Abstract: A method for determining the nature of a ground fault in a floating direct voltage load powering context includes measuring the load voltage and the current at a nominal balance point, both before and after closing a circuit to the load. The fault resistance and the fault voltage are determined as the solution to an equation in two unknowns given the conditions before and after application of load voltage or at least precharge.

Abstract: A rotating machine which includes a stator having a number of field winding slots, a number of field windings disposed in each of the field winding slots, at least two of the field windings have an outer jacket; and a number of conductive wires disposed within and enclosed by the outer jacket such that longitudinal passages are defined between the conductive wires. A pump circulates a coolant into and from the rotating machine through the longitudinal passages. Preferably, the rotating machine includes a housing that has a cavity for acceptance of the stator therein. The housing and stator define and second plenums at first and second ends of the stator. The coolant enters the rotating machine into the first plenum and exits the rotating machine from the second plenum.

Abstract: An apparatus to substantially minimize low-cycle fatigue of at least one electrical connection between a first component and a second component includes at least one thermoelectric device to thermally contact at least the first component and includes at least one sensor that is coupled to at least one of the first component or the second component. A controller is provided and coupled to the at least one thermoelectric device and to the at least one sensor. The controller controls operation of the thermoelectric device to substantially minimize low-cycle fatigue by transferring heat from at least the first component in response to signals from the at least one sensor.

Abstract: The increasing use of vehicles powered completely or in part by electric motors has created a need for measuring high currents in an inexpensive, reliable and convenient manner for digital motor control. Because the operating voltages of traction motors may be high, it is desirable that the motor current sensors be noncontacting. High-current sensors are commercially available, but tend to be large and costly. According to an aspect of the invention, a noncontacting current sensor having a rated capacity significantly less than the motor (or other) current to be measured is coupled to an electrical conductor for sensing the current in that conductor. The electrical conductor is paralleled by one or more additional similar conductors, so that only a fraction or portion of the current to be measured flows through the conductor associated with the sensor.

Abstract: A watchdog monitor coupled to a device bus includes in at least one executable software the ability to produce, during each frame interval, a strobe addressing a predetermined number to the monitor. The monitor responds to the interrupt and to lack of arrival of the correct predetermined number by generating a fault flag. The monitor also runs an internal counter which is reset at each interrupt signal; the count of the internal counter exceeds a threshold count if an interrupt fails to arrive. Such a timed failure results in setting of a frame fault flag. The monitor further runs an internal clock independent of the system clock. A further missing pulse detector initiates a counter at each monitor clock pulse, and raises a flag if the monitor clock counter counts a duration exceeding the monitor inter-clock-pulse interval.

Abstract: A hybrid electric vehicle (10) includes an internal combustion engine (12) which drives a generator (20) to produce electrical energy for a traction motor (44) of the vehicle. The generator (20) is provided with a cooling air intake port (20i). A air mover or compressor (30) is driven from the engine (12) or from an auxiliary motor (84), to produce air under positive pressure. The air from the air mover (30) is coupled by air paths (60, 62, 64) to the cooling air input port (20i) of the generator (20) and to the combustion air aspiration or input port (16) of the engine (12). If the air mover serves the purpose of cooling the generator (20) and, if a non-positive-displacement pump, also provides an effect similar to turbocharging, and if a positive-displacement type, supercharges the engine (12).

Abstract: A computing or processing system including a microprocessor and a memory coupled together by a local bus, and also includes a north bridge providing translation to a PCI or other standard bus. The system also includes a device bus, which may or may not be coupled to the PCI bus by a south bridge. A device bus interface bypasses the north and south bridges, to provide a single-step interface to the device bus. This reduces the latency.

Abstract: A power combining apparatus for a hybrid electric vehicle comprises a planetary gear set comprising a sun gear, a ring gear connected to an output shaft, a plurality of planet gears, and a carrier assembly rotatably supporting the plurality of planet gears journaled with the sun and ring gears. A torque transmitting arrangement is coupled to the sun gear and to the shaft of the variable power source for influencing rotation of the sun gear according to the rotation of the variable power supply shaft for causing rotation of the sun gear, thereby influencing rotation of the ring gear and the output shaft. The carrier assembly of the planetary gear arrangement is selectively connectable to the constant power source for selectively influencing rotation of the carrier assembly of the planetary gears and the ring gear, to thereby influence rotation of the output shaft.

Abstract: A method for regeneration of particulate filters or traps in the context of a hybrid electric vehicle includes the step of measuring the back pressure of the filter, and adjusting the engine parameters when the back pressure exceeds a particular value to increase the exhaust temperature, to aid in regeneration. In one mode, the engine speed and engine load are both reset toward particular target values. In another version in which the engine load includes an energy storage device such as a battery, increasing the load includes the step of increasing the battery charge level setpoint. Additionally, for those situations in which the battery cannot accept more charge, a power-dissipating resistor is coupled to an electric source to increase the load. In yet another version, the use of the electrical resistor is made dependent upon the temperature of the filter during regeneration.

Abstract: In an electric vehicle, the traction motor is driven from a battery by way of a controllable electric power switcher. In operation of the switcher, the power losses of the switches depends upon the power being handled; during acceleration the power is high, and at constant speed on level ground the power is small. Thus, the power “dissipated” by the switches varies with time. A cooler transfers heat from the switcher. During acceleration, the cooler may not be sufficient to limit the instantaneous switch temperature. A phase-change heat “sink” coupled to the switches absorbs heat from the switches during hard acceleration, and returns the heat to the cooler under more constant-speed conditions.

Abstract: A motor controller includes: a driver stage operable to provide voltage and current to a plurality of induction motors over a single power bus; and a control unit operable to monitor the current drawn from the driver stage and cause one or more of the induction motors to operate in a regenerative mode to supply current to at least one other of the induction motors when the current drawn from the driver stage exceeds a threshold.

Abstract: A vehicle includes an arrangement, such as an internal-combustion engine coupled with a generator, for converting the energy in fuel into electrical form, while generating exhaust. An exhaust cleaning arrangement, such as a catalytic converter, preferably operating at a high temperature, cleanses the exhaust. During deceleration of the vehicle, excess electrical energy is used to heat the exhaust cleaning arrangement.

Abstract: A power converter comprises a power transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding flux coupled to the primary winding, input terminals for receiving an input voltage, and output terminals for providing an output voltage. A power switching arrangement comprising two pairs of switching devices arranged in a bridge configuration has a corresponding duty cycle which is selectable so as to cause the power converter to manifest different input output transfer characteristics corresponding to buck and boost modes of operation. An inductor having a single winding is coupled between the input terminals and the primary winding through the switching devices. Secondary winding rectification and filtering provides the power supply output.

Abstract: A polyphase AC-to-AC inverter (300) for driving a polyphase load (50), which may be an unbalanced load, includes a wye-connected AC voltage source (12) having a neutral terminal (312). The source (12) is coupled to a rectifying arrangement (16) for producing direct voltage across a direct-voltage bus (22). A capacitive bridge (24) on the DC bus (22) has a tap (26) connected to the neutral (312) of the source. The capacitive bridge is isolated from the AC source harmonics by a zero sequence inductor (20). The DC bus voltage at the capacitive bridge feeds a polyphase switching bridge (40). The average voltage at the output of the switching bridge is recovered by a low-pass filter (30) connected to the load. The unbalanced load current is conducted through an inductor to the capacitive bridge tap and the source neutral, with the inductor impedance isolating the load neutral from the DC bus. The switching bridge control can introduce triplen harmonics in the output to increase line-to-line output voltage.

Abstract: In an electrical power generation unit with a prime mover having an output shaft rotating at a speed .omega. which determines an output power function having at each value of .omega. an output-power/.omega. slope M.sub.d, and a generator developing electrical power responsive to shaft rotation, a generator electrical impedance is selected to provide a generator output-power/.omega. slope M.sub.g to approximate the M.sub.d slope, so that .omega. can be controlled to maximize efficiency.

Abstract: For fully testing and burning-in an integrated circuit chip before it is incorporated into a high density interconnect or other standard hybrid bare chip circuit, a temporary test substrate having pins extending therethrough holds the chip within a cavity. Chip pads are electrically connected with the pins to create a package that can be tested using commercially available testing and burn-in devices. After testing, the chip is retrieved from the test structure undamaged. In using HDI techniques to interconnect the chip with the pins, metal-filled vias in a polymer layer overlying the temporary test substrate electrically connect the chip to the pins through a metal interconnect pattern on the polymer layer. In another embodiment, the chip is interconnected with the pins through wire bonds. Metal-filled vias pass through an insulative coating on the chip and make electrical contact with the chip pad.

Abstract: A high density interconnected multi-chip module is provided with a stress-reducing compliant material disposed around the chips prior to molding a polymeric substrate around the chips. Chips having contact pads are placed face down on a layer of adhesive supported by a base. A compliant material is deposited around the chips, and then a mold form is positioned around the chips. Polymeric substrate molding material is added within the mold form, and then the substrate molding material is hardened. A dielectric layer having vias aligned with predetermined ones of the contact pads and having an electrical conductor extending through the vias is situated on the hardened substrate molding material and faces of the chips. A thermal plug may be affixed to the backside of a chip prior to the addition of substrate molding material.

Abstract: The final viewable color of each pixel to be displayed responsive to specular reflected illumination intensity from a polygon is determined by generating a data signal, setting a specular component of the present pixel illumination intensity for the associated color, as the product of the intensity of a light source illuminating the polygon, a specular coefficient for that polygon, and a shading term proportional to the exponentiation of the rendered Gouraud Shading Intensity (GSI) for each of a plurality of selected primary colors of a sequence of pixels to be displayed as defining that polygon, by S, a shininess exponent (S) specified for that polygon.

Abstract: A magnetic circulator is incorporated into a multi-chip module using a microwave high density interconnect (HDI) structure. A prepackaged circulator can be inserted into a ready-made high density interconnected multi-chip module; this prepackaged circulator may use a stripline design having a signal line with two ground planes above and below the signal line, or a microstrip transmission line design having one signal line and one ground plane below the signal line. Alternatively a circulator can be manufactured directly in a high density interconnected multi-chip module, with a stripline, or a microstrip transmission line design.

Abstract: A protective cap is deposited over the top and sides of an air bridge structure located on an integrated circuit chip. The protective cap provides mechanical strength during the application of a high density interconnect structure over the chips, to prevent deformation of the sensitive (air bridge) structure, and also to prevent any contamination from intruding under the air bridge. More importantly, the protective cap does not impede the performance of the air bridge and therefore does not need to be removed, thereby eliminating the necessity of ablating the HDI structure. Furthermore, the protective cap allows additional area for metallization to provide alternate circuits for coupling, power or ground planes, etc.