Patents by Inventor Alfredo R. Munoz

Alfredo R. Munoz 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: 10377217
    Abstract: A vehicle power supply includes a housing, a backing plate, a power assembly, and a clamp. The housing has a bottom wall and a side wall. The backing plate extends from the bottom wall. The power assembly has an array of electrical switching units that extend from the side wall to the backing plate. The clamp extends from the backing plate and is configured to engage a backside of the array such that a frontside of the array is forced into engagement with the side wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Akash Changarankumarath Pradeepkumar, Alfredo R. Munoz, Michael W. Degner, Edward Chan-Jiun Jih, Guangyin Lei
  • Publication number: 20190115794
    Abstract: An electric machine includes a stator and a rotor. The stator has a yoke fitted over a ring that has a plurality of teeth with gaps therebetween for fitting metal windings. The ring of teeth has an inner circumference that is closed and to connect the teeth, and an outer circumference with open gaps or slots between the teeth. The metal windings are fitted through the open outer circumference. Regions of the closed inner circumference between the teeth are treated such that the region's magnetic permeability is reduced relative to the remainder of the stator. The reduction in magnetic permeability provides a magnetic flux barrier between the teeth.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 13, 2017
    Publication date: April 18, 2019
    Inventors: Feng LIANG, Alfredo R. MUNOZ, Leyi ZHU, Michael W. DEGNER
  • Publication number: 20180109155
    Abstract: An electric machine may include a rotor. The electric machine may include a stator surrounding the rotor having teeth defining slots having at least two cross-sectional areas housing windings having uniform cross-sectional areas that fill each of the cross-sectional areas of the slots to substantially similar proportions relative to other slots such that slots housing windings having different phases have different cross-sectional areas than slots housing windings having same phases.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 13, 2016
    Publication date: April 19, 2018
    Inventors: Alfredo R. Munoz, Feng Liang, Michael W. Degner
  • Patent number: 8436504
    Abstract: An electric machine having a stator surrounding a rotor with an air gap therebetween. The stator has slots in its inner margin for accommodating stator coil windings. Stator teeth defined by the slots have irregular shapes to modify a variable flux flow pattern in the air gap to reduce harmonic torque components with minimal effect on an average value of rotor torque.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Feng Liang, Michael W. Degner, Alfredo R. Munoz, Wen Ouyang
  • Publication number: 20130065718
    Abstract: A motor vehicle powertrain includes an engine, a motor/generator including a rotor, gearing including an input driveably connected to the engine, and an output secured to the rotor and driven in a rotary direction opposite to that of the input.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2011
    Publication date: March 14, 2013
    Applicant: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Alfredo R. Munoz, Michael W. Degner, Michael T. Berhan, Shaun G. Knowles, Thomas A. McGinn
  • Patent number: 8350431
    Abstract: A permanent magnet electric machine with optimum motoring efficiency is disclosed. It is adapted for use in a hybrid electric vehicle powertrain. An asymmetric magnetic flux distribution pattern in the rotor of the machine is established by asymmetrically positioning rotor openings relative to rotor magnets to improve operating efficiency of the machine when it is in a motoring mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Feng Liang, Michael W. Degner, Alfredo R. Munoz
  • Publication number: 20120032549
    Abstract: A permanent magnet electric machine with optimum motoring efficiency is disclosed. It is adapted for use in a hybrid electric vehicle powertrain. An asymmetric magnetic flux distribution pattern in the rotor of the machine is established by asymmetrically positioning rotor openings relative to rotor magnets to improve operating efficiency of the machine when it is in a motoring mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2011
    Publication date: February 9, 2012
    Applicant: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Feng Liang, Michael W. Degner, Alfredo R. Munoz
  • Patent number: 8044546
    Abstract: A permanent magnet electric machine with optimum motoring efficiency is disclosed. It is adapted for use in a hybrid electric vehicle powertrain. An asymmetric magnetic flux distribution pattern in the rotor of the machine is established by asymmetrically positioning rotor openings relative to rotor magnets to improve operating efficiency of the machine when it is in a motoring mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2011
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Feng Liang, Michael W. Degner, Alfredo R. Munoz
  • Publication number: 20110169369
    Abstract: An electric machine having a stator surrounding a rotor with an air gap therebetween. The stator has slots in its inner margin for accommodating stator coil windings. Stator teeth defined by the slots have irregular shapes to modify a variable flux flow pattern in the air gap to reduce harmonic torque components with minimal effect on an average value of rotor torque.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 11, 2010
    Publication date: July 14, 2011
    Applicant: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Feng Liang, Michael W. Degner, Alfredo R. Munoz, Wen Ouyang
  • Publication number: 20100308678
    Abstract: A permanent magnet electric machine with optimum motoring efficiency is disclosed. It is adapted for use in a hybrid electric vehicle powertrain. An asymmetric magnetic flux distribution pattern in the rotor of the machine is established by asymmetrically positioning rotor openings relative to rotor magnets to improve operating efficiency of the machine when it is in a motoring mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 18, 2010
    Publication date: December 9, 2010
    Applicant: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Feng Liang, Michael W. Degner, Alfredo R. Munoz
  • Patent number: 7791236
    Abstract: A permanent magnet electric machine with optimum motoring efficiency is disclosed. It is adapted for use in a hybrid electric vehicle powertrain. An asymmetric magnetic flux distribution pattern in the rotor of the machine is established to improve operating efficiency of the machine when it is in a motoring mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2010
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Feng Liang, Michael W. Degner, Alfredo R. Munoz
  • Publication number: 20090045688
    Abstract: A permanent magnet electric machine with optimum motoring efficiency is disclosed. It is adapted for use in a hybrid electric vehicle powertrain. An asymmetric magnetic flux distribution pattern in the rotor of the machine is established to improve operating efficiency of the machine when it is in a motoring mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 16, 2007
    Publication date: February 19, 2009
    Applicant: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Feng Liang, Michael W. Degner, Alfredo R. Munoz