Patents by Inventor Franco Leonardi

Franco Leonardi 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).

  • Publication number: 20250088084
    Abstract: A deburring gauge system that includes a gauge set, a gauge holder secured to the gauge set, and a controller. The gauge set is configured to be at least partially inserted into a slot set of a stator. Each gauge part of the gauge set includes a body having a shape that corresponds to a shape of a respective slot of the slot set. The body of each gauge part includes an abrasive portion extending along a length of the body. The controller is in communication with the gauge holder and configured to move the gauge holder in a first direction toward the stator so that the abrasive portion of the body is at least partially inserted into the respective slot and move the gauge holder in a second direction away from the stator so that the abrasive portion of the body is removed from the respective slot.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2023
    Publication date: March 13, 2025
    Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Franco Leonardi, Michael W. Degner
  • Patent number: 12243683
    Abstract: Permanent magnets and method of making the same are provided. The magnets include a magnetic layer having an insulation layer disposed thereon. The insulation layer is formed via additive manufacturing techniques such as laser melting such that it has discrete phases including a magnetic phase and an insulating phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2025
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Wanfeng Li, Franco Leonardi, Michael W. Degner
  • Patent number: 12237103
    Abstract: A core for an electrical apparatus includes a plurality of electrical steel sheets having a ferromagnetic or ferrimagnetic coating applied to both sides of the electrical steel sheets. The electrical steel sheets are arranged in a stack to form a laminated stack. The ferromagnetic or ferrimagnetic coating is applied to both sides of the electrical steel sheets. The coating may comprise MnZn ferrites, NiZn ferrites, MgMnZn ferrites, CoNiZn ferrites, Co ferrites, Ni ferrites, Yttrium iron garnets (Y3Fe5O12) or other ferromagnetic or ferrimagnetic coating materials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2025
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Leyi Zhu, Franco Leonardi, Michael W. Degner
  • Patent number: 12237720
    Abstract: An electric machine including a stator core having an outer circumferential surface and an axial row of raised projections that extend radially outboard from the outer surface. The raised projections are axially spaced from each other to define circumferential channels therebetween. A housing defines a cavity that receives the stator core. The housing has an inner circumferential surface in contact with the raised projections and radially spaced from the outer surface of the core to define a void space in fluid communication with the channels. The void space and the channels cooperate to form a fluid circuit that overlays the outer circumferential surface such that the fluid is in direct contact with the stator core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2025
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Dengfu Zhang, Brian Christian Orr, Alfredo R. Munoz, Franco Leonardi, Joel Hetrick
  • Publication number: 20240420879
    Abstract: Methods and systems for demagnetizing a rotor. The method includes, in one example, adjusting a position of magnetic poles mounted on a frame in a demagnetization system in relation to a first electric machine rotor, and decreasing the magnetization of the first electric machine rotor via operation of the demagnetization system to generate an electromagnetic field.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 13, 2023
    Publication date: December 19, 2024
    Inventors: Wanfeng Li, Franco Leonardi, Michael Degner
  • Patent number: 12113413
    Abstract: A vehicle, electric machine, and method of manufacturing an electric machine include a stator having teeth extending from a yoke portion toward a rotor and defining slots between adjacent teeth with windings positioned within the slots, wherein the slots are coated with an electrically insulating material having an arcuate surface exiting the slots and extending at least partially over the teeth on at least one end face of the stator to form a winding guide for bending/positioning the windings. The winding guide may be formed by a molded epoxy that replaces insulating paper slot liners while providing a template for forming the hairpin bends of end windings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2024
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Franco Leonardi, Michael W. Degner, Man Prakash Gupta, Christopher White, Steven White, Gary Thomas Martini, Singar Rathnam
  • Publication number: 20240290535
    Abstract: A coil assembly includes a mounting structure and a coil member. The mounting structure includes at least one surface and at least one locking member disposed on the at least one surface. The coil member is wound around a central axis of the mounting structure and secured to the at least one surface of the mounting structure by the at least one locking member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2023
    Publication date: August 29, 2024
    Applicant: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: John Paul Modzel, Shay Fox, Franco Leonardi, Angela Skupski, Ralph Conrad
  • Publication number: 20240249877
    Abstract: A method of processing an anisotropic permanent magnet includes forming anisotropic flakes from a bulk magnet alloy, each of the anisotropic flakes having an easy magnetization direction with respect to a surface of the flake and combining the anisotropic flakes with a binder to form a mixture. The method further includes extruding or rolling the mixture without applying a magnetic field such that the easy magnetization directions of the anisotropic flakes align to form one or more layers having a magnetization direction aligned with the easy magnetization directions of the anisotropic flakes, and producing the anisotropic permanent magnet from the layers having the magnetization direction such that the anisotropic permanent magnet has a magnetization with a specific orientation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 29, 2024
    Publication date: July 25, 2024
    Inventors: Wanfeng LI, Chuanbing RONG, Franco LEONARDI, Michael W. DEGNER
  • Publication number: 20240213840
    Abstract: An electric machine includes a stator core defining slots having a number of radial positions. A winding is disposed in the core and has three phases, each of the phases having at least two parallel paths including hurdle-shaped conductors interconnected to form at least two continuous circuits between a terminal and a neutral. Each of the hurdle-shaped conductors have first and second uprights disposed in a different one of the slots and a bridge connecting between the uprights and extending circumferentially over an end surface of the core, wherein the bridges are stacked one on top of the other such that the winding has upper and lower layers. The bridges have variable thickness such that a number of bridges, at each of the upper and lower layers, extending over one of the slots exceeds the number of radial positions of that slot.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2022
    Publication date: June 27, 2024
    Inventors: Becky Sue Morris, Franco Leonardi
  • Patent number: 11948733
    Abstract: A method of processing an anisotropic permanent magnet includes forming anisotropic flakes from a hulk magnet alloy, each of the anisotropic flakes having an easy magnetization direction with respect to a surface of the flake and combining the anisotropic flakes with a binder to form a mixture. The method further includes extruding or rolling the mixture without applying a magnetic field such that the easy magnetization directions of the anisotropic flakes align to form one or more layers having a magnetization direction aligned with the easy magnetization directions of the anisotropic flakes, and producing the anisotropic permanent magnet from the layers having the magnetization direction such that the anisotropic permanent magnet has a magnetization with a specific orientation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Wanfeng Li, Chuanbing Rong, Franco Leonardi, Michael W. Degner
  • Patent number: 11923738
    Abstract: A vehicle electric machine includes a stator core having an inner diameter defining a plurality of slots, an outer diameter, and a plurality of mounting ears disposed radially outboard of the outer diameter. At least one of the mounting ears defines a cooling channel extending in an axial direction of the stator core. A radial distance between a center of the stator core and the cooling channel is greater than a radial distance between the center and the outer diameter. The machine further includes windings having portions disposed in the slots and end windings adjacent to an end face of the stator core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Franco Leonardi, Michael W. Degner, Prasad Dev Hanumalagutti
  • Patent number: 11923133
    Abstract: Permanent magnets and method of making the same are provided. The magnets include a magnetic layer having an insulation layer disposed thereon. The insulation layer is formed via additive manufacturing techniques such as laser melting such that that it has discrete phases including a magnetic phase and an insulating phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Wanfeng Li, Franco Leonardi, Michael W. Degner
  • Publication number: 20240071666
    Abstract: Permanent magnets and method of making the same are provided. The magnets include a magnetic layer having an insulation layer disposed thereon. The insulation layer is formed via additive manufacturing techniques such as laser melting such that that it has discrete phases including a magnetic phase and an insulating phase.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2023
    Publication date: February 29, 2024
    Inventors: Wanfeng Li, Franco Leonardi, Michael W. Degner
  • Patent number: 11901769
    Abstract: A stator includes a plurality of same laminations each defining a piloting tab on a perimeter thereof, and stacked to form a stator body and such that the piloting tabs define at least two axially extending serrated edge portions spaced apart from one another around a perimeter of the stator body or at least two sets of axially aligned housing contact pads spaced apart from one another around the perimeter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Franco Leonardi, Brian Christian Orr, Joel Hetrick
  • Patent number: 11843281
    Abstract: A vehicle electric machine includes a housing and a stator having windings and a stator core. The core defines a plurality of axially extending cooling channels each having an entrance port at one end of the stator and an exit port at the other end of the stator. An end cover is connected to a first end of the housing defining a recessed cavity configured to receive the windings and defines an arcuate inlet manifold channel that extends in a circumferential direction of the stator to partially circumscribe the first cavity and that is in fluid communication with first ones of the axial cooling channels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Franco Leonardi, Michael W. Degner
  • Patent number: 11837939
    Abstract: An electric machine includes a housing, a stator, an oil film, and at least one first seal. The housing has an internal surface defining an internal cavity. The stator has an outer peripheral surface and is disposed within the internal cavity such that a clearance gap is defined between an outer peripheral surface and the internal surface. The oil film is disposed within the clearance gap and is in contact with the internal surface and the outer peripheral surface. The at least one first seal is disposed along a first end of the stator and is configured to retain the oil film within the clearance gap along the first end of the stator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Franco Leonardi, Prasad Dev Hanumalagutti, Michael W. Degner
  • Publication number: 20230361633
    Abstract: An electric machine including a stator core having an outer circumferential surface and an axial row of raised projections that extend radially outboard from the outer surface. The raised projections are axially spaced from each other to define circumferential channels therebetween. A housing defines a cavity that receives the stator core. The housing has an inner circumferential surface in contact with the raised projections and radially spaced from the outer surface of the core to define a void space in fluid communication with the channels. The void space and the channels cooperate to form a fluid circuit that overlays the outer circumferential surface such that the fluid is in direct contact with the stator core.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 5, 2022
    Publication date: November 9, 2023
    Inventors: Dengfu Zhang, Brian Christian Orr, Alfredo R. Munoz, Franco Leonardi, Joel Hetrick
  • Patent number: 11796574
    Abstract: An electrical current sensing arrangement includes a busbar, a dielectric material containing therein a magnetic field sensor, and a ferromagnetic over-mold encapsulating a portion of the busbar and the dielectric material. The dielectric material is disposed against the busbar such that the magnetic field sensor is spaced away from the busbar and the ferromagnetic over-mold is not between the busbar and the magnetic field sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Christopher Wolf, Michael W. Degner, Franco Leonardi, Seth Avery
  • Patent number: 11799361
    Abstract: This disclosure relates to thermal management for an electric machine, such as an electric motor, of an electrified vehicle. An example assembly includes a stator having a core and a jacket at least partially surrounding the core. The jacket radially encloses a slot and is configured to permit fluid to flow within the slot from a first face of the stator to a second face of the stator. The assembly further includes a first end cover covering the first face of the stator. The first end cover has an inlet port and is configured to direct fluid from the inlet into the slot. Further, the assembly includes a second end cover covering the second face of the stator and configured to direct fluid that exits the slot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Man Prakash Gupta, Franco Leonardi, Alfredo R. Munoz, Michael W. Degner, Prasad Dev Hanumalagutti
  • Patent number: 11742708
    Abstract: A stator includes a core and an over-molded midsection arranged to define a plurality of slots, and a plurality of conductors wound within the slots. Portions of the midsection immediately adjacent to the slots define a plurality of protrusions disposed on opposite long faces of at least some of the slots. The protrusions extend into the at least some of the slots and between some of the conductors to establish a gap between the some of the conductors and to direct coolant between the some of the conductors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Franco Leonardi, Man Prakash Gupta