Patents by Inventor Chingchi Chen

Chingchi Chen 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: 10640003
    Abstract: The methods and systems for correcting for an inductive load when testing high voltages devices are described. A high voltages device is a device under test (DUT) in a double-pulse test, which may require the inductive load. The method can include in a low current, high voltage time period, estimating an inductor current contribution range after a turn on of the device-under-test connected to an inductive load with an air core inductor. The method subtracts the estimated inductor current contribution from a device-under-test collector current to output a corrected collector current. This allows the double pulse test to be conducted with an air-core inductor. Vehicles can use the DUT in traction power applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Xi Lu, Chingchi Chen, Zhuxian Xu, Krishna Prasad Bhat, Lan Yu, Michael W. Degner
  • Patent number: 10622593
    Abstract: A power module includes a packaging structure having a pair of side-by-side spaced apart busbars, each connected to a corresponding switch. The power module includes a conductive pad, between and electrically isolated from the busbars and the switches, and configured to, responsive to flow of current through the busbars generated by the switches and resulting in power loop magnetic flux between the busbars, generate magnetic flux that partially cancels the power loop magnetic flux.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Zhuxian Xu, Guangyin Lei, Nevin Altunyurt, Chingchi Chen
  • Patent number: 10622909
    Abstract: An inverter for an electric vehicle drive has a bridge configuration using power transistors packaged in actively cooled power modules. Control electrodes in the power modules carrying gate signals to drive the transistors contain inductive coils to increase a common source inductance in order to reduce power losses. Each inverter power module comprises a pair of transistor dies with output electrodes defining a power loop. The control electrodes with inductive coils carrying respective gate signals are arranged to be magnetically coupled with the power loop. For active cooling, a heat conductive plate underlies the dies. A magnetic interrupter is disposed at the heat conductive plate. A localized eddy current preventer is interposed at the heat conductive plate in alignment with the inductive coils to avoid eddy currents that could otherwise reduce the coupling of the inductive coils with the power loop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Zhuxian Xu, Guangyin Lei, Chingchi Chen
  • Publication number: 20200106265
    Abstract: Surge protection circuitry includes a pair of series connected diodes sharing a first common terminal that is directly electrically connected to only one of a pair of transmission lines, a pair of series connected Zener diodes, in parallel with the series connected diodes, sharing a second common terminal that is directly electrically connected to only the other of the transmission lines, and a pair of series connected power supplies each configured to reverse bias one of the series connected diodes such that the diodes prevent electrical coupling of the Zener diodes to the transmission lines responsive to a voltage of the signal source being less than a threshold value, and the diodes permit electrical coupling of at least one of the Zener diodes to the transmission lines responsive to the voltage being greater than the threshold value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2019
    Publication date: April 2, 2020
    Inventors: Krishna Prasad Bhat, Chingchi Chen, Richard William Kautz
  • Publication number: 20200011934
    Abstract: A battery system has a cell, a substrate mounted on the cell, and monitoring circuitry on the substrate and exclusively powered by the cell. The battery system also has a switch on the substrate electrically between the cell and monitoring circuit, and control circuitry on the substrate. The control circuitry, responsive to a value of a parameter of the cell measured by the monitoring circuitry falling outside a predefined range, opens the switch to electrically disconnect the monitoring circuit from the cell.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2018
    Publication date: January 9, 2020
    Inventors: Benjamin A. Tabatowski-Bush, John Paul Gibeau, Chingchi Chen
  • Publication number: 20200014077
    Abstract: A battery system includes a cell, and an integrated circuit and flexible circuitry on and electrically isolated from a container of the cell. The flexible circuitry is arranged with the cell and integrated circuit to form a dipole antenna that wirelessly transmits signals from the integrated circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2018
    Publication date: January 9, 2020
    Inventors: Benjamin A. Tabatowski-Bush, John Paul Gibeau, Chingchi Chen
  • Publication number: 20200014076
    Abstract: A battery system has a battery cell including a can and tabs, flexible circuits on and electrically isolated from the can, and electrically connected with the tabs, and a monolithic integrated circuit. The monolithic integrated circuit is mounted to the can via thermally conductive adhesive such that the can and monolithic integrated circuit are electrically isolated from one another. The monolithic integrated circuit is also wire bonded to the flexible circuits, and configured to measure and transmit data about the battery cell.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2018
    Publication date: January 9, 2020
    Inventors: Benjamin A. Tabatowski-Bush, John Paul Gibeau, Chingchi Chen
  • Publication number: 20200014075
    Abstract: A battery system has a cell and a substrate mounted on the cell. The substrate includes circuitry defining a processor that generates data about the cell, an antenna, a power line communication (PLC) interface, and a coupler that selectively directs signals from the processor containing the data to each of the antenna and PLC interface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2018
    Publication date: January 9, 2020
    Inventors: Benjamin A. Tabatowski-Bush, John Paul Gibeau, Chingchi Chen
  • Publication number: 20200014074
    Abstract: A battery system has a battery cell including a can, and a ceramic substrate, including a patterned metallized surface, mounted to the can via a thermally conductive adhesive. The battery system also has a monolithic integrated circuit that measures and transmits data about the cell mounted to the patterned metallized surface such that the ceramic substrate and monolithic integrated circuit are electrically isolated from one another.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2018
    Publication date: January 9, 2020
    Inventors: Benjamin A. Tabatowski-Bush, John Paul Gibeau, Chingchi Chen
  • Patent number: 10527653
    Abstract: A method includes measuring an impedance of a shunt as a function of frequency and converting the impedance to an admittance in a time domain. The method further includes connecting the shunt in a circuit and measuring voltage data across the shunt over a predetermined interval. The method includes outputting a signal indicative of a current through the shunt derived from the voltage data convolved with the admittance. The method may be implemented in a controller configured to interface with the shunt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Richard William Kautz, Xi Lu, Zhuxian Xu, Guangyin Lei, Chingchi Chen, Lan Yu, Michael W. Degner
  • Patent number: 10513185
    Abstract: An electrified vehicle charger includes a diode bridge, contactors, and a controller. The diode bridge may be configured to rectify an alternating current (AC) source. The contactors may couple the AC source with a traction battery. The controller may be configured to, responsive to a magnitude of a potential across a diode of the bridge, corresponding to a neutral crossing of a potential of the AC source, exceeding a threshold, open the contactors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Mohamed Elshaer, Allan Roy Gale, Chingchi Chen
  • Publication number: 20190372063
    Abstract: A power module includes a packaging structure having a pair of side-by-side spaced apart busbars, each connected to a corresponding switch. The power module includes a conductive pad, between and electrically isolated from the busbars and the switches, and configured to, responsive to flow of current through the busbars generated by the switches and resulting in power loop magnetic flux between the busbars, generate magnetic flux that partially cancels the power loop magnetic flux.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2018
    Publication date: December 5, 2019
    Inventors: Zhuxian XU, Guangyin LEI, Nevin ALTUNYURT, Chingchi CHEN
  • Publication number: 20190369167
    Abstract: A system for testing a phase leg of an inverter includes a load coupled to an output terminal of the phase leg. A test circuit includes a capacitor coupled between an inverter power input and a switch module operative to couple the capacitor to the load. The circuit further includes a switch operative to select a polarity of a voltage across the capacitor. The circuit also includes a pair of switching elements operative to selectively couple the first terminal to the inverter power input and the inverter power return. The components can be operated by a controller configured to selectively couple the load to the inverter power and return terminals, selectively charge and couple the capacitor to the load, and interface with the inverter to control a path of current flow through active and passive elements of the phase leg.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2018
    Publication date: December 5, 2019
    Inventors: Krishna Prasad BHAT, Chingchi CHEN
  • Patent number: 10439485
    Abstract: An electrified vehicle propulsion system uses current feedback to modify gate drive signals to suppress voltage spikes and increase switching efficiency. A DC link having a link capacitor and a link inductance is connected to first and second converters. A first converter bridge has a first phase leg with first upper and lower switching devices, each switching device having a respective gate loop. A second converter bridge has a second phase leg with second upper and lower switching devices, each switching device having a respective gate loop. A plurality of gate drivers provide gate drive signals to respective gate loops for turning the respective switching devices on and off. A plurality of gate coils are provided, wherein each gate coil is connected in series between a respective gate driver and a respective gate loop. Each gate coil is respectively inductively coupled to the link inductance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Zhuxian Xu, Chingchi Chen
  • Patent number: 10427532
    Abstract: A vehicle includes a traction battery, an on-board charging system (OBCS), and a wireless power transfer system (WPTS). Each of the OBCS and WPTS is configured to selectively use a same rectifier such that the rectifier rectifies output of the OBCS and rectifies output of the WPTS to provide power to the traction battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Mohamed Elshaer, Chingchi Chen, Mark J. Ferrel, John Paul Gibeau
  • Publication number: 20190280686
    Abstract: Circuitry includes a pair of switches arranged in series, and a gate driver. The gate driver, responsive to a magnitude of current through one of the switches exceeding a threshold, discharges a gate of the one through a first resistor. The gate driver also, responsive to a voltage across a parasitic inductance of the switch becoming zero, discharges the gate through a second resistor but not the first resistor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2018
    Publication date: September 12, 2019
    Inventors: Xi Lu, Chingchi Chen
  • Patent number: 10388460
    Abstract: A capacitor comprising first and second end sprays respectively located at distal ends of a capacitor cell, a positive polarity bus bar extending from a first wound conductive layer of the capacitor cell adjacent to the first end spray, a negative polarity bus bar extending from a second wound conductive layer of the capacitor cell adjacent to the second end spray, and a capacitor film wrapped around an area between the first and second conductive layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Guangyin Lei, Xi Lu, Zhuxian Xu, Chingchi Chen
  • Patent number: 10369891
    Abstract: A vehicle is provided with a coil and a sensor. The coil is adapted to receive power wirelessly in single-phase form from an external coil. The sensor is adapted to measure a characteristic of the power. The vehicle is also provided with a controller that is programmed to estimate a parameter indicative of coil alignment using a three-phase representation of the power based on the characteristic, and to adjust the power received by the coil based on the parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Mohamed Elshaer, Chingchi Chen, John Paul Gibeau, Mark J. Ferrel
  • Publication number: 20190229721
    Abstract: Embodiments include a power conversion circuit comprising first and second semiconductor switches, and a drive circuit configured to create a period of operational overlap for the first and second switches by setting a gate voltage of the first switch to an intermediate value above a threshold voltage of the first switch, during turn-on and turn-off operations of the second switch. Embodiments also include a method of operating first and second semiconductor devices, comprising: reducing a gate voltage of the first device to an intermediate value above a threshold voltage while the second device is off; turning off the first device after the second device is on; increasing the gate voltage of the first device to the intermediate value while the second device is on; and fully turning on the first device after the second device is off.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2019
    Publication date: July 25, 2019
    Inventors: Krishna Prasad Bhat, Chingchi Chen
  • Patent number: 10361147
    Abstract: A power module has upper and lower transistor dies carried by a lead frame assembly. The assembly has a positive DC paddle for the upper die and an AC paddle for the lower die. An upper plate interconnects a second side of the upper die with the AC paddle, and a lower plate interconnects a second side of the lower die with a negative power bar. Current flowing via positive and negative power bars defines a power loop creating a main magnetic flux with a first direction in a central region and a return direction outside the central region. The upper and lower plates have outer edges having respective notches to concentrate respective portions of a return magnetic flux. Each die has a gate pad connected in a gate loop, wherein the gate loops each overlap a respective concentrated return flux thereby enhancing a common source inductance for each transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2019
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Zhuxian Xu, Nevin Altunyurt, Chingchi Chen