration signal, generates a seat position signal representing a position of the seat relative to the base, generates a seat position error signal representing a difference between a desired position and the seat position signal, and generates a command signal as a function of the velocity signal and of the position error signal. The control unit controls the actuator by applying the command signal thereto.

Active seat suspension control system

An armrest adjustment mechanism supports an armrest unit with respect to a vehicle seat. The mechanism includes a plate fixed to the seat. The fixed plate has a pair of projecting pins and a plate slot extending between the pins. A frame is movably mounted adjacent to the plate and attached to the armrest unit. The frame has a bore extending therethrough and a pair of frame slots which slidably receive the pins. A bolt has a head which non-rotatably engages the plate and which is slidable in the plate slot. The bolt has a threaded shaft which extends through the bore in the plate. A knob is rotatably and threadably mounted on the end of the shaft. A hollow cylindrical bushing is mounted on the shaft between the knob and the frame. The knob can be rotated to clamp the frame with respect to the plate, or loosened to allow the frame to be moved with respect to the plate.

Armrest adjustment mechanism

A cover is provided for a control switch in a vehicle that is movable between open and closed positions. In the cover open position, the switch paddle is freely accessible. In the cover closed position, the switch paddle is partially covered to limit access to the paddle and alert the operator to thereby avoid unintended actuation of the switch. In the closed position, the paddle is still accessible if needed to actuate the switch in an emergency without first opening the cover.

Cover for vehicle control switch

A control system for controlling multi-ratio vehicle transmission includes a speed select lever movable from a park position to selected gear ratio positions and a directional control lever having forward, neutral and reverse positions. A system is provided to cause the directional control lever to automatically move to its neutral position when the shift control lever is moved to its park position.

Growing community of inventors

Cedar Falls, IA, United States of America

Ronald Dean Bremner