Patents by Inventor Benjamin A. Tabatowski-Bush

Benjamin A. Tabatowski-Bush has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20220332214
    Abstract: A traction battery arrangement includes a string of cells and bus bars, a coil wrapped around one of the bus bars, and a controller. The controller drives AC current over a swept range of frequencies into the one of the bus bars via the coil, and receives voltage data from at least one of the cells that results from the AC current.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 19, 2021
    Publication date: October 20, 2022
    Inventors: Benjamin A. Tabatowski-Bush, John Paul Gibeau, Xu Wang, Xianzhi Gong, Baojin Wang
  • Patent number: 11469607
    Abstract: A circuit is selectively attachable to one of a positive terminal and negative terminal of a traction battery cell via a transistor. The circuit has a current sensor disposed in series with an inductor. A controller operates the transistor such that electrical current from the one of the positive terminal and negative terminal is inverted within the circuit, and while an inductor charge rate is less than a predetermined charge value, inhibits charge and discharge of the traction battery cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Chingchi Chen, Baojin Wang, Benjamin A. Tabatowski-Bush
  • Patent number: 11400831
    Abstract: A power control arrangement for a vehicle includes a bi-directional DC/DC converter and one or more controllers. The one or more controllers, after a request to activate the vehicle, command the bi-directional DC/DC converter to charge a DC link capacitor electrically between main contactors and the bi-directional DC/DC converter to target value without connecting a resistor in parallel with one of the main contactors and before closing all of the main contactors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Thomas Joseph Wand, Baojin Wang, Benjamin A. Tabatowski-Bush
  • Publication number: 20220234528
    Abstract: A vehicle battery system includes a traction battery having positive and negative terminals, and resistive circuitry including a first resistor electrically connected between one of the terminals and a common ground, a switch, and a second resistor that can be selectively electrically connected between the one of the terminals and the first resistor via the switch. The vehicle battery system also includes a controller that opens and closes the switch, and inhibits charge of the traction battery according to changes in voltage across the second resistor due to opening and closing of the switch.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2021
    Publication date: July 28, 2022
    Inventors: Baojin Wang, Chingchi Chen, Benjamin A. Tabatowski-Bush
  • Publication number: 20220239137
    Abstract: A circuit is selectively attachable to one of a positive terminal and negative terminal of a traction battery cell via a transistor. The circuit has a current sensor disposed in series with an inductor. A controller operates the transistor such that electrical current from the one of the positive terminal and negative terminal is inverted within the circuit, and while an inductor charge rate is less than a predetermined charge value, inhibits charge and discharge of the traction battery cell.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2021
    Publication date: July 28, 2022
    Inventors: Chingchi Chen, Baojin Wang, Benjamin A. Tabatowski-Bush
  • Publication number: 20220227257
    Abstract: A power control arrangement for a vehicle includes a bi-directional DC/DC converter and one or more controllers. The one or more controllers, after a request to activate the vehicle, command the bi-directional DC/DC converter to charge a DC link capacitor electrically between main contactors and the bi-directional DC/DC converter to a target value without connecting a resistor in parallel with one of the main contactors and before closing all of the main contactors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2021
    Publication date: July 21, 2022
    Inventors: Thomas Joseph Wand, Baojin Wang, Benjamin A. Tabatowski-Bush
  • Publication number: 20220219542
    Abstract: A power system includes a battery and a controller. The controller inhibits charge of the battery according to voltage or current values sensed before and after contactors electrically connected to the battery are commanded to open and indicating that a leakage resistance associated with one of the contactors increases after the one of contactors is commanded to open, and a duration of a continuous voltage drop across another of the contactors after the another of the contactors is commanded to open exceeds a threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 13, 2021
    Publication date: July 14, 2022
    Applicant: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Baojin WANG, Chingchi CHEN, Benjamin A. TABATOWSKI-BUSH, Aaron WALKER, Rui WANG, Xianzhi GONG, Xu WANG, John Paul GIBEAU
  • Publication number: 20220212561
    Abstract: An electrified vehicle, system, and control method include a traction battery having a first plurality of cells and a second plurality of cell monitoring circuits each having an associated at least one of the first plurality of cells, and a controller configured to control the cell monitoring circuits to measure voltage of the associated cells at an initial frequency until a state of charge (SOC) of the traction battery is established, and to measure voltage of the associated cells at a second frequency based on the SOC after the SOC is established to reduce heat generation of the cell monitoring circuits. The cell monitoring circuits may be controlled to asynchronously measure associated cell voltage and/or to reduce voltage/current conversion time when delta cell voltage and battery pack current are below respective thresholds.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 6, 2021
    Publication date: July 7, 2022
    Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Benjamin A. TABATOWSKI-BUSH, John Paul GIBEAU, Baojin WANG
  • Patent number: 11318897
    Abstract: A vehicle includes an electrified propulsion system powered by a traction battery. The vehicle also includes an electrical distribution system (EDS) to pass current to and from the traction battery. The EDS is provided with at least one flexible electrical distribution component (FEDC) including a plurality of individual conductor paths. At least one of the individual conductor paths defines a typical width and a reduced width narrowed portion sized to operate as a fuse and thereby break an electrical circuit of the at least one individual conductor path in response to heat generated from conducting an electrical current greater than a predetermined threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: John Paul Gibeau, Benjamin A. Tabatowski-Bush, Baojin Wang
  • Patent number: 11233277
    Abstract: A vehicle assembly includes, among other things, a battery array, and an identifier that is associated with the battery array. The identifier is readable by a control module of an electrified vehicle when the battery array is in an installed position within the electrified vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Daniel Paul Roberts, Francisco Fernandez-Galindo, Benjamin A. Tabatowski-Bush, Baojin Wang, John Paul Gibeau
  • Patent number: 11104242
    Abstract: A vehicle battery system has a battery including a plurality of series connected cells, a bus bar electrically connected between an adjacent pair of the series connected cells, and circuitry. The circuitry injects a sinusoidal current waveform through the bus bar, obtains a magnitude of a sinusoidal voltage waveform contained by an overall voltage of the bus bar that is caused by the sinusoidal current waveform from a sampled and filtered version of the overall voltage and digital data defining the sinusoidal current waveform, obtains a resistance of the bus bar from the magnitude of the sinusoidal voltage waveform and a measured magnitude of the sinusoidal current waveform, and obtains a magnitude of current through the battery from a DC portion of a spectrum of the overall voltage and the resistance of the bus bar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Benjamin A. Tabatowski-Bush, Baojin Wang, John Paul Gibeau
  • Publication number: 20210213894
    Abstract: A vehicle includes an electrified propulsion system powered by a traction battery. The vehicle also includes an electrical distribution system (EDS) to pass current to and from the traction battery. The EDS is provided with at least one flexible electrical distribution component (FEDC) including a plurality of individual conductor paths. At least one of the individual conductor paths defines a typical width and a reduced width narrowed portion sized to operate as a fuse and thereby break an electrical circuit of the at least one individual conductor path in response to heat generated from conducting an electrical current greater than a predetermined threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 13, 2020
    Publication date: July 15, 2021
    Inventors: John Paul GIBEAU, Benjamin A. TABATOWSKI-BUSH, Baojin WANG
  • Patent number: 11038210
    Abstract: A battery system includes a cell, and an integrated circuit and flexible circuitry on and electrically isolated from a container of the cell. The flexible circuitry is arranged with the cell and integrated circuit to form a dipole antenna that wirelessly transmits signals from the integrated circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Benjamin A. Tabatowski-Bush, John Paul Gibeau, Chingchi Chen
  • Patent number: 10983165
    Abstract: A battery system has a cell, a substrate mounted on the cell, and monitoring circuitry on the substrate and exclusively powered by the cell. The battery system also has a switch on the substrate electrically between the cell and monitoring circuit, and control circuitry on the substrate. The control circuitry, responsive to a value of a parameter of the cell measured by the monitoring circuitry falling outside a predefined range, opens the switch to electrically disconnect the monitoring circuit from the cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Benjamin A. Tabatowski-Bush, John Paul Gibeau, Chingchi Chen
  • Patent number: 10978903
    Abstract: A vehicle includes a traction battery, circuitry including a switch and a capacitor, and a monitoring chip configured to draw power from a cell of the traction battery via the circuitry responsive to the switch being closed. The circuitry is configured to open the switch to disconnect the cell from the chip and power the chip via the capacitor for a predetermined period. Powering the chip via the capacitor prevents power down of the chip during the predetermined period. The circuitry opens the switch responsive to engine cranking.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Benjamin A. Tabatowski-Bush, Richard Mo
  • Patent number: 10967754
    Abstract: A system for a vehicle includes a controller and contactor arranged to close responsive to current magnitude through a coil thereof exceeding a first threshold. The controller, following a request to open the contactor, applies current to the coil at a magnitude less than the first threshold for a duration, and responsive to peak current through the contactor during the duration being less than a second threshold, prevents start of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Benjamin A. Tabatowski-Bush, Wesley Edward Burkman, Baojin Wang, John Paul Gibeau
  • Publication number: 20210094434
    Abstract: A vehicle battery system has a battery including a plurality of series connected cells, a bus bar electrically connected between an adjacent pair of the series connected cells, and circuitry. The circuitry injects a sinusoidal current waveform through the bus bar, obtains a magnitude of a sinusoidal voltage waveform contained by an overall voltage of the bus bar that is caused by the sinusoidal current waveform from a sampled and filtered version of the overall voltage and digital data defining the sinusoidal current waveform, obtains a resistance of the bus bar from the magnitude of the sinusoidal voltage waveform and a measured magnitude of the sinusoidal current waveform, and obtains a magnitude of current through the battery from a DC portion of a spectrum of the overall voltage and the resistance of the bus bar.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2019
    Publication date: April 1, 2021
    Inventors: Benjamin A. Tabatowski-Bush, Baojin Wang, John Paul Gibeau
  • Publication number: 20210083332
    Abstract: A vehicle assembly includes, among other things, a battery array, and an identifier that is associated with the battery array. The identifier is readable by a control module of an electrified vehicle when the battery array is in an installed position within the electrified vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2019
    Publication date: March 18, 2021
    Inventors: Daniel Paul Roberts, Francisco Fernandez-Galindo, Benjamin A. Tabatowski-Bush, Baojin Wang, John Paul Gibeau
  • Publication number: 20210053462
    Abstract: A vehicle has a battery including a plurality of cells connected in series, and a battery management integrated circuit including a plurality of inputs each being directly electrically connected to a terminal of one of the cells via an electrical path that includes a thse and a resistor connected in series. The battery management integrated circuit farther includes a top input directly electrically connected to a positive output of the battery and configured to receive power from the battery that is defined by a current having a magnitude that is at least an order of magnitude greater than current received by the inputs and a voltage equal to a sum of voltages of all the cells.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2019
    Publication date: February 25, 2021
    Inventors: Benjamin A. Tabatowski-Bush, Baojin Wang, John Paul Gibeau, Ai Keramidas, Kimberley King, Daniel Paul Roberts, Aaron Walker
  • Patent number: 10921378
    Abstract: A system for monitoring battery cells of a battery includes a capacitor, a processor, and a controller. The controller is configured to connect the capacitor with a first battery cell to charge the capacitor to a voltage of the first battery cell and then (i) connect the capacitor with a second battery cell to form a circuit having an output that is a voltage difference of the capacitor and the second battery cell and (ii) connect the output to the processor for the processor to measure the voltage difference. The voltage difference is the voltage difference between the first battery cell and the second battery cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Chingchi Chen, Benjamin A. Tabatowski-Bush, John Paul Gibeau, Kevin Vander Laan, Baojin Wang