Abstract: A composite material includes a polymer and a paint char material. The paint char material includes pyrolyzed paint sludge and in some forms is a hybrid paint char. The hybrid paint char includes lignin.
Type:
Application
Filed:
October 12, 2023
Publication date:
April 17, 2025
Applicants:
University of Guelph, Ford Global Technologies, LLC
Inventors:
Amar K. Mohanty, Manjusri Misra, Neelima Tripathi, Arturo Rodriguez, Michael Snowdon, Deborah Frances Mielewski, Alper Kiziltas
Abstract: An electrical ground assembly for a vehicle component includes a bushing including an upper serrated surface and a lower serrated surface opposite the upper serrated surface, a ground strap including a terminal, and a fastener including a head portion, a shaft extending from the head portion, and a flange extending radially between the head portion and the shaft portion. The terminal is electrically connected to the bushing between the upper serrated surface and the lower serrated surface. The flange includes a lower serrated surface configured to mate with the upper serrated surface of the bushing.
Abstract: A vehicle running board assembly includes a step board, a movable arm coupled to the step board, an electric motor operably coupled to the movable arm to actuate the step board between stowed and use positions and a controller controlling the electric motor, wherein the controller controls the electric motor based on sensed temperature and a motor cycle count.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
December 2, 2022
Date of Patent:
April 15, 2025
Assignee:
Ford Global Technologies, LLC
Inventors:
Aaron Peter Klop, Dennis Yee, David Brian Glickman
Abstract: A parking operation of a vehicle from a starting position to a parked position in a perpendicular parking space includes determining a trajectory into the parked position with at least one parking movement and potentially one or more corrective movements which includes a change of direction. A blocking line is defined running in a straight line and longitudinally through the vehicle when positioned in the starting position. If the trajectory provides for one or more corrective movements, then it is determined whether the blocking line will be cleared by the vehicle during a nonfinal parking movement or a nonfinal corrective movement. If the blocking line will be cleared then a signal is output for interrupting the trajectory. The interruption can include an alert and/or a determination of a corrected trajectory in such a way that clearing the blocking line by the vehicle during the nonfinal parking movement is prevented.
Abstract: Vehicle frames for battery powered electric vehicles are disclosed. An example apparatus disclosed herein includes a vehicle subframe including a first rail and a first rocker on a first side of the vehicle subframe, and a second rail and a second rocker on a second side of the vehicle subframe, the first side opposite the second side, a first diagonal member coupled between the first rail and the second side of the vehicle subframe, the first diagonal member to transfer a first longitudinal load from the first rail to the second side, and a second diagonal member coupled between the second rail and the first side of the vehicle subframe, the second diagonal member to transfer a second longitudinal load from the second rail to the first side.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
November 14, 2023
Date of Patent:
April 15, 2025
Assignee:
Ford Global Technologies, LLC
Inventors:
Saied Nusier, Ridha Baccouche, Saeed David Barbat, Leonard Anthony Shaner, Srinivasan Sundararajan, Rahul Arora
Abstract: Traction battery packs are disclosed that include cell-to-pack battery systems. A cell stack/cell matrix of the cell-to-pack battery system may be positioned within an irregularly shaped enclosure tray of the traction battery pack. A block insert may be positioned at an interface between the cell stack/cell matrix and an irregularly shaped interior surface of the enclosure tray. The block insert may be configured to facilitate insertion of the cell stack/cell matrix into the enclosure tray, transfer compression loads from the enclosure tray walls to the cell stack/cell matrix, resist battery cell compression loads, etc.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
August 23, 2022
Date of Patent:
April 15, 2025
Assignee:
FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
Inventors:
Patrick Daniel Maguire, Che-Chun Chang, Jason C. Marcath, Karen Siler
Abstract: A method of manufacturing a tool part of a forming tool. The method includes forming a tool element of the tool part having a shape-imparting operating face and at least one first cooling duct for cooling a liquid using an additive manufacturing machine. The first cooling duct has at least one rectifier portion including a blocking direction and an opposing passing direction. The blocking direction has a higher flow resistance to cooling liquid than the passing direction.
Abstract: A pedestrian alerting system adapts alerting sounds emitted by a vehicle according to an acoustic environment around the vehicle. Echoes of the alerting sound in an enclosed space such as a garage can be irritating to the pedestrians and/or occupants of the vehicle. A sensor suite including radar, cameras, and/or a GPS locator detect confined spaces in which reflections result in a greater apparent loudness. Emitted loudness of the alerting sounds are reduced, wherein the reduction of the volume may be based on the size of the space.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
August 30, 2023
Date of Patent:
April 15, 2025
Assignee:
FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
Inventors:
Stuart C. Salter, Jeffrey R. Seaman, Ralph R. Jones, Brendan F. Diamond, Joseph W. Herman
Abstract: A traction battery pack assembly includes an enclosure having compartments and battery arrays. Each battery array is disposed in one of the compartments. An intake manifold delivers air to the compartments. An exhaust manifold receives air from the compartments. A thermal management method includes using an intake manifold to deliver air to compartments within an enclosure. The compartments each house at least one battery array. The method includes using an exhaust manifold to receive air from the compartments and to communicate air from the enclosure.
Abstract: A battery pack includes an enclosure assembly, a battery assembly housed within the enclosure assembly, a mounting structure secured to the enclosure assembly, and a mounting clamp that includes a first section mounted to the mounting structure and a second section contacting the battery assembly.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
September 28, 2020
Date of Patent:
April 15, 2025
Assignee:
FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
Inventors:
Micah Joel Smith, Yongcai Wang, George Albert Garfinkel
Abstract: A vehicle includes a vehicle frame including a first frame rail and a second frame rail each elongated along a vehicle-longitudinal axis. The first frame rail is spaced from the second frame rail along a vehicle-lateral axis. The vehicle includes a bumper supported by the first frame rail and the second frame rail. The bumper includes a crossbeam elongated along the vehicle-lateral axis. The bumper includes a cell structure vehicle-forward of the crossbeam, the cell structure including cell walls that define cell chambers. The bumper includes foam disposed in the cell chambers.
Type:
Application
Filed:
October 10, 2023
Publication date:
April 10, 2025
Applicant:
Ford Global Technologies, LLC
Inventors:
Dean M. Jaradi, Mohammad Omar Faruque, S.M. Iskander Farooq
Abstract: A method of processing mixed-material vehicle scrap includes conditioning the mixed-material vehicle scrap and heating the mixed-material vehicle scrap. The mixed-material vehicle scrap comprises a first group of parts and a second group of parts. The first group of parts includes a first alloy and the second group of parts has a substrate of a second alloy and a coating disposed over the substrate. The mixed-material vehicle scrap is conditioned such that an element of the second alloy is diffused into the coating to form a diffused coating. The diffused coating has a melting temperature greater than a melting temperature of the first alloy. The mixed-material vehicle scrap is heated to a temperature above the melting temperature of the first alloy and below the melting temperature of the diffused coating, thereby allowing the second group of parts to separate from the first group of parts.
Type:
Application
Filed:
October 5, 2023
Publication date:
April 10, 2025
Applicant:
Ford Global Technologies, LLC
Inventors:
Constantin Chiriac, S. George Luckey, JR., Daniel Scott Freiberg, Larry Alan Godlewski
Abstract: A method for remotely waking-up a vehicle includes the request of a vehicle power state of at least one non-responsive vehicle of a plurality of autonomously operated vehicles, the verification—via a remote-start-wakeup automated vehicle marshaling algorithm installed within an infrastructure—of a current power state of the at least one non-responsive vehicle, the identification that the at least one non-responsive vehicle is in an off-state, and the generation of a wake-up command that is wirelessly transmitted to the at least one non-responsive vehicle via a CV2X-PC5 protocol.
Type:
Application
Filed:
October 10, 2023
Publication date:
April 10, 2025
Applicant:
Ford Global Technologies, LLC
Inventors:
Krishna Bandi, Meghna Menon, Mario Anthony Santillo, Gregory P. Linkowski
Abstract: A vehicle cooling system for a fuel cell and an electrical energy store includes a first cooling circuit configured to cool the fuel cell and a second cooling circuit configured to cool the electrical energy store with the first cooling circuit and the second cooling circuit selectively fluidly connected to one another in response to temperatures of the fuel cell and electrical energy store. The first cooling circuit may include a coolant removal point arranged downstream of the fuel cell and upstream of a heat exchanger. The first cooling circuit may also include a coolant recirculation point downstream of a heat exchanger and upstream of the fuel cell.
Abstract: A vehicle is provided that includes an imaging device located on the vehicle and oriented to capture images, memory storing one or more pet profiles, and a controller processing the captured images to detect a pet and determining at least one of an estimated pose of the pet and a gait of the pet, wherein the processor determines a bone structure of the pet from the at least one estimated pose and gait and compares the bone structure to the one or more pet profiles to detect an authorized pet, the controller controlling one or more vehicle related features based on the detected authorized pet.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
January 10, 2022
Date of Patent:
April 8, 2025
Assignee:
Ford Global Technologies, LLC
Inventors:
Lawrence Amadi, Stuart C. Salter, John Robert Van Wiemeersch, Hussein H. Berry, Annette Lynn Huebner, Marguerite Lynn Kimball
Abstract: An accessory attachment system includes a baseplate that provides an attachment interface on a vehicle. The baseplate is configured to engage with an accessory to secure the accessory to the vehicle. The baseplate and the accessory are configured to electrically connect to each other through an electrical contact interface.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
April 8, 2022
Date of Patent:
April 8, 2025
Assignee:
Ford Global Technologies, LLC
Inventors:
Galen Keith Thomas, Michael Azzouz, Jay Meyer