Patents by Inventor Aaron Walker

Aaron Walker 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: 11981216
    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: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2024
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Baojin Wang, Chingchi Chen, Benjamin A. Tabatowski-Bush, Aaron Walker, Rui Wang, Xianzhi Gong, Xu Wang, John Paul Gibeau
  • Patent number: 11654883
    Abstract: A vehicle includes a traction battery, an electric machine, a relay electrically between the traction battery and electric machine, and a controller. When closed, the relay completes an electrical circuit including the traction battery and electric machine. The controller selectively commands the relay to open based on a voltage across a coil of the relay and a current through the coil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Aaron Walker, Mateusz Zadrozny
  • Patent number: 11548392
    Abstract: Systems and methods for operating an electric power distribution bus of an electric or hybrid vehicle are described. In one example, an output of an electric power consumer is decoupled from other electric power consumers so that electric current drawn from the electric power distribution bus is lowered while the electric power consumer provides a capacitive load to the electric power distribution bus, thereby reducing voltage ripple associated with the electric power distribution bus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: David Cox, Edward Ball, Aaron Walker
  • Patent number: 11489346
    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 fuse and a resistor connected in series. The battery management integrated circuit further 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: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Benjamin A. Tabatowski-Bush, Baojin Wang, John Paul Gibeau, Ai Keramidas, Kimberley King, Daniel Paul Roberts, Aaron Walker
  • Publication number: 20220332304
    Abstract: A vehicle includes a traction battery, an electric machine, a relay electrically between the traction battery and electric machine, and a controller. When closed, the relay completes an electrical circuit including the traction battery and electric machine. The controller selectively commands the relay to open based on a voltage across a coil of the relay and a current through the coil.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 16, 2021
    Publication date: October 20, 2022
    Inventors: Aaron WALKER, Mateusz ZADROZNY
  • Publication number: 20220250480
    Abstract: Systems and methods for operating an electric power distribution bus of an electric or hybrid vehicle are described. In one example, an output of an electric power consumer is decoupled from other electric power consumers so that electric current drawn from the electric power distribution bus is lowered while the electric power consumer provides a capacitive load to the electric power distribution bus, thereby reducing voltage ripple associated with the electric power distribution bus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2021
    Publication date: August 11, 2022
    Inventors: David Cox, Edward Ball, Aaron Walker
  • 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
  • Patent number: 11299056
    Abstract: A vehicle includes charger contactors configured to selectively electrically couple terminals for connecting to a charger to corresponding terminals of a high-voltage bus. The vehicle includes a precharge contactor configured to selectively couple a terminal of a battery to the high-voltage bus through an impedance element. The vehicle includes a controller programmed to command the charger contactors to an open state for a drive cycle and command the precharge contactor to close at a start of the drive cycle and, responsive to a voltage across the terminals for connecting to the charger changing from being less than a first predetermined voltage immediately prior to the precharge contactor being closed to being greater than a second predetermined voltage at a completion of precharging, inhibit vehicle operation and disconnect the battery from the high-voltage bus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Rui Wang, Aaron Walker, Yuan Zhang
  • Publication number: 20210170899
    Abstract: A vehicle includes charger contactors configured to selectively electrically couple terminals for connecting to a charger to corresponding terminals of a high-voltage bus. The vehicle includes a precharge contactor configured to selectively couple a terminal of a battery to the high-voltage bus through an impedance element. The vehicle includes a controller programmed to command the charger contactors to an open state for a drive cycle and command the precharge contactor to close at a start of the drive cycle and, responsive to a voltage across the terminals for connecting to the charger changing from being less than a first predetermined voltage immediately prior to the precharge contactor being closed to being greater than a second predetermined voltage at a completion of precharging, inhibit vehicle operation and disconnect the battery from the high-voltage bus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2019
    Publication date: June 10, 2021
    Inventors: Rui Wang, Aaron Walker, Yuan Zhang
  • 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: D610503
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2010
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: George Bucher, Melvin Betancourt, Brian Izard, Aaron Walker
  • Patent number: D610504
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2010
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: George Bucher, Melvin Betancourt, Brian Izard, Aaron Walker
  • Patent number: D614327
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: George Bucher, Melvin Betancourt, Aaron Walker
  • Patent number: D618146
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2010
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: George Bucher, Melvin Betancourt, Aaron Walker, James Yu-Hsin Kuo
  • Patent number: D627704
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2010
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: George Bucher, Melvin Betancourt, Aaron Walker, Bruce P. Williams