Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Timothy Harris

Stuart C Salter

Ryan J O'Gorman

Katherine Howard-Cone

Peter Phung

Michael John O'Connor

Haider Mhiesan

Kevin Schneier

Mohamed Elshaer

Yuan Zhang

Baocheng Sun

Toussaint Carpenter

Mike Hamzeh

Richard Mo

Hoa T Dinh

Mohamad Mokbel

Trevor Van Loosbroek

Madison Warsaw

Bidirectional energy transfer systems are provided for transferring energy between an electrified vehicle and other structures. The bidirectional energy transfer system may include a home energy management system having a dark start energy storage resource. The home energy management system may enter hibernation mode when the dark start energy storage resource reaches a low power state. The home energy management system may subsequently exit hibernation mode using a variety of recovery strategies when the electrified vehicle returns to the structure or near when the vehicle is expected to return to the structure. Placing the home energy management system in hibernation mode ensures that the dark start energy storage resource will have a sufficient amount of energy for powering system loads necessary to initiate the energy transfer from the vehicle to the structure during the grid power outage.

Systems and methods for controlling home energy management systems that include dark start energy storage resources

This disclosure relates to a battery charging system configured to selectively charge a battery pack of an electrified vehicle. More particularly, the battery charging system is configured to interrupt a buildup of carbon deposits. A corresponding method is also disclosed. In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to interrupting a buildup of carbon deposits on a printed circuit board of a battery charging system configured to selectively charge a battery pack of an electrified vehicle, wherein the buildup of carbon deposits follows a path between an input pin of a relay on the printed circuit board and an output pin of the relay, and wherein the buildup of carbon deposits are interrupted by a slot formed in the printed circuit board.

Battery charging system configured to interrupt buildup of carbon deposits and corresponding method

Electric vehicle supply equipment includes at least first and second connectors, and a controller. The controller, responsive to detecting the first and second connectors are engaged with first and second vehicles respectively, synchronizes electric power from the first and second vehicles and supplies the electric power to an entity other than the first and second vehicles.

Electric vehicle supply equipment

A vehicle includes control pilot circuitry connected with a charge port and including a control pilot line, a resistor, and a switch that selectively connects the resistor between the control pilot line and a ground of electric vehicle supply equipment plugged into the charge port. The vehicle also includes a controller that toggles the switch between open and closed states after receiving an off-board request defining a number of toggles for the switch.

Vehicle-electric vehicle supply equipment connection confirmation

A power system includes a bidirectional power transfer inverter that receives grid power and can be electrically connected with electric vehicle supply equipment, and an auxiliary battery electrically connected with the bidirectional power transfer inverter and that supplies power to the bidirectional power transfer inverter and electric vehicle supply equipment while the grid power is unavailable.

Temperature and state of charge based control of dark start auxiliary battery for bidirectional power transfer inverter

A bidirectional energy transfer system includes a supply device having a vehicle port, an inverter port, a converter, and an isolation transformer. The vehicle port is configured to electrically couple the supply device to an electrified vehicle. The inverter port is configured to electrically couple the supply device to an inverter that is separate from the supply device.

Bidirectional energy transfer system and method that utilize a supply device

Responsive to indication that a predicted amount of solar or wind power from a power generating event will exceed a power storage capability of one or more power storage devices configured to receive the solar or wind power, controllers may command the one or more power storage devices to discharge energy to a power grid before the power generating event such that the power storage capability of the one or more power storage devices increases.

Control of vehicle and home energy storage systems

A computer is programmed to allocate a plurality of electric vehicles with associated electric machines to locations to perform tasks based on the charges of the electric vehicles and electric machines and expected energy consumptions of the electric vehicles traveling to the locations and of the electric machines performing the tasks at the locations; and in response to a sum of the charges of a first electric vehicle and the electric machines associated with the first electric vehicle being less than a sum of the expected energy consumptions of the first electric vehicle traveling to a first location and of the electric machines associated with the first electric vehicle performing the tasks at the first location, instruct a second electric vehicle to travel to a second location at which the first electric vehicle will be located.

Collective vehicle power management

A high-voltage portable charging system for remote recharging of an electric vehicle includes a housing, an array of battery cells forming a high-voltage battery disposed in the housing, and a low-voltage battery disposed in the housing. A coupler assembly has a cord and a vehicle connector configured to connect to a vehicle charge port. A switching arrangement is powered by the low-voltage battery and is configured to electrically connect the high-voltage battery to the cord when in a first condition and to de-energize the cord when in a second condition.

Portable high-voltage vehicle charging system

A portable vehicle-charging system includes a control-pilot circuit configured to generate a plurality of signals, each of the signals having a unique duty cycle that corresponds to a predetermined charging current to be used during a charging event. The system further includes a global positioning system (GPS) module configured to output GPS data indicative of a location of the portable vehicle-charging system. A controller of the system is programmed to receive the GPS data to determine the location of the portable vehicle-charging system, and command the control-pilot circuit to generate the one of the signals corresponding to the location so that the vehicle charges according to a corresponding one of the charging currents that is compatible with a power grid of the location.

Portable vehicle charging system with location detection

This disclosure describes electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) assemblies for use when charging plug-in electrified vehicles. An exemplary EVSE assembly may include a charger coupler and a cable connected to the charger coupler. The cable may include a plurality of conductor wires and a gap extrusion positioned within a gap between the plurality of conductor wires. The gap extrusion may include a non-symmetrical cross-sectional shape and may be made of a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) material. The cable may be manufactured in a staggered extrusion process in which the gap extrusion is fed into a gap of a wound conductor wire bunch of the cable.

Electric vehicle supply equipment cables with gap extrusions

A vehicle charger includes two charge connectors configured to couple with DC charge ports of two vehicles each having a battery, a buck boost converter connected between the two charge connectors configured to convert a first DC voltage to a second DC voltage, and a controller. The controller is configured to wirelessly connect to a mobile device to obtain a charging instruction identifying a donor vehicle and a beneficiary vehicle among the two vehicles, and responsive to the two charger connectors being coupled with the DC charge ports of the donor vehicle and the beneficiary vehicle, output a request for charging permission to a digital device associated with at least one of the vehicles. The controller is further configured to, responsive to receiving the charging permission, start a charging session by transferring electric charge from the donor vehicle to the beneficiary vehicle via the buck boost converter.

Vehicle to vehicle high power charging

This disclosure details exemplary electrical module designs for use in electrified vehicles. An exemplary electrical module (e.g., a battery pack, control module, etc.) may include a component (e.g., battery array, bussed electrical center, battery electric control module, etc.) and an enclosure assembly that houses the component. The enclosure assembly may include a polymer-based substrate and a metallic foil that is adapted to improve an electromagnetic compatibility of the polymer-based substrate. A compression limiter may be positioned within the enclosure assembly and is adapted to establish a conductive path between the metallic foil and a separate metallic component (e.g., a fastener) of the electrical module.

Growing community of inventors

Grosse Ile, MI, United States of America

Timothy Harris