Patents by Inventor Marcus Heller

Marcus Heller 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).

  • Patent number: 8502410
    Abstract: An electric powertrain comprises a high voltage bus an electric machine, and a traction inverter is coupled between a high voltage bus and the electric machine. An electric voltage for the high voltage bus is generated with the electric machine and the traction inverter when the electric machine is driven mechanically. The generated electric voltage is limited and converted to a predetermined voltage lower than the limited voltage. A unit of the vehicle, such as a cooling pump, is powered with the predetermined voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Assignee: Daimler AG
    Inventors: Marcus Heller, Jody J. Nelson
  • Patent number: 8106618
    Abstract: In a method and apparatus for calibrating a position sensor mounted on the shaft of a permanent magnet synchronous motor, to control the position of a rotor of the permanent magnet synchronous motor relative to a magnetic field produced by a stator of the permanent magnet synchronous motor, a DC test current is supplied to stator windings of the permanent magnet synchronous motor to generate a definite magnetic field. The motor speed caused by the DC test current is adjusted to zero by modifying the rotor position; and the position measured by the position sensor at zero motor speed relative to the magnetic field is used to calibrate the position sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: Daimler AG
    Inventors: Radomir Fabis, Marcus Heller
  • Publication number: 20110186366
    Abstract: An electric powertrain comprises a high voltage bus an electric machine, and a traction inverter is coupled between a high voltage bus and the electric machine. An electric voltage for the high voltage bus is generated with the electric machine and the traction inverter when the electric machine is driven mechanically. The generated electric voltage is limited and converted to a predetermined voltage lower than the limited voltage. A unit of the vehicle, such as a cooling pump, is powered with the predetermined voltage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 4, 2010
    Publication date: August 4, 2011
    Applicant: Daimler AG
    Inventors: Marcus Heller, Jody J. Nelson
  • Publication number: 20100253258
    Abstract: In a method and apparatus for calibrating a position sensor mounted on the shaft of a permanent magnet synchronous motor, to control the position of a rotor of the permanent magnet synchronous motor relative to a magnetic field produced by a stator of the permanent magnet synchronous motor, a DC test current is supplied to stator windings of the permanent magnet synchronous motor to generate a definite magnetic field. The motor speed caused by the DC test current is adjusted to zero by modifying the rotor position; and the position measured by the position sensor at zero motor speed relative to the magnetic field is used to calibrate the position sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 2, 2009
    Publication date: October 7, 2010
    Applicant: Daimler AG
    Inventors: Radomir Fabis, Marcus Heller
  • Patent number: 7612576
    Abstract: In a method for detecting an inverter hardware failure in an electric power train comprising high voltage cables, at least one electric machine and at least two inverter legs with two power electronic switches respectively for pulse-width-modulating a DC voltage from a high voltage battery for energizing the at least one electric machine, and including at least one mid-pack voltage sensor for detecting isolation faults, wherein all power electronic switches are demanded to open; at least one of the power electronic switches of one of the inverter legs is opened and closed at a time at a given duty cycle and a given frequency; a mid-pack voltage is measured using the mid-pack voltage sensor; the closed switch is identified as functional in case a common mode voltage is detected by the mid-pack voltage sensor or otherwise the closed switch is identified as non-functional.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2009
    Assignee: Daimler AG
    Inventors: Marcus Heller, Jody Nelson
  • Publication number: 20090242292
    Abstract: In a method for operating an electric machine which is coupled to a drive shaft, the electric machine is connected to a high voltage direct-current power supply line (HDVC) by a switch and the rotational speed of the connected electric machine or of the drive shaft coupled with the electric machine is determined and the electric machine is disconnected from the high-voltage direct-current power supply line (HVDC) when the rotational speed of the electric machine or, respectively, the driveshaft is above a predetermined threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2008
    Publication date: October 1, 2009
    Inventors: Marcus Heller, Robert Inderka, Franz Nietfeld, Lars Weinschenker
  • Patent number: 7545111
    Abstract: A method for testing electric motor shut-off including injecting current into an electric motor, applying at least one of a short or an open to the electric motor for a predetermined length of time, calculating the rate of decay of the current and comparing rate of the decay with a predetermined decay criteria. In one implementation, a predefined sequence of opening and short circuiting the electric motor is used, and the shut-off path tests for the motor three phases can be verified with one test.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2009
    Assignees: Chrysler LLC, GM Global Technology Operations, Daimler AG, Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Zhenxing Fu, Marcus Heller
  • Publication number: 20080236916
    Abstract: In a drive train for a motor vehicle with an internal combustion engine and a serial hybrid drive and a method for operating a motor vehicle with such a drive train, wherein the driving performance is increased and the fuel consumption of the internal combustion engine is reduced, and the drive shaft of the internal combustion engine is connected to a first electrical machine, and a second electrical machine is connected to a drive wheel of the motor vehicle, an electrical energy accumulator to which electrical energy can be supplied by the first and second first electrical machines and which can supply electrical energy to the first and second electrical machine is provided together with a control unit for dividing the power between the electrical energy accumulator and the first electrical machine, the rotational speed (n) of the first electrical machine and the power of the internal combustion engine are controlled depending on vehicle operating conditions and energy accumulator states selectively for high
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2008
    Publication date: October 2, 2008
    Inventors: Marcus Heller, Frank Hentschel
  • Publication number: 20080150573
    Abstract: A method for testing electric motor shut-off including injecting current into an electric motor, applying at least one of a short or an open to the electric motor for a predetermined length of time, calculating the rate of decay of the current and comparing rate of the decay with a predetermined decay criteria. In one implementation, a predefined sequence of opening and short circuiting the electric motor is used, and the shut-off path tests for the motor three phases can be verified with one test.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2006
    Publication date: June 26, 2008
    Inventors: Zhenxing Fu, Marcus Heller
  • Publication number: 20070284157
    Abstract: In a drive train for a motor vehicle, with a converter bell arranged between an internal combustion engine and a transmission, and a drive shaft extending through the converter bell and carrying a clutch device and an electric machine together with a power converter, which comprises at least one capacitor and power electronics which are integrated into the converter bell, the capacitor and the power electronics are arranged between a stator of the electric machine and the converter bell such that they are distributed around the outer circumference of the electric machine in the radial direction and the capacitor and the power electronics are arranged such that they are in thermally conductive contact with the cooling system for the stator of the electric machine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 5, 2007
    Publication date: December 13, 2007
    Inventors: Marcus Heller, Jens Renneberg, Sven Rolle, Wolfgang Schwienbacher, Yehia Tadros